Brian Wilson gets all the respect and Jan Berry's been forgotten and I'm gonna try to rectify that right now.
"THE LITTLE OLD LADY (FROM PASADENA)"
Because it's the one you know.
When I first heard this in the summer of '64 I had no idea where Pasadena was, but I was enraptured nonetheless.
I can still remember hearing this on the transistor blaring over the pavilion at the beach in Fairfield, Connecticut as I waited for them to deliver my ten cent fries.
She may be the terror of Colorado Boulevard, she may be implored to go, but the magic is in Dean's harmonies, and the way the song starts with the chorus and soars with the Super Stock Dodge.
Back when what you drove was more important than what was in your pocket, when we were all optimistic, when cynicism had not yet been born and we were all yearning to go to California.
SURF CITY
TWO GIRLS FOR EVERY BOY!
"I bought a '34 wagon and we call it a woodie"
And that's how the term was popularized, that's the power of popular music.
"You know it's not very cherry, it's an oldie but a goodie"
And there's another term new here but a cliche now!
And during the chorus you can literally see them on the waves.
Frank Zappa didn't want us to hear surf music ever again, but that was before surf music itself was forgotten.
This is so inherently joyous that if it was played on the radio today people would stop in their tracks, unable to move, wondering what this alien sound coming out of the speakers was. Yup, it sounds like the soundtrack to a Pixar movie, something so different, yet so exquisitely good, that it's embraced right away.
BABY TALK
Let's go back to the beginning, the initial Lou Adler and Herb Alpert production that was a top ten hit, REALLY!
Sounds dated, but that doesn't mean you won't love it!
JENNIE LEE
Well, this tribute to a stripper, was really the first, in '58, but Dean was in the Army and Arnie Ginsburg sat in for him.
LINDA
Yup, Linda Eastman, Paul McCartney's beloved, written about her when she was all of one year old...
A cover, but Jan & Dean made it their own.
LLLLLLLLINDA!
DEAD MAN'S CURVE
The one! The one that took the deceased teenager trope and jetted it to the stratosphere, killing almost all competitors, as well as the genre itself.
"Let's race all the way to Dead Man's Curve"
There's no one in Los Angeles who doesn't reference it. Everybody knows every twist and turn of Sunset Boulevard, L.A.'s most famous drag.
But this was before they straightened it.
"I was cruisin' in my Sting Ray late one night
When an XKE pulled up on the right"
And here we are, plunked right down in the midsixties, after a horn intro that immediately enraptures.
"The street was deserted late Friday night
We were buggin' each other while we sat out the light
We both popped the clutch when the light turned green
You should 'a heard the whine from my screamin' machine
I flew past La Brea, Schwab's and Crescent Heights
And all the Jag could see were my six tail lights
He passed me at Doheny then I started to swerve
But I pulled her out and there we were
At Dead Man's Curve"
And if that don't make you want to move to L.A...
Yup, back when Van Nuys Boulevard used to be gridlocked, when everybody was drivin' and draggin'.
And there's ultimately a spoken interlude you'd never be able to get away with today and...
This is a dated masterpiece, definitely of a time, but it's still just as rewarding as ever.
THE NEW GIRL IN SCHOOL
The flip side to "Dead Man's Curve," but a chart hit itself, an infectious ode to the new student in high school, come on, you remember that!
If you don't sing along with Dean, you ain't got a voice!
RIDE THE WILD SURF
From the movie starring Fabian, this was the title track.
I owned the album, I just couldn't get enough, I even went to see that flick, I'VE STILL GOT TO TAKE THAT ONE LAST RIDE!
TELL 'EM I'M SURFIN'
I played this so much my father used to sing along, and he hated my music!
Yup, nothing equated surfin'...not baseball, not the girl with the pool...just pack Jan a lunch and he'll be on his way!
SIDEWALK SURFIN'
"Grab your board and go sidewalk surfin' with me!"
Yup, once upon a time that's what it was called, back before polyurethane wheels, when you went around a corner and...slid.
Yup, there was a skateboarding phase in the midsixties that died out before the midseventies technological renaissance and this, a remake of the Beach Boys' "Catch A Wave," was the anthem.
I FOUND A GIRL
One of the last chart hits, but still definitely worth a listen.
THE ANAHEIM, AZUSA AND CUCAMONGA SEWING CIRCLE, BOOK REVIEW AND TIMING ASSOCIATION
I knew it because it was the flip side of the "Ride The Wild Surf" single!
I had no idea where these towns were, but I knew I had to get closer to this sound, I had to move to the west coast, I begged my mother, I had to wait to graduate from college, but it was not a moment too soon. People always ask me what made me move to California and I always say the Beach Boys, and that's true, but it's Jan & Dean too, I was a fan of theirs first.
THEME FROM THE T.A.M.I SHOW (HERE THEY COME FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD)
Yup, Jan & Dean were the hosts of the live concert movie almost as famous as "Monterey Pop" and "Woodstock," the one that brought James Brown to a white audience, where he upstaged the Rolling Stones and Felice was part of the audience at the Santa Monica Civic.
But this take is from Jan & Dean's live album, "Command Performance," not only my first live disc, but one of my first albums ever, I played it so much the grooves turned grey. I play it now and it sounds like nothing so much as...me.
SURF CITY-LIVE
This is the opening cut on "Command Performance," and as great as the radio single was, I prefer this, because of the ENERGY!
MORE COMMAND PERFORMANCE
"Dead Man's Curve," "Sidewalk Surfin'", they're better on "Command Performance," I'm gonna include the entire LP so you can know what it was like to be little Bobby Lefsetz, alone in his bedroom in a house dominated by females dreaming of a better life in...L.A.
And it IS!
CONCLUSION
For a long time they were forgotten. Then their story was told in a '78 TV movie, and then they were forgotten again.
You see Jan Berry had an accident himself on Sunset Boulevard, and was never the same.
The act reunited, I went to see them at the Starwood, it was bizarre and creepy but a necessary pilgrimage nonetheless, because they were my heroes.
And Jan Berry was no loser, he had two years of medical school under his belt when he crashed his car.
And Dean Torrence went to USC and ultimately became a graphic designer responsible for the covers of some of your favorite LPs.
But somehow they've been forgotten to history, they're in the rearview mirror.
And Brian Wilson's deserving of all his accolades, but Jan Berry was no slouch, he too could write and produce. He was a true wunderkind.
And I doubt I'll be able to convince those who were not there, but if you were, you remember it... When our heroes sang about a life we could all share, out in the elements, having FUN!
Spotify playlist: http://spoti.fi/RbjIrZ
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Friday 23 May 2014
Thursday 22 May 2014
The Light
It's staying light so late!
I know, it's almost Memorial Day. But Memorial Day is no longer the 30th, or was it the 31st? I'm forgetting, it's been too long since holidays became expedient, Monday affairs so everybody could have a long weekend.
Used to be it was Memorial Day that was hot, Labor Day cooled off.
But not in Los Angeles. I've gotten sick on more than one Memorial Day, dressing for hot when it turned out to be cold, shivering in my shorts.
Yes, summer is coming, and I'm not prepared for it. The hot days. Everybody going on vacation. I prefer to work. I want everyone home and paying attention.
But one thing I love is these long days. Although they are confusing me. I sit in front of the computer thinking I've got hours left in the day and then I look at the clock and it's almost over!
It's getting dark long after 8 in L.A. Long after 9 in Toronto. But it's only going to last another month, and then the days will be getting shorter again, counting down the hours until Christmas, when we start going in the other direction again.
And when you're young the world doesn't spin fast enough.
But when you're old, you want to slow it down.
I want it to stay light this late for a few months, I want to savor it. The yellow. The brightness. The feeling that life is all about endless possibilities.
And sure it'll be hot in July and August, but every day will be a bit shorter, it will be depressing.
I can't help think about growing up, playing baseball, I lived to play baseball, back when you told your mother you'd be home for dinner and walked out the front door to god knows where.
You'd get on your bike, I'd get on my bike and ride to the school where we'd play. Eventually Little League. Which began practice on April 1st and games at the end of the month. Which means you had to start throwing in March, to be ready.
But this was back before the Major League started in March and played until November. The season was over the first week of October and it rarely snowed in April.
And unlike today, we went to school through the middle of June, and never had to return until after Labor Day. Now everything's sped up, kids are out in May and suddenly August is a school month. As for colleges, it seems they don't even go to school at all.
And I never want to go back to school. You're supposed to learn but too few of the teachers are stimulating, especially as you enter higher education. I prefer following my muse, my interests, that's what I love about the Internet, the ability to dig down deep.
Do kids lie in the backyard and stare at the sky anymore? Marveling how the clouds move?
Do they take their sleeping bags out and look at the stars, and wake up to the sun long before their parents, and go inside and watch cartoons?
