A note from Cristina

Hello hello. This is probably the longest I’ve gone without an update (and even this is not that long.) If there’s nothing going on with Edsel currently, I’ll highlight moments from days gone by in his career or make up original articles like our merch spotlight feature. This leads to me posting about once a week, not including any social media posts I make.

Thing is, it’s also led to me to post content just for the sake of posting content. Posting on a consistent schedule is not always ideal for this sort of website, because sometimes there’s really and truly nothing to talk about. But I’ve set a precedent for a long time, and once that happens, it’s always in the back of my mind. “Oh it’s been x amount of days, I should be posting or updating the website.” It feels like I’m failing if I don’t keep up with an arbitrary precedent. (I know I’m not, but I feel how I feel)

Content for content’s sake is very contrived: it feels fake, and ultimately it’s a lower quality product. I want to be proud of the content I create, as does anyone. That may mean going forward, there might be a week or two (or three) that I don’t post. When I do, you can be sure it’s something worthwhile. I don’t want to waste your time on content I don’t 100 percent believe in.

I’ve had fans tell me they’re glad I’m around, because this website brings them closer to an artist that means a lot to them. That’s valid. And I’ll probably always be here.  It would take Edsel doing something truly horrific to make me not support him anymore. (I don’t see that happening, by the way. Just telling you I’m not fickle, and I see this as a long term project. I believe in my work, and in the person I’m trying to support.)

Please don’t take this as “poor me, boohoo, content creation is hard”. I find that just as annoying as you probably do. I know I’m not doing anything terribly important here. I’m not a big deal, nor does anyone owe me anything. At the end of the day, I’m a nobody with a bit of graphic design talent. I also didn’t want to jump scare you and make you think this was me saying goodbye. It’s not! I want to keep posting content, and I will. But like any content creator, I just want to put out a product that makes me happy, and that makes you happy. If that takes a bit longer, so be it.

Thank you for your understanding. Love you lots.

Cristina xx

Dope Merch Roundup: The Best of… Shirts!

It’s been awhile, so it’s time for another Dope Merch Roundup! I thought of a fun idea when I was looking through the Dope shop: why not rank my top five faves of each category? We’re starting with my top five favourite shirts in the Dope merch shop!

But First… This.

As we always do, we start off with a big fat disclaimer: These are not affiliate links. I am not compensated for these posts or my opinions. Everything I recommend from the Dope merch shop are items that I either personally own or genuinely like. Now that’s out of the way, let’s hop to it. We’ll start off with my absolute favourite shirt in the Dope merch shop!

dope merch roundup

2022 Logo Shirt – Cristina’s #1 pick!

You know me. I love the classics, and you really can’t go wrong with this classic Dope logo. It’s an oldie, but it’s still a goodie. This would probably go with a lot of your wardrobe already because of how sleek and simple it is.

dope merch roundup

Null Shirt

I love discreet references to Dope (I named my collective site Undevoted after all), and this shirt definitely fits the bill. And again, this will probably go with a lot of stuff you already own!

dope merch roundup

Cross Shirt

If I saw you in this shirt, I would think oh! There’s somebody with excellent style and fabulous taste in music. (Psst… it’s you! You’re that somebody!)

Flag Shirt

Another absolute classic. The Dope logo, the American flag… it just works.

Believe Shirt

I love this one for both the look AND the song it’s repping. It’s really such an underrated song, and an awesome video too!

And there you have it: these are my top five favourite shirts currently available for purchase in the Dope merch shop. Which one was your favourite? Will you be buying any of them?

Stay tuned for more of the Best Of … Dope Merch Roundup! These are one of my favourite features on the site – and I hope you enjoy them as well!

Dope Bus Invaders Screencaps, etc.

The LARGEST Edsel Dope photo gallery on the net just keeps getting better.  We’re coming at you with updates from classic spots with Dope: Bus Invaders and other segments from Digital Tour Bus. Let’s get right into it.

dope bus invaders

Dope: Bus Invaders
View Photos | View Video

  • 47 photos added to Dope: Bus Invaders. This is a segment that is still pretty popular, and with good reason!
  • Not familiar with Bus Invaders? Here’s a rundown: Do you remember MTV Cribs? Think of that, but with tour buses. If you liked MTV Cribs, you will probably like this channel. I for one am quite nosy and find this sort of content really interesting. I’m forever watching “what’s in my bag” videos, or house tours.
  • Edsel himself is the one giving the tour of their bus, and is accompanied by the man, the myth, the legend Acey Slade.

Dope: Tour Pranks
View Photos | View Video

  • 37 photos added to Dope: Tour Pranks!
  • ANOTHER video with both Edsel and Acey? Heck yeah! I’ll understand if you need a moment to compose yourself to get ready for all that awesome.
  • This is another video by the awesome Digital Tour Bus. Shockingly, this channel doesn’t have at least a million subs even though they really should. You know you can fix that, right? If you like what Digital Tour Bus creates, why not subscribe? You can check out their channel right here.

