A Blind Melon song echoes the phrase "Life is hard, you have to change." Nowhere is this truer than in music. The first few articles of this column have focused on my view of alternative music. Recently, I spoke with two artists to get their take on their new albums, the impact and revolution of digital music, and their take on what "alternative" music means to them. As both of my guests, Matt Moseman of Edgewater and Spider of Powerman 5000, stated, it is important to stay on top of your game and be ever-changing in the music business, or you get left behind.

      Edgewater recently put out a hard-rocking new album entitled We’re Not Robots. The cover of the album shows one orange robot in a sea of blue ones. When I asked him about it, Moseman responded, "Whether we succeeded in being different in everybody else’s eyes, we kind of went against the grain from what we normally do." He defended Edgewater’s stance of being true to themselves and not giving in to their record label’s idea of what they wanted them to be—something that truly represents the spirit of alternative music, or as I’ve said, "available as another possibility." He added, "If you were just different in the first place, then people would set their standards to what you’re doing."

      The track "Rock is Dead," from the new album, shows how important it is to change as an artist. Moseman speaks about possibly alienating fans, but how it’s important to change and grow, otherwise being an artist is useless. "I feel like ‘Rock is Dead’ is kind of that storm that hits, and then at the end of it is kind of that calm … . We’re not saying also that it works … but for us, what we were going for is experimentation and just trying to push the envelope for us."

      With We’re Not Robots, that is exactly what Edgewater does. They manage to shape their sound in a new direction to all, while holding tight to slamming riffs, raging vocals and the formula that got them here—albeit slightly reworked for this album.

      A little later on, I spoke with Spider, lead vocalist of Powerman 5000. PM 5000 recently put out their newest album, Destroy What You Enjoy, their first release on DRT records. Immediately, Spider seemed to almost pick up where Moseman left off and reiterate the point that as an artist, it is essential to change. "But I do think one way that a band can present themselves and keep themselves different is do what I think we try to do; I keep evolving, changing. Take three steps forward, 10 steps back." He also warned of the pitfalls of taking this approach: "It’s a dangerous process because you sort of know as a band what your fans expect and like, and when you present something as a challenge to them, you know you’re going to alienate a certain amount of them, and we do that all the time. But you also roll the dice and hope that a crop of fans come along and get turned on by the new music."

      Another big change for Powerman 5000 was switching to an indie label system. The biggest difference is that you think of "the entire year of promoting the record, and not just the first few months," said Spider. Still more change. But as they always said, "Change is good."

      Lastly, Spider’s definition of alternative music was one of the most articulate I have gotten to date: "I guess it’s all from your perspective, honestly. If you’re into hardcore punk rock, then pop country is alternative to you. If you’re into hip-hop, then heavy metal is alternative. It’s all from which direction you’re facing."

      Much like We’re Not Robots, Destroy What You Enjoy manages to push the envelope. "Miss America," at the end of the album (before bonus live track "Heroes and Villains"), seems like it belongs on a much softer album. "It makes a statement," says Spider. "A certain percentage of them totally appreciate and get it, and a certain element are totally enraged by it."

      Both artists, and albums, seem to share a similar mindset that change is important. Spider says, "Lose yourself, challenge it, take it to the next level." Change may be hard, but leading by example, Powerman 5000 and Edgewater are on the right path to redefining "alternative."