Wait, that was before it was a badge of honor to never sleep, when kids arose before parents, before adults boasted that they got up at 4:30, why would you want to get up so early? Don't you love the night time?
I do. It's when everything slows down, when the driven wind down and the night owls like me inherit the earth.
So much of my life is lived in the darkness. But not now. It's like I'm in the bonus round, the recipient of a natural plus that thrills me, that I don't want to let go of.
But it's going to evaporate.
And at some point, I won't even be here.
So I want to savor it. As those younger than me believe they're going to live forever, but those of us wise enough to know better marvel at the simple things, knowing that possessions are overrated, that a German car is nice, but not necessary, that it's what you feel inside that counts, because what you show to the outside no one's looking at.
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I know, it's almost Memorial Day. But Memorial Day is no longer the 30th, or was it the 31st? I'm forgetting, it's been too long since holidays became expedient, Monday affairs so everybody could have a long weekend.
Used to be it was Memorial Day that was hot, Labor Day cooled off.
But not in Los Angeles. I've gotten sick on more than one Memorial Day, dressing for hot when it turned out to be cold, shivering in my shorts.
Yes, summer is coming, and I'm not prepared for it. The hot days. Everybody going on vacation. I prefer to work. I want everyone home and paying attention.
But one thing I love is these long days. Although they are confusing me. I sit in front of the computer thinking I've got hours left in the day and then I look at the clock and it's almost over!
It's getting dark long after 8 in L.A. Long after 9 in Toronto. But it's only going to last another month, and then the days will be getting shorter again, counting down the hours until Christmas, when we start going in the other direction again.
And when you're young the world doesn't spin fast enough.
But when you're old, you want to slow it down.
I want it to stay light this late for a few months, I want to savor it. The yellow. The brightness. The feeling that life is all about endless possibilities.
And sure it'll be hot in July and August, but every day will be a bit shorter, it will be depressing.
I can't help think about growing up, playing baseball, I lived to play baseball, back when you told your mother you'd be home for dinner and walked out the front door to god knows where.
You'd get on your bike, I'd get on my bike and ride to the school where we'd play. Eventually Little League. Which began practice on April 1st and games at the end of the month. Which means you had to start throwing in March, to be ready.
But this was back before the Major League started in March and played until November. The season was over the first week of October and it rarely snowed in April.
And unlike today, we went to school through the middle of June, and never had to return until after Labor Day. Now everything's sped up, kids are out in May and suddenly August is a school month. As for colleges, it seems they don't even go to school at all.
And I never want to go back to school. You're supposed to learn but too few of the teachers are stimulating, especially as you enter higher education. I prefer following my muse, my interests, that's what I love about the Internet, the ability to dig down deep.
Do kids lie in the backyard and stare at the sky anymore? Marveling how the clouds move?
Do they take their sleeping bags out and look at the stars, and wake up to the sun long before their parents, and go inside and watch cartoons?
Wait, that was before it was a badge of honor to never sleep, when kids arose before parents, before adults boasted that they got up at 4:30, why would you want to get up so early? Don't you love the night time?
I do. It's when everything slows down, when the driven wind down and the night owls like me inherit the earth.
So much of my life is lived in the darkness. But not now. It's like I'm in the bonus round, the recipient of a natural plus that thrills me, that I don't want to let go of.
But it's going to evaporate.
And at some point, I won't even be here.
So I want to savor it. As those younger than me believe they're going to live forever, but those of us wise enough to know better marvel at the simple things, knowing that possessions are overrated, that a German car is nice, but not necessary, that it's what you feel inside that counts, because what you show to the outside no one's looking at.
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Pat Monahan To Front Led Zeppelin
In my dreams, and they should be Jimmy Page's too.
I love the fact that Robert Plant refuses to go out, but there's a huge demand to hear Zeppelin's music, and Jimmy wants to play. He should go on the road with Pat.
Who?
The guy from Train.
Did you listen to his vocals on the Gregg Allman tribute album?
Deep and resonant, perfectly suited for Jimmy's work. Furthermore, Pat's got a history of singing Zeppelin stuff, does it in concert, most famously "Ramble On."
And the truth is even if Plant went out, he can't hit the notes. His voice has changed. And Queen keeps going out with different singers to huge demand.
But they call it Queen, and Freddie Mercury was the star.
But Jimmy Page was always as big as Robert Plant. Everybody knew it was Pagey's band.
So how 'bout it Jimmy?
Don't say you tried this once before, with the Black Crowes. Timing is everything, in music as it is in tech. And you were just too early.
But now, with Arnel Pineda successfully fronting Journey, and Pat Monahan already having a name, the audience is ready to be dazed and confused.
Don't be afraid. Look at it like the breakup of the Yardbirds, forming a new band wherein you're gonna do some of the old material, well, a lot of the old material.
You want to play, you want to go on your victory lap.
Don't be afraid, you'll be embraced with open arms (sorry about the Journey pun...)
Jason pounds the skins nearly as well as his dad. John Paul Jones adds the texture. You...execute the riffs, bring out the bow and...
It'd be one thing if you said you were retired, that you had arthritis, that you didn't want to do this. But the truth is you do.
And the truth is everybody would be disappointed in a Zeppelin reunion, everybody would compare it to what once was. This... Would be a whole new thing, you'd get the benefit of the doubt, there would be love instead of negativity.
Furthermore, first time around sales would be incredible. You'd underplay just a bit, blow people away, and then everybody would come back, with their kids in tow. Come on, if Jason himself can play these songs to throngs, why can't you?
Call it the New Led Zeppelin! Ha!
Train/Pat Monahan "Ramble On": http://bit.ly/1gnmzdc
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I love the fact that Robert Plant refuses to go out, but there's a huge demand to hear Zeppelin's music, and Jimmy wants to play. He should go on the road with Pat.
Who?
The guy from Train.
Did you listen to his vocals on the Gregg Allman tribute album?
Deep and resonant, perfectly suited for Jimmy's work. Furthermore, Pat's got a history of singing Zeppelin stuff, does it in concert, most famously "Ramble On."
And the truth is even if Plant went out, he can't hit the notes. His voice has changed. And Queen keeps going out with different singers to huge demand.
But they call it Queen, and Freddie Mercury was the star.
But Jimmy Page was always as big as Robert Plant. Everybody knew it was Pagey's band.
So how 'bout it Jimmy?
Don't say you tried this once before, with the Black Crowes. Timing is everything, in music as it is in tech. And you were just too early.
But now, with Arnel Pineda successfully fronting Journey, and Pat Monahan already having a name, the audience is ready to be dazed and confused.
Don't be afraid. Look at it like the breakup of the Yardbirds, forming a new band wherein you're gonna do some of the old material, well, a lot of the old material.
You want to play, you want to go on your victory lap.
Don't be afraid, you'll be embraced with open arms (sorry about the Journey pun...)
Jason pounds the skins nearly as well as his dad. John Paul Jones adds the texture. You...execute the riffs, bring out the bow and...
It'd be one thing if you said you were retired, that you had arthritis, that you didn't want to do this. But the truth is you do.
And the truth is everybody would be disappointed in a Zeppelin reunion, everybody would compare it to what once was. This... Would be a whole new thing, you'd get the benefit of the doubt, there would be love instead of negativity.
Furthermore, first time around sales would be incredible. You'd underplay just a bit, blow people away, and then everybody would come back, with their kids in tow. Come on, if Jason himself can play these songs to throngs, why can't you?
Call it the New Led Zeppelin! Ha!
Train/Pat Monahan "Ramble On": http://bit.ly/1gnmzdc
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Wednesday 21 May 2014
Stop Breaking Rules
1. Never e-mail an MP3.
If you've never heard of SoundCloud, why should I bother listening to your MP3, which clutters my inbox, it indicates you're not savvy enough to know how technology works.
2. No away messages.
Is that really how little your job means to you, that when you're away from your desk you're not working? The truth is, you are. And you're checking your messages. Why do you have to clutter our inboxes with your away messages, which you frequently leave turned on, even though you're back in your office.
3. Permission marketing.
Seth Godin wrote the definitive statement, read it here:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/01/permission-mark.html
In other words, don't assume you're friends with people you're not. Just because you've got someone's e-mail address, that does not mean they want to hear from you. When you abuse a relationship that does not exist, you tarnish all future conversation/connection, assuming there is any.
4. Assuming everybody knows something.
People are more out of it than ever before, acts that sell out arenas can't tell you who's number one on the radio charts. Not only should you inform people what you're talking about, don't put them down when they don't know what you're talking about.
5. Long e-mail.
I hope you feel good when you write it, because no one reads it. Get to the point, especially when people read on mobile devices.
(And don't send me snarky responses putting down the length of what I write. You opted in, you've gotten this far, if you don't like it, sign off.)
