Last night I went to see Bettye LaVette at the Troubadour. Despite the venue being full but not packed to the rafters, Ms. LaVette gave it her all, with enough honest commentary to make you want to go to dinner with her, to hear her expound on life. In a world where opinions are anathema, at least when it comes to famous performers, Ms. LaVette was the veritable breath of fresh air. When someone whooped, she said "Don't make any noises you wouldn't at your grandmother's house." She lauded her label, said she sang songs better than the originals and screeched and crooned in front of her four piece band to the point you felt the rest of the music business was a distant cousin at best, you know, the one where everybody's got no lines on their face and sings songs written by old men so they can get a bit of fleeting fame on radio and television. That's what that is, the fame business, not the music business. Kind of like reality television, with all those nitwits who are famous for nothing. Once upon a time music was an honest profession, hard but full of personal triumphs and rewards, now it's a sideshow, a diversion, a focus away from the heinous activities of those with all the money. And if you think the label head has all the money, you know nothing about modern economics.
But despite Bettye's prodigious performance last evening, what inspired me to write was my conversation with her husband, Kevin Kiley.
I hear from Kevin on a regular basis. And at first it was about Bettye, then it became about the Animals and sixties rock and roll bands and I started to wonder, this guy doesn't sound black...
He's not.
But he's a huge fan of soul music. That's how he met Bettye LaVette. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
So Kevin, who's pushing sixty, is living in New Jersey, singing in a few bands and performing as a star in the drug culture, he was a bona fide drug addict. But when his brethren said he was doing too much, at twenty four he got clean. Got married, became an antiques dealer...
That's what we never read in the press. The story of real people. We only hear about the winners, the worldbeaters. What about the rest of us who were thwarted in our dreams, who didn't know exactly what we wanted to do, who fell into things?
Yup, Kevin Kiley fell into dealing antiques, primarily glassware. A dealer told him he'd pay him more for what Kiley was finding in his travels, and suddenly Kevin was in business. Until the Internet. When everything appeared on eBay and prices dropped.
The Internet.
After being married for eighteen years, getting divorced and singing once again, the Internet came along and Kevin found an online group called "Southern Soul."
That's what I love about the Internet, the like-minded people! This is what the mainstream cannot fathom, that not only are people not interested in their curated smorgasbord of bland news items, they'd rather dig down deep into the specialized area that intrigues them. The Southern Soulsters debated 45s that sold in double digits, they reveled in the history, they talked about the culture, they discussed Bettye LaVette.
Word got out Bettye was gonna make a record. Kevin didn't like the proposed producer. So he said so online, Bettye got wind of this and responded. And when they spoke on the phone, she said YOU COME UP WITH THE MONEY AND YOU CAN PICK THE PRODUCER!
Bettye was destitute and living in the ghetto in Detroit. Thank your lucky stars that recording is so inexpensive today. Before modern technology you couldn't make an album without a plethora of cash, and you didn't get to choose all the players and the particulars...he who paid did.
And Kevin didn't have this kind of cash. But on one of his antiquing sojourns he was in Detroit, and asked Bettye if he could take her out for a drink. The rest is history. Then again, that's personal history, what about her career?
It all came down to performance. Her agent, Mike Kappus at Rosebud, saw her at a show. He decided to represent her. Her recording deal happened the same way. That's how she got her manager, Eric Gardner.
Most of us don't get the breaks. We're not good-looking enough, or rich enough, or kiss-ass enough. No one's looking for us. We've got to earn it, the hard way. That's how we get so good. Woodshedding, building our skills when no one will let us in the club, to the point where we ultimately can't be denied. This is the story of Howard Stern. He graduated from college and applied for a job in Hollywood, in TV production. Of course he didn't get it. He couldn't get a job in NYC, he was not Carol Miller, who started off at WMMR and then graduated to WPLJ. Now Howard Stern is the most famous radio broadcaster in modern history. But he's still not in the Hall Of Fame, they don't like his kind.
That used to be the rock and roll kind. The outsiders. Who were not pretty, who did not fit in. Can you imagine the legends of yore listening to judges on television giving them lame instructions on how to mold themselves to become successful? They'd give them the middle finger. They had to do it their way, there was no other way.
Bettye LaVette delivers. And it's her performing skills that have not only given her everything she's got, but everything she's gonna get. The more she sings, the more the word spreads. It's not about the one big break, it's about a series of very small efforts, that add up to the whole.
She may be way past sixty, but Bettye LaVette is as modern as they come.
P.S. I spoke with Eric Gardner about Todd Rundgren, his management client of 37 years, after the show. What intrigues me most is that Todd cashed out his royalties on "Bat Out Of Hell", one of the best-selling albums of all time, what inspired him? Kauai. Todd saw eight acres of prime real estate on the beach after the hurricane and it could all be his for $1 million. But he didn't have a million. And he really wanted the property. So Eric went to CBS and proposed a buyout, since Bat 3 was about to be released and Bat 1 would get a sales bump. The rest is history...
P.P.S. Southern Soul is now a Yahoo Group: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/southernsoul/
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Friday 12 October 2012
Performing
Once upon a time there were no recordings. If you wanted a career in music, you not only had to know how to play, you also had to know how to perform!
That's what been overlooked about the Beatles and Prince and so many legends whose music has endured. When you went to see them, you were blown away. Now you go to see an act and wait for the moment when they perform their hit single, often to hard drive, so you won't be disappointed, or you're dazzled by production. Sure, songs count, but can you deliver them?
Used to be live music was abundant. Now there's almost nowhere to play. And tickets are so expensive that the concept of going to a show has changed, it's no longer entertainment, no longer something you do on a regular basis, but an event. And that's different. As different as going on vacation to the Bahamas as opposed to your local beach. If you fly to an island and spend all that dough you're on high alert, you want to get your money's worth, if the help is slow and the weather is bad, you're bummed out. Whereas when you're at the local beach and the teenager takes a bit too long to deliver your french fries, it doesn't ruin your day, if the clouds roll in and you have to leave early, it's not a disaster. You go to your local beach all the time. You enjoy the environment, and it's the little things that titillate you. That great wave you caught and body-surfed all the way into shore on. The woman/man/boy/girl who walked right by your blanket... The song you heard on the radio as you were being baked by the rays, thrilled just to be alive. This is how it used to be in live music. Used to be you went all the time. You wanted to have a great time, but if it was just good, that was o.k.
Everybody still thinks it's about records. About hits. And nothing will garner you an audience instantly like a hit. But it won't keep people coming to your show if you're not a great performer. In this modern age where it's hard to get people's attention, where there's so much clutter that if you've got a hit, many people still don't hear it, shouldn't you be focusing on your live show, shouldn't you be honing your performing skills?
Look at it this way. Psy is one and done. He's no different from those guys who did the Macarena. And it's not about the song, but the video. And video was the dominant art form in the eighties and nineties, but now it really doesn't matter what you look like. It matters if you can play, and if you can sell the song you're singing.
I know this is the opposite of everything you're hearing, but if you want a career in music today, you're better off focusing on your live skills than your recoding chops.
This is why so many of the white/Brooklyn/hipster bands don't penetrate beyond their core. If you don't buy into it from the get-go, you can't be convinced. Take anybody to see Prince and they're closed. Take just anybody to see most of today's bands and they'll be howling to leave.
But the problem is bigger than that. It's not only a lack of riveting performers, it's a lack of places to play. People would rather hear records, or stay home. Because oftentimes when there is live music, it sucks. If you can't sell it as the bar band at the Holiday Inn, you're never going to go anywhere.
The path we're on looks bleak. With winners and losers, a very small middle class, with over-massaged mainstream hits and overpriced tickets to see these one hit wonders and the has-beens. Forget that there's less money in music than banking, the whole art form is headed to extinction. Then again, that's what's exciting about electronic music. Sure, many deejays don't do much, but the show is an experience, the audience performs, you feel as one, which is vastly different from standing in the arena with people you neither know nor care about who are blocking your $200 view.
But as for those who sing and play guitars... First we've got to develop people worth seeing. Then there will be a demand for places to see them. And ticket prices will have to start off low. So people can go check things out on a regular basis.
Change is coming.
And I don't know exactly how it will play out.
But if you wan to be a musician today, learn how to perform. Play live wherever you can. Learn to do it with no electronic aids/help. People are clamoring for authenticity. It's your job to deliver it.
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That's what been overlooked about the Beatles and Prince and so many legends whose music has endured. When you went to see them, you were blown away. Now you go to see an act and wait for the moment when they perform their hit single, often to hard drive, so you won't be disappointed, or you're dazzled by production. Sure, songs count, but can you deliver them?
Used to be live music was abundant. Now there's almost nowhere to play. And tickets are so expensive that the concept of going to a show has changed, it's no longer entertainment, no longer something you do on a regular basis, but an event. And that's different. As different as going on vacation to the Bahamas as opposed to your local beach. If you fly to an island and spend all that dough you're on high alert, you want to get your money's worth, if the help is slow and the weather is bad, you're bummed out. Whereas when you're at the local beach and the teenager takes a bit too long to deliver your french fries, it doesn't ruin your day, if the clouds roll in and you have to leave early, it's not a disaster. You go to your local beach all the time. You enjoy the environment, and it's the little things that titillate you. That great wave you caught and body-surfed all the way into shore on. The woman/man/boy/girl who walked right by your blanket... The song you heard on the radio as you were being baked by the rays, thrilled just to be alive. This is how it used to be in live music. Used to be you went all the time. You wanted to have a great time, but if it was just good, that was o.k.
Everybody still thinks it's about records. About hits. And nothing will garner you an audience instantly like a hit. But it won't keep people coming to your show if you're not a great performer. In this modern age where it's hard to get people's attention, where there's so much clutter that if you've got a hit, many people still don't hear it, shouldn't you be focusing on your live show, shouldn't you be honing your performing skills?
Look at it this way. Psy is one and done. He's no different from those guys who did the Macarena. And it's not about the song, but the video. And video was the dominant art form in the eighties and nineties, but now it really doesn't matter what you look like. It matters if you can play, and if you can sell the song you're singing.
I know this is the opposite of everything you're hearing, but if you want a career in music today, you're better off focusing on your live skills than your recoding chops.
This is why so many of the white/Brooklyn/hipster bands don't penetrate beyond their core. If you don't buy into it from the get-go, you can't be convinced. Take anybody to see Prince and they're closed. Take just anybody to see most of today's bands and they'll be howling to leave.
But the problem is bigger than that. It's not only a lack of riveting performers, it's a lack of places to play. People would rather hear records, or stay home. Because oftentimes when there is live music, it sucks. If you can't sell it as the bar band at the Holiday Inn, you're never going to go anywhere.
The path we're on looks bleak. With winners and losers, a very small middle class, with over-massaged mainstream hits and overpriced tickets to see these one hit wonders and the has-beens. Forget that there's less money in music than banking, the whole art form is headed to extinction. Then again, that's what's exciting about electronic music. Sure, many deejays don't do much, but the show is an experience, the audience performs, you feel as one, which is vastly different from standing in the arena with people you neither know nor care about who are blocking your $200 view.
But as for those who sing and play guitars... First we've got to develop people worth seeing. Then there will be a demand for places to see them. And ticket prices will have to start off low. So people can go check things out on a regular basis.
Change is coming.
And I don't know exactly how it will play out.
But if you wan to be a musician today, learn how to perform. Play live wherever you can. Learn to do it with no electronic aids/help. People are clamoring for authenticity. It's your job to deliver it.
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Thursday 11 October 2012
Rhinofy-Fountains Of Wayne
Fountains Of Wayne was Brooklyn before that borough was hip. Overeducated boys playing thin music revered by critics ignored by the mainstream until...
"Stacy's Mom."
Not that that meant anybody would care thereafter. But it does ensure that people born around 1990 and before will always remember them.
And "Stacy's Mom" is kind of like 10cc's "The Things We Do For Love," a tribute to a sound done so well that those not informed put it down as an irrelevant trifle, when both are exquisite exercises in irony that titillate insiders who were there at the time of the originals and get the joke. Yes, "Stacy's Mom" was a gigantic hit, rocketed into consciousness by a video starring Rachel Hunter, but divorce the song from the images and...if you don't crack up, you've got no sense of humor.
The crunchy intro segues into an almost sotto voce recitation of the chorus... These are guys who studied the Beatles and know the most memorable tracks come from capitulating to the form, yet twisting it to tempt those who never thought to look at the world any different. More than one Beatles song began with the chorus and so many had great bridges and too often the modern Brooklyn acts put the format out to pasture and end up with something far from infectious...whereas "Stacy's Mom" is reminiscent of what came before, yet is still somehow unique. It's no crime to be able to sing, it's no crime to be able to play your instrument, the basics always come in handy, and Fountains Of Wayne have all the bases covered.
"Did your mom get back
From her business trip"
This modern reference is so endearing. Back in the sixties, most moms didn't work. But today, women not only make up a significant part of the workforce, oftentimes they're the family's main breadwinner. This is an executive, she was on a trip. She's much more than Thoroughly Modern Millie.
"Stacy do you remember
When I mowed your lawn
Your mom came out
With just a towel on
I could tell she liked me
From the way she stared
And the way she said
'You missed a spot over there'"
It's not only teenagers, all men play these mental games, have these delusions, they interpret every gesture and non-gesture, expression and non-expression. And the confidence! Scratch America's surface and you'll find most men believe they could screw Jennifer Aniston. Delusion is a way of life!
And "Stacy's Mom" is on "Welcome Interstate Managers," Fountains Of Wayne's 2003 album that is one of those secret records that old males love so much, they feel it's made just for them, music made by nerds for nerds. And we love it!
And if you look good in the club, if you like a beat, "Welcome Interstate Managers" is not for you.
But if you remember staying home dateless in high school, reading Kurt Vonnegut, dreaming of a better life, you'll love it!
And "Stacy's Mom" is fantastic.
But it's not my favorite cut on the album. That would be "Peace And Love."
"Riding around in a Volkswagen van
Thinking 'bout the people upside-down in Japan
Staring at the stars in a distant galaxy
Wondering if there's someone out there staring back at me singing..."
Ha! You might be too old to remember Volkswagen vans, which were the official vehicles of the hippies, even David Crosby, they persisted through the seventies, even when you could buy a higher powered, better handling van at an even lower price...it's what they stood for, kind of like long hair.
As for thinking about the people in Japan...isn't that what we were gonna find if we just dug deep enough in the backyard?
And did you ever freak yourself out thinking about the universe being infinite?
"Lying on the floor just playing my guitar
Trying to find the chords for 'Just The Way You Are'"
We dropped the needle on our vinyl records, figuring out the chords. And the fact that he's singing about the cheesy Billy Joel song just cracks you up, because he's not cool!
"Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont
Open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant"
Hilarious! For someone who went to college in Vermont...they nail it! The granola people. Living below their station. Back to the land.
The whole song is sung tongue in cheek. But the lyrics are secondary to the groove. They lock into it and after you hear "Peace And Love" a couple of times, you've got to hear it a couple of times more, and then more...kinda like Alanis Morissette's "Hand In Pocket."
Then there's "Supercollider," which sounds like an imitation of Oasis which is an imitation of the Beatles and that sixties sound. Still, it works. Because that sound is not of this earth, and neither is "Supercollider." It's a drug trip, no LSD required. Listening to it you can leave the world behind, it all fades to black as you live your own personal movie.