Dope: Tour Tips
View Photos | View Video

  • 42 photos added to Dope: Tour Tips.
  • The last in that series from Digital Tour Bus, we join Acey and Edsel one more time. Two rock legends, one video. Your day just keeps getting better. This is a very fun series, I really hope you watch all the videos!

Again, if you liked what you saw, please sub to Digital Tour Bus. They have a lot of cool people featured – the one on Wednesday 13 was also really interesting. Which video was your fave?

Edsel Gallery Update

Just a small Edsel gallery update for you today. This is not a particularly huge update, but I really don’t want to get behind again.

edsel gallery update

VIEW GALLERY (EDF PHOTO)

EDF Photo is the largest continuously updated Edsel Dope photo gallery on the web. We’re over 2000+ photos strong, and we’ve got no plans to stop. But EDF Photo is a lot more than that.

As I’ve said before, one of the best things I can do with my platform is lift up other content creators. Particularly if they don’t have the reach that I do. To that end, I’m proud to feature a lot of diverse creators in our Interview Directory! I hope my screencaps capture your interest – I’ve provided links to each and every interview that go directly to that creator’s channel!

I encourage all our visitors to check out the creators we’ve featured, and if you like what you see, support them by liking and subbing. I’ve personally discovered a lot of really cool interviewers while running this site, and I sincerely hope you give them a watch too! (Plus, it’s always the best to hear Edsel in his own words)

You can access our Interview Directory here, and watch some of Edsel’s best interview moments.

Have YOU interviewed Edsel on your Youtube channel? Do you want your interview publicized on edseldopefan.org? Feel free to reach out and I’d be happy to help!

Dope Apple Music page: edseldopefan.org has questions!

Hey, Apple Music? Quick question… can you please remove things that have nothing to do with Dope from their Apple Music Artist page? Or is that asking too much?

See, to me, artist pages should have only that artist. Yet for the longest time, you’ve have this single on Dope’s artist page that is demonstrably not them.

You’re obviously familiar with their catalogue of music, since everything else is right. And other platforms don’t seem to have made this error. Just yours.

You might not care about this, but they probably do. And it’s a bit annoying from a fan perspective to have incorrect media on an artist page. It might seem like a minor problem, but minor problems are still problems. (And in my opinion, it’s not a minor problem, but I digress.) I’m sure you can imagine that this kind of thing leads to confusion and misunderstandings.

Dope Apple Music

To help you out, I’ve provided this picture to illustrate the problem. Feel free to reference it if you need to while you fix this issue. It’s yours to have – giving you this one for free! Now that I’ve shown you the problem, can you please fix the Dope Apple Music artist page? Thanks a bunch!

Also, while I have you, another quick question. I promise, this is the last one. For now. Dope has been a thing since the late 90s. They have released seven studio albums. Yet, they don’t have an Essentials compilation on your platform. I guess my question is… what’s up with that? It seems like more obscure artists with less extensive musical catalogues have one. Why not Dope, a well established and successful band? I genuinely don’t understand. If you need suggestions, edseldopefan.org has made our own Dope Essentials playlist! Feel free to take the hint. You can view it here if you need some ideas: Dope Essentials by edseldopefan.org. You’re very welcome!

Hope this helps! <3

Tiny layout/graphics refresh

Just a small update to let you know I’ve refreshed graphics around site a bit. As you know, one thing about me is if I am not 100 percent satisfied with something, I’m not going to rest till I am. That being said, I’m actually really happy with our layout situation now. I think this one will stay up for awhile, or until I’m sick of it. (Not likely to get sick of this layout anytime soon, plus how could anyone be sick of Edsel? Absurd.)

I will be back with a proper update this week, so stay tuned!

Machine Killer Tour aftermath catch-up

Time for a bit of Machine Killer Tour aftermath catch-up! Yes, I know, the Machine Killer Tour’s finale was this month. Sad days, but Edsel has to rest sometime! And he more than deserves it. This tour was absolutely phenomenal. I really hope you got to see it!

Back to the subject at hand: here’s a few things you missed, so let’s get you up to date.

machine killer tour aftermath

Keep Supporting Edsel!

Speaking of… I hope that by seeing the offerings on EDF Photo, you are inspired to support Edsel by purchasing his music (you can do so at dopetheband.com). He’s a really talented artist and frankly? He doesn’t get the credit or recognition he deserves. You can fix that, though!

In the Machine Killer Tour aftermath, we need to continue with this awesome energy. It’s really up to us, the fans, to keep the fire going. I’m just one girl shouting in the wilderness, here. How can you all help? Easy! It does mean a lot when you support Edsel by buying his music or even following him on social media. If you already do – thank you so much! If not, you know what to do. <3

Dope Die MF Die GIFs, Site Updates and more!

Today’s update sees some shiny new bells and whistles on edseldopefan.org, some additions to the Graphic Archive (Dope Die MF Die Reunion gifs) and a new series hitting EDF.org’s social media. Let’s not waste any time and hop right into it.

dope die mf die

  • As you might be able to tell, we have polished up our look even more lately. I’m really happy for you to see it. I do all the graphics and site design myself, and hopefully my skills do Edsel justice.
  • EDF Photo also got a new-ish look. The site experience should now aesthetically be more cohesive throughout, which is my goal.