6. Don't ask for a retweet/promotion.
You don't like spam, why do you think the rules don't apply to your project, why do you think it's the job of someone with an audience to spread the word? It might even be charity, but do you know how many charitable efforts there are? Furthermore, isolated promotion rarely yields results. And think about the effect on the reputation of the person you're asking the favor of before you do...ask for the favor. And better to do a favor before asking for one, and a favor is not turning the reader on to your own "great" music.
7. Stop sending CDs.
It makes you feel good, that you've done something. But the new Macs don't even come with a CD drive, where am I gonna play it?
8. Stop inviting people to become part of your LinkedIn network.
I blame the service more than the individuals, because it harvests e-mail addresses, which are currency, but I'm stunned by all the people who want me to be part of their circle who I don't know, what next, a favor?
I don't care how many "likes" you've got, how many "friends," this online currency is next to worthless. How much money did you make? How good is what you're selling?
9. Don't keep your music off streaming services.
Let me understand this Coldplay and the Black Keys, you want to prevent people from streaming so you can sell a measly 100,000+ albums. Furthermore, all the money's in concerts. You should be paying people to listen to you! The hardest thing today is to make a new fan/get people to check you out, anywhere music can be played, your stuff should be there. It will be, just like Kid Rock is on Spotify. What advantage does AC/DC have not being on digital services? This ship has sailed, almost no one listens to an album straight through, that died with vinyl and the cassette, and you're ultimately gonna be on the service anyway. What, you want a first week sales pop to influence retailers? What retailers? As for the media...the publishing of streaming statistics as opposed to SoundScan is only a motion away. Either you're part of the problem or you're part of the solution, and now even Spotify is being proactive, by posting on its service that you refuse to play.
10. No advance streams.
These make no sense. Get paid if people are listening, to try and drive sales of CDs and files via streaming previews is inane.
11. Eliminate the service fees.
Go to all-in ticketing. The present system of add-ons is fan abuse.
12. Allow everybody to buy tickets at the same time.
Oh, this will never happen, you love those fan club and AmEx fees.
13. Don't forward something you like but the recipient won't.
This is what is wrong with web recommendations, they don't take into account the person receiving them.
14. Don't think being good is good enough.
Making it is so much more than that.
15. Don't put down those who've made it.
That's so last century. I get it, you're better, they're untalented doofuses.
Instead of decrying their success, figure out how they got there, what made them successful. The truth is they're smarter and more realistic than you. You might even be talented, but when it comes to business and personal relationships, you may be dumb.
16. Don't add me to your mailing list.
I don't care if it's opt-out. And do you know how many of these get caught by spam filters anyway?
Ask first.
And you know what the answer is...NO!
(Start with your friends, who actually know and care about you. If you're good, they'll tell their friends, and some of them will eventually be friends/trusted filters of mine, and I'll hear about it that way.)
17. Stop tweeting unless you're famous.
No one is reading it.
(That's why I stopped, and I've got 60,000 followers, but I'm not famous!)
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If you've never heard of SoundCloud, why should I bother listening to your MP3, which clutters my inbox, it indicates you're not savvy enough to know how technology works.
2. No away messages.
Is that really how little your job means to you, that when you're away from your desk you're not working? The truth is, you are. And you're checking your messages. Why do you have to clutter our inboxes with your away messages, which you frequently leave turned on, even though you're back in your office.
3. Permission marketing.
Seth Godin wrote the definitive statement, read it here:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/01/permission-mark.html
In other words, don't assume you're friends with people you're not. Just because you've got someone's e-mail address, that does not mean they want to hear from you. When you abuse a relationship that does not exist, you tarnish all future conversation/connection, assuming there is any.
4. Assuming everybody knows something.
People are more out of it than ever before, acts that sell out arenas can't tell you who's number one on the radio charts. Not only should you inform people what you're talking about, don't put them down when they don't know what you're talking about.
5. Long e-mail.
I hope you feel good when you write it, because no one reads it. Get to the point, especially when people read on mobile devices.
(And don't send me snarky responses putting down the length of what I write. You opted in, you've gotten this far, if you don't like it, sign off.)
6. Don't ask for a retweet/promotion.
You don't like spam, why do you think the rules don't apply to your project, why do you think it's the job of someone with an audience to spread the word? It might even be charity, but do you know how many charitable efforts there are? Furthermore, isolated promotion rarely yields results. And think about the effect on the reputation of the person you're asking the favor of before you do...ask for the favor. And better to do a favor before asking for one, and a favor is not turning the reader on to your own "great" music.
7. Stop sending CDs.
It makes you feel good, that you've done something. But the new Macs don't even come with a CD drive, where am I gonna play it?
8. Stop inviting people to become part of your LinkedIn network.
I blame the service more than the individuals, because it harvests e-mail addresses, which are currency, but I'm stunned by all the people who want me to be part of their circle who I don't know, what next, a favor?
I don't care how many "likes" you've got, how many "friends," this online currency is next to worthless. How much money did you make? How good is what you're selling?
9. Don't keep your music off streaming services.
Let me understand this Coldplay and the Black Keys, you want to prevent people from streaming so you can sell a measly 100,000+ albums. Furthermore, all the money's in concerts. You should be paying people to listen to you! The hardest thing today is to make a new fan/get people to check you out, anywhere music can be played, your stuff should be there. It will be, just like Kid Rock is on Spotify. What advantage does AC/DC have not being on digital services? This ship has sailed, almost no one listens to an album straight through, that died with vinyl and the cassette, and you're ultimately gonna be on the service anyway. What, you want a first week sales pop to influence retailers? What retailers? As for the media...the publishing of streaming statistics as opposed to SoundScan is only a motion away. Either you're part of the problem or you're part of the solution, and now even Spotify is being proactive, by posting on its service that you refuse to play.
10. No advance streams.
These make no sense. Get paid if people are listening, to try and drive sales of CDs and files via streaming previews is inane.
11. Eliminate the service fees.
Go to all-in ticketing. The present system of add-ons is fan abuse.
12. Allow everybody to buy tickets at the same time.
Oh, this will never happen, you love those fan club and AmEx fees.
13. Don't forward something you like but the recipient won't.
This is what is wrong with web recommendations, they don't take into account the person receiving them.
14. Don't think being good is good enough.
Making it is so much more than that.
15. Don't put down those who've made it.
That's so last century. I get it, you're better, they're untalented doofuses.
Instead of decrying their success, figure out how they got there, what made them successful. The truth is they're smarter and more realistic than you. You might even be talented, but when it comes to business and personal relationships, you may be dumb.
16. Don't add me to your mailing list.
I don't care if it's opt-out. And do you know how many of these get caught by spam filters anyway?
Ask first.
And you know what the answer is...NO!
(Start with your friends, who actually know and care about you. If you're good, they'll tell their friends, and some of them will eventually be friends/trusted filters of mine, and I'll hear about it that way.)
17. Stop tweeting unless you're famous.
No one is reading it.
(That's why I stopped, and I've got 60,000 followers, but I'm not famous!)
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The Gregg Allman Concert Album
The Allman Brothers were our EDM.
Too much has been written about the Grateful Dead, but the dirty little secret was they were lousy, they'd play for four hours, one would be completely unlistenable, two mediocre and one great, and I know, I was there, the first time around, before they became an oldies act in the eighties and all the Gen X'ers discovered them.
Now that's not really the name of this two record set, which I'm listening to on Spotify after being tipped off by Mike Marrone's adds at SiriusXM's Loft, it's really "All My Friends: Celebrating The Songs & Voice Of Gregg Allman"...what, you really want no commercial success?
And believe me, this album will be a commercial failure.
But unlike the execrable tribute albums, this is a live document of a concert that I read about and figured I could miss, because Gregg's still alive and touring and...
But I was wrong.
There's so much energy here, so much excitement, it makes me feel like I really missed something.
They don't make live albums anymore. Because that work has been relegated to YouTube and the truth is so many of the new acts cannot play, but what set the Allmans apart was their ability to do so.
So I pulled up Taj Mahal and Gregg's rendition of "Statesboro Blues."
The deejay pushes the button and you start to jump, but that's nothing compared to that slide guitar, which had us hopping up from our seats, instantly excited. Will people ever know this magic again?
The Allman Brothers have been playing the Beacon, but that's for fans only. And with so many shows, the roof no longer lifts off the joint, because they've got nothing to prove. But strangely, when everybody should have been phoning it in, they didn't, not at this show.
There's a wild cornucopia of acts, Eric Church does "Ain't Wastin' Time No More," one of my absolute favorites from "Eat A Peach," it's all about the changes, back when songs were written by bands for themselves as opposed to famous producers behind the scenes.
And the Allmans themselves do "Dreams."
And Gregg and Jackson Browne do the latter's song that the former made famous, "These Days." "Well, I've been out walkin'..." Hear Jackson and your body will tingle, mine just did.