"Fire Island" is one of those tracks that is so schmaltzy, you skip over it and then one day the album plays through, you catch a few of the lyrics and you..crack up. Yes, it's ostensibly about that period of adolescence where you're finally breaking free from your parents, when you throw a party while they're away, but what truly makes it is...
"Don't you remember
Last December
When you went to Steamboat Springs"
Coaches always tell you to make your music universal. That's hogwash. It's the specifics that hook us. Some kids try to deny their heritage, imitate those below or above themselves. But here Fountains Of Wayne are being positively middle class, just the way they are. There's no boasting, just honesty, owning who they are, it's so refreshing.
"All Kinds Of Time" is positively inspiring, without being so inscrutable that you cannot connect with it. It's about that moment of reflection, when the world stops and you get to think. Everybody's such a winner today, so on it, thinking is passe.
"He takes a step back
He's under attack
But he knows that no one can touch him now
He seems so at ease
A stranger inner peace
Is all that he's feeling somehow"
It's like a sci-fi movie, where everybody else is frozen in time and you get to slow down and contemplate your moves and marinate in your mood. Don't you sometimes want to stop? Sometimes you do, and it feels just like this track.
I've written about "Valley Winter Song" before. Still, check it out again. It's the chorus that hooks you.
"And the snow is coming down
On our New England town
And it's been falling all day long"
That's one thing I hate about Los Angeles, the inability to stay inside, play board games, be removed from the world because the weather precludes exiting. It's quiet. It's special. Just you and your thoughts and whoever is locked inside with you. It's a respite.
And then there's "Hackensack."
"I used to know you when we were young
You were in all my dreams
We sat together in period one
Fridays at 8:15"
Do you surf the Net looking for those you once knew? It's so utterly fascinating. They're frozen in time. You remember them. Where and what are they up to today? Some you barely ever talked to, but knew intimately, because your name came right after theirs in the alphabet, because you shared the same home room.
"Now I see your face in the strangest places
Movies and magazines
I saw you talkin' to Christopher Walken
On my TV screen"
Only one person from my high school was ever famous, Linda Kozlowski, from "Crocodile Dundee," the one who married Paul Hogan. Long after my time John Mayer went to Warde, and Richard Belzer long before, but I never turn on my TV set and say "I went to school with him (or her!)" Ditto college. Middlebury is small. And everybody was not searching for fame, but playing it safe. They became doctors and lawyers, teachers and executives, no one was famous. Although I did turn on my TV and see my old classmate Jeanne Meserve on CNN, that was pretty weird, I never thought she was TV material, but you never know what's inside, who someone is destined to become. But my point is that yearning to connect with someone who's left me, gone beyond me, it's never happened. Meg Ryan grew up in my town, but she did not go to my school, now that would be pretty weird if I knew her, but I don't.
As for the rhyme about Christopher Walken, it's cute, it's showing off, but it still hits the spot, you've got to give credit where credit is due. Just like in the world at large, in music it's cool to be dumb. But Fountains Of Wayne are not.
"I used to work in a record store
Now I work for my dad
Scraping the paint off of hardwood floors
The hours are pretty bad"
Positively heartbreaking! Giving up, doing what's expedient. I never ever contemplated staying in Fairfield, Connecticut, never mind becoming a real estate appraiser like my dad. My whole life has been about escaping drudgery. It may not have been lucrative, but it's rarely been boring. I've had a couple of jobs where I stared at the clock. I died inside.
"Sometimes I wonder where you are
Probably in L.A.
That seems to be where everybody else ends up these days"
"Probably!" What a great word! You can sense the defeat and the distance. The only line between him and her is his memory, which is thin and is a nonexistent thread to her.
"But I will wait for you
As long as I need to
And if you ever get back to Hackensack
I'll be here for you"
Hackensack. Despite Springsteen and Bon Jovi, New Jersey was never cool and still is not. If you're from anywhere else, you look down your nose at the Garden State. Hell, not a single person from my high school applied to Princeton... The thought of going to college in New Jersey was unthinkable!
It's our dreams that get us through. Give up your dreams and you're truly dead. No matter how delusional they might be, like that of the guy in this song. Then again, he's waiting. Are you moving or waiting? Actually, you've got to do both, that's one of the themes of "Welcome Interstate Managers."
And I'd be lying if I said I was hooked by any of the later albums.
And I went to see Fountains Of Wayne at the Wiltern and they were exactly what I supposed they were, not at all who I hoped them to be. They were like college kids, playing in the cafeteria, very little soul, getting it right, but not perfect. But on wax, where they could labor over the music like a science project, they could craft a statement.
And that's what "Welcome Interstate Managers" is. Pop music filtered through the viewpoint of two Williams graduates who refused to leave their personalities at the door, who desired to get their perspective recorded. And they did. And if you share any of their history, and more do than don't, you'll love it!
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/p6HcZ8
Previous Rhinofy playlists: http://www.rhinofy.com/lefsetz
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"Stacy's Mom."
Not that that meant anybody would care thereafter. But it does ensure that people born around 1990 and before will always remember them.
And "Stacy's Mom" is kind of like 10cc's "The Things We Do For Love," a tribute to a sound done so well that those not informed put it down as an irrelevant trifle, when both are exquisite exercises in irony that titillate insiders who were there at the time of the originals and get the joke. Yes, "Stacy's Mom" was a gigantic hit, rocketed into consciousness by a video starring Rachel Hunter, but divorce the song from the images and...if you don't crack up, you've got no sense of humor.
The crunchy intro segues into an almost sotto voce recitation of the chorus... These are guys who studied the Beatles and know the most memorable tracks come from capitulating to the form, yet twisting it to tempt those who never thought to look at the world any different. More than one Beatles song began with the chorus and so many had great bridges and too often the modern Brooklyn acts put the format out to pasture and end up with something far from infectious...whereas "Stacy's Mom" is reminiscent of what came before, yet is still somehow unique. It's no crime to be able to sing, it's no crime to be able to play your instrument, the basics always come in handy, and Fountains Of Wayne have all the bases covered.
"Did your mom get back
From her business trip"
This modern reference is so endearing. Back in the sixties, most moms didn't work. But today, women not only make up a significant part of the workforce, oftentimes they're the family's main breadwinner. This is an executive, she was on a trip. She's much more than Thoroughly Modern Millie.
"Stacy do you remember
When I mowed your lawn
Your mom came out
With just a towel on
I could tell she liked me
From the way she stared
And the way she said
'You missed a spot over there'"
It's not only teenagers, all men play these mental games, have these delusions, they interpret every gesture and non-gesture, expression and non-expression. And the confidence! Scratch America's surface and you'll find most men believe they could screw Jennifer Aniston. Delusion is a way of life!
And "Stacy's Mom" is on "Welcome Interstate Managers," Fountains Of Wayne's 2003 album that is one of those secret records that old males love so much, they feel it's made just for them, music made by nerds for nerds. And we love it!
And if you look good in the club, if you like a beat, "Welcome Interstate Managers" is not for you.
But if you remember staying home dateless in high school, reading Kurt Vonnegut, dreaming of a better life, you'll love it!
And "Stacy's Mom" is fantastic.
But it's not my favorite cut on the album. That would be "Peace And Love."
"Riding around in a Volkswagen van
Thinking 'bout the people upside-down in Japan
Staring at the stars in a distant galaxy
Wondering if there's someone out there staring back at me singing..."
Ha! You might be too old to remember Volkswagen vans, which were the official vehicles of the hippies, even David Crosby, they persisted through the seventies, even when you could buy a higher powered, better handling van at an even lower price...it's what they stood for, kind of like long hair.
As for thinking about the people in Japan...isn't that what we were gonna find if we just dug deep enough in the backyard?
And did you ever freak yourself out thinking about the universe being infinite?
"Lying on the floor just playing my guitar
Trying to find the chords for 'Just The Way You Are'"
We dropped the needle on our vinyl records, figuring out the chords. And the fact that he's singing about the cheesy Billy Joel song just cracks you up, because he's not cool!
"Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont
Open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant"
Hilarious! For someone who went to college in Vermont...they nail it! The granola people. Living below their station. Back to the land.
The whole song is sung tongue in cheek. But the lyrics are secondary to the groove. They lock into it and after you hear "Peace And Love" a couple of times, you've got to hear it a couple of times more, and then more...kinda like Alanis Morissette's "Hand In Pocket."
Then there's "Supercollider," which sounds like an imitation of Oasis which is an imitation of the Beatles and that sixties sound. Still, it works. Because that sound is not of this earth, and neither is "Supercollider." It's a drug trip, no LSD required. Listening to it you can leave the world behind, it all fades to black as you live your own personal movie.
"Fire Island" is one of those tracks that is so schmaltzy, you skip over it and then one day the album plays through, you catch a few of the lyrics and you..crack up. Yes, it's ostensibly about that period of adolescence where you're finally breaking free from your parents, when you throw a party while they're away, but what truly makes it is...
"Don't you remember
Last December
When you went to Steamboat Springs"
Coaches always tell you to make your music universal. That's hogwash. It's the specifics that hook us. Some kids try to deny their heritage, imitate those below or above themselves. But here Fountains Of Wayne are being positively middle class, just the way they are. There's no boasting, just honesty, owning who they are, it's so refreshing.
"All Kinds Of Time" is positively inspiring, without being so inscrutable that you cannot connect with it. It's about that moment of reflection, when the world stops and you get to think. Everybody's such a winner today, so on it, thinking is passe.
"He takes a step back
He's under attack
But he knows that no one can touch him now
He seems so at ease
A stranger inner peace
Is all that he's feeling somehow"
It's like a sci-fi movie, where everybody else is frozen in time and you get to slow down and contemplate your moves and marinate in your mood. Don't you sometimes want to stop? Sometimes you do, and it feels just like this track.
I've written about "Valley Winter Song" before. Still, check it out again. It's the chorus that hooks you.
"And the snow is coming down
On our New England town
And it's been falling all day long"
That's one thing I hate about Los Angeles, the inability to stay inside, play board games, be removed from the world because the weather precludes exiting. It's quiet. It's special. Just you and your thoughts and whoever is locked inside with you. It's a respite.
And then there's "Hackensack."
"I used to know you when we were young
You were in all my dreams
We sat together in period one
Fridays at 8:15"
Do you surf the Net looking for those you once knew? It's so utterly fascinating. They're frozen in time. You remember them. Where and what are they up to today? Some you barely ever talked to, but knew intimately, because your name came right after theirs in the alphabet, because you shared the same home room.
"Now I see your face in the strangest places
Movies and magazines
I saw you talkin' to Christopher Walken
On my TV screen"
Only one person from my high school was ever famous, Linda Kozlowski, from "Crocodile Dundee," the one who married Paul Hogan. Long after my time John Mayer went to Warde, and Richard Belzer long before, but I never turn on my TV set and say "I went to school with him (or her!)" Ditto college. Middlebury is small. And everybody was not searching for fame, but playing it safe. They became doctors and lawyers, teachers and executives, no one was famous. Although I did turn on my TV and see my old classmate Jeanne Meserve on CNN, that was pretty weird, I never thought she was TV material, but you never know what's inside, who someone is destined to become. But my point is that yearning to connect with someone who's left me, gone beyond me, it's never happened. Meg Ryan grew up in my town, but she did not go to my school, now that would be pretty weird if I knew her, but I don't.
As for the rhyme about Christopher Walken, it's cute, it's showing off, but it still hits the spot, you've got to give credit where credit is due. Just like in the world at large, in music it's cool to be dumb. But Fountains Of Wayne are not.
"I used to work in a record store
Now I work for my dad
Scraping the paint off of hardwood floors
The hours are pretty bad"
Positively heartbreaking! Giving up, doing what's expedient. I never ever contemplated staying in Fairfield, Connecticut, never mind becoming a real estate appraiser like my dad. My whole life has been about escaping drudgery. It may not have been lucrative, but it's rarely been boring. I've had a couple of jobs where I stared at the clock. I died inside.
"Sometimes I wonder where you are
Probably in L.A.
That seems to be where everybody else ends up these days"
"Probably!" What a great word! You can sense the defeat and the distance. The only line between him and her is his memory, which is thin and is a nonexistent thread to her.
"But I will wait for you
As long as I need to
And if you ever get back to Hackensack
I'll be here for you"
Hackensack. Despite Springsteen and Bon Jovi, New Jersey was never cool and still is not. If you're from anywhere else, you look down your nose at the Garden State. Hell, not a single person from my high school applied to Princeton... The thought of going to college in New Jersey was unthinkable!
It's our dreams that get us through. Give up your dreams and you're truly dead. No matter how delusional they might be, like that of the guy in this song. Then again, he's waiting. Are you moving or waiting? Actually, you've got to do both, that's one of the themes of "Welcome Interstate Managers."
And I'd be lying if I said I was hooked by any of the later albums.
And I went to see Fountains Of Wayne at the Wiltern and they were exactly what I supposed they were, not at all who I hoped them to be. They were like college kids, playing in the cafeteria, very little soul, getting it right, but not perfect. But on wax, where they could labor over the music like a science project, they could craft a statement.
And that's what "Welcome Interstate Managers" is. Pop music filtered through the viewpoint of two Williams graduates who refused to leave their personalities at the door, who desired to get their perspective recorded. And they did. And if you share any of their history, and more do than don't, you'll love it!
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/p6HcZ8
Previous Rhinofy playlists: http://www.rhinofy.com/lefsetz
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Mailbag
Subject Sugarman
Hi Bob
Thank God for some sensible writing on the Rodriguez saga at last! As a white South African who has been playing, writing about, broadcasting and lecturing on popular music for what seems like ever (and who did his compulsory military service the year that Cold Fact was released) I have been reading the UK and US film reviews with a variety of emotional responses that have ranged from mere irritation at the odd factual error to real anger at the downright lies.
I haven’t yet seen the film either, so I can’t comment on its worth, or even its accuracy, but the press for it has been way off the mark in several respects … voice of the anti-apartheid movement (he wasn’t, quite apart from the fact that some of the most unreconstructed bigots I have known have been Rodriguez fans); bigger than the Stones; better than Dylan; sold half a million copies (I don’t know for sure, but this seems questionable given the total white South African population at any time. I believe, though, that the Light In The Attic reissue has sold around 500 copies here, over four years, and its successor, Coming From Reality, around 200 â€" there is, however, a cheaper CD version around); albums were banned; was specially, with a suggestion that it might have been unique to him, picked out for track-gouging by the national radio broadcaster (this happened to local activist musicians too, and no doubt several others â€" perhaps even Bob Dylan, and probably John Lennon, given that the Beatles were banned from SA radio post the 1966 "bigger than Jesus" furore); and even a hint in a couple of the reviews that you could go to jail for even owning a Rodriguez record (officially released copies of which were freely available pretty much everywhere you went).
Disinformation regarding what was and what was not available in apartheid South Africa is widespread. It no doubt suits someone like Bob Geldof, for example, or Elvis Costello, to believe (or to say that he believes) that his records were not formally released here. Many of them were.
I also struggled with the widespread critical genuflection when Cold Fact was reissued by Light In The Attic about four years ago, but I understood that that was arguably just a matter of musical taste that differed from mine, although the pull of the apartheid-era South African story must, even then, have been a strong one.
