Gino Genaro here, Aaron Watson's manager. Wow, where to start. First off, THANK YOU! I've managed Aaron since almost the beginning, going back about 15 years. I always tell people this journey started him, me, 4 band guys in an Excursion making $250 a night playing every honky tonk that would have us! It's been a hell of a ride; a lot of sweat, a lot of adversity, a lot of fun, challenges, made a little history along the way, but always optimism and chasing big dreams. Hard work and hustle. To see my email and text message inboxes fill up today with kudos from friends and colleagues in a very exciting release week was overwhelming and there's not an artist that has worked harder and deserves more recognition than Aaron, so we thank you for using your platform to shine a light on him.
You'd think after having the #1 album and launching his career to the next level with the last release this guy would coast but the exact opposite was true. It was incredible to see how hard he worked writing and making Vaquero over the past two years and I got the pleasure of watching it all from a front row seat.
We're out here on the trail working hard, when your email came in I was with Aaron in a Walmart in OKC where he signed CDS for fans lined up for close to 4 hours and right now we're driving to Denver for another one tomorrow. We've done everything we can with what was available to us, traditional things like country radio which is really starting to embrace his independent success and finally give him a shot to off the grid things like Glenn Beck and Joe Pags shows, a huge feature in Texas Monthly, our fans blowing up social media and so many countless other things. This week I've seen him play a sold out arena show at the AT&T Center for 16,000 people Saturday afternoon then hop on a jet together and stand in Walmart in his home town of Abilene and sign until 11 PM just to hop back on a jet back to San Antonio and give Sunday sermon at Cowboy Church. Then do an in-store signing at 4 PM that day. And while we're working and hustling, we're missing our wives and kids but we know we're showing them and a lot of other folks the little guy can have a big dream if you want it bad enough.
Enough rambling for me, really more your email said everything you could want to say about this album and this artist. This journey with Aaron has fulfilled every dream I've had about being an entrepreneur and falling into the music business when my baseball career ended and I know we've got more to write, so I'm getting back on the grind, but if you want the full story of 18 years in 5 minutes, here it is…
https://www.facebook.com/aaronwatsonmusic/videos/10154602539904702/?utm_source=phplist5759&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Mailbag
PS - We're playing at The Troubadour April 5th if you wanted to come check out a show. At the very least I know Aaron would like to shake your hand and thank you for the kind words about his music
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From: mea
Subject: Re: Pushback
the Dalai Lama said
"spend a night in your bedroom with one mosquito and you will understand the power of one voice."
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From: Ron Iafornaro
Subject: Re: Hate In America
Guys like YOU who voted for the negroid are the problem !!!!!
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Subject: Re: Re-Attacking Trump
So after all this time, it seems most white people still don't get black people and vice versa.
One can tell Trump never had a close black friend.
I have tons of white friends, but most still expect me to have Kanye West on my ipod and serve KFC at football parties. I understand. I grew up on a naval base and I had Jews and Mexicans for friends. I was shocked when
I discovered that contrary to my opinion, they were just as ridiculed and stereotyped. Jews were just "white" to me, so initially I had difficulty understanding the concept of antisemitism. How can white people hate their own?
It was great moving to LA because suddenly I discovered white people had a whole other race to hate - Mexicans.
So I "get' that many white people are growing increasingly uncomfortable with becoming the minority in America. They would never admit to being racist, just like Trump. It's about making Americawhite again. Just like the liberal music business, where black people still populate "urban" music departments but are rarely given jobs working rock acts. And if you're a black actor in Hollywood your first role will be as a criminal.
And one gets it from both ends - when I pull up to a car and I have "Born to Run" blasting away, the brothas stare just as hard. If you're black and ski, surf, go camping, listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd, and date white girls - the reactions from white folks are the same as they were decades ago.
The Trump effect is a result of long-held assumptions about non-whites, wherein every stereotype comes to life. Like Trump using a term like "inner-city". If I could I would tie Trump to a chair with headphones and play Gil Scott-Heron 24/7 for a week.