And then they switch roles, the duo does Gregg's "Melissa." And this was the hit, sitting in the dorm, reflective. "Ramblin' Man" may have been all over the radio, but that slid right off you, "Melissa" penetrated.
Trace Adkins does "I'm No Angel," and he ain't.
John Hiatt is reminiscent of his days on tour with Ry Cooder three decades ago on "One Way Out," it's a tear!
And not all songs are fast, Sam Moore performs "Please Call Home."
But the album opens with the other understated classic, the track I adore from "Brothers and Sisters," "Come And Go Blues."
Ever been in this relationship?
I certainly have.
They don't want you to have them, but they don't want to let you go. I envy those who've been married since their teens, but they missed out on so much heartbreak and experience.
And that's what the Allman Brothers were all about, you could hear the miles in Gregg Allman's voice, back when your rock stardom opened all doors, to drugs, cars and Cher.
And "Come And Go Blues" is sung by journeyman Warren Haynes, who's never gotten his due, and probably never will, he'll probably die with most people never knowing his name.
And there you've got it, modern music, which is all pop all the time.
But it didn't used to be that way. Used to be we lived for the album cuts, they brought us to the show.
But that was back when it was about the music, not the stardom, when the acts were ripped off and didn't bitch about it, when being on the road, drinkin', druggin' and screwin', was enough.
Not really, eventually they'd emerge from the fog and realize they'd been ripped off, in this case by Phil Walden.
But the experience was more important than the cash. And ain't that life. Today everybody gets a job that pays but doesn't fulfill. And pursuing your dream means you often can't put a roof over your head. And if you like an act, you can't get a good seat, and when you do, it's prohibitively expensive.
But once upon a time ducats were way less than ten bucks. And sure, you wanted to check out the crowd, but really you were most interested in bonding with the people on stage, the music emanating from the amps.
Listen to this album and you'll remember.
And if you never knew you'll pooh-pooh and move on.
But know that once upon a time, we didn't listen to techies, not even politicians, but musicians, hell, the Allmans got Jimmy Carter started on his Presidential run.
We went to each other's house and checked out the collection.
We closed our eyes and played air guitar.
We were tied to the whipping post.
Spotify link (and if you don't have Spotify, sign up immediately, it's free, and it's where most people are and everybody should be, join the party): http://spoti.fi/TuPClg
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Too much has been written about the Grateful Dead, but the dirty little secret was they were lousy, they'd play for four hours, one would be completely unlistenable, two mediocre and one great, and I know, I was there, the first time around, before they became an oldies act in the eighties and all the Gen X'ers discovered them.
Now that's not really the name of this two record set, which I'm listening to on Spotify after being tipped off by Mike Marrone's adds at SiriusXM's Loft, it's really "All My Friends: Celebrating The Songs & Voice Of Gregg Allman"...what, you really want no commercial success?
And believe me, this album will be a commercial failure.
But unlike the execrable tribute albums, this is a live document of a concert that I read about and figured I could miss, because Gregg's still alive and touring and...
But I was wrong.
There's so much energy here, so much excitement, it makes me feel like I really missed something.
They don't make live albums anymore. Because that work has been relegated to YouTube and the truth is so many of the new acts cannot play, but what set the Allmans apart was their ability to do so.
So I pulled up Taj Mahal and Gregg's rendition of "Statesboro Blues."
The deejay pushes the button and you start to jump, but that's nothing compared to that slide guitar, which had us hopping up from our seats, instantly excited. Will people ever know this magic again?
The Allman Brothers have been playing the Beacon, but that's for fans only. And with so many shows, the roof no longer lifts off the joint, because they've got nothing to prove. But strangely, when everybody should have been phoning it in, they didn't, not at this show.
There's a wild cornucopia of acts, Eric Church does "Ain't Wastin' Time No More," one of my absolute favorites from "Eat A Peach," it's all about the changes, back when songs were written by bands for themselves as opposed to famous producers behind the scenes.
And the Allmans themselves do "Dreams."
And Gregg and Jackson Browne do the latter's song that the former made famous, "These Days." "Well, I've been out walkin'..." Hear Jackson and your body will tingle, mine just did.
And then they switch roles, the duo does Gregg's "Melissa." And this was the hit, sitting in the dorm, reflective. "Ramblin' Man" may have been all over the radio, but that slid right off you, "Melissa" penetrated.
Trace Adkins does "I'm No Angel," and he ain't.
John Hiatt is reminiscent of his days on tour with Ry Cooder three decades ago on "One Way Out," it's a tear!
And not all songs are fast, Sam Moore performs "Please Call Home."
But the album opens with the other understated classic, the track I adore from "Brothers and Sisters," "Come And Go Blues."
Ever been in this relationship?
I certainly have.
They don't want you to have them, but they don't want to let you go. I envy those who've been married since their teens, but they missed out on so much heartbreak and experience.
And that's what the Allman Brothers were all about, you could hear the miles in Gregg Allman's voice, back when your rock stardom opened all doors, to drugs, cars and Cher.
And "Come And Go Blues" is sung by journeyman Warren Haynes, who's never gotten his due, and probably never will, he'll probably die with most people never knowing his name.
And there you've got it, modern music, which is all pop all the time.
But it didn't used to be that way. Used to be we lived for the album cuts, they brought us to the show.
But that was back when it was about the music, not the stardom, when the acts were ripped off and didn't bitch about it, when being on the road, drinkin', druggin' and screwin', was enough.
Not really, eventually they'd emerge from the fog and realize they'd been ripped off, in this case by Phil Walden.
But the experience was more important than the cash. And ain't that life. Today everybody gets a job that pays but doesn't fulfill. And pursuing your dream means you often can't put a roof over your head. And if you like an act, you can't get a good seat, and when you do, it's prohibitively expensive.
But once upon a time ducats were way less than ten bucks. And sure, you wanted to check out the crowd, but really you were most interested in bonding with the people on stage, the music emanating from the amps.
Listen to this album and you'll remember.
And if you never knew you'll pooh-pooh and move on.
But know that once upon a time, we didn't listen to techies, not even politicians, but musicians, hell, the Allmans got Jimmy Carter started on his Presidential run.
We went to each other's house and checked out the collection.
We closed our eyes and played air guitar.
We were tied to the whipping post.
Spotify link (and if you don't have Spotify, sign up immediately, it's free, and it's where most people are and everybody should be, join the party): http://spoti.fi/TuPClg
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Tuesday 20 May 2014
Wannabe Rules
You're fighting for attention, people are overstimulated and don't need what you're selling, think about your approach just as much as your music. Unsolicited hype bounces off just like the ads you hate.
Just because you made it, that does not mean we're interested.
Famous people won't say they like your track because then you're going to spam the Internet with their quote, and the only one truly at risk is the person quoted, not you, no one knows you.
Social networking is easier than making music. Focus on the latter if you want to stick.
Self-promotion is easy, but unseemly. Giving fans trusted information is cool, but constantly imploring people to check out your track and come to your gig makes you look like an amateur.
First comes the music, then comes the fan base. If the people you know and have access to don't dig your stuff, don't ask for more, don't want to be on your mailing list, believe me, those with true power to push your career are not interested. Recording impresarios don't care what your music sounds like, only that it has an audience. Prove that it has an audience and you'll gain entrance. Furthermore, music is a business, and it's dominated by older people with experience who care less about music and are less in touch with it, they wax rhapsodic about the glory days of their youth, whether it be the Beatles or U2, they probably don't understand what you're making, but they do understand money, and fan bases lead to money.
Corollary to the above... Don't skip a jump, don't go directly to those who can push you unless you've got a stupendous voice and incredible material. In other words, don't try out for the Yankees unless you can hit every one over the fence in batting practice. You may have a connection to the head of the company, yet he's got no time, and because of the relationship he'll have to listen once, he won't again.
Odds of success are low. Just because you started, that does not mean you'll make it.
Dedication is necessary to make it, but just because you're dedicated, that does not mean you'll make it.
Labels are only interested in what they can sell. Study the market. If your music does not fit a mainstream radio format, a major label is not interested. These labels are businesses, not museums.
Don't be a member of the sour grapes patrol. JFK's mantra may be history in politics, but it rules in music. Don't ask what someone can do for you, ask what you can do for that person.
Clothes and appearance don't matter unless you're competing on a TV show, which are dying, or want to be a face singing other people's material. There's a business in that, but there are tons of people with good voices and good looks.
Playing gigs is a learning experience, not a money-making venture, certainly not at first. You learn from the feedback.
Getting gigs is like getting a job. You can't get a job unless you've got experience, and you can't get a gig unless you've got experience. People find a way to get a job, it's your mission to figure out a way to get a gig. Have you got a friend? Do you need to lie (everybody lies in the music business, get over it)? Be innovative without being a pest. And know that once you get your big break, you've got to kill/deliver.