Regards
Richard Haslop
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From: NERVO
Subject: Re: When Love Takes Over
Hi Bob,
We read your blog every day and almost fell off our chairs when we saw your post about 'When Love Takes Over'. We've since been inundated with industry friends and colleagues asking us to respond to clarify our involvement in the creation of the track. We wrote and produced the melody and lyrics to 'When Love Takes Over'.
We originally wrote the track for Kelly Rowland; however, her record label decided not to use it. We left the track for dead and continued to work on writing new music in our makeshift home studio. Three months later David Guetta called us asking to use the track and from this point forwards our lives changed forever! If it wasn't for David's A&R ears and credibility as a DJ the song would probably still be sitting on a dusty shelf today.
It was our lucky break that came after a big move from Australia to London, seven years of waitressing, and sharing a bedroom in a crappy London flat share, while simultaneously doing what we love â€" creating music! It was also the defining moment that earned us respect as artists and writers.
The rest as they say is history. We are now touring the world as DJs, currently working on our first NERVO album and basically living the dream: still making the music we love and working with some truly amazing artists.
Bob, your mantra of what can happen if you work hard and stay true relates completely to this little story.
We are so glad you felt the love - that's our job done. :))
Xx
Mim (& Liv Nervo)
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From: Jeff Jones
Subject: Mumford & Sons-Re: Sales-Week Ending-9/30/12
Hey Bob,
I was digging down into the 599.
420 was digital. 70%
Of the 420 about 390 came from iTunes.
390 of the 599 from one retailer. 65% from one US account.
Best,
Jeff
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Subject: Re: Turn The Page
Hi Bob,
I had the pleasure of opening for Seger for a number of shows. We were jumping back and forth between Seger and the Boomtown Rats at the time.
I was a new artist, signed to Arista,and put out a record produced by Jimmy Iovine (another story).
Bob Seger was probably the most kind and gentle person that anyone could dream to open for. He gave us a "drum check" and luckily that was all we needed.
He would usually retire after the show, and you would see him in the morning, having breakfast and reading the paper. Very unassuming. His band however was older than we were and completely out of control. M80's and Cherrybombs flying throughout the hallways, acting like the much bigger bands who threw TV's into the hotel pool at the "Riot House". They were hysterical...acting like teenagers.
Whereas, opening for Sir Bob was a fuckin nightmare. Our first gig opening for the Rats was at the Tower theater in Philly. The stage crew was instructed to pull the front line monitors for our last number. Leaving me not knowing if the audience could actually hear me. Once I figured out what was going on, I moved my self back toward the band simply to find the key that I should be singing in. This sort of thing happened a number of times. Once we got to Cleveland, where my record was doing well I knew that we needed to put a stop to this subterfuge. Sir Bob was especially pissed when we passed each other on the way into WMMS. I was going on the air live with Kid Leo, and Bob was doing a taped interview. All of us were staying at Swingo's. Engelbert Humperdink was playing somewhere in town, so after sound check we came back to a hotel lobby full of blue haired old ladies.
I, however had a plan to deal with the Rats. My band was mostly from Staten Island, via Brooklyn, they all carried knifes. I asked them to wait by the elevators and jump whoever showed up first, the crew or the band. I also made it clear that I couldn't be personally involved. They were as disgruntled as I was, so they agreed. The elevator doors opened and it was the crew. My band pulled the switch blades or stilettos, saying "We're from fuckin Brooklyn and we will cut you."
The next day before the show, it was all about "Oh, Mr. Byron do you have everything you need? Are the monitors all right?" What a bunch of assholes.
Bob Seger was always a gentleman. He never once resorted to any sort of trickery. He has my utmost respect to this day. I wish him the very best.
Regards,
D.L. Byron
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Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Five Man Acoustical Jam
Hey Bob -
I had the honor and privilege to tour with Telsa on their Psychotic Supper Tour in '92. This tour was supposed to last for 6 weeks, and it lasted for 9 months. The promoters had such success that they brought the tour back 2 and 3 times.
Our band has never been treated so well by a headliner. They gave us all the volume we wanted out of the P.A., all the stage we wanted, and all the lights. They even shared some of their crew (which they were paying for) with us. They also gave us some room on their truck for our gear.
On the first night of the tour, they snuck 5 bottles of top shelf champagne into our dressing room. When the tour came through our home turf in NC, they gave us a HUGE cash bonus because they felt that we helped them sell tickets. That's the only time THAT has ever happened to us in our 22 year career.
We've done some shows with them since, and they sound better than ever. They have AMAZING musicianship and vocals. As you say: "it all starts with the songs", and these guys keep writing GREAT songs.
I can't say enough good things about TESLA, and I thank you for writing about them in your newsletter which I read regularly.
Thanks for helping all of us out... Bill Leverty / FireHouse
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From: Nathan Brackett
Subject: RE: Tom Rush's Video
Bob -
Thanks so much for posting this. My father, Josh Brackett, wrote the song that Rush is covering, "What's Wrong With America"; my dad was a lifelong, small-town activist who got serious about songwriting after his 60th birthday. He left us a wonderful set of songs when he passed away this April at the age of 77. Tom Rush, an old friend, started playing "What's Wrong With America" live last year; my father would have been thrilled to see the attention it's gotten. It's amazing to see songs that he basically wrote for his grandkids reach a larger audience.
best,
Nathan Brackett
Deputy Managing Editor
?Rolling Stone
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From: Tom Rush
Subject: Re: Tom Rush's Video
It says right there on YouTube “Words and Music by Josh Brackett.†He gave me a CD of songs he wrote himself, sung by him and his family. I thought, “Oh, shit! He’s a good guy, he and his wife are good friends, and I’m going to have to listen to this dreck and come up with something nice to say about it.†I put it off for a couple of months and then discovered he’d written some very credible songs â€" zero production value, mind you, but good songs â€" including this one. I only regret that I didn’t get it on stage until after he’d died.
T
_____________________________________
From: Robin Millar
Subject: RE: The Apple Keynote
I'm going off piste here bob...triggered by something in your letter about apple and the foos
Allegiance to bands.
It has amused me for decades that singers in bands or lead guitarists in bands or the main writer in a band so often foolishly assume that the fan base is all about them. this is of course because to a singer everything is always all about them. the idea that the fans could be fans of the band not of any one individual - or at least only as long as that individual remains in the band? Surely not.
And yet as you eloquently described, van halen lost a string of singers thought of as indispensable by said singer, yet forged ahead from strength to strength.
Surely genesis couldn't continue without the charismatic peter Gabriel, replacing him with their little balding drummer could they? Surely pink floyd couldn't lose their singer AND their primary writer roger waters and fill in with their chunky guitarist could they?deep purple, white snake, AC/DC little feat, and on and on.
The point is this: we become fans of a football team. We love the star
players. Then the biggest star player is poached away by a rival team. Do we follow that player to his new team? Do we even consider it for a second? No, we not only welcome his replacement but we boo the old guy if he comes back with his new team to play a home game.
Be warned singers. It's not all about you. if you leave you're forgotten. If you put out a solo record nobody cares. If you produce your own record and play all the instruments it'll suck...but if you go back to your band the fans will love you all over again
Cheers
Robin
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From: Steve Lukather
Hope life is treating you well.
Have loved the last few ' raves' .
Dylan.. yeah it is sad as a lifelong fan.. sometimes ya gotta pack it in BUT he doesnt care so as long as people show up..
The critics.. YOU nailed. Irrelevant now. Could not happen to a more fucked up bunch of arrogant cunts. LOL
You know who I mean as well.. I LOVE 'their power' is gone.
As you have stated.. the REAL critics are your fans. The postive about social media. They know what you are capable of and love and WILL bust you when you do something lame. I know haha BUt I listen to them. They have given me so much.
Luke
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Subject: Roxy Music
Hi Bob,
I followed Roxy Music in the very early 70's while they were in a transitional state between playing the pubs and colleges and breaking out to a larger audience.
I would bump off school, put my tie in my pocket, my blazer over my shoulder, jump on a train and pray I didn't look like a 12/13 yr old kid who had bumped off school...!
I'd turn up for the sound check and try to say hi.
They were friendly, bizarre and I knew I was experiencing something very special.
Thanks for the reminder, a unique and highly underrated artist.
Best
Fred Fairbrass
Right Said Fred
www.rightsaidfred.com
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From: Dave Dederer
Subject: Re: Another Leno comment
Bob,
The Presidents were on Leno a few times in the mid 1990s. Every time we were on the show, Jay came to our dressing room -- alone, with fruit basket or other gift in hand -- to introduce himself and chat for a little while during the long hours between arrival and taping. We were also free to wander around the set as we pleased. I recall playing frisbee in the glorious LA winter sun (glorious if you're from Seattle) in the parking lot next to one of Jay's crazy cars.
The set felt like a warm, friendly and welcoming place, not typical for a TV or film production environment.
Contrast this with a visit to Letterman, where guests are sequestered in a tiny green room far from the stage for hours before taping, then held after the end of taping in another green room immediately adjacent to the stage while the halls are cleared after the show so Dave doesn't have to even see any of his guests, much less interact with them.
I didn't meet a lot people in the entertainment business willing to do what Jay did every time we visited his show, which was to take a minute to say hello and have a very human and real interaction.
Dave
_____________________________________
From: David Penn
Subject: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Hi Bob,
Taylor Swift going to Max Martin and Shellback is like Robert Johnson going down to the crossroads. The fear of her losing her fame, as you so rightfully put it, caused her to sell the two things that launched her into Pop/Country superstardom in the first place â€" her soul and her uniqueness. What she got in return is what most of the mainstream Pop songs have â€" a super infectious melody that’s like crack that you can’t get out of your head, coupled with all of the “hit song bells and whistles†like the "filtered" bridge, the "Pink" influenced lo-fi dialog before the chorus comes in and the Katy Perry/Pink "shout" into the final chorus The problem is that with this song she’s now just "one of the pack," and there are others that do it much better.
I must say, though, that I had high hopes when I first heard that she was collaborating with Martin and Shellback. I really thought that something interesting would come of it â€" that it would press the boundaries of Country and Pop to new horizons. It didn’t.
So now she’s #1 on the Hot 100. I think it has more to do with the hype of her putting out something new than the merit of the song. We have more than enough artists putting out the sugary modern Pop crack. Not every song needs the Max Martin, Shellback, Dr. Luke, Bonnie McKee, Stargate, Smeezingtons, Cirkut touch.
The saddest thing of all is that she had it all right on her previous album â€" and the sales and all of the awards proved it. She exceptionally talented and she’s knows what she’s doing. She just needs to do the hardest thing in the world â€" trust and stay true HERSELF. She’s earned it.
So â€" let’s see what the rest of the album is like. Remember, once the "Taylor’s back" hype wares off, all we’re left with is the music. The music will determine her true longevity.
In your previous email you said, “Instead, we've got the mainstream media trying to figure out who she wrote the song about, as if it'll solve global warming…†Well â€" I really hope that this song isn’t this generation’s “You’re So Vain.â€
Best,
Dave
Founder
Hit Songs Deconstructed
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: E-Mail Of The Day
Hi Bob,
I've always had a theory that print holds some sort of stronger power or at least a credibility factor over other media, even to this day. So when I read the mail from Scott McKain I had to comment on a very different experience I had with that same publication. We've been lucky at Blue to get some great press over the years from both traditional and more non-traditional publications. At one point USA Today did an expose on the company. Wow - anybody who says print is dead is missing something. We've had online press from Time Magazine, Wired, USA Today, and on and on. But one big print article with a few great photos and our phones were ringing off the hook for days - both business inquiries and industry friends congratulating us (it's the only press we've ever gotten that motivated my Mom to call!). It was a 20 fold increase in activity over any other press we've received.
I think your note makes a good point - if this article had been about Mr. McKain and his business I'm guessing he would have gotten a much different reaction.
I attended a focus group of millenials conducted by the Intelligence Group (part of CAA). VERY interesting feedback from this group of twenty-somethings but the thing that jumped out at me was their comments about print. They completely wrote off getting their news from print. However, every single one of them had 2 or more magazine subscriptions and felt that ads or editorial they saw in these print publications held more sway than the same thing they might see online. Interesting stuff.
Thanks for stirring the pot! Always enjoy reading your posts.
John Maier
CEO, Blue Microphones
_____________________________________
Subject: RE: E-Mail Of The Day
Bob:
'Taxi Terry' is NOT a viral video. The video is an example of successful search content. Look at the views chart and discovery data. There is no spike in views in the entire history of the video. For example, one of the top discovery events is the search for 'customer service'. Another top discovery event is an embedded version on customerservicezone.com. That embed is probably attributable to one of the aforementioned searches. The only discovery event that could be attributed to word of mouth is the search term 'taxi terry' and that only accounts for 1,120 of the 65,000 views.
The point is that the video was 'distributed' through search. It was successful because it was great content. It drove sales for Scott McKain because it was a product sample and NOT hype.
The term 'viral video' is a misnomer that obfuscates the reality of what really works on YouTube.
Best,
Keith Robbins
_____________________________________
From: Armand Sadlier
Subject: Re: Vi Hart
We had Vi Hart as part of Coulton's fan cruise last year (which is growing at a great clip and we don't advertise one dollar). Vi and I sat at the pool bar the night before the cruise and drank scotch until 2 AM. It was the most interesting conversation I've had with someone I didn't know in quite a while.
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: Chris Frantz Responds
Hi Bob,
Of course, as Chris Frantz says, Talking Heads booked themselves into CBGB's, they were not there because Tom Verlaine convinced Hilly to hire them; the very idea is unimaginable.
They drove down to New York from Providence, and were about to audition for Hilly.
By coincidence it was on an afternoon that I was meeting Johnny Ramone (I was the manager of his band) at CB's to talk to Hilly about an upcoming show.
"Oh, Danny," Hilly said to me, pointing at the stage where Talking Heads were setting up, "this band just got to town, and since the Ramones don't have an opening act for this coming weekend, I wonder if it would be OK for them to open."
I said, "Here's Johnny! Let me ask him."
"Johnny, Hilly is auditioning this band, he wants to know if they can open for us this weekend. Nobody ever heard of them. I don't even know what they're called."
"Well, let's hear them," Johnny said. Talking Heads were about fifteen seconds into their audition, when Johnny caught my eye and said, "They suck. Yeah, they can open for us."
That's an oft-told tale--Chris and Tina are great friends of mine, and they've certainly heard it before. You'll have to read "Please Kill Me" to find out what happened next.
Best,
Danny Fields
_____________________________________
From: lonn friend
Subject: Re: The Age Of Miracles
I heard "Hide in Your Shell" on KROQ, seven plus minute opus, shortly after the album was released. Prog rock kid. mind blown by the sonic production and infectious hooks. They were playing "Dreamer" and "Bloody Well Right" too. The LP was flawless, first of four straight masterpieces. Supertramp had an Alice Cooper -esque 70s run. "Don't arrange to have me sent to no asylum!" "Rudy's on a train to nowhere, half way down the line." Verses of the platters that mattered, adolescence, innocence lost and found - they flash back in an instant accompanied by the elation of first discovery. I saw the Crime of the Century tour at the Santa Monica Civic, the venue I spent most of my youth in. Fifteen years later, when Slash's debut Appetite checks started steamrolling in, he went out and bought the most expensive kick ass stereo he could find. Invited me up to his Walnut Drive house in Laurel Canyon for a listening party moments after the components were hooked up. "I'm gonna test the speakers with this album," he smiled. "Do you know it, dude? Its one of the best SOUNDING records I've ever heard." Before the needle dropped and the dial went to 11, I did a five minute sermon on my life of Crime. "Amazing right!??" yelled the new rock star with the new toy as Roger and Rick's miraculous melodies filled the canyon "Bloody Well Right, man!!"