What we all need is more tolerance. We need cities more like NY and less Los Angeles with its segregated communities. If we don't want more Trumps we need to make ourselves comfortable with other people, not comfortably numb.
Tom Cartwright
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From: Jay Sweet (Newport Folk Festival)
Subject: Fwd: Eric Church's Manager Explains How He Cancelled 25,000 Tickets Held by Scalpers
Yah, I saw this article as well.
We actually did far cooler stuff:
1. We used a technology algorithm approach plus the expertise of our fraud team instead of only a manual approach affording us accuracy, scale and speed. Basically repurposing our fraud fighting decision service technology against people who violated the ticket rules.
2. Our partner technology allows us to stop scalper orders during the purchase flow and directly post purchase before tickets sold out getting those tickets back in the hands of fans more swiftly and also avoiding the problem of them ever making it to secondary markets and hopefully avoiding the scalper markup problem noted at the end of the article.
3. We did a deeper scrape of their data (again using our algorithms plus a manual review from our fraud experts) to cancel additional orders post purchase and after sell out. We look at far more sophisticated indicators beyond just billing address, email, etc than what Eric's crew is doing.
4. That note about not finding all the really bad actors is true. Scalpers tend to cover their tracks really really well and our algorithms are most likely far more effective than human eyes.
5. We hold back release the barcodes for months while we then scrub and re-scrub the tickets for any more red flags. We then pull those back and offer them on our safe re-sale platform, Lyte.
6. People can get into a cue on Lyte, where we set the re-sale price limit at face value. In other words we've taken the stub hub resale market for Newport Folk tickets down by 75% from last year, and made sure our fans don't get gouged.
Our partner, Eventbrite did pitch the story to Billboard way back after the on sale, but they didn't bite back then. Funny how having a big name artist can really get someone to wake up and smell the story...
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Subject: Re: The Grammy Telecast
Hi Bob-
"You ain't gotta know how to sing, you ain't gotta know how to play, you need to know how to capture lightning in a bottle and lay it down on tape. Some of the greatest records are poorly recorded. Many of the legendary players can't read music. But they know art is about latching on to mood, laying down in sound that which you feel, so that others can resonate."
ha ha, YES! "Tape, poorly recorded." Lots of great records were sonically distorted, but who cared, because they hit you emotionally. Digital recording unfortunately has "fixing" functions, which then are used to move kick drum beats into being perfectly the same, vocals tuned to exact pitches, and the result is NOT emotionally compelling, just irritating. Great music has symmetry, but is emotional, or it is nothing. Raw is often good, not bad. Robots create perfect music. Humans need to know when good enough is just great. The record is finished, go home!
Yes, Trump is the biggest rock star. No, I didn't watch the Grammies.
bernie leadon
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Subject: Re: Last Night In Sweden
"You know why your indie band can't win, can't get heard over the pop noise? Because the usual suspect companies control the media and are force-feeding this crap to the public. Radio stations are beholden to major labels and there's no independence, no chances are taken".
the reason why music is stagnant is because of feminization. Men are natural risk takers, women are not.
There will be no "punk" movement there will be no new "Dylan" those individuals took risks, the music industry has become a safe place...until the sheep realize this, we will all continue to complain about the same thing. Crazy right?
Lisa C
I do not work for the music industry, but I still listen.
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Subject: RE: Bruce Springsteen On WTF
Hi Bob,
It's inspiring to listen to your heroes and peers speak personally about their weakness and experience, instead of glorified promo. It helps us all fight the good fight. I wish more of 'em would open up. Knowing the Springsteen story, it took a lot of courage for him to get here. I'm reminded of a verse from Dylan's Basement Tapes .....In these days of confession, you cannot mock a soul, cause when there's Too Much Of Nothing, no one has control.
Bruce is a good storyteller, but here's one that he won't be telling soon. I became close with Danny Federici in LA in the 90s, while we were both in the LA House of Blues House band (the E Street lost years) . Danny was celebrating his 10 year sobriety and invited me over for an afternoon party at his house. Friends and family. Nothing fancy. Chips and soda. I was surprised to see an SUV pull up to the curb. Bruce came in solo, no entourage, just him! We spent the next few hours talking about the Jersey clubs and the Fillmore East (Rhinoceros was one of his favorite bands). The hook, Danny told me, was that it was Bruce who personally took him up to the gates of the Betty Ford clinic ten years earlier. Now that's a true friend.