Writing. It's much easier to make it if you do. Start immediately. Your initial stuff will suck. Writing is hard. Much more difficult that posting to Facebook.
Study the game. Read Don Passman's book. Check the Mediabase charts. Knowledge will ride hand in hand with your talent.
Be realistic. When you try out for Little League or soccer, you know where you stand. How come in music everybody believes they're a superstar an inch from success? You have a talent, discover it, it may not be music.
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Just because you made it, that does not mean we're interested.
Famous people won't say they like your track because then you're going to spam the Internet with their quote, and the only one truly at risk is the person quoted, not you, no one knows you.
Social networking is easier than making music. Focus on the latter if you want to stick.
Self-promotion is easy, but unseemly. Giving fans trusted information is cool, but constantly imploring people to check out your track and come to your gig makes you look like an amateur.
First comes the music, then comes the fan base. If the people you know and have access to don't dig your stuff, don't ask for more, don't want to be on your mailing list, believe me, those with true power to push your career are not interested. Recording impresarios don't care what your music sounds like, only that it has an audience. Prove that it has an audience and you'll gain entrance. Furthermore, music is a business, and it's dominated by older people with experience who care less about music and are less in touch with it, they wax rhapsodic about the glory days of their youth, whether it be the Beatles or U2, they probably don't understand what you're making, but they do understand money, and fan bases lead to money.
Corollary to the above... Don't skip a jump, don't go directly to those who can push you unless you've got a stupendous voice and incredible material. In other words, don't try out for the Yankees unless you can hit every one over the fence in batting practice. You may have a connection to the head of the company, yet he's got no time, and because of the relationship he'll have to listen once, he won't again.
Odds of success are low. Just because you started, that does not mean you'll make it.
Dedication is necessary to make it, but just because you're dedicated, that does not mean you'll make it.
Labels are only interested in what they can sell. Study the market. If your music does not fit a mainstream radio format, a major label is not interested. These labels are businesses, not museums.
Don't be a member of the sour grapes patrol. JFK's mantra may be history in politics, but it rules in music. Don't ask what someone can do for you, ask what you can do for that person.
Clothes and appearance don't matter unless you're competing on a TV show, which are dying, or want to be a face singing other people's material. There's a business in that, but there are tons of people with good voices and good looks.
Playing gigs is a learning experience, not a money-making venture, certainly not at first. You learn from the feedback.
Getting gigs is like getting a job. You can't get a job unless you've got experience, and you can't get a gig unless you've got experience. People find a way to get a job, it's your mission to figure out a way to get a gig. Have you got a friend? Do you need to lie (everybody lies in the music business, get over it)? Be innovative without being a pest. And know that once you get your big break, you've got to kill/deliver.
Writing. It's much easier to make it if you do. Start immediately. Your initial stuff will suck. Writing is hard. Much more difficult that posting to Facebook.
Study the game. Read Don Passman's book. Check the Mediabase charts. Knowledge will ride hand in hand with your talent.
Be realistic. When you try out for Little League or soccer, you know where you stand. How come in music everybody believes they're a superstar an inch from success? You have a talent, discover it, it may not be music.
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Monday 19 May 2014
Piracy
I'm sick of hearing about it, it's so 1999.
That's right, piracy in music is dead, and if you keep trumpeting it as a cause for the decline in recording revenues you're stupid or work at a label or both.
Because the only people bothering to steal these days are those who never planned to pay.
Because everything you want is available for free. On YouTube, on Spotify...streaming won, and people only want what they want, not the other nine cuts surrounding the hit.
That's why recording revenues tanked and didn't recover. Piracy was a wakeup call, but after the iTunes Store/legal alternatives, we found out that people didn't want the album. Yup, while you keep trumpeting its vitality, its artistic necessity, I must point you to YouTube, where you'll find the hit has zillions of views, and the albums cuts...not so much.
Same deal on Spotify.
Turns out people don't want most of your music, and that's got nothing to do with piracy.
We're not only living in a post-Napster era, we're living in a post-piracy era.
It doesn't pay to steal.
And if you're broke, it's your own damn fault.
Because you're not writing hits, you're not tying up with people who can make hits.
Music is a game, and if you're unwilling to play it, you're not going to be successful.
Even if you write a hit song, you're gonna need help. And that help certainly exceeds posting it online and spamming everybody you know about it. Your song has to enter the collective consciousness, it must be perceived to be a hit, people must believe they need to check it out.
And once they do, if they like it, they'll continue to click and spread the word. If they don't...
That's the dirty little secret, if I check you out once and don't like you, the odds of me checking you out again are infinitesimal. You can blame it on piracy all you want, I'll blame it on me not having enough time and having a plethora of other music at my fingertips. And five year olds and fifteen year olds are no different from me, everybody's got endless stimulation, endless options, and very little time.
Recording revenues will go up. When more people have streaming subscriptions. Which will happen. Just look at foreign territories, where the CD is dead and gone, like Scandinavia. But the labels were smart there, they did not delay the entry of Spotify, but embraced it. Yes, if Warner hadn't prevented Spotify from launching in the U.S., by refusing to license it, YouTube would never have gotten the traction.
But at least YouTube pays... Have a couple hundred million views and you're making serious coin. Not only on YouTube, you'll have many other opportunities.
But we've got ancient players decrying the end of the old game. The one wherein you won the lottery by getting a label deal and got heard on radio everyone listened to and the only way to hear all of your work was to buy an overpriced CD.
So now that these people are broke, they're blaming piracy.
Piracy was once the issue, over a decade ago, but no longer.
But people keep decrying the future and embracing the past, it's seemingly endless.
The people who said they had no reason for a cell phone, never mind a smartphone. Now you laugh at those without smartphones, yes, we're laughing at you...
The people who said they saw no reason for files, who embraced CDs.
The people who kept lauding bookstores, with their limited inventory and low accessibility. Yup, I drove to the store where they didn't have what I wanted, or they couldn't find it because it was mis-shelved. Now I can find it instantly on Google, that's a problem??
The future is scary and different, but it keeps coming down the track.
Lately it's Bitcoin/digital currencies, you pooh-pooh them, seemingly unaware that every time you charge something there's a huge payment to the bank, to cover fraud amongst other costs.
Techies are doing their best to whittle those costs down.
But you're afraid of the future.
So you put up a straw man, a bogeyman, piracy.
We live in an incredible era, where you can hear every song ever recorded for free.
Not really. You're paying, that ad before the YouTube clip, that ad on Spotify or your subscription fee.
And those who are not being listened to don't like it.
But if you create something people want to hear, and that's the essence of popular music, this era is nirvana. Lorde could not have made it in the last century. Sure, she had a deal with Universal in New Zealand, do you really think she would have gotten a U.S. release pre-Internet?
But you think you deserve that attention, even though your track is nowhere near as hooky.
Whenever you hear someone making excuses, complaining about how they just can't make the money they used to in music, move on, don't listen, don't get dragged down the rabbit hole.
There are winners and losers in every revolution.
Sure, it might be harder to record drums at home on Pro Tools, but many couldn't record at all previously, not being able to afford a real studio, never mind a real engineer.
And those without a deal can play now, despite the fact that in most cases we don't want to listen to what they have to say.
And if you do create viable music, people are willing to pay more than ever to see you perform it live.
This is a problem?
I'm not saying the music biz is without pitfalls, but I am saying we're living in a new reality, and piracy helped get us here, but piracy is not the problem now.
P.S. Used to be very few paid for music, now almost all do, even grannies click through to YouTube clips. This is a start, a good thing. We've just got to up the payments.
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That's right, piracy in music is dead, and if you keep trumpeting it as a cause for the decline in recording revenues you're stupid or work at a label or both.
Because the only people bothering to steal these days are those who never planned to pay.
Because everything you want is available for free. On YouTube, on Spotify...streaming won, and people only want what they want, not the other nine cuts surrounding the hit.
That's why recording revenues tanked and didn't recover. Piracy was a wakeup call, but after the iTunes Store/legal alternatives, we found out that people didn't want the album. Yup, while you keep trumpeting its vitality, its artistic necessity, I must point you to YouTube, where you'll find the hit has zillions of views, and the albums cuts...not so much.
Same deal on Spotify.
Turns out people don't want most of your music, and that's got nothing to do with piracy.
We're not only living in a post-Napster era, we're living in a post-piracy era.
It doesn't pay to steal.
And if you're broke, it's your own damn fault.
Because you're not writing hits, you're not tying up with people who can make hits.
Music is a game, and if you're unwilling to play it, you're not going to be successful.
Even if you write a hit song, you're gonna need help. And that help certainly exceeds posting it online and spamming everybody you know about it. Your song has to enter the collective consciousness, it must be perceived to be a hit, people must believe they need to check it out.
And once they do, if they like it, they'll continue to click and spread the word. If they don't...