_____________________________________
From: Danny Buch
Subject: You are always right...except sometimes...lol
Nice seeing u in Phila....
Slight tiny correction:
"you can do just fine without radio play" is wrong
Radio remains massive driver. (Yes I am thankful)
I assist fantastic ATO (RED) in driving Alabama Shakes radio. Soundscan #8 (same week that RED had 3 Top 11 Soundscan- Bonnie debuted #6 & #11 Counting Crows).
Shakes one of Most Played AAA artists at that time and has gone on to over 40 Million in Radio Audience! (No Top 40 but rather combo of Top 5 AAA+ 19* Alternative this week).
Most other successful acts you eloquently speak of have similar strategies. I helped work Once Soundtrack (RED) - Big AAA....Lumineers (not RED) is one of Most Played AAA...Fantastic Glassnote Promo (with RED assist) delivered huge #1 AAA, #1 Alternative play on several Mumford tracks
Strategy being to secure a radio home in every mkt.
Fascinating that combo of passionately listener driven Noncomms, AAA's, and Alternative Radio Stations can expose and drive ALBUM Sales of these artists - with a fraction of spins compared to Pop formats (which drives big track sales)
However you are 100% correct on 1 FACT:
"And credit must be given to the distributor, RED" (thank you for the nice kudos - now on 2nd Top 15 Bonnie track @ AAA & Noncom radio)
--------
Thanks for some pretty strong analysis and perspective overall
_____________________________________
From: Gary Witt
Subject: Re: Around The Web
We eliminate 80% of the scalping of our tickets by just not shipping the tickets to out of state buyers. Because to understand the scalper is to visualize a guy sitting in his Sponge Bob underwear, in Schenectady, with 10 credit cards laid out in front of him, already having "purchased" the venue pre-sale passwords, buying as many tickets as he can when a cool tour is announced for venues, buying on the entire tour until he maxes out his credit cards. And then he tries to dump them.
For us, these out of state "buyers" must show up, with the credit card used to buy the tickets and with their drivers license in order to be able to pick up their tickets on the day of show. When contacted following their purchase, they realize that they cannot do this and we take their tickets back, adding a handling charge. And we donate that handling charge to a local charity The other 20% we tackle little by little by searching the same websites where they sell them. Afterward, we sell those returned scalper tickets back to those in our community who love and support entertainment, be it comedy or music.
And that is one of the reasons why we do not have customers, we have a community... of over 120k who believe in what we do… in a small city like Milwaukee, for our 3 venues. Because we care about the experience. It's not just about selling tickets, it's about putting the real fans of that artist in the best seats. A chef would not change a recipe by simply adding more expensive ingredients. He adds the "right ingredients" in order to make the best meal. And a concert experience is the exact same thing.
Gary
milwaukee, wi
Pabst Theater | Riverside Theater | Turner Hall Ballroom
_____________________________________
From: John David Souther
Subject: Re: Who Shot Rock & Roll
Bob,
Funny column. Norman Seeff came to my little bungalow in 1971 to photograph me and upon plugging his armada of strobes and kliegs for all I know, blew the power out in my house. I don't remember how he took the pictures (for the reasons mentioned in your piece) but they were good, quite original, and made the book.
Sounds like a fun evening. Diltz is, of course, an old friend, and as a photographer and historian (as well as a very good musician), stands alone.
Best,
JD Souther
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: Who Shot Rock & Roll
Bob,
I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Gruen at SXSW this year. As I perused through his book titled "Rock Seen", obviously a take off of the magazine he used to shoot for, I came across my favorite album cover of all time, "Dressed to Kill" by Kiss. You reference Gene Simmons wearing clogs in the photo. Bob told me those those clogs were his girlfriends at the time! He mentioned that half those dress clothes were his, since the band didn't have much in that department.
I love hearing the back story of famous photos, especially from music. Thanks for the information!
Jeff Holmes
_____________________________________
From: Ian Kennedy
Subject: Re: Lowery
I make the majority of my income mastering, mixing, recording, and otherwise handling the music of people most of whom wouldn't have been making records 25 years ago. So do a lot of my friends and colleagues. I feel bad for Mr. Lowery and happy for all of us.
_____________________________________
From: BG Bremer
Subject: Re: Update
My in box is filled daily with CD release announcements from people I don't know and/or people I know but don't care about. Announcing a CD release is akin to announcing the arrival of the latest buggy whip. Waste of time.
_____________________________________
From: Rikelle Eilbott
Subject: Re: What I Learned At The One Direction Show
Hi Bob,
I've got a 12-year-old and she DID buy the whole One Direction album, and DOES listen to the entire thing.
Believe me, cause I could probably recite the lyrics by now!
She found a site on Etsy which makes handpainted Converse sneakers. She uploaded two One Direction fan-made graphics to the artist and she now owns a pair of black high tops with One Direction art on the sides. Only $105. She paid for it herself with bat mitzvah money.
This summer's concerts were out of the question because they're during her sleepaway-camp, but she's been bugging us to pick up tickets for NEXT summer's show that's in Dallas (3.5 hours north of us).
What she's been excited about lately is a British musician named Ed Sheeran. She ordered his album from Amazon using gift cards and she received it in the mail the day it came out. We listened to it twice all the way through on the way to camp.
She told me recently that she wants us to move to England because "that's where all the good music is!"
And she listens to Spotify while on Facebook and it recently posted that she listened to Changes by David Bowie. She's quite something, I think.
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: Questions
Hey Bob,
One of the things that always surprises people when they learn to sing is that when we breathe in, when we fill out lungs with air, our chests and guts stick out. It seems totally counterintuitive and, looking back, I have no idea why. Of course we puff up when we fill up. But, for some reason, we insist on sucking in our guts when someone tells us to take a big breath. Learning to properly fill our lungs is one of the keys to learning to sing properly. It's amazing that our minds trick us into doing the wrong thing sometimes.
Best,
Steven Page
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: The Gregg Allman Book
I was disappointed in Gregg's book because he said some very inaccurate and hurtful things about my time with the band's and his solo management and especially during the 1980's when Alex Hodges and I were possibly the only two people in America who still believed in him and his talent and were able to assist him in reviving his career, getting him a deal at Epic which garnered a string of #1's at aor radio and also getting the ABB re-united. I let him know about it, too. Hey, no good deed goes unpunished especially in rock and roll, but no sour grapes here. I never stole a dime and have few regrets. Still, Gregg is one of the all time great blues singers and his brother Duane was one of the finest men I ever knew.
I do tell a different side of the story in my book "No Saints, No
Saviors - My Years With The Allman Brothers Band" now in it's fifth
printing and 100% true and accurate.
Wille Perkins
_____________________________________
From: Nicole Williamson
RE: Mavis Staples At The Greek
I am sure you have gotten many emails, but of course Mavis has a website.
mavisstaples.com
(Note: I did get a lot of e-mail about this, so I Googled Mavis again, her site came up, then again, it did not. When I checked originally, before before writing the article, it did not come up in the results. That's the power of Google. I can't explain why this happened, but it's scary...)
_____________________________________
From: Darren Templeton
Subject: Re: When Love Takes Over
Bob- really cool to hear you appreciating the sound of dance music. I got into it a few years ago. 8 years ago, I sustained a spinal cord injury and am paralyzed from the waist down. But when I go to dance festivals and shows, it doesn't matter! I feel the beat with everyone else. And the people there are the nicest people you'll come across. Never rude, and always looking to help me out. Not uncommon for me to get lifted up to chair-surf!!
Darren
_____________________________________
From: Rhonda Merrick
Subject: Re: The Newsroom
"What's right, what's smart, doubling down and fighting for change...that's for pussies."
Well, in that case Bob, I'd rather be a vagina.
It has depth and warmth.
It can take a pounding and enjoy the experience.
Rhonda
_____________________________________
Subject: Spirit
Hi Bob,
Just a short note on something sort of out of the realm….
We’ve licensed the right to release a Spirit Anthology from SONY and we decided to make the effort to make this into something more than a straight re-issue. Years ago, I’d spoken to someone who knew Ed Cassidy, the drummer and stepfather to Randy California (and a ripe old 42 years of age, at the time) and he confirmed Ed was still very much alive.
He provided Ed’s number so I called Ed and explained what we were doing and asked if we could meet, thinking he might have photos for the packaging or there might be other ways to generate money for him. He agreed and we drove the 3 hours to meet him. There is much more to the story that isn’t germane but the bottom line is, Ed was living in a single wide trailer, with no air conditioning that was at least 10 degrees warmer than the outside temperature (which was in the high 80’s). He had an ancient box fan that wheezed and coughed and didn’t move much air (we bought him a new one before we left, plus one for his bedroom) and it was obvious his quality of life sucks.
His mind is fairly focused, he is alert, aware, shared some amazing and funny stories but, as with many elderly, he is adamant, protective of his independence (he still drives, a 1957 Chevy) and I believe, harbors a lot of anger. Getting him to accept change won’t be easy. Ed is also dealing with the after effects of a broken leg and ankle (sustained over 2 years ago) so he can only get around with a walker and even then, not easily.
We contacted MusicCares and they’re attempting to help Ed but not sure how much they can or will actually do for him. We’ve spoken to Mark Andes who is working with us to try and assist Ed but I’m hoping through you we can generate some awareness, additional support and suggestions for how to improve his life without compromising his independence.
I believe Ed is the oldest living rock ‘n’ roller and I would think he deserves a better quality of life….suggestions are welcome. I’ve considered raising money to assist Ed via IndieGoGo but perhaps there are better suggestions.
Thanks,
Arny
Arny Schorr
COO/President
S’more Entertainment
RockBeat Records
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Hi Bob
Thank God for some sensible writing on the Rodriguez saga at last! As a white South African who has been playing, writing about, broadcasting and lecturing on popular music for what seems like ever (and who did his compulsory military service the year that Cold Fact was released) I have been reading the UK and US film reviews with a variety of emotional responses that have ranged from mere irritation at the odd factual error to real anger at the downright lies.
I haven’t yet seen the film either, so I can’t comment on its worth, or even its accuracy, but the press for it has been way off the mark in several respects … voice of the anti-apartheid movement (he wasn’t, quite apart from the fact that some of the most unreconstructed bigots I have known have been Rodriguez fans); bigger than the Stones; better than Dylan; sold half a million copies (I don’t know for sure, but this seems questionable given the total white South African population at any time. I believe, though, that the Light In The Attic reissue has sold around 500 copies here, over four years, and its successor, Coming From Reality, around 200 â€" there is, however, a cheaper CD version around); albums were banned; was specially, with a suggestion that it might have been unique to him, picked out for track-gouging by the national radio broadcaster (this happened to local activist musicians too, and no doubt several others â€" perhaps even Bob Dylan, and probably John Lennon, given that the Beatles were banned from SA radio post the 1966 "bigger than Jesus" furore); and even a hint in a couple of the reviews that you could go to jail for even owning a Rodriguez record (officially released copies of which were freely available pretty much everywhere you went).
Disinformation regarding what was and what was not available in apartheid South Africa is widespread. It no doubt suits someone like Bob Geldof, for example, or Elvis Costello, to believe (or to say that he believes) that his records were not formally released here. Many of them were.
I also struggled with the widespread critical genuflection when Cold Fact was reissued by Light In The Attic about four years ago, but I understood that that was arguably just a matter of musical taste that differed from mine, although the pull of the apartheid-era South African story must, even then, have been a strong one.
Regards
Richard Haslop
_____________________________________
From: NERVO
Subject: Re: When Love Takes Over
Hi Bob,
We read your blog every day and almost fell off our chairs when we saw your post about 'When Love Takes Over'. We've since been inundated with industry friends and colleagues asking us to respond to clarify our involvement in the creation of the track. We wrote and produced the melody and lyrics to 'When Love Takes Over'.
We originally wrote the track for Kelly Rowland; however, her record label decided not to use it. We left the track for dead and continued to work on writing new music in our makeshift home studio. Three months later David Guetta called us asking to use the track and from this point forwards our lives changed forever! If it wasn't for David's A&R ears and credibility as a DJ the song would probably still be sitting on a dusty shelf today.
It was our lucky break that came after a big move from Australia to London, seven years of waitressing, and sharing a bedroom in a crappy London flat share, while simultaneously doing what we love â€" creating music! It was also the defining moment that earned us respect as artists and writers.
The rest as they say is history. We are now touring the world as DJs, currently working on our first NERVO album and basically living the dream: still making the music we love and working with some truly amazing artists.
Bob, your mantra of what can happen if you work hard and stay true relates completely to this little story.
We are so glad you felt the love - that's our job done. :))
Xx
Mim (& Liv Nervo)
_____________________________________
From: Jeff Jones
Subject: Mumford & Sons-Re: Sales-Week Ending-9/30/12
Hey Bob,
I was digging down into the 599.
420 was digital. 70%
Of the 420 about 390 came from iTunes.
390 of the 599 from one retailer. 65% from one US account.
Best,
Jeff
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: Turn The Page
Hi Bob,
I had the pleasure of opening for Seger for a number of shows. We were jumping back and forth between Seger and the Boomtown Rats at the time.
I was a new artist, signed to Arista,and put out a record produced by Jimmy Iovine (another story).
Bob Seger was probably the most kind and gentle person that anyone could dream to open for. He gave us a "drum check" and luckily that was all we needed.
He would usually retire after the show, and you would see him in the morning, having breakfast and reading the paper. Very unassuming. His band however was older than we were and completely out of control. M80's and Cherrybombs flying throughout the hallways, acting like the much bigger bands who threw TV's into the hotel pool at the "Riot House". They were hysterical...acting like teenagers.
Whereas, opening for Sir Bob was a fuckin nightmare. Our first gig opening for the Rats was at the Tower theater in Philly. The stage crew was instructed to pull the front line monitors for our last number. Leaving me not knowing if the audience could actually hear me. Once I figured out what was going on, I moved my self back toward the band simply to find the key that I should be singing in. This sort of thing happened a number of times. Once we got to Cleveland, where my record was doing well I knew that we needed to put a stop to this subterfuge. Sir Bob was especially pissed when we passed each other on the way into WMMS. I was going on the air live with Kid Leo, and Bob was doing a taped interview. All of us were staying at Swingo's. Engelbert Humperdink was playing somewhere in town, so after sound check we came back to a hotel lobby full of blue haired old ladies.
I, however had a plan to deal with the Rats. My band was mostly from Staten Island, via Brooklyn, they all carried knifes. I asked them to wait by the elevators and jump whoever showed up first, the crew or the band. I also made it clear that I couldn't be personally involved. They were as disgruntled as I was, so they agreed. The elevator doors opened and it was the crew. My band pulled the switch blades or stilettos, saying "We're from fuckin Brooklyn and we will cut you."