Graphic Archive Updates:

  • Five GIFs from the Now or Never video added. Though Lovesong unseated it from the top spot in my favourite Dope videos, it’s still sitting pretty at a solid second. As with all the GIFs I create, I do not show previews here like I do other graphics. (I too hate fansites that have a ton of gifs that need to load and make everything hella slow.) Simply head directly to the page here.
  • Two GIFs from the from the Die MF Die Reunion promo added.
  • I am working on more graphics content, since I know that’s a popular aspect of this fansite. Please note: all my graphics are free and always will be. The only thing I ask in return is not using them as the basis of your own work. And maybe a link back too, if you use and like them!

How It Starts

  • I know I don’t really talk about edseldopefan.org’s social media presence a lot on this site. There’s a reason for that. I want you to follow and sub to Edsel’s social media, not mine. It really is one of the best ways to support him and his music, so go do that now if you haven’t yet. Go on. I’ll wait.
  • Back? Good. I make short form content about Edsel once a week on our social media. Our Tiktok and Instagram will be hosting a new series to that end, How it Starts. Part music challenge, part hype for a supremely underrated band, it will look at Dope (and Edsel’s music as a whole) in a fresh new way.
  • I hope you join us for the series! On Tiktok and Insta, we are @edseldopefanorg. I will also be posting it here in case you don’t have either platform.

Dope The Early Years Booklet Scans

Today’s update sees EDF Photo updated with scans from the booklet that accompanied Dope: The Early Years. This is an addition to my own personal collection of Dope band memorabilia that I didn’t have until recently. (“What?! Cristina, you didn’t have this yet? Fake fan confirmed.”) I know, right? Scandal! But I’ve since righted that wrong. Let’s find out all about it right now!

dope the early years

Dope: The Early Years Booklet

  • 28 scans have been added from the Dope: The Early years booklet. To view the scans, click here! This booklet accompanied The Early Years: New York City 1997/1998, which was released July 31, 2018. Not familiar with this release? Let’s give you the scoop: The Early Years: New York City 1997/1998 is a compilation of Dope’s early demos. Before Dope was the powerhouse we know now, they were just finding their feet in the late 90s. Many of the tracks on this album went on to Dope’s debut release Felons and Revolutionaries.
  • The Early Years: New York City 1997/1998 also includes an awesome booklet where Edsel details Dope’s beginnings. If you’ve never read it, it’s genuinely an awesome read. When I tell you, the way I would absolutely devour a memoir written by this man… the pages of this book are filled with fascinating stories. (Edsel, if you ever happen to see this… memoir when?!)

I do want to add one more thing: I hope my content inspires you to support Edsel by purchasing his music. If I’ve piqued your interest, please buy this compilation! It really is something special for any Dope fan’s collection.

Dope Essentials Playlist, updates + more!

Got a bit of an assorted update for you today. We’re righting a minor wrong and making our own Dope Essentials playlist, shining the spotlight on some updated pages on EDF.org and so much more! Let’s get right into it.

dope essentials playlist

  • Dope Essentials Playlist: What would a Dope Essentials playlist look like as curated by edseldopefan.org? We’ve answered that question right here and right now! Obviously, I got this idea from Apple Essentials so the concept isn’t unique. That being said, we’re putting together a Dope Essentials playlist for a reason: Apple Essentials doesn’t have one. And when Dope is overlooked, we’re here to correct that minor wrong! I have to say, our picks are pretty rad, so I do hope you give them a listen. If you’d like to see our suggested Essentials picks, you can view them right here on EDF.org’s Youtube. While you’re there: be sure to sub to @dopetheband on Youtube with notifications ON so you never miss a video. Our Essentials playlist is also featured on Edsel’s revamped biography page. Speaking of…
  • Edsel Biography Revamped: This has been on my to-do for awhile, and now I’m ready to share the revamped Edsel biography page. You can view it right here. Along with the Dope Essentials playlist, I’ve added a profile on Ecco Studios. Here at EDF.org, we do focus on Edsel’s entire career (not just his work with Dope). A lot of fans might not be aware of his work with Ecco Studios – but even if you are, I hope you enjoy reading this profile.

But wait… there’s more!

  • Graphic Archive Updated: I’ve added gifs from Dope’s video for Hold On to the GIFs section. Since I don’t hate your internet connection, I do not place previews here on the updates page. Head on over directly with the link provided. GIFs are also bundled so that they display one at a time. Simply flip through and download whichever ones you fancy!

That’s about it for today. Hope you enjoy today’s updates – let’s leave you with my little thank you for us being together for one year to support Edsel. <3 Looking forward to many more to come.

@heytocristina

edseldopefan.org is proud to be celebrating our ONE YEAR anniversary! Since May 4th, 2023, we have been your number one fan run resource for rock icon Edsel Dope! None of this would be possible without you, our visitors. Thank you so much, I mean that from the bottom of my heart. ❤️ – Cristina #dope #dopeband #dopetheband #edseldope #dopearmy #metal #music #rediscover #trending #fypage #musica

♬ Blood Money – Dope