Go tell it......
Steve Chrismar
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From: William Perkins
Subject: Re: Whipping Post
"Don't Keep Me Wonderin" story: August 26 1970, and Duane called Tom Dowd at Criteria Studio in Miami to ask about meeting Eric Clapton who had just started the Layla sessions. Tom asks Eric if he wants to see Duane play and Eric says "You mean the cat who played the solo on Wilson Pickett's "Hey, Jude".......Hell Yeah!". So Tom, Eric and the band crawl in front of the stage in the photographer's pit unannounced at this outdoor show unseen by the audience and we all look down, see them and flip out. After, we all go back to Criteria and sit on the floor while Tom plays back Idlewild South (named after a band house in Macon). When "Wonderin" comes on I am looking at Eric and I can tell he is mesmerized by Duane's slide intro. Soon, they're all jamming and then Duane is invited to play on the album. He later played two live shows with them in Tampa and Syracuse and seriously considered leaving the ABB to go with Derek & The Dominos. Thankfully, he didn't. He was thrilled to receive $1,500.00 cash for the sessions, but later manager Phil Walden negotiated a royalty participation for him. If he had gone with Eric there would probably been no "Live at Fillmore East" album the following year. Yikes!
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From: Benjamin Mabry
Subject: Re: Spotify Payments
Bob,
I'm a full time idependent musician, part of an obscure folk duo, we rarely tour, maybe 4 weeks a year total, and we quit our day jobs nearly two years ago. We've had a number of our songs pop up on the big Spotify playlists (2 million or more listeners) over the past few years and I can say without a doubt, that Spotify is the reason why we're able to do this full time. We grossed over $100,000 from Spotify last year (not including downloads, physical sales, touring, etc.), which isn't a lot compared to old world musician paychecks, but for two dudes who don't have to share it with anyone else, its huge!
Ben
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From: Keith Levy
Subject: Re: Re-Spotify Payments
Complete propaganda the dish on Spotify and streaming revenues. I have a client from Northern Ireland that has over 60mil spotify plays and 1.1mil monthly listeners. I am in Nashville and signed him (as his agent in North America) after finding him on Spotify through their playlists. Imagine that. He's halfway across the world in a remote country and had never toured or played a show in the US. He is relatively unknown still, but making a living from the Spotify revenues, yes he owns all of his own music up until his current release.
In my estimation (I'm not privy to all the numbers on his income from this revenue stream), or if we use some of the numbers from your mailbag below, he has made over $200k from Spotify streams. This is over the past 3-4 years and we're talking about a young Irish kid in his late 20s with no kids, no wife, etc. The future seems bright to me...
Not to mention Spotify has been HUGELY supportive in working with us to develop the artist. When I brought him over for his first US tour, they hired him to play a private show in their Boston office, and paid us a decent fee that helped us subsidize some tour costs. They've had him over for sessions at SXSW and put him in front of people - in person and on the service - that would otherwise have never seen or heard him before. They have been extremely aggressive in playlisting his songs, mostly because they are REACTIVE. People like them and listen to them over and over. What a concept... Oh and this is not EDM or Hip Hop, he is a singer-songwriter with great songs and a great voice. Bring it on...
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7zOuMHqRJ6YOMnCGpLfuTU?utm_source=phplist5759&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Mailbag
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From: Gabe Anderson
Subject: Re: Spotify Payments
Yep…Our band owns it all, distributes through Tunecore and based on the numbers: a million streams of a song generate a little more than $4,000 into our bank account. Net.
The BMI/ASCAP royalties are totally separate, which most artists don't understand.
So whenever I'm clicking around Spotify I know full well that at a bare minimum Spotify is paying out $4k per million streams. When you have that number in your head and start tallying up the hundreds of millions of plays the big acts are getting…um, yeah, people are making money.