The next day before the show, it was all about "Oh, Mr. Byron do you have everything you need? Are the monitors all right?" What a bunch of assholes.
Bob Seger was always a gentleman. He never once resorted to any sort of trickery. He has my utmost respect to this day. I wish him the very best.
Regards,
D.L. Byron
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Five Man Acoustical Jam
Hey Bob -
I had the honor and privilege to tour with Telsa on their Psychotic Supper Tour in '92. This tour was supposed to last for 6 weeks, and it lasted for 9 months. The promoters had such success that they brought the tour back 2 and 3 times.
Our band has never been treated so well by a headliner. They gave us all the volume we wanted out of the P.A., all the stage we wanted, and all the lights. They even shared some of their crew (which they were paying for) with us. They also gave us some room on their truck for our gear.
On the first night of the tour, they snuck 5 bottles of top shelf champagne into our dressing room. When the tour came through our home turf in NC, they gave us a HUGE cash bonus because they felt that we helped them sell tickets. That's the only time THAT has ever happened to us in our 22 year career.
We've done some shows with them since, and they sound better than ever. They have AMAZING musicianship and vocals. As you say: "it all starts with the songs", and these guys keep writing GREAT songs.
I can't say enough good things about TESLA, and I thank you for writing about them in your newsletter which I read regularly.
Thanks for helping all of us out... Bill Leverty / FireHouse
_____________________________________
From: Nathan Brackett
Subject: RE: Tom Rush's Video
Bob -
Thanks so much for posting this. My father, Josh Brackett, wrote the song that Rush is covering, "What's Wrong With America"; my dad was a lifelong, small-town activist who got serious about songwriting after his 60th birthday. He left us a wonderful set of songs when he passed away this April at the age of 77. Tom Rush, an old friend, started playing "What's Wrong With America" live last year; my father would have been thrilled to see the attention it's gotten. It's amazing to see songs that he basically wrote for his grandkids reach a larger audience.
best,
Nathan Brackett
Deputy Managing Editor
?Rolling Stone
_____________________________________
From: Tom Rush
Subject: Re: Tom Rush's Video
It says right there on YouTube “Words and Music by Josh Brackett.†He gave me a CD of songs he wrote himself, sung by him and his family. I thought, “Oh, shit! He’s a good guy, he and his wife are good friends, and I’m going to have to listen to this dreck and come up with something nice to say about it.†I put it off for a couple of months and then discovered he’d written some very credible songs â€" zero production value, mind you, but good songs â€" including this one. I only regret that I didn’t get it on stage until after he’d died.
T
_____________________________________
From: Robin Millar
Subject: RE: The Apple Keynote
I'm going off piste here bob...triggered by something in your letter about apple and the foos
Allegiance to bands.
It has amused me for decades that singers in bands or lead guitarists in bands or the main writer in a band so often foolishly assume that the fan base is all about them. this is of course because to a singer everything is always all about them. the idea that the fans could be fans of the band not of any one individual - or at least only as long as that individual remains in the band? Surely not.
And yet as you eloquently described, van halen lost a string of singers thought of as indispensable by said singer, yet forged ahead from strength to strength.
Surely genesis couldn't continue without the charismatic peter Gabriel, replacing him with their little balding drummer could they? Surely pink floyd couldn't lose their singer AND their primary writer roger waters and fill in with their chunky guitarist could they?deep purple, white snake, AC/DC little feat, and on and on.
The point is this: we become fans of a football team. We love the star
players. Then the biggest star player is poached away by a rival team. Do we follow that player to his new team? Do we even consider it for a second? No, we not only welcome his replacement but we boo the old guy if he comes back with his new team to play a home game.
Be warned singers. It's not all about you. if you leave you're forgotten. If you put out a solo record nobody cares. If you produce your own record and play all the instruments it'll suck...but if you go back to your band the fans will love you all over again
Cheers
Robin
_____________________________________
From: Steve Lukather
Hope life is treating you well.
Have loved the last few ' raves' .
Dylan.. yeah it is sad as a lifelong fan.. sometimes ya gotta pack it in BUT he doesnt care so as long as people show up..
The critics.. YOU nailed. Irrelevant now. Could not happen to a more fucked up bunch of arrogant cunts. LOL
You know who I mean as well.. I LOVE 'their power' is gone.
As you have stated.. the REAL critics are your fans. The postive about social media. They know what you are capable of and love and WILL bust you when you do something lame. I know haha BUt I listen to them. They have given me so much.
Luke
_____________________________________
Subject: Roxy Music
Hi Bob,
I followed Roxy Music in the very early 70's while they were in a transitional state between playing the pubs and colleges and breaking out to a larger audience.
I would bump off school, put my tie in my pocket, my blazer over my shoulder, jump on a train and pray I didn't look like a 12/13 yr old kid who had bumped off school...!
I'd turn up for the sound check and try to say hi.
They were friendly, bizarre and I knew I was experiencing something very special.
Thanks for the reminder, a unique and highly underrated artist.
Best
Fred Fairbrass
Right Said Fred
www.rightsaidfred.com
_____________________________________
From: Dave Dederer
Subject: Re: Another Leno comment
Bob,
The Presidents were on Leno a few times in the mid 1990s. Every time we were on the show, Jay came to our dressing room -- alone, with fruit basket or other gift in hand -- to introduce himself and chat for a little while during the long hours between arrival and taping. We were also free to wander around the set as we pleased. I recall playing frisbee in the glorious LA winter sun (glorious if you're from Seattle) in the parking lot next to one of Jay's crazy cars.
The set felt like a warm, friendly and welcoming place, not typical for a TV or film production environment.
Contrast this with a visit to Letterman, where guests are sequestered in a tiny green room far from the stage for hours before taping, then held after the end of taping in another green room immediately adjacent to the stage while the halls are cleared after the show so Dave doesn't have to even see any of his guests, much less interact with them.
I didn't meet a lot people in the entertainment business willing to do what Jay did every time we visited his show, which was to take a minute to say hello and have a very human and real interaction.
Dave
_____________________________________
From: David Penn
Subject: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Hi Bob,
Taylor Swift going to Max Martin and Shellback is like Robert Johnson going down to the crossroads. The fear of her losing her fame, as you so rightfully put it, caused her to sell the two things that launched her into Pop/Country superstardom in the first place â€" her soul and her uniqueness. What she got in return is what most of the mainstream Pop songs have â€" a super infectious melody that’s like crack that you can’t get out of your head, coupled with all of the “hit song bells and whistles†like the "filtered" bridge, the "Pink" influenced lo-fi dialog before the chorus comes in and the Katy Perry/Pink "shout" into the final chorus The problem is that with this song she’s now just "one of the pack," and there are others that do it much better.
I must say, though, that I had high hopes when I first heard that she was collaborating with Martin and Shellback. I really thought that something interesting would come of it â€" that it would press the boundaries of Country and Pop to new horizons. It didn’t.
So now she’s #1 on the Hot 100. I think it has more to do with the hype of her putting out something new than the merit of the song. We have more than enough artists putting out the sugary modern Pop crack. Not every song needs the Max Martin, Shellback, Dr. Luke, Bonnie McKee, Stargate, Smeezingtons, Cirkut touch.
The saddest thing of all is that she had it all right on her previous album â€" and the sales and all of the awards proved it. She exceptionally talented and she’s knows what she’s doing. She just needs to do the hardest thing in the world â€" trust and stay true HERSELF. She’s earned it.
So â€" let’s see what the rest of the album is like. Remember, once the "Taylor’s back" hype wares off, all we’re left with is the music. The music will determine her true longevity.
In your previous email you said, “Instead, we've got the mainstream media trying to figure out who she wrote the song about, as if it'll solve global warming…†Well â€" I really hope that this song isn’t this generation’s “You’re So Vain.â€
Best,
Dave
Founder
Hit Songs Deconstructed
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: E-Mail Of The Day
Hi Bob,
I've always had a theory that print holds some sort of stronger power or at least a credibility factor over other media, even to this day. So when I read the mail from Scott McKain I had to comment on a very different experience I had with that same publication. We've been lucky at Blue to get some great press over the years from both traditional and more non-traditional publications. At one point USA Today did an expose on the company. Wow - anybody who says print is dead is missing something. We've had online press from Time Magazine, Wired, USA Today, and on and on. But one big print article with a few great photos and our phones were ringing off the hook for days - both business inquiries and industry friends congratulating us (it's the only press we've ever gotten that motivated my Mom to call!). It was a 20 fold increase in activity over any other press we've received.
I think your note makes a good point - if this article had been about Mr. McKain and his business I'm guessing he would have gotten a much different reaction.
I attended a focus group of millenials conducted by the Intelligence Group (part of CAA). VERY interesting feedback from this group of twenty-somethings but the thing that jumped out at me was their comments about print. They completely wrote off getting their news from print. However, every single one of them had 2 or more magazine subscriptions and felt that ads or editorial they saw in these print publications held more sway than the same thing they might see online. Interesting stuff.
Thanks for stirring the pot! Always enjoy reading your posts.
John Maier
CEO, Blue Microphones
_____________________________________
Subject: RE: E-Mail Of The Day
Bob:
'Taxi Terry' is NOT a viral video. The video is an example of successful search content. Look at the views chart and discovery data. There is no spike in views in the entire history of the video. For example, one of the top discovery events is the search for 'customer service'. Another top discovery event is an embedded version on customerservicezone.com. That embed is probably attributable to one of the aforementioned searches. The only discovery event that could be attributed to word of mouth is the search term 'taxi terry' and that only accounts for 1,120 of the 65,000 views.
The point is that the video was 'distributed' through search. It was successful because it was great content. It drove sales for Scott McKain because it was a product sample and NOT hype.
The term 'viral video' is a misnomer that obfuscates the reality of what really works on YouTube.
Best,
Keith Robbins
_____________________________________
From: Armand Sadlier
Subject: Re: Vi Hart
We had Vi Hart as part of Coulton's fan cruise last year (which is growing at a great clip and we don't advertise one dollar). Vi and I sat at the pool bar the night before the cruise and drank scotch until 2 AM. It was the most interesting conversation I've had with someone I didn't know in quite a while.
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: Chris Frantz Responds
Hi Bob,
Of course, as Chris Frantz says, Talking Heads booked themselves into CBGB's, they were not there because Tom Verlaine convinced Hilly to hire them; the very idea is unimaginable.
They drove down to New York from Providence, and were about to audition for Hilly.
By coincidence it was on an afternoon that I was meeting Johnny Ramone (I was the manager of his band) at CB's to talk to Hilly about an upcoming show.
"Oh, Danny," Hilly said to me, pointing at the stage where Talking Heads were setting up, "this band just got to town, and since the Ramones don't have an opening act for this coming weekend, I wonder if it would be OK for them to open."
I said, "Here's Johnny! Let me ask him."
"Johnny, Hilly is auditioning this band, he wants to know if they can open for us this weekend. Nobody ever heard of them. I don't even know what they're called."
"Well, let's hear them," Johnny said. Talking Heads were about fifteen seconds into their audition, when Johnny caught my eye and said, "They suck. Yeah, they can open for us."
That's an oft-told tale--Chris and Tina are great friends of mine, and they've certainly heard it before. You'll have to read "Please Kill Me" to find out what happened next.
Best,
Danny Fields
_____________________________________
From: lonn friend
Subject: Re: The Age Of Miracles
I heard "Hide in Your Shell" on KROQ, seven plus minute opus, shortly after the album was released. Prog rock kid. mind blown by the sonic production and infectious hooks. They were playing "Dreamer" and "Bloody Well Right" too. The LP was flawless, first of four straight masterpieces. Supertramp had an Alice Cooper -esque 70s run. "Don't arrange to have me sent to no asylum!" "Rudy's on a train to nowhere, half way down the line." Verses of the platters that mattered, adolescence, innocence lost and found - they flash back in an instant accompanied by the elation of first discovery. I saw the Crime of the Century tour at the Santa Monica Civic, the venue I spent most of my youth in. Fifteen years later, when Slash's debut Appetite checks started steamrolling in, he went out and bought the most expensive kick ass stereo he could find. Invited me up to his Walnut Drive house in Laurel Canyon for a listening party moments after the components were hooked up. "I'm gonna test the speakers with this album," he smiled. "Do you know it, dude? Its one of the best SOUNDING records I've ever heard." Before the needle dropped and the dial went to 11, I did a five minute sermon on my life of Crime. "Amazing right!??" yelled the new rock star with the new toy as Roger and Rick's miraculous melodies filled the canyon "Bloody Well Right, man!!"
_____________________________________
From: Danny Buch
Subject: You are always right...except sometimes...lol
Nice seeing u in Phila....
Slight tiny correction:
"you can do just fine without radio play" is wrong
Radio remains massive driver. (Yes I am thankful)
I assist fantastic ATO (RED) in driving Alabama Shakes radio. Soundscan #8 (same week that RED had 3 Top 11 Soundscan- Bonnie debuted #6 & #11 Counting Crows).
Shakes one of Most Played AAA artists at that time and has gone on to over 40 Million in Radio Audience! (No Top 40 but rather combo of Top 5 AAA+ 19* Alternative this week).
Most other successful acts you eloquently speak of have similar strategies. I helped work Once Soundtrack (RED) - Big AAA....Lumineers (not RED) is one of Most Played AAA...Fantastic Glassnote Promo (with RED assist) delivered huge #1 AAA, #1 Alternative play on several Mumford tracks
Strategy being to secure a radio home in every mkt.
Fascinating that combo of passionately listener driven Noncomms, AAA's, and Alternative Radio Stations can expose and drive ALBUM Sales of these artists - with a fraction of spins compared to Pop formats (which drives big track sales)
However you are 100% correct on 1 FACT:
"And credit must be given to the distributor, RED" (thank you for the nice kudos - now on 2nd Top 15 Bonnie track @ AAA & Noncom radio)
--------
Thanks for some pretty strong analysis and perspective overall
_____________________________________
From: Gary Witt
Subject: Re: Around The Web
We eliminate 80% of the scalping of our tickets by just not shipping the tickets to out of state buyers. Because to understand the scalper is to visualize a guy sitting in his Sponge Bob underwear, in Schenectady, with 10 credit cards laid out in front of him, already having "purchased" the venue pre-sale passwords, buying as many tickets as he can when a cool tour is announced for venues, buying on the entire tour until he maxes out his credit cards. And then he tries to dump them.
For us, these out of state "buyers" must show up, with the credit card used to buy the tickets and with their drivers license in order to be able to pick up their tickets on the day of show. When contacted following their purchase, they realize that they cannot do this and we take their tickets back, adding a handling charge. And we donate that handling charge to a local charity The other 20% we tackle little by little by searching the same websites where they sell them. Afterward, we sell those returned scalper tickets back to those in our community who love and support entertainment, be it comedy or music.
And that is one of the reasons why we do not have customers, we have a community... of over 120k who believe in what we do… in a small city like Milwaukee, for our 3 venues. Because we care about the experience. It's not just about selling tickets, it's about putting the real fans of that artist in the best seats. A chef would not change a recipe by simply adding more expensive ingredients. He adds the "right ingredients" in order to make the best meal. And a concert experience is the exact same thing.