That's the dirty little secret, if I check you out once and don't like you, the odds of me checking you out again are infinitesimal. You can blame it on piracy all you want, I'll blame it on me not having enough time and having a plethora of other music at my fingertips. And five year olds and fifteen year olds are no different from me, everybody's got endless stimulation, endless options, and very little time.
Recording revenues will go up. When more people have streaming subscriptions. Which will happen. Just look at foreign territories, where the CD is dead and gone, like Scandinavia. But the labels were smart there, they did not delay the entry of Spotify, but embraced it. Yes, if Warner hadn't prevented Spotify from launching in the U.S., by refusing to license it, YouTube would never have gotten the traction.
But at least YouTube pays... Have a couple hundred million views and you're making serious coin. Not only on YouTube, you'll have many other opportunities.
But we've got ancient players decrying the end of the old game. The one wherein you won the lottery by getting a label deal and got heard on radio everyone listened to and the only way to hear all of your work was to buy an overpriced CD.
So now that these people are broke, they're blaming piracy.
Piracy was once the issue, over a decade ago, but no longer.
But people keep decrying the future and embracing the past, it's seemingly endless.
The people who said they had no reason for a cell phone, never mind a smartphone. Now you laugh at those without smartphones, yes, we're laughing at you...
The people who said they saw no reason for files, who embraced CDs.
The people who kept lauding bookstores, with their limited inventory and low accessibility. Yup, I drove to the store where they didn't have what I wanted, or they couldn't find it because it was mis-shelved. Now I can find it instantly on Google, that's a problem??
The future is scary and different, but it keeps coming down the track.
Lately it's Bitcoin/digital currencies, you pooh-pooh them, seemingly unaware that every time you charge something there's a huge payment to the bank, to cover fraud amongst other costs.
Techies are doing their best to whittle those costs down.
But you're afraid of the future.
So you put up a straw man, a bogeyman, piracy.
We live in an incredible era, where you can hear every song ever recorded for free.
Not really. You're paying, that ad before the YouTube clip, that ad on Spotify or your subscription fee.
And those who are not being listened to don't like it.
But if you create something people want to hear, and that's the essence of popular music, this era is nirvana. Lorde could not have made it in the last century. Sure, she had a deal with Universal in New Zealand, do you really think she would have gotten a U.S. release pre-Internet?
But you think you deserve that attention, even though your track is nowhere near as hooky.
Whenever you hear someone making excuses, complaining about how they just can't make the money they used to in music, move on, don't listen, don't get dragged down the rabbit hole.
There are winners and losers in every revolution.
Sure, it might be harder to record drums at home on Pro Tools, but many couldn't record at all previously, not being able to afford a real studio, never mind a real engineer.
And those without a deal can play now, despite the fact that in most cases we don't want to listen to what they have to say.
And if you do create viable music, people are willing to pay more than ever to see you perform it live.
This is a problem?
I'm not saying the music biz is without pitfalls, but I am saying we're living in a new reality, and piracy helped get us here, but piracy is not the problem now.
P.S. Used to be very few paid for music, now almost all do, even grannies click through to YouTube clips. This is a start, a good thing. We've just got to up the payments.
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Music Problems
MONEY
There's not enough of it for investment.
We keep reading about VC's investing in tech startups, but it's hard to get people to invest in your band.
There's tons of money for the elite at Live Nation and AEG. But they don't really invest in new acts, and the labels have been decimated by the Internet and don't have much to invest and have to make their choices very wisely.
Furthermore, no one with deep pockets wants to invest in music because the labels have catalog, making their ongoing business easier/sustainable, and acts go to promoters who pony up the dough, there is no loyalty.
As for VC investment, it only goes to techies. Who've raped and pillaged music for a decade and a half. Despite all the lip-service to being music fans, the truth is techies love money more, and will strip-mine music to get paid.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Yesterday, the L.A. "Times" printed a booklet of the top 100 restaurants in the city. It's gold, because of the credibility of its author, Jonathan Gold, who started at the "L.A. Weekly" and writes so well I almost put down the newspaper to drive for the fries at Republique while reading his column on Saturday. (http://lat.ms/1kjqxTC)
We've got no trusted tastemakers in music. We've got tons of algorithms, we've got narrow radio stations beholden to advertisers, but no one with established credibility telling the public what to hear.
Once upon a time WABC AM/Cousin Brucie, et al, told their listeners what they needed to hear, the best of the best. There were equivalents in Chicago and L.A. But today...
Songza gives us too much untrustworthy information, who can wade through all those playlists, never mind all the bad music.
Beats reaches no one, and it too has endless untrustworthy playlists.
Pandora is a cornucopia of that which you do not want to hear. If you love Pandora, you're not really listening.
Jonathan Gold is not doing it for the money. We need a Jonathan Gold in music.
No one's got time for endless playlists/explorations. The future in this time-challenged world is serving up a short list of what people need to hear, in order.
COUNTRY FANS EMBRACE HIP-HOP, BUT HIP-HOP FANS DON'T EMBRACE COUNTRY
Or to quote Luke Bryan...
"Might sit down on my diamond plate tailgate
Put in my country ride hip-hop mixtape
Little Conway, a little T-Pain, might just make it rain"
It's kind of like HBO fans refusing to watch Showtime. There's a ton of good stuff if you'd just broaden your horizons.
FESTIVALS DON'T DEVELOP ACTS
They've got headliners, often reuniting/long in the tooth acts, and a plethora of wannabes. Who is developing the new acts? No one with any money...
SELLING OUT
It's hard to be credible if you keep complaining that you can't make money and are playing to corporations as opposed to fans. If we can't believe in you, there's no bond. Anybody saying there's no cost to sponsorships/endorsements is clueless. Get a hip sponsor, like Patagonia. Or leave the money on the table in service to a longer career.
PEOPLE WHO CAN'T SING BELIEVE THEY DESERVE TO BE HEARD
You can fake it on record, but it's much harder to fake live. Jimmy Page recently said he can't sing, what makes you believe you can?
ENDLESS E-MAILING OF YOUTUBE COVERS
It's about originals baby. If you can't write, we don't really care.
ALBUMS
No one's got time for filler ever.
If you want to make an album, first you have to sit through all 62 episodes of "Breaking Bad," and that was a good show!
Maybe we'll force you to sit through all 13 seasons of "American Idol" first, especially the elimination episodes.
SOUNDSCAN
Sales are meaningless. Despite the industry still making most of its sales profits from CDs. That's like Apple pooh-poohing mobile/iPhone because there's still big business in iPods. If the whole industry can't agree to move into the future, what hope is there?
SCALPING
I get it, the rich can buy up everything I want, but even concert tickets? Paperless should be embraced by all acts going clean, as well as all-in pricing. Until we get the public on our side, we can't progress. Just because Ticketmaster gets all the blame instead of the act, that does not make it right.
P.S. StubHub went to all-in pricing, and are taking a hit to boot: What kind of bizarre world do we live in where a resale service is more honest than the primary service? ("StubHub Sings the Blues After Shifting Fees: Attempt at Price Transparency Backfires, Hurting Sales": http://on.wsj.com/1nfyAQB)
INFORMATION
Wikipedia gives us the details of every performer worth seeing, but there's not one site that lists all live gigs in your area, not one that's trustworthy, comprehensive and has critical mass. Eventful is a failed enterprise, Songkick is a financial play based on the delusion that they'll be able to sell tickets to desirable shows, yeah, that'll happen, and Ticketmaster is slow and inefficient and can't list everything because its competitors don't want them to. In other words, you're not gonna see AEG shows on Live Nation's site, and vice versa. Yes, the music business is failing the information age.
DATA
The labels still believe we're living in the pre-Internet/computer era. Google coughs up truth instantaneously, for free, yet labels and most publishers still can't provide accurate data of what was sold/played, and certainly don't pay accordingly. It'd be like buying a Tesla with no place to plug it in. Music is made on computers, but accounted for via the equivalent of paper books. Screw the artist by making an onerous deal, but at least let them see what it's going to take to recoup, and pay them frequently.
WE GET THE MUSIC WE DESERVE
We live in a money-grubbing/unequal society wherein my inherent advantage leaves you behind. So the labels screw artists and anybody with a brain and an education refuses to participate. So music is left to the hustlers and the ignorant and you complain that these lower class denizens have no backbone...
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There's not enough of it for investment.
We keep reading about VC's investing in tech startups, but it's hard to get people to invest in your band.
There's tons of money for the elite at Live Nation and AEG. But they don't really invest in new acts, and the labels have been decimated by the Internet and don't have much to invest and have to make their choices very wisely.
Furthermore, no one with deep pockets wants to invest in music because the labels have catalog, making their ongoing business easier/sustainable, and acts go to promoters who pony up the dough, there is no loyalty.