Most artists who are in deals now signed their deals before streaming got popular. So when they and their lawyer were looking at the contract, they probably didn't push hard for streaming royalties…because the rate was "so low" anyway.
Should it be more than $4k per million plays? Sure. I don't know. Probably.
But for all the whining and complaining artists do, I've never heard A SINGLE ONE come up with a legit idea and plan for what it SHOULD be. All anyone says is it should be more! Of course! We all want more!
Gabe
Daily Blog: www.gabethebassplayer.com
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From: john ferriter
Subject: Re: You Don't Say No
Everyone should read this column. Very sage advice. An old agent told me when I started at William Morris back in 1991 that It takes as much effort to make $10 million dollars as it does to make $10. You just have to be at the big boy's table where the stakes are higher. I've always remembered those words.
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From: Kim Kaupe
Subject: Re: You Don't Say No
Hey Bob - Hope you've been well since we last connected at Summit at Sea - hard to believe its been a year. Time flies all too quickly.
As a Shark Tank alum, I agree with you. However, when it comes to established companies most deals fall through or they agree not to go through (which was our case) because of percentages and help the sharks can add. If an established company already has customers and a strong base and the sharks come in down-valuing the company and offering little in terms of connections what does a celebrity name add? You know better than anyone the answer to that is usually nothing. People don't care that it's a Mr. Wonderful endorsed product - if it's good they will buy it regardless because it's what their FRIENDS say that matters - not a celebrity. The masses are dictating the market now more than ever thanks to socials. It's all about word of mouth and trusted sources.
Also what you see is 8 minutes sizzle reel style TV. We were in the studio for over an hour with the Sharks. Lots of things are said about effort, commitment, etc that (conveniently - gotta love good TV) get cut out. So when you do see entrepreneurs walking away there's often more than you didn't see that lead them to do so. But alas no one would tune in to see that (including me and I was on the damn show!)
Anyway, can't agree more. It's all about the tribe.
Yours in the team building,
Kim
KIM KAUPE co-founder
zinepak.com
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From: Craig Fuller
Subject: Re: Gamblin' Man
Marty Bender said:
"And continuing along with the gambling theme...
The cover of the Fuller/Kaz album sure looked to me like they were at the track."
That's funny. We were at Santa Anita and I'd just lost a C note on a horse named Julie's Flight; photo by Jim Shea. By the way the background singers on "Gamblin' man" were: Tracy Nelson, Emmylou Harris, and Sylvia Fricker; talk about vibrato!
C
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Subject: RE: Gamblin' Man
Hi Bob,
Your Bonnie blog reminded me how far back she and I go... even though she wouldn't know me from Adam (or his brother).
In 1972 I was doing mid-days at WPRO in Providence. My college buddy Roger Lifeset was working as a Warner-Electra rep out of Boston when he called all excited about a new talent they signed named Bonnie Raitt. She was booked into a tiny club in Ipswich, Mass, not much bigger than a gas station. And, she was incredible. That bluesy voice and extraordinary interpretation. I became an instant fan.
Fast forward to 1979. I was programming XL-102 in Richmond and the station was well on its way to dominating the local rock market. Working with a promoter from Norfolk we presented a series of station concerts with up-and-coming acts and those with a local cult following like Bonnie and John Pryne. Part of the deal was the artist would visit the station for a live on-air interview. Needless to say, we promoted the hell out of it and the afternoon guy, Steve Forrest, did his homework and was well-prepared for a half-hour live with Bonnie Raitt. About a half hour before her scheduled arrival her manager called to say she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be coming in. I was concerned about the status of the concert but he assured me that she would be just fine for the show that night. That's when I lost it. I pulled every piece of Warner's product off the station.
Over the next several days I heard from everyone at the label. I was still naïve about the game and didn't hold them up for a ton of ransom, i.e. giveaways, etc. And, I eventually relented and put the Warner's material back into rotation... all except Bonnie.