Gary
milwaukee, wi
Pabst Theater | Riverside Theater | Turner Hall Ballroom
_____________________________________
From: John David Souther
Subject: Re: Who Shot Rock & Roll
Bob,
Funny column. Norman Seeff came to my little bungalow in 1971 to photograph me and upon plugging his armada of strobes and kliegs for all I know, blew the power out in my house. I don't remember how he took the pictures (for the reasons mentioned in your piece) but they were good, quite original, and made the book.
Sounds like a fun evening. Diltz is, of course, an old friend, and as a photographer and historian (as well as a very good musician), stands alone.
Best,
JD Souther
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: Who Shot Rock & Roll
Bob,
I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Gruen at SXSW this year. As I perused through his book titled "Rock Seen", obviously a take off of the magazine he used to shoot for, I came across my favorite album cover of all time, "Dressed to Kill" by Kiss. You reference Gene Simmons wearing clogs in the photo. Bob told me those those clogs were his girlfriends at the time! He mentioned that half those dress clothes were his, since the band didn't have much in that department.
I love hearing the back story of famous photos, especially from music. Thanks for the information!
Jeff Holmes
_____________________________________
From: Ian Kennedy
Subject: Re: Lowery
I make the majority of my income mastering, mixing, recording, and otherwise handling the music of people most of whom wouldn't have been making records 25 years ago. So do a lot of my friends and colleagues. I feel bad for Mr. Lowery and happy for all of us.
_____________________________________
From: BG Bremer
Subject: Re: Update
My in box is filled daily with CD release announcements from people I don't know and/or people I know but don't care about. Announcing a CD release is akin to announcing the arrival of the latest buggy whip. Waste of time.
_____________________________________
From: Rikelle Eilbott
Subject: Re: What I Learned At The One Direction Show
Hi Bob,
I've got a 12-year-old and she DID buy the whole One Direction album, and DOES listen to the entire thing.
Believe me, cause I could probably recite the lyrics by now!
She found a site on Etsy which makes handpainted Converse sneakers. She uploaded two One Direction fan-made graphics to the artist and she now owns a pair of black high tops with One Direction art on the sides. Only $105. She paid for it herself with bat mitzvah money.
This summer's concerts were out of the question because they're during her sleepaway-camp, but she's been bugging us to pick up tickets for NEXT summer's show that's in Dallas (3.5 hours north of us).
What she's been excited about lately is a British musician named Ed Sheeran. She ordered his album from Amazon using gift cards and she received it in the mail the day it came out. We listened to it twice all the way through on the way to camp.
She told me recently that she wants us to move to England because "that's where all the good music is!"
And she listens to Spotify while on Facebook and it recently posted that she listened to Changes by David Bowie. She's quite something, I think.
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: Questions
Hey Bob,
One of the things that always surprises people when they learn to sing is that when we breathe in, when we fill out lungs with air, our chests and guts stick out. It seems totally counterintuitive and, looking back, I have no idea why. Of course we puff up when we fill up. But, for some reason, we insist on sucking in our guts when someone tells us to take a big breath. Learning to properly fill our lungs is one of the keys to learning to sing properly. It's amazing that our minds trick us into doing the wrong thing sometimes.
Best,
Steven Page
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: The Gregg Allman Book
I was disappointed in Gregg's book because he said some very inaccurate and hurtful things about my time with the band's and his solo management and especially during the 1980's when Alex Hodges and I were possibly the only two people in America who still believed in him and his talent and were able to assist him in reviving his career, getting him a deal at Epic which garnered a string of #1's at aor radio and also getting the ABB re-united. I let him know about it, too. Hey, no good deed goes unpunished especially in rock and roll, but no sour grapes here. I never stole a dime and have few regrets. Still, Gregg is one of the all time great blues singers and his brother Duane was one of the finest men I ever knew.
I do tell a different side of the story in my book "No Saints, No
Saviors - My Years With The Allman Brothers Band" now in it's fifth
printing and 100% true and accurate.
Wille Perkins
_____________________________________
From: Nicole Williamson
RE: Mavis Staples At The Greek
I am sure you have gotten many emails, but of course Mavis has a website.
mavisstaples.com
(Note: I did get a lot of e-mail about this, so I Googled Mavis again, her site came up, then again, it did not. When I checked originally, before before writing the article, it did not come up in the results. That's the power of Google. I can't explain why this happened, but it's scary...)
_____________________________________
From: Darren Templeton
Subject: Re: When Love Takes Over
Bob- really cool to hear you appreciating the sound of dance music. I got into it a few years ago. 8 years ago, I sustained a spinal cord injury and am paralyzed from the waist down. But when I go to dance festivals and shows, it doesn't matter! I feel the beat with everyone else. And the people there are the nicest people you'll come across. Never rude, and always looking to help me out. Not uncommon for me to get lifted up to chair-surf!!
Darren
_____________________________________
From: Rhonda Merrick
Subject: Re: The Newsroom
"What's right, what's smart, doubling down and fighting for change...that's for pussies."
Well, in that case Bob, I'd rather be a vagina.
It has depth and warmth.
It can take a pounding and enjoy the experience.
Rhonda
_____________________________________
Subject: Spirit
Hi Bob,
Just a short note on something sort of out of the realm….
We’ve licensed the right to release a Spirit Anthology from SONY and we decided to make the effort to make this into something more than a straight re-issue. Years ago, I’d spoken to someone who knew Ed Cassidy, the drummer and stepfather to Randy California (and a ripe old 42 years of age, at the time) and he confirmed Ed was still very much alive.
He provided Ed’s number so I called Ed and explained what we were doing and asked if we could meet, thinking he might have photos for the packaging or there might be other ways to generate money for him. He agreed and we drove the 3 hours to meet him. There is much more to the story that isn’t germane but the bottom line is, Ed was living in a single wide trailer, with no air conditioning that was at least 10 degrees warmer than the outside temperature (which was in the high 80’s). He had an ancient box fan that wheezed and coughed and didn’t move much air (we bought him a new one before we left, plus one for his bedroom) and it was obvious his quality of life sucks.
His mind is fairly focused, he is alert, aware, shared some amazing and funny stories but, as with many elderly, he is adamant, protective of his independence (he still drives, a 1957 Chevy) and I believe, harbors a lot of anger. Getting him to accept change won’t be easy. Ed is also dealing with the after effects of a broken leg and ankle (sustained over 2 years ago) so he can only get around with a walker and even then, not easily.
We contacted MusicCares and they’re attempting to help Ed but not sure how much they can or will actually do for him. We’ve spoken to Mark Andes who is working with us to try and assist Ed but I’m hoping through you we can generate some awareness, additional support and suggestions for how to improve his life without compromising his independence.
I believe Ed is the oldest living rock ‘n’ roller and I would think he deserves a better quality of life….suggestions are welcome. I’ve considered raising money to assist Ed via IndieGoGo but perhaps there are better suggestions.
Thanks,
Arny
Arny Schorr
COO/President
S’more Entertainment
RockBeat Records
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Tuesday 9 October 2012
More Pandora
http://bit.ly/UEpe7k
He's at it again.
Tim Westergren is not running a music service, but a religion. He expects his flock to follow him blindly, leaving their minds behind, all with the goal of lining his pockets.
He owns stock worth double digit millions, yet he's complaining the company's getting screwed. Who does this resonate with? Certainly not artists or listeners.
And now in this latest blog post he raves about how much obscure artists are making on his service so he can rationalize paying them less. Huh?
What he's saying is if you let me pay less, the sphere will grow and you'll make tons more money! Never mind that this is anathema to Pandora's shareholders. You can only listen to one radio station at one time, whether terrestrial, satellite or Internet, people only have so many hours in a day, where are all these listening hours gonna come from? It's kind of like the Internet. If I'm surfing all night, I can't watch television. Hell, I oftentimes can't even listen to music! Market share is everything, and Tim Westergren seems to be saying here that he's willing to give up some of his. This is like Lucian Grainge giving away Parlophone if the European Commission would just approve the EMI merger... How duplicitous can you get?
If it's all about money, why doesn't Pandora add some commercials. That's what their main competitor, terrestrial radio does, you've got to pay the bills somehow, there's no free lunch. Just ask Facebook, we give up our data for that service.
As for Sirius XM, I love this e-mail I received:
"So, Tim Westergren doesn't own the pipeline, doesn't have to design and manufacture hardware (much less convince auto manufacturers to install it) and doesn't pay for upkeep on a network of satellites? Cry me a river."
Mojo Bone
Tim's got a fraction of the costs of his competition, but he wants the same deal. A level playing field? Tim wants full-blown TILT!
This is why the music industry hates technologists. Self-satisfied pricks like Tim Westergren who believe they're entitled to make a huge profit off the hard work of others, in this case the copyrighted material known as music. And he rationalizes it by saying it's good for the public. Isn't that like saying free food is good for the public? And free cable TV? But who's gonna pay to grow staples and lay the pipe?
Why are all these techies so delusional?
Yes, the music industry has been too slow to license.
Yes, it tends to extract its pound of flesh.
But your way into copyright holders' hearts is by proving you're going to make them more money. And that's not what Tim Westergren is doing here, he's just lobbying on behalf of his shareholders.
The road to the economic future of the music business is riddled with potholes and conundrums. But in order to succeed in delivering a better model, we must work together, all sides must be included, creators, distributors, exhibitors and the public. The industry lost credibility and revenue by refusing to put the public in its equation. Now Tim Westergren wants to push the creators down to help him, not even the public. This is not a solution, this is heresy!
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He's at it again.
Tim Westergren is not running a music service, but a religion. He expects his flock to follow him blindly, leaving their minds behind, all with the goal of lining his pockets.
He owns stock worth double digit millions, yet he's complaining the company's getting screwed. Who does this resonate with? Certainly not artists or listeners.
And now in this latest blog post he raves about how much obscure artists are making on his service so he can rationalize paying them less. Huh?
What he's saying is if you let me pay less, the sphere will grow and you'll make tons more money! Never mind that this is anathema to Pandora's shareholders. You can only listen to one radio station at one time, whether terrestrial, satellite or Internet, people only have so many hours in a day, where are all these listening hours gonna come from? It's kind of like the Internet. If I'm surfing all night, I can't watch television. Hell, I oftentimes can't even listen to music! Market share is everything, and Tim Westergren seems to be saying here that he's willing to give up some of his. This is like Lucian Grainge giving away Parlophone if the European Commission would just approve the EMI merger... How duplicitous can you get?
If it's all about money, why doesn't Pandora add some commercials. That's what their main competitor, terrestrial radio does, you've got to pay the bills somehow, there's no free lunch. Just ask Facebook, we give up our data for that service.
As for Sirius XM, I love this e-mail I received:
"So, Tim Westergren doesn't own the pipeline, doesn't have to design and manufacture hardware (much less convince auto manufacturers to install it) and doesn't pay for upkeep on a network of satellites? Cry me a river."
Mojo Bone
Tim's got a fraction of the costs of his competition, but he wants the same deal. A level playing field? Tim wants full-blown TILT!
This is why the music industry hates technologists. Self-satisfied pricks like Tim Westergren who believe they're entitled to make a huge profit off the hard work of others, in this case the copyrighted material known as music. And he rationalizes it by saying it's good for the public. Isn't that like saying free food is good for the public? And free cable TV? But who's gonna pay to grow staples and lay the pipe?
Why are all these techies so delusional?
Yes, the music industry has been too slow to license.
Yes, it tends to extract its pound of flesh.
But your way into copyright holders' hearts is by proving you're going to make them more money. And that's not what Tim Westergren is doing here, he's just lobbying on behalf of his shareholders.
The road to the economic future of the music business is riddled with potholes and conundrums. But in order to succeed in delivering a better model, we must work together, all sides must be included, creators, distributors, exhibitors and the public. The industry lost credibility and revenue by refusing to put the public in its equation. Now Tim Westergren wants to push the creators down to help him, not even the public. This is not a solution, this is heresy!
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Jimmy Iovine
This is the number one album on iTunes as I write this:
"The Heist" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
It contains the song "Jimmy Iovine." You can hear it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RwW6ERgpvo
You can read the lyrics here:
http://www.songlyrics.com/macklemore-ryan-lewis/jimmy-iovine-lyrics/
Although there are references to Jimmy earlier in the track, at the end the lyrics are:
"Now I'm sorry, I've had a long day
Remind me, now what's your name?
That's right, Macklemore
Of course, today has been crazy
Anyway, you ready?
We'll give you a hundred thousand dollars
After your album comes out we'll need back that money that you borrowed
So it's really like a loan
A loan? Come on, no
1-2, 360 degrees, we will reach your goals
You'll get it done in the merch that you sell out on the road
Along with the third of the money you make when you're out doing your show
Manager gets 20, booking agent gets 10
So shit, after taxes you and Ryan have 7% to split
That's not bad, I've seen a lot worse
No one will give you a better offer than us
I replied I appreciate the offer, thought that this is what I wanted
Rather be a starving artist than succeed at getting fucked"
Although this song is specifically about Jimmy Iovine, it could be any record label honcho. You see the label and its execs need the money, to protect their lifestyle, to try and succeed in their failing race to keep up with the bankers. Selling recorded music ain't what it used to be, and they're not gonna suffer, the acts must.
But what is fascinating is that the acts know it. And despite all the nitwits signing up for this misadventure, the purveyors of the number one album refuse. Because it's a bad deal. They're not stupid, they want to be bankers too.
And one can comment on the dog eat dog world the music business has become. There used to be cocaine for everybody, now that's gone along with the private planes and the parties and the swag... But what's more interesting is Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have decided to strike out on their own, biting the hand that used to feed them.
Used to be in the music business if you said no, the powers-that-be would say they were going to destroy you, you'd never be successful. But Jimmy Iovine is powerless against Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Now, artists are in control of their own destiny, if they choose to be.
We've heard continuously this century that no act has broken via the Internet, that radio is still king, that you need a major label to succeed. But we keep getting exceptions. They're more frequent than ever.
This is the future. Doing it for yourself. Or doing it with someone who deals with you equitably.
This isn't Jimmy Iovine's worst nightmare, it's Warner, Sony and Universal's. Jimmy's already exited the building, with Beats. Then again, Beats ankled Monster, Beats is purely a marketing label, not a technology company, will this hurt them as technology companies enter the marketplace, as HTC, its deep pocket, fades into the rearview mirror?
One thing Bob Dylan got right, the times certainly are-a-changin'.
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"The Heist" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
It contains the song "Jimmy Iovine." You can hear it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RwW6ERgpvo
You can read the lyrics here:
http://www.songlyrics.com/macklemore-ryan-lewis/jimmy-iovine-lyrics/
Although there are references to Jimmy earlier in the track, at the end the lyrics are:
"Now I'm sorry, I've had a long day
Remind me, now what's your name?
That's right, Macklemore
Of course, today has been crazy
Anyway, you ready?
We'll give you a hundred thousand dollars
After your album comes out we'll need back that money that you borrowed
So it's really like a loan
A loan? Come on, no
1-2, 360 degrees, we will reach your goals
You'll get it done in the merch that you sell out on the road
Along with the third of the money you make when you're out doing your show
Manager gets 20, booking agent gets 10
So shit, after taxes you and Ryan have 7% to split
That's not bad, I've seen a lot worse
No one will give you a better offer than us
I replied I appreciate the offer, thought that this is what I wanted
Rather be a starving artist than succeed at getting fucked"
Although this song is specifically about Jimmy Iovine, it could be any record label honcho. You see the label and its execs need the money, to protect their lifestyle, to try and succeed in their failing race to keep up with the bankers. Selling recorded music ain't what it used to be, and they're not gonna suffer, the acts must.