As for VC investment, it only goes to techies. Who've raped and pillaged music for a decade and a half. Despite all the lip-service to being music fans, the truth is techies love money more, and will strip-mine music to get paid.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Yesterday, the L.A. "Times" printed a booklet of the top 100 restaurants in the city. It's gold, because of the credibility of its author, Jonathan Gold, who started at the "L.A. Weekly" and writes so well I almost put down the newspaper to drive for the fries at Republique while reading his column on Saturday. (http://lat.ms/1kjqxTC)
We've got no trusted tastemakers in music. We've got tons of algorithms, we've got narrow radio stations beholden to advertisers, but no one with established credibility telling the public what to hear.
Once upon a time WABC AM/Cousin Brucie, et al, told their listeners what they needed to hear, the best of the best. There were equivalents in Chicago and L.A. But today...
Songza gives us too much untrustworthy information, who can wade through all those playlists, never mind all the bad music.
Beats reaches no one, and it too has endless untrustworthy playlists.
Pandora is a cornucopia of that which you do not want to hear. If you love Pandora, you're not really listening.
Jonathan Gold is not doing it for the money. We need a Jonathan Gold in music.
No one's got time for endless playlists/explorations. The future in this time-challenged world is serving up a short list of what people need to hear, in order.
COUNTRY FANS EMBRACE HIP-HOP, BUT HIP-HOP FANS DON'T EMBRACE COUNTRY
Or to quote Luke Bryan...
"Might sit down on my diamond plate tailgate
Put in my country ride hip-hop mixtape
Little Conway, a little T-Pain, might just make it rain"
It's kind of like HBO fans refusing to watch Showtime. There's a ton of good stuff if you'd just broaden your horizons.
FESTIVALS DON'T DEVELOP ACTS
They've got headliners, often reuniting/long in the tooth acts, and a plethora of wannabes. Who is developing the new acts? No one with any money...
SELLING OUT
It's hard to be credible if you keep complaining that you can't make money and are playing to corporations as opposed to fans. If we can't believe in you, there's no bond. Anybody saying there's no cost to sponsorships/endorsements is clueless. Get a hip sponsor, like Patagonia. Or leave the money on the table in service to a longer career.
PEOPLE WHO CAN'T SING BELIEVE THEY DESERVE TO BE HEARD
You can fake it on record, but it's much harder to fake live. Jimmy Page recently said he can't sing, what makes you believe you can?
ENDLESS E-MAILING OF YOUTUBE COVERS
It's about originals baby. If you can't write, we don't really care.
ALBUMS
No one's got time for filler ever.
If you want to make an album, first you have to sit through all 62 episodes of "Breaking Bad," and that was a good show!
Maybe we'll force you to sit through all 13 seasons of "American Idol" first, especially the elimination episodes.
SOUNDSCAN
Sales are meaningless. Despite the industry still making most of its sales profits from CDs. That's like Apple pooh-poohing mobile/iPhone because there's still big business in iPods. If the whole industry can't agree to move into the future, what hope is there?
SCALPING
I get it, the rich can buy up everything I want, but even concert tickets? Paperless should be embraced by all acts going clean, as well as all-in pricing. Until we get the public on our side, we can't progress. Just because Ticketmaster gets all the blame instead of the act, that does not make it right.
P.S. StubHub went to all-in pricing, and are taking a hit to boot: What kind of bizarre world do we live in where a resale service is more honest than the primary service? ("StubHub Sings the Blues After Shifting Fees: Attempt at Price Transparency Backfires, Hurting Sales": http://on.wsj.com/1nfyAQB)
INFORMATION
Wikipedia gives us the details of every performer worth seeing, but there's not one site that lists all live gigs in your area, not one that's trustworthy, comprehensive and has critical mass. Eventful is a failed enterprise, Songkick is a financial play based on the delusion that they'll be able to sell tickets to desirable shows, yeah, that'll happen, and Ticketmaster is slow and inefficient and can't list everything because its competitors don't want them to. In other words, you're not gonna see AEG shows on Live Nation's site, and vice versa. Yes, the music business is failing the information age.
DATA
The labels still believe we're living in the pre-Internet/computer era. Google coughs up truth instantaneously, for free, yet labels and most publishers still can't provide accurate data of what was sold/played, and certainly don't pay accordingly. It'd be like buying a Tesla with no place to plug it in. Music is made on computers, but accounted for via the equivalent of paper books. Screw the artist by making an onerous deal, but at least let them see what it's going to take to recoup, and pay them frequently.
WE GET THE MUSIC WE DESERVE
We live in a money-grubbing/unequal society wherein my inherent advantage leaves you behind. So the labels screw artists and anybody with a brain and an education refuses to participate. So music is left to the hustlers and the ignorant and you complain that these lower class denizens have no backbone...
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News Roundup
MACKLEMORE DRESSES UP AS OFFENSIVE JEWISH CARICATURE AT SECRET SHOW
http://bit.ly/1qPcieC
Anti-Semitism is in our rearview mirror just like racism...not.
Anti-Semitism is rooted in ignorance. Stereotypes are reinforced as those perpetrating the myths have little to no contact with Jews.
Macklemore is lauded at the Grammys for supporting gay marriage and then pulls this stunt.
He needs to be re-educated.
Furthermore, every day the rights of African-Americans are pushed down further. Whites are trying to eradicate their right to vote and to pull themselves up by gaining an education. Yet the rest of the country shrugs its shoulders as the oppression continues.
As for those who believe people should pull themselves up by the bootstraps... Tell that to a child born into poverty. We have to help our brothers, but this can't happen if we all marinate in hate.
Take that Grammy back.
KENDALL JENNER CAN'T READ
http://bit.ly/1lFY4FS
But she looks good in clothes!
Student debt is insane, but we laud nitwits like Kendall Jenner as opposed to those truly striving to better themselves.
You've got to be able to read today, the Internet is based on reading...
As for the "Billboard Music Awards," if you care who won you're the target audience for this excuse to run commercials. Yup, that's what this back from the dead show is about, a way to make money, just like every publication now has a conference... But it's hard to get those who truly have something to say to attend...
THE NEW YORK TIMES KERFUFFLE
And if you think we'll be talking about this in two weeks...
The right wing keeps talking about the right to fire, but the "left wing newspaper" does so and it's unjust, huh?
Forget the details, all I know is this is the typical news cycle... Headlines about anything but the news. With everybody following the scorecard but nobody following the game.
The "New York Times" airs its dirty laundry and its competitors revel in it.
And I'm not saying the "Times" is perfect, but I am saying all its competitors run a distant second, or third, or...
HYPE
Am I the only one who can't read the "Los Angeles Times" Calendar section because it's endless hype?
Neil Young has a new album... WHO CARES!
Let it bubble up, let it sustain, let people other than those in the press talk about it.
They should publish the names of the PR people, they're the real stars.
NATE SILVER
Started over and lost his audience.
That's the hardest thing to do in the Internet age, gain an audience. Nate had one at the "New York Times," he left for greener pastures, and has now been forgotten.
People are time-challenged, they've got their favorites. Katie Couric has been downsized to nothing at Yahoo and for David Pogue it's almost as bad.
Don't give up your platform too soon.
Howard Stern moved to Sirius before Internet cacophony. Satellite radio itself would have a hard time triumphing in today's world. And it took years of hard work and being a judge on "America's Got Talent" to bring Howard back, bigger than ever, that's the power of network television.
So, before you jump, ask yourself, do I really have an audience, is it really going to come with me?
One thing you can say about Stern, he's got a loyal audience and he prepped them for a year re his move to Sirius. What prep did Silver, Couric or Pogue do? How did they let those who might follow them know they were moving? They didn't. And they had a gap of time before they re-emerged, Howard started on Sirius right after terrestrial.
GODZILLA
Maybe some futuristic monster will come down and squash Hollywood, which is creatively bankrupt. They've moved all production from L.A., they might as well move their studios to China or Europe, where their real audience lives.
GLOBAL WARMING
That's what it is kids, even if it's colder in your neighborhood right now, we don't need to call it "climate change," because the people who don't want to believe in it don't care what we call it. But the truth is it's not about people, but corporations, never sleeping, munching profits. They're going to agitate against anything that might cost them money. Corporations run this country, and the only way to take our nation back is to educate yourself and vote, but people like Macklemore demonstrate that most people are stupid and the right wing is doing its best to make sure the disadvantaged don't vote.
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http://bit.ly/1qPcieC
Anti-Semitism is in our rearview mirror just like racism...not.
Anti-Semitism is rooted in ignorance. Stereotypes are reinforced as those perpetrating the myths have little to no contact with Jews.
Macklemore is lauded at the Grammys for supporting gay marriage and then pulls this stunt.
He needs to be re-educated.
Furthermore, every day the rights of African-Americans are pushed down further. Whites are trying to eradicate their right to vote and to pull themselves up by gaining an education. Yet the rest of the country shrugs its shoulders as the oppression continues.