But wait... there's more: onward to 1982 and the debut of Boston's Magic 106.7 with me as program director and Bonnie Raitt as one of our core artists. I laugh when I tell this story to my students with the moral being you never know whose lives will intersect with yours and what the many twists and turns will be. And, when Bonnie's songs pop up on my iPod, I realize I'm still a big fan.
Keep the good stuff comin.'
Jack Casey
WERS-FM and WERS.org
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Subject: Re: The Last Night Of The Year
Thank you for quoting this, Bob.
I produced this record and not only does it contain one of my favorite songs ever, but it also contains performances by the closest people I have in this world- including my wife, Janice Powers on keyboards and my best friend, the late great Richard Bell on B3. As well as my closest living friends….
I like to think that if this were the last night of the world, I would spend it with the people playing on this record….
And I hope it brings those who hear somehow a little closer together.
Happy New Year, Bob.
I love you for what you do….
Colin Linden
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Subject: Re: Mailbag
Re: Hal Blaine
Hi Bob-
A second to Steve Lukather's motion to send Hal Blaine some love. I had the rare honor of going through 5000 pages of Hal's session files to create his discography for his biography, which we published at Mix Magazine, in 1990. He played drums and or percussion on (at least) 350 Billboard top ten songs, and 40 number 1's. And the artists would almost be irrelevant to list, as it was anyone who was anyone. Would be almost harder to find a hit record of the 60s that he didn't play on.
Thanks for the great writing, Bob, and Yo Hal - you are one of kind!
--David Schwartz
Co-founder, Mix Magazine
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Subject: Re: The New York Times
I've subscribed to Sunday home delivery for years, primarily for the crossword puzzle. That includes free digital access, which until the day after the election, I used daily. Since then I haven't been back other than to read Krugman occasionally. You just put my feelings into words exactly: how could they get things so wrong? What else are they getting wrong? How can I trust ANY news outlet now, when the best one was so off?
As to class divides...
About a month ago I go I was crossing the bridge over the Chicago River on my way to the office from the train. I slipped on some ice and fortunately landed on one knee and my hands. After 2 back operations and one pending, and having just turned 65, I'm not sure if I could've landed better! But the point I want to make here is that while I'm on my knees trying to reach the guard rail to pull myself up, 50-100 other commuters rushed past me, too busy to care or stop and help. All of a sudden I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me to my feet. Further, "the hand" gripped tightly as it helped me past the slick spot to dry pavement. Was the homeless guy who's always positioned near that spot holding his cup. Doesn't beg, just says good morning to all who pass. I thanked him profusely and gave him $10, but he didn't help me for the $, he helped because he could and it was the right thing to do. A lesson that I'm sure went over the heads of 50-100 of my fellow commuters.
You nailed it with this:
"But the truth is these are not the values of the underclass, which lends a hand expecting nothing in return."
Thank you,
Greg N
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Subject: Re: Betsy DeVos
Bob, I wish you would have wrote it last week, but I recognize it wouldn't have mattered. These senators weren't going to switch their vote.
When I quit teaching English to do music full time in 2011, I had a few back up plans in case gigs dried up: I looked into online teaching. when K12.com came up during the Senate hearing, my ears perked up. Yep, DeVos is a funder of K12.
I think they offered me like $2.50 to $3.00 per student, per week to teach in 2013. My memory is fuzzy after getting hit by the car, but I do remember being aghast at the low pay, and turned it down. I decided to teach guitar lessons instead.
And while I recognize, online teaching is not as demanding as the regular classroom, I'm skeptical of the quality of that institution. How can a teacher offer any feedback for these small rates?
Maybe it's improved over the years. Here's an this essay of another teacher's experience in 2014.
We literally live in a political climate where teachers are told they make too much money; yet this cabinet symbolizes the wealth inequality of our country so obviously, it makes me sick to my stomach.
Mike Vial
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Subject: Re: Bobby Freeman
I went to Unihi in the 50s, where Jan & Arnie (and Dean) came from, and I was briefly "dating" Arnie Ginsburg. He used to walk around imitating Bobby Freeman singing "Need Your Love So Bad." Arnie had a high voice, like a falsetto I guess, so it was great… dreamy, actually. Thanks for doing this tribute to Bobby Freeman. It took me way back.