But what is fascinating is that the acts know it. And despite all the nitwits signing up for this misadventure, the purveyors of the number one album refuse. Because it's a bad deal. They're not stupid, they want to be bankers too.
And one can comment on the dog eat dog world the music business has become. There used to be cocaine for everybody, now that's gone along with the private planes and the parties and the swag... But what's more interesting is Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have decided to strike out on their own, biting the hand that used to feed them.
Used to be in the music business if you said no, the powers-that-be would say they were going to destroy you, you'd never be successful. But Jimmy Iovine is powerless against Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Now, artists are in control of their own destiny, if they choose to be.
We've heard continuously this century that no act has broken via the Internet, that radio is still king, that you need a major label to succeed. But we keep getting exceptions. They're more frequent than ever.
This is the future. Doing it for yourself. Or doing it with someone who deals with you equitably.
This isn't Jimmy Iovine's worst nightmare, it's Warner, Sony and Universal's. Jimmy's already exited the building, with Beats. Then again, Beats ankled Monster, Beats is purely a marketing label, not a technology company, will this hurt them as technology companies enter the marketplace, as HTC, its deep pocket, fades into the rearview mirror?
One thing Bob Dylan got right, the times certainly are-a-changin'.
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Monday 8 October 2012
Re-Sugarman
Brilliant Bob. As a South African who grew up during his "success" period there I too feel this movie is hardly a representation of the truth. Success in South Africa is just a drop in the ocean and would not a rich man make. There are South African bands who are equally as big as Rodriguez is there and no one anywhere else in the world has heard of them, as there are in Australia, England and even our neighbor Canada. The documentary has used so much poetic license to make it a tear jerker it has pissed me off to no end. He was not a political figure. Anyone involved in the struggle had never even heard of Rodriguez. Thanks for making the people think a little more.
Selwyn Solomon
__________________________________
Hi Bob,
spot on. We couldn't understand the premise of the movie at all as Rodriguez was a big name here for years but, the phrase "Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story" seems to have eluded these guys.
cheers
Kieran Stafford
Birdland Records
Sydney Australia
__________________________________
Re Sugarman: the Swedish film doesn't even mention Rodriguez's Australian connection. Before he toured with Midnight Oil in 1981 he'd sold over a huge number of albums in Australia and headlined a tour in 1979. Record sales are unknown but estimates range from 75,000 to 250,000. Rodriguez says he received no royalties. The vibe began with Holgar Brockmann, an announcer on 2JJ, the mutant offspring of the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) which first subverted airwaves in Sydney in 1975. Word of mouth and community radio throughout Australia completed the job. His albums Cold Fact and Coming from Reality were recorded in 1970 and 1971, then released in South Africa and Australia years after he had been dropped by his American record company. Much of the vinyl sold throughout Australia in the mid-70s was pressed in South Africa.
Cheers Bob
Anthony O'Grady
__________________________________
Hi Bob,
I'm an American contemporary of yours living in South Africa. In 1998 I was a partner in a big music club in Johannesburg called the Blues Room. We were approached by a local booking agent to host a show by some guy called Rodriquez. We'd never heard of him. But everyone assured us he was a legend in South Africa. I listened to some of his material, found it mediocre, pseudo-Dylan. But people in ZA spoke about Rodriquez as if he were a god. Seems that somehow his music slipped through most of the Apartheid-era censoring and banning and perhaps since it was some of the only imported protest music available, it became a fad. (Remember fads? An early form of viral (word of mouth) marketing.) So we went for it.
On the appointed night the venue, which held about 550 people, was packed to the rafters. For one of the worst shows I've ever seen in more than 50 years in the business.
South Africa session/backup musicians are of a very high standard. They can play pretty near anything you put in front of them really well. But they were at a loss as to what to do because Rodriquez was blind drunk! He couldn't stand, let alone sing and play guitar. The irony is that no one in the audience seemed to know or care. Once the band got the song started, the audience carried the show, singing all the words. I was baffled. Perhaps the deeper cultural connection made to the resistance in the early post-Apartheid era is what made the difference. Or maybe it was just the "everybody else says he's cool, so who am I to disagree" phenomena. I don't know. The show was such a disaster by Blues Room standards that we declined to host him again. Because, while he may have changed, grown, matured, mellowed with age or maybe experienced some sort of conversion since 1998, back then he was THE most arrogant, irresponsible, marginally talented performer we ever had the misfortune of presenting.
Stephen "Sugar" Segerman is a sincere and devoted Rodriquez disciple. It was he who pushed and pushed until others, the Swedish director among them, bought into the myth. As for Australia, the reason why Rodriquez did a tour there is because many places in OZ are South African suburbs. Its where all the fear-filled South African ran to when Mandela was freed.
I think a really pertinent question to ask of the Director, Segerman and all the other Rodriquez ZA fanboys is who is making money from this? I have a feeling old Rodriquez ain't seeing much.
Stay well
Michael Canfield
__________________________________
What seemed fishy to me is that the people trying to track down Rodriguez searched his lyrics and found the reference to Dearborn and followed that "lead." I would have looked for the producers of the recordings - how hard could Dennis Coffey be to find? And I am sure he knew that Rodriguez was still alive. You are
right not to believe the story or the hype - I agree with you that Rodriguez comes off as genuine.
Bob Paris
__________________________________
Dear Mr Lefsetz,
I am a 20 year old sound engineering student and musician currently residing in Cape Town, South Africa.
I have not seen the "60 Minutes" you spoke of but what I'd like to tell you is that I grew up on Rodriguez's music. My parents are huge Rodriguez fans and went to see his show when he toured here. I am also aware of Rodriguez's success in Australia and New Zealand because I lived in New Zealand for 6 of my teenage years. So it is not surprising to me that you discovered that fact on wikipedia.
I went to see the film "Searching For Sugarman" 2 weeks ago here in Cape Town. The theatre was sold out on a weeknight with people of all ages in attendance. When each of his songs played you could hear people humming and singing along. When the film ended there was a loud applause and nobody left their seats until the very end of the credits.
The film obviously focuses on his success in South Africa but that's the point.The people who were interviewed had very interesting things to say and the home footage tells a story of it's own. I'd highly recommend that you go and see it.
Rodriguez had a massive impact in this country. There is no denying that. There are thousands of his fans in this country that will go see the film just because it's Rodriguez. I do understand why in other countries they may need to 'manipulate' because this is a story that needs to be heard and if there was not a little bit of manipulation no one would care. No one would go and see this movie because Rodriguez is unknown to them.
This response may not mean much to you coming from a 20 year old student but I felt obliged to share my opinion on the film and Rodriguez himself.
Kind Regards,
Jess Solimene
__________________________________
Re: Rodriguez...
You couldn't have stated it better Bob. I've got a friend in Detroit who was initially tapped by the filmmaker to sit for an interview, a very in-tune crate digger who'd known the story (the truth) for awhile. When he was presented with a prepared script to read from for his interview he walked. The biggest bummer of all of this is...the story is good enough without any manipulation!
please keep anon as I still deal with the film company professionally
__________________________________
Bob,
longtime Rodriguez fans like me and several of my friends have been bemused (and pleased) by the spotlight's sudden swivel towards him - but it's true, he's nowhere near as obscure as the marketing makes out. I first encountered him as a schoolkid in the mid-90s, when my friend's older brother made us a tape of his two albums. This stuff was in circulation far more than a lot of other obscure early 70s s-sw material. Mojo was writing features about him several years ago, and practically everyone I know who's into early 70s sounds has original copies of both his albums, on Sussex. Until a few months ago sealed originals cost $20 or so on eBay - now mediocre copies are going for $500!
Richard
__________________________________
You're not kidding he was in plain sight. While I was at EMI we had the legendary Clarence Avant's Tabu catalog. Clarence also owned Sussex and frequently asked me to look into re-issuing the Rodriguez albums because things were starting to happen in South Africa.
Alas I was unable to generate any marketing rationale to convince the powers that be to re-release these titles, other than the fact I suspected there could be something there. And as so often with music catalogs, it takes a spark - outside of everyone's control - to ignite a fire. But Clarence was a believer all along. I was looking for unreleased Alexander O'Neal masters and he kept pushing Rodriguez at me. Contrived or not, i just goes to show that most every artist eventually gets his day...
Tom Cartwright
__________________________________
Yes and after the album was finally re-released here a few years ago (long before the documentary was in the works) he also toured. I saw the show at The Bowery Ballroom and was hugely disappointed. He has a "pick up" band of young/hip musicians and although they were tight and professional there was none of the magic of the album and that album is indeed magic.
Leigh Lust
__________________________________
His first gig post release of the film... @ Newport Folk Festival
Sony Picture classics had a LOT to do with making this the hit it has become
i.e. they flew a copy of the film up to my little town north of boston, had someone rent a town car and come show it to me on a DVD player and as soon as I watched it they took the copy got back in the car and then flew back to nyc just so I could understand why I should book him.
Jay Sweet
Producer
Newport Folk
__________________________________
Bob
For someone who goes on about the way that the Internet builds its own momentum, you've missed where this one has come from. It's been building for over a decade.
This isn't the first time you've completely missed a slow build because you've come across it first in the mainstream media - you did the same with Aloe Black - both of which were championed by essentially the same group of people on the Internet. The same crowd getting who were behind Sharon Brown and the Daptones a decade before they hit the US charts.
Rodriguez was totally lost to the public, from about the time of his tour with Midnight Rock - that's thirty years ago - until he was unearthed about a decade a go.
His rediscovery began when David Holmes put together a compilation in the late 90s and I was tasked with licensing the track Sugarman. No one knew anything about him, he had disappeared with very little trace. David's comp got a lot of attention, especially for the Sugarman track.
We licensed the record from Clarence Avant Enterprises, and I'm pretty sure that they had no idea where he was. You say that you find it hard to believe that he could have this success but not know about it. I'm not sure why he would, record companies in the 70s and 80s liked to pretend they didn't do work with apartheid South Africa.
Since that point his music has been rediscovered, listened to, loved and enthused about by fans of off-kilter 70s music around the world.
It's one of the advantages of the Internet that very little is made of within the industry, but if you want to find someone to pay them some money, most of the times these days you can.
Anyway it was after that release that people really started looking for Rodriguez, and I guess they found him.
Now I, like you, haven't seen the film yet, so I don't know if they are saying that they found Rodriguez last year, but I suspect they found him about a decade ago and it has taken that long to make it onto the screen.
Even if they are fudging the time line a little, the central story is essentially true.
Dean Rudland
Ace Records / Rufus Music Publishing
Sent from my iPhone
__________________________________
He said he worked on the film for 4 years and then put it aside. Didn't know the iPhone was 6 years old.
Charlie B. Dahan
__________________________________
Hey Bob.
I live in Australia and am a huge Rodriguez fan. I know his story intimately. In '81 I hitchhiked 250 miles to see him play and I have seen him since. I still play his music regularly. A few years ago I made contact with Regan, his daughter/manager, regarding a publishing question. Yes, he did shows in Australia with Midnight Oil. And Powderfinger, one of Australia's biggest-ever bands, occasionally played a Rodriguez song in their live set.
John O'Donnell. Sydney, Australia.
__________________________________
Bob:
I loved searching for Sugarman but your report about 60 minutes is right on. Years back Scott Pelley did a story on Springsteen with so many inaccuracies. Here's a letter I wrote him then. Never got a
response.
Best
gary
____
October 10, 2007
Mr. Scott Pelley
60 Minutes
524 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
Dear Mr. Pelley:
I hope this letter finds you well. As a longtime 60 minutes viewer I rely on the show for information and sometimes perspective on the topics covered. I, like many viewers, have placed extensive trust in the 60 minutes staff to do the proper research to offer us the opportunity to form an opinion of various issues.
In your recent interview and story on Bruce Springsteen you asked Roy Bittan and Steven Van Zandt about their reaction when Bruce let the band go in 1991 to play with other musicians. These were the two people in the band to which this question did not even apply. Steven had left the band 6 years earlier to pursue a solo career and Roy was never let go. He was the only member of the E Street Band to remain in the new group of musicians Bruce put together. While this is basic information that any Bruce fan will know, I certainly do not expect that every reporter has prior knowledge on every subject he or she covers. However, within one minute of a Google search or simply looking on the cd credits of the release just after he excused the band, you would have had all of the pertinent information.
While this mistake is not going to change public opinion or world events, it does make me wonder that if basic facts, which would take five minutes to verify, are not checked than how seriously can I take your reports on subjects I am not familiar with.
Sincerely,
Gary Alan
__________________________________
Was nothing learned from Mike Daisey / 'The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs'?
Chris Schetter
__________________________________
The movie was fantastic. Don't tell me the "facts". Romney lied his ass off while Obama laid out facts. Obama got trounced.
Tom Elmer
__________________________________
Bob,
I absolutely agree with you on the this piece - Brilliant!
Paul Anka
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Selwyn Solomon
__________________________________
Hi Bob,
spot on. We couldn't understand the premise of the movie at all as Rodriguez was a big name here for years but, the phrase "Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story" seems to have eluded these guys.
cheers
Kieran Stafford
Birdland Records
Sydney Australia
__________________________________
Re Sugarman: the Swedish film doesn't even mention Rodriguez's Australian connection. Before he toured with Midnight Oil in 1981 he'd sold over a huge number of albums in Australia and headlined a tour in 1979. Record sales are unknown but estimates range from 75,000 to 250,000. Rodriguez says he received no royalties. The vibe began with Holgar Brockmann, an announcer on 2JJ, the mutant offspring of the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) which first subverted airwaves in Sydney in 1975. Word of mouth and community radio throughout Australia completed the job. His albums Cold Fact and Coming from Reality were recorded in 1970 and 1971, then released in South Africa and Australia years after he had been dropped by his American record company. Much of the vinyl sold throughout Australia in the mid-70s was pressed in South Africa.
Cheers Bob
Anthony O'Grady
__________________________________
Hi Bob,
I'm an American contemporary of yours living in South Africa. In 1998 I was a partner in a big music club in Johannesburg called the Blues Room. We were approached by a local booking agent to host a show by some guy called Rodriquez. We'd never heard of him. But everyone assured us he was a legend in South Africa. I listened to some of his material, found it mediocre, pseudo-Dylan. But people in ZA spoke about Rodriquez as if he were a god. Seems that somehow his music slipped through most of the Apartheid-era censoring and banning and perhaps since it was some of the only imported protest music available, it became a fad. (Remember fads? An early form of viral (word of mouth) marketing.) So we went for it.
On the appointed night the venue, which held about 550 people, was packed to the rafters. For one of the worst shows I've ever seen in more than 50 years in the business.
South Africa session/backup musicians are of a very high standard. They can play pretty near anything you put in front of them really well. But they were at a loss as to what to do because Rodriquez was blind drunk! He couldn't stand, let alone sing and play guitar. The irony is that no one in the audience seemed to know or care. Once the band got the song started, the audience carried the show, singing all the words. I was baffled. Perhaps the deeper cultural connection made to the resistance in the early post-Apartheid era is what made the difference. Or maybe it was just the "everybody else says he's cool, so who am I to disagree" phenomena. I don't know. The show was such a disaster by Blues Room standards that we declined to host him again. Because, while he may have changed, grown, matured, mellowed with age or maybe experienced some sort of conversion since 1998, back then he was THE most arrogant, irresponsible, marginally talented performer we ever had the misfortune of presenting.