As for those who believe people should pull themselves up by the bootstraps... Tell that to a child born into poverty. We have to help our brothers, but this can't happen if we all marinate in hate.
Take that Grammy back.
KENDALL JENNER CAN'T READ
http://bit.ly/1lFY4FS
But she looks good in clothes!
Student debt is insane, but we laud nitwits like Kendall Jenner as opposed to those truly striving to better themselves.
You've got to be able to read today, the Internet is based on reading...
As for the "Billboard Music Awards," if you care who won you're the target audience for this excuse to run commercials. Yup, that's what this back from the dead show is about, a way to make money, just like every publication now has a conference... But it's hard to get those who truly have something to say to attend...
THE NEW YORK TIMES KERFUFFLE
And if you think we'll be talking about this in two weeks...
The right wing keeps talking about the right to fire, but the "left wing newspaper" does so and it's unjust, huh?
Forget the details, all I know is this is the typical news cycle... Headlines about anything but the news. With everybody following the scorecard but nobody following the game.
The "New York Times" airs its dirty laundry and its competitors revel in it.
And I'm not saying the "Times" is perfect, but I am saying all its competitors run a distant second, or third, or...
HYPE
Am I the only one who can't read the "Los Angeles Times" Calendar section because it's endless hype?
Neil Young has a new album... WHO CARES!
Let it bubble up, let it sustain, let people other than those in the press talk about it.
They should publish the names of the PR people, they're the real stars.
NATE SILVER
Started over and lost his audience.
That's the hardest thing to do in the Internet age, gain an audience. Nate had one at the "New York Times," he left for greener pastures, and has now been forgotten.
People are time-challenged, they've got their favorites. Katie Couric has been downsized to nothing at Yahoo and for David Pogue it's almost as bad.
Don't give up your platform too soon.
Howard Stern moved to Sirius before Internet cacophony. Satellite radio itself would have a hard time triumphing in today's world. And it took years of hard work and being a judge on "America's Got Talent" to bring Howard back, bigger than ever, that's the power of network television.
So, before you jump, ask yourself, do I really have an audience, is it really going to come with me?
One thing you can say about Stern, he's got a loyal audience and he prepped them for a year re his move to Sirius. What prep did Silver, Couric or Pogue do? How did they let those who might follow them know they were moving? They didn't. And they had a gap of time before they re-emerged, Howard started on Sirius right after terrestrial.
GODZILLA
Maybe some futuristic monster will come down and squash Hollywood, which is creatively bankrupt. They've moved all production from L.A., they might as well move their studios to China or Europe, where their real audience lives.
GLOBAL WARMING
That's what it is kids, even if it's colder in your neighborhood right now, we don't need to call it "climate change," because the people who don't want to believe in it don't care what we call it. But the truth is it's not about people, but corporations, never sleeping, munching profits. They're going to agitate against anything that might cost them money. Corporations run this country, and the only way to take our nation back is to educate yourself and vote, but people like Macklemore demonstrate that most people are stupid and the right wing is doing its best to make sure the disadvantaged don't vote.
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Sunday 18 May 2014
The Pickles
We went to Brent's Deli.
I needed to feel something. Others take drugs, drink alcohol, I eat. And since I didn't get my pastrami sandwich on my birthday, and since Langer's is no longer open at night, we journeyed out to Brent's.
Which is in Northridge, the epitome of the suburbs. In a strip center. And it never occurred to us that at 6 PM the place would be packed, that we'd have to wait.
But it's a Jewish pilgrimage.
And so different from the rest of Los Angeles.
In L.A. two things are important... How you look and what kind of car you drive.
And these people didn't look good.
Not that they looked bad, well, some did, it's just that they didn't put on their look. They didn't change clothes, they didn't put on makeup, there was no preparation whatsoever. They were at home watching television and got a hankering for deli and...
Kind of like me. I'm reading the new Michelle Huneven book, and after lying around all afternoon I wanted to enter the real world. I brushed my teeth, put in my contacts, threw on my shoes and we were out the front door.
And we find ourselves waiting for a table, staring at cakes so big, they could serve as life preservers, assuming they float.
And I knew what I wanted... Pastrami on rye with Swiss cheese and Russian dressing. But I'd forgotten that at Brent's they specialize in Reubens, so I substituted sauerkraut for cheese and upon closing my menu the bus boy delivered pickles.
Pickles... My father used to have giant jars of them in the garage, where never a vehicle was stored. There was a cornucopia of gems in that space, from the extra freezer to sports equipment to Pepperidge Farm cookies, which my father bought at the seconds store in Westport... Does it really matter if a cookie is broken?
The pickles in the garage were usually of the green tomato variety, nice and sour, the kind that make you wince with their tartness.
But the ones that had me swooning this evening were...
New pickles.
You know, ones that are barely beyond cucumbers. With just a hint of...
Who knows what that is. I remember that movie wherein Peter Riegert was a pickle dealer, but really I've got no idea how they make pickles.
Except I did read in the "Wall Street Journal" that they marinate them in outdoor tanks in Chicago. Did I really want to know that, my food swims in all that pollution?
And Jews used to go out for Chinese food on Sunday night. Cantonese.
But no one eats Cantonese anymore, and really, L.A.'s more of a Thai town.
And I bit into that pickle and Felice could not help but remark upon the smile that graced my face.
Some things are so right, they connect us to distant memories we thought we'd forgotten, and when we experience them, we can only smile.
It took me back to the deli in Bridgeport, where they made a spread so thick with chives you could barely see the cream cheese.
My father would stride in, point out the pickles, walk to the counter and start ordering...
P.S. Deli is notoriously bad in Los Angeles. And I can only extol the virtues of Zabar's, but even in NYC too often the pastrami is thin and fatty and virtually tasteless. Langer's is L.A.'s best, but if it's Sunday night, or you're in the Valley, try Brent's: http://www.brentsdeli.com
The Black Pastrami Reuben: http://bit.ly/TklDw9 (They say it comes with Swiss cheese, but it doesn't!)
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I needed to feel something. Others take drugs, drink alcohol, I eat. And since I didn't get my pastrami sandwich on my birthday, and since Langer's is no longer open at night, we journeyed out to Brent's.
Which is in Northridge, the epitome of the suburbs. In a strip center. And it never occurred to us that at 6 PM the place would be packed, that we'd have to wait.
But it's a Jewish pilgrimage.
And so different from the rest of Los Angeles.
In L.A. two things are important... How you look and what kind of car you drive.
And these people didn't look good.
Not that they looked bad, well, some did, it's just that they didn't put on their look. They didn't change clothes, they didn't put on makeup, there was no preparation whatsoever. They were at home watching television and got a hankering for deli and...
Kind of like me. I'm reading the new Michelle Huneven book, and after lying around all afternoon I wanted to enter the real world. I brushed my teeth, put in my contacts, threw on my shoes and we were out the front door.
And we find ourselves waiting for a table, staring at cakes so big, they could serve as life preservers, assuming they float.
And I knew what I wanted... Pastrami on rye with Swiss cheese and Russian dressing. But I'd forgotten that at Brent's they specialize in Reubens, so I substituted sauerkraut for cheese and upon closing my menu the bus boy delivered pickles.
Pickles... My father used to have giant jars of them in the garage, where never a vehicle was stored. There was a cornucopia of gems in that space, from the extra freezer to sports equipment to Pepperidge Farm cookies, which my father bought at the seconds store in Westport... Does it really matter if a cookie is broken?
The pickles in the garage were usually of the green tomato variety, nice and sour, the kind that make you wince with their tartness.
But the ones that had me swooning this evening were...
New pickles.
You know, ones that are barely beyond cucumbers. With just a hint of...
Who knows what that is. I remember that movie wherein Peter Riegert was a pickle dealer, but really I've got no idea how they make pickles.
Except I did read in the "Wall Street Journal" that they marinate them in outdoor tanks in Chicago. Did I really want to know that, my food swims in all that pollution?
And Jews used to go out for Chinese food on Sunday night. Cantonese.
But no one eats Cantonese anymore, and really, L.A.'s more of a Thai town.
And I bit into that pickle and Felice could not help but remark upon the smile that graced my face.
Some things are so right, they connect us to distant memories we thought we'd forgotten, and when we experience them, we can only smile.
It took me back to the deli in Bridgeport, where they made a spread so thick with chives you could barely see the cream cheese.
My father would stride in, point out the pickles, walk to the counter and start ordering...
P.S. Deli is notoriously bad in Los Angeles. And I can only extol the virtues of Zabar's, but even in NYC too often the pastrami is thin and fatty and virtually tasteless. Langer's is L.A.'s best, but if it's Sunday night, or you're in the Valley, try Brent's: http://www.brentsdeli.com
The Black Pastrami Reuben: http://bit.ly/TklDw9 (They say it comes with Swiss cheese, but it doesn't!)
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