Tracy Newman
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From: John Bach
Subject: Re: Uber To The Airport
I love it when you tell your Uber drivers' stories, Bob.
I'm a drummer in a signed band. Have stellar management and signed to a major booking agency. So while we're waiting for the right tour, waiting to build the story to go to radio, and waiting to release our debut record I drive Uber.
I do about 40-50 hours a week which adds up to about 1,000-1,200 miles (mostly nights). I've got just about 7,000 rides under my belt (hoping to "retire" by 10k) and have maintained a 4.96 star rating (I'm very affable when I drive).
There are perks to making a living this way. Like when the band gets asked to open for Skynard last minute and we have to be on a flight in 5 days, I just clock out of the app and go. Then my job is still there after I drum for 10k people waiting to hear Free Bird (good to know they're still here). There is literally no job where you can come and go as you please. And if there is, please clue me in because this job truly does fucking suck.
I put 165,000 miles on my car the first 3 yrs. It died. Now I pay $200 a week to rent a high mileage (45-60k mi) Hertz rental car through Uber and turns out it's only about $20 more a week than what I ended up spending/losing with my own car. And after 28 days of beating the shit out of it, I get to swap it out for one with fresh oil and breaks.
About once a month, I'll have an EPIC throw up. One that looks way worse than the $150 they'll give you to clean it up. But, sad to say, I'll clean it myself gladly with my "barf kit" in the trunk because on most nights, it'll take 8-10 hours to make that $150.
Like your last Uber driver, my friends and band mates think I'm crazy for how much I drive. Truth is, you have to be a little crazy to be happy to clean up some drunk asshole's barf at 3am on a Saturday night.
-Late Night Uber Guy
IG @latenightuberguy
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Subject: John Mayer
As a guitar player ?John Mayer is as good as it gets. It just gets different. He's a great songwriter. Walt Grace Submarine Test,January 1967 off of Born and Raised is proof. He has a voice that's instantly recognizable. If he's not your thing then that's cool but it's not bc he doesn't have talent.
I had the opportunity of playing with him a few years back while he had lost his voice. Very tough and yet humbling experience for him I would imagine. The band I play in has members that have know him since they all roomed together back at Berkeley School Of Music. They actually all arrived in Atlanta together shortly there after. So John's roots run deep with the band.
We invited him out to set in on some shows. He was unbelievable. I feel like he could have a been a guitar hero and made a name for himself without writing or singing. Not that guitar heroes are big deals these days like the 60's and 70's but anyway. It was one the first times I'd had the pleasure of meeting him and sharing the stage.
We all get on the bus before the show and talk about the set list and sing tunes and John joined us during the warm up. I'd just had the absolutely worst two months of my life before this. My mother unexpectedly had a surgery go wrong and had been in a coma for weeks. It was a nightmare. I left the road and went to stay with her and my dad at the hospital. I saw one of her last Facebook posts before the surgery was how her favorite new song was "Queen of California". I downloaded the ?John Mayer-"Born and Raised" album immediately. It became the soundtrack to this whole situation. I would sing her "Queen of California" multiple times everyday while she was unconscious. So back to the bus and us warming up. During the warm up I mentioned to him that his music had profoundly been apart of the last month or more of my life and I explained the situation. He looked at me and said "Man, I'm so sorry. Do you have your phone on you"? I said "Sure". He said "Lets take a video for her". He looked at the camera and said "Hey mom I hope you are feeling better. I heard this was your favorite song. I can't sing right now but me and the boys are gonna play it for you". We played "Queen of California" on video for my mom. I called my mom, now out of the coma and recovering, God Bless, and said I have the coolest thing ever for you the next time I see you. Three days later I played the video on my iPad for her at the hospital. She looked at me and said "That is definitely the coolest thing ever".
I don't know John well enough to go hiking with him. If I saw him he'd probably remember me. None of that really even matters. He did that video out of the kindness of his heart and I didn't even ask for it. I think it's easy to judge. I think people love to catch you slipping. I think John probably takes risks both personally and musically. You only grow if you take risks. He's talented enough to cover many genres of music with so much ease that it makes it look easy. He can swoon the big eyed teenager girls, blow away the blues fans, and keep the hippies endlessly twirling and so on. He does it all very well. If I could guess I'd say he's a person who is very creative,witty, and maybe at points in his life been a little too smart for his own good possibly. I can't really say though cause I barely know him. Being around him for a few minutes and you can tell that he's got a couple extra wheels spinning really fast up top and has the upper hand on most situations he's in. I do know that if I could ever repay the favor I would ten fold. I'd drive a long long way to pick him up if he had a flat tire or was busted flat. ?John Mayer is a badass in my book and deserves all he can get.
Coy Bowles
Zac Brown Band
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Subject: Tim Palmer/ TRAINS- Porcupine Tree
Bob,
Nice to see Porcupine Tree's 'Trains' getting a mention
Some of my favorite records that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of, have not always been the biggest sellers ! We all have stories like that, but one of the small things that the social media era has given us back, is that fact that now we get to discover that some of these records were actually very well received and sometimes quite influential.
In 2002 I mixed a record called El Cielo for a band called ?DREDG. They were signed by Interscope Records. It was clearly a concept album and very proggy. Initially intended to revolve around Salvador Dali's Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bumblebee around a Pomegranate One Second Before Awakening it was a fabulous record and I am still proud of it. They never really got the attention they deserved.
It was during this album's mixing session that I got the call to mix another Prog Rock album for band I was not at all familiar with called... ?Porcupine Tree.
We mixed the album 'In Absentia' at Larabee Studios in North Hollywood on a big J-series SSL. ?Steven Wilsonwalked in with the whole album recorded in LOGIC, which as a Pro Tools user, was going to be time consuming to learn, but a lot of great stuff was already happening in the sessions, so it was worth getting our heads around it. The album was recorded by Paul Northfield and he had done a great job. Steven was the Producer and he knew exactly what he was looking for which makes it so much easier to deal with as a mixer.
When you get a gig, you always wonder what album you have been involved with, that has inspired this artist to seek you out, once opening the songs I realized it was probably ?Tears For Fears. I had produced 'Elemental' and 'Raoul and The Kings of Spain' and ?Steven Wilson was a big fan. The arrangements of In Absentia flowed perfectly, great sounds and textures for a mixer to play with and clearly strong songs. TRAINS, was always a stand out track in my estimation. I remember that the drum performances were really strong, and ?Gavin Harrison the drummer was not going to let us miss a single kick drum..Bloody drummers. As a teenager, I was always in awe of Japan's 'Tin Drum' and weirdly enough ?Richard Barbieri played keys on this album. After mixing, Andy Vendette finished the job perfectly with a great mastering job.
'In Absentia' was and is a great album. Thanks for reminding me about it.
Tim Palmer
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From: kim bullard
Subject: Re: Manassas On German Television
Great post… yeah, he gets that sound because, besides being really good, he plays with his fingernails, and thumbnail, so he is more attached to his instrument (Jeff Beck plays in a similar way)…it gives him his own style that is hard to replicate…especially on acoustic.
My wife was at an art class last week with a 30 something hipster who had never heard of CSN. It made be feel old and forgotten. That was my tribe.
In the mid-70's, I was working with Stills' then wife, Veronique Sanson, living in Paris, being her band leader. Stephen would come and visit, and sit in, just plugging direct into my keyboard amp that was right next to my head. The sound… wow. So expressive. It was permanently engraved on my brain from that point on. He and I would hang after the shows because Vero had to meet the mayor, or whatever. We were both southern boys, so we had some common ground.
I came back to the states, trying to figure out what to do next, and I got a call from Stephen, went something like this. 'hey, its Stills…David and Graham and I are going out on the road; you want to come down and play with us?' I was dumbfounded… like, Crosby, Stills and Nash??? So from my guest house in North Hollywood without plumbing, I put my keyboards in my beat up Volvo station wagon and showed up at a huge soundstage in Hollywood, and went on the road with one of the biggest bands in the world at the time. I was 22.
To your point of musicians actually playing, a fascinating thing for me was that they seemed to intentionally under rehearse. I did my fair share of top 40 gigs, so I was ready with charts, etc… I knew all their material before I went down there.. but by the time we did our first show up in Portland, I had NEVER PLAYED about half of the set. In front of 20k people I was playing these songs for the first time, and some were in different keys than the record. It was crazy, but that is the way they rolled. What we DID do at rehearsal was jam together. Got our footing as a band. And that was kind of what Stephen wanted. All three CSN guys seemed to thrive on that feeling that anything could happen… like you say, it was a CONCERT, and the three of them were coming to a concert, too, and wanted something cool to happen; they liked being on a tightrope.
And to speak to one of your common themes, yes, music meant something back then. It was attached to a cultural revolution, and Stills was right there in the middle of it, in Greenwich Village with Dylan and Baez with the folk protest music revolution, then on the west coast with the electric folk sound, all underpinned by the hope that this tribe, reflected in this music, could change the world. The people who came to the CSN shows in the 70's were still all part of the tribe. It was our tribe. It was a great time for music. When I hear about people not knowing who CSN is, it reminds me that the tribe is thinning.
I geek out, and look at old Stills footage, too, so I was happy to see your post. I was on his bus for many miles. I love the guy. He changed my life.
Kim B
ps.. if you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and go see Christopher Stills play. It will give you chills.
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From: John Huie
Subject: Re: Debbie Reynolds Dies
The light does not go out it actually is seen greater than one could ever imagine. Losing a son 1003 days ago lead me down a path to knowledge that is a tad skewed but inclusive from my traditional Christian upbringing Life is a gift and each day we don't live it to its fullest is opportunity lost. My son is keenly aware and doing allot to make up for it. DEbbie and CARRIE are in the next dimension together and doing just fine. what sucks is the pain of those who will miss them and to lose a child out of order is a pain indescribable .a pain DEBBIE didn't have to suffer from for too long :) Mom and daughter are fine we just need yo pray for Billie......
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From: Howard Katkov
Subject: Response to your recent blog regarding Vail Resorts purchase of Stowe
Hi Bob,?
After reading your article I had received from a friend, normally -or let's say never-do I respond to articles like that. But I felt I had to stand up and say something after reading about what felt like a huge oversight to many independent ski resorts.
I'd like to put your story about Vail being a "disrupter" in context to the overall industry. There are approximately 750 ski resorts representing nearly 80,000,000 skier visits in North America. Last count, Vail Resorts owns 12 resorts (in North America) if you include Stowe, with approximately 10,000,000 annual visits. That leaves roughly 738 remaining resorts serving 70,000,000 skiers and boarders.
You praise Vail Resorts for "disrupting the ski industry" as if they figured out the magic formula for enhancing the ski experience.
I respectfully disagree. I have provided a link for your reading and listening pleasure. It's a campaign that we at RED call "Fight the Man, Own the Mountain." that you can view here: https://www.startengine.com/startup/red-mountain-resort?utm_source=phplist5759&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Mailbag It is the first equity crowdfunding campaign for a ski resort in North America pursuant to Regulations A offerings (JOBS Act Title lV, known as Regulation A+) and Canadian securities law.
We launched this campaign on August 22nd, 2016 and as of this writing, we now have over 3,000 reservations totally nearly $11,000,000 - and it's still growing. Our goal was to hit $10,000,000. This campaign coincidentally was launched two weeks after Vail Resorts bought Whistler and sums up how we feel about the state of the ski industry and also represents a voice for independent ski resorts. As you can see from the results thus far, a lot of people are identifying with what this campaign represents. I would love it if you took the time to read the text and watch the videos. One of the things you will see is that the investment dollars go towards the enhancement and preservation of one of the most iconic ski resorts in North America.
In your article, you virtually passed a death sentence on the ski industry or as you stated, "Skiing is a moribund sport" only to be rescued by the likes of Vail Resorts. Really