Stephen "Sugar" Segerman is a sincere and devoted Rodriquez disciple. It was he who pushed and pushed until others, the Swedish director among them, bought into the myth. As for Australia, the reason why Rodriquez did a tour there is because many places in OZ are South African suburbs. Its where all the fear-filled South African ran to when Mandela was freed.
I think a really pertinent question to ask of the Director, Segerman and all the other Rodriquez ZA fanboys is who is making money from this? I have a feeling old Rodriquez ain't seeing much.
Stay well
Michael Canfield
__________________________________
What seemed fishy to me is that the people trying to track down Rodriguez searched his lyrics and found the reference to Dearborn and followed that "lead." I would have looked for the producers of the recordings - how hard could Dennis Coffey be to find? And I am sure he knew that Rodriguez was still alive. You are
right not to believe the story or the hype - I agree with you that Rodriguez comes off as genuine.
Bob Paris
__________________________________
Dear Mr Lefsetz,
I am a 20 year old sound engineering student and musician currently residing in Cape Town, South Africa.
I have not seen the "60 Minutes" you spoke of but what I'd like to tell you is that I grew up on Rodriguez's music. My parents are huge Rodriguez fans and went to see his show when he toured here. I am also aware of Rodriguez's success in Australia and New Zealand because I lived in New Zealand for 6 of my teenage years. So it is not surprising to me that you discovered that fact on wikipedia.
I went to see the film "Searching For Sugarman" 2 weeks ago here in Cape Town. The theatre was sold out on a weeknight with people of all ages in attendance. When each of his songs played you could hear people humming and singing along. When the film ended there was a loud applause and nobody left their seats until the very end of the credits.
The film obviously focuses on his success in South Africa but that's the point.The people who were interviewed had very interesting things to say and the home footage tells a story of it's own. I'd highly recommend that you go and see it.
Rodriguez had a massive impact in this country. There is no denying that. There are thousands of his fans in this country that will go see the film just because it's Rodriguez. I do understand why in other countries they may need to 'manipulate' because this is a story that needs to be heard and if there was not a little bit of manipulation no one would care. No one would go and see this movie because Rodriguez is unknown to them.
This response may not mean much to you coming from a 20 year old student but I felt obliged to share my opinion on the film and Rodriguez himself.
Kind Regards,
Jess Solimene
__________________________________
Re: Rodriguez...
You couldn't have stated it better Bob. I've got a friend in Detroit who was initially tapped by the filmmaker to sit for an interview, a very in-tune crate digger who'd known the story (the truth) for awhile. When he was presented with a prepared script to read from for his interview he walked. The biggest bummer of all of this is...the story is good enough without any manipulation!
please keep anon as I still deal with the film company professionally
__________________________________
Bob,
longtime Rodriguez fans like me and several of my friends have been bemused (and pleased) by the spotlight's sudden swivel towards him - but it's true, he's nowhere near as obscure as the marketing makes out. I first encountered him as a schoolkid in the mid-90s, when my friend's older brother made us a tape of his two albums. This stuff was in circulation far more than a lot of other obscure early 70s s-sw material. Mojo was writing features about him several years ago, and practically everyone I know who's into early 70s sounds has original copies of both his albums, on Sussex. Until a few months ago sealed originals cost $20 or so on eBay - now mediocre copies are going for $500!
Richard
__________________________________
You're not kidding he was in plain sight. While I was at EMI we had the legendary Clarence Avant's Tabu catalog. Clarence also owned Sussex and frequently asked me to look into re-issuing the Rodriguez albums because things were starting to happen in South Africa.
Alas I was unable to generate any marketing rationale to convince the powers that be to re-release these titles, other than the fact I suspected there could be something there. And as so often with music catalogs, it takes a spark - outside of everyone's control - to ignite a fire. But Clarence was a believer all along. I was looking for unreleased Alexander O'Neal masters and he kept pushing Rodriguez at me. Contrived or not, i just goes to show that most every artist eventually gets his day...
Tom Cartwright
__________________________________
Yes and after the album was finally re-released here a few years ago (long before the documentary was in the works) he also toured. I saw the show at The Bowery Ballroom and was hugely disappointed. He has a "pick up" band of young/hip musicians and although they were tight and professional there was none of the magic of the album and that album is indeed magic.
Leigh Lust
__________________________________
His first gig post release of the film... @ Newport Folk Festival
Sony Picture classics had a LOT to do with making this the hit it has become
i.e. they flew a copy of the film up to my little town north of boston, had someone rent a town car and come show it to me on a DVD player and as soon as I watched it they took the copy got back in the car and then flew back to nyc just so I could understand why I should book him.
Jay Sweet
Producer
Newport Folk
__________________________________
Bob
For someone who goes on about the way that the Internet builds its own momentum, you've missed where this one has come from. It's been building for over a decade.
This isn't the first time you've completely missed a slow build because you've come across it first in the mainstream media - you did the same with Aloe Black - both of which were championed by essentially the same group of people on the Internet. The same crowd getting who were behind Sharon Brown and the Daptones a decade before they hit the US charts.
Rodriguez was totally lost to the public, from about the time of his tour with Midnight Rock - that's thirty years ago - until he was unearthed about a decade a go.
His rediscovery began when David Holmes put together a compilation in the late 90s and I was tasked with licensing the track Sugarman. No one knew anything about him, he had disappeared with very little trace. David's comp got a lot of attention, especially for the Sugarman track.
We licensed the record from Clarence Avant Enterprises, and I'm pretty sure that they had no idea where he was. You say that you find it hard to believe that he could have this success but not know about it. I'm not sure why he would, record companies in the 70s and 80s liked to pretend they didn't do work with apartheid South Africa.
Since that point his music has been rediscovered, listened to, loved and enthused about by fans of off-kilter 70s music around the world.
It's one of the advantages of the Internet that very little is made of within the industry, but if you want to find someone to pay them some money, most of the times these days you can.
Anyway it was after that release that people really started looking for Rodriguez, and I guess they found him.
Now I, like you, haven't seen the film yet, so I don't know if they are saying that they found Rodriguez last year, but I suspect they found him about a decade ago and it has taken that long to make it onto the screen.
Even if they are fudging the time line a little, the central story is essentially true.
Dean Rudland
Ace Records / Rufus Music Publishing
Sent from my iPhone
__________________________________
He said he worked on the film for 4 years and then put it aside. Didn't know the iPhone was 6 years old.
Charlie B. Dahan
__________________________________
Hey Bob.
I live in Australia and am a huge Rodriguez fan. I know his story intimately. In '81 I hitchhiked 250 miles to see him play and I have seen him since. I still play his music regularly. A few years ago I made contact with Regan, his daughter/manager, regarding a publishing question. Yes, he did shows in Australia with Midnight Oil. And Powderfinger, one of Australia's biggest-ever bands, occasionally played a Rodriguez song in their live set.
John O'Donnell. Sydney, Australia.
__________________________________
Bob:
I loved searching for Sugarman but your report about 60 minutes is right on. Years back Scott Pelley did a story on Springsteen with so many inaccuracies. Here's a letter I wrote him then. Never got a
response.
Best
gary
____
October 10, 2007
Mr. Scott Pelley
60 Minutes
524 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
Dear Mr. Pelley:
I hope this letter finds you well. As a longtime 60 minutes viewer I rely on the show for information and sometimes perspective on the topics covered. I, like many viewers, have placed extensive trust in the 60 minutes staff to do the proper research to offer us the opportunity to form an opinion of various issues.
In your recent interview and story on Bruce Springsteen you asked Roy Bittan and Steven Van Zandt about their reaction when Bruce let the band go in 1991 to play with other musicians. These were the two people in the band to which this question did not even apply. Steven had left the band 6 years earlier to pursue a solo career and Roy was never let go. He was the only member of the E Street Band to remain in the new group of musicians Bruce put together. While this is basic information that any Bruce fan will know, I certainly do not expect that every reporter has prior knowledge on every subject he or she covers. However, within one minute of a Google search or simply looking on the cd credits of the release just after he excused the band, you would have had all of the pertinent information.
While this mistake is not going to change public opinion or world events, it does make me wonder that if basic facts, which would take five minutes to verify, are not checked than how seriously can I take your reports on subjects I am not familiar with.
Sincerely,
Gary Alan
__________________________________
Was nothing learned from Mike Daisey / 'The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs'?
Chris Schetter
__________________________________
The movie was fantastic. Don't tell me the "facts". Romney lied his ass off while Obama laid out facts. Obama got trounced.
Tom Elmer
__________________________________
Bob,
I absolutely agree with you on the this piece - Brilliant!
Paul Anka
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Sunday 7 October 2012
Sugarman
I don't believe it.
And even a cursory read of Wikipedia tells you it's not true. Hell, this is a guy who toured Australia with Midnight Oil!
Did you watch the "60 Minutes" piece? I'm loath to write this because Rodriguez appears to be such a humble, good-hearted soul. But the bastards promoting this movie are not. Hell, they even duped CBS news.
I haven't seen the movie. I will. But from square one it smelled bad. You mean a guy was hit in South Africa and didn't know it and labored in obscurity for decades, until some filmmaker in Sweden found out about it and made a movie?
Let's start there. With the filmmaker. He was looking for a story. That's what studios do. They swoop down and buy the rights to books, to real-life events, all in the pursuit of cash. That's why this guy made the movie, for his own personal glory. It's not like this story was near and dear to his heart, he just needed a story!
And then he gets it into Sundance, who knows what shenanigans he effected to pull this off, and the company that bought the film has been spinning tales for months, trying to get you to go to the theatre so they can get rich. They don't care about Rodriguez, they just care about your cash.
And you love a feel good story. So you spread the word. You're doing their work for them. To the point where even weasels like me are afraid to rain on your parade, because of the tsunami of b.s. that's gonna come down on me as soon as I hit send.
This is old school marketing at its worst. This is why both the right wing and left wing can get away with excoriating mainstream media. "60 Minutes"... Did you just surrender to the hype? Did you do no personal investigation? Did you not want to ruin the arc of the story?
This is no different from Jonah Lehrer. The truth is messy, it's hard to compartmentalize, it twists and turns and almost never results in a perfect story. If "60 Minutes" said Rodriguez toured Australia with Midnight Oil, that his records were rereleased by Sony long before this movie came out, the story wouldn't work. But what's even worse is these facts are hiding in plain sight and "60 Minutes" didn't even do the research. It's kind of like my old friend Tony Wilson, who screwed up the football scores in his first TV news gig. His boss almost fired him, not because anybody cared about the results of this minor game, but if the station couldn't get it right on this trivial matter, viewers wouldn't trust them on the big issues.
Kind of like the "New York Times." When Judith Miller supported invasion of Iraq because she liked the access to the Republican brass. They snowed her, she got it wrong, and now even liberals take the "Times" with a grain of salt.
Then again, there are numerous news outlets who refuse to fall on their sword, who won't admit they're wrong, like the "Times" did in that case.
In the Internet era, you can't mess with the facts. Lehrer's book was in release for months before he got busted, not by a major news outlet, but an essentially unknown Dylan fanatic. The truth always outs. And self-satisfied old wave news outlets decrease in revenue and power when they refuse to search for truth and just publicize press releases.
I love it that this guy made so much of the movie on his iPhone, but that's probably a lie too...
I love that Rodriguez is getting recognition.
But I hate being manipulated.
Call it fiction. Write a story from scratch. But when you do a documentary, when you do TV news, you've got to present all the facts.
Or else you just become a laughingstock.
Like "60 Minutes."
P.S. Hell, he was sampled by Nas back in 2001. "Sugar Man" was featured in the film "Candy," released in 2006, starring Heath Ledger. This guy wasn't hiding, he was in plain sight!
Rodriguez Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodriguez_(musician)
Rodriguez discography: http://sugarman.org/rodalbums.html
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And even a cursory read of Wikipedia tells you it's not true. Hell, this is a guy who toured Australia with Midnight Oil!
Did you watch the "60 Minutes" piece? I'm loath to write this because Rodriguez appears to be such a humble, good-hearted soul. But the bastards promoting this movie are not. Hell, they even duped CBS news.
I haven't seen the movie. I will. But from square one it smelled bad. You mean a guy was hit in South Africa and didn't know it and labored in obscurity for decades, until some filmmaker in Sweden found out about it and made a movie?
Let's start there. With the filmmaker. He was looking for a story. That's what studios do. They swoop down and buy the rights to books, to real-life events, all in the pursuit of cash. That's why this guy made the movie, for his own personal glory. It's not like this story was near and dear to his heart, he just needed a story!
And then he gets it into Sundance, who knows what shenanigans he effected to pull this off, and the company that bought the film has been spinning tales for months, trying to get you to go to the theatre so they can get rich. They don't care about Rodriguez, they just care about your cash.
And you love a feel good story. So you spread the word. You're doing their work for them. To the point where even weasels like me are afraid to rain on your parade, because of the tsunami of b.s. that's gonna come down on me as soon as I hit send.
This is old school marketing at its worst. This is why both the right wing and left wing can get away with excoriating mainstream media. "60 Minutes"... Did you just surrender to the hype? Did you do no personal investigation? Did you not want to ruin the arc of the story?
This is no different from Jonah Lehrer. The truth is messy, it's hard to compartmentalize, it twists and turns and almost never results in a perfect story. If "60 Minutes" said Rodriguez toured Australia with Midnight Oil, that his records were rereleased by Sony long before this movie came out, the story wouldn't work. But what's even worse is these facts are hiding in plain sight and "60 Minutes" didn't even do the research. It's kind of like my old friend Tony Wilson, who screwed up the football scores in his first TV news gig. His boss almost fired him, not because anybody cared about the results of this minor game, but if the station couldn't get it right on this trivial matter, viewers wouldn't trust them on the big issues.
Kind of like the "New York Times." When Judith Miller supported invasion of Iraq because she liked the access to the Republican brass. They snowed her, she got it wrong, and now even liberals take the "Times" with a grain of salt.
Then again, there are numerous news outlets who refuse to fall on their sword, who won't admit they're wrong, like the "Times" did in that case.
In the Internet era, you can't mess with the facts. Lehrer's book was in release for months before he got busted, not by a major news outlet, but an essentially unknown Dylan fanatic. The truth always outs. And self-satisfied old wave news outlets decrease in revenue and power when they refuse to search for truth and just publicize press releases.
I love it that this guy made so much of the movie on his iPhone, but that's probably a lie too...
I love that Rodriguez is getting recognition.
But I hate being manipulated.
Call it fiction. Write a story from scratch. But when you do a documentary, when you do TV news, you've got to present all the facts.
Or else you just become a laughingstock.
Like "60 Minutes."
P.S. Hell, he was sampled by Nas back in 2001. "Sugar Man" was featured in the film "Candy," released in 2006, starring Heath Ledger. This guy wasn't hiding, he was in plain sight!
Rodriguez Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodriguez_(musician)
Rodriguez discography: http://sugarman.org/rodalbums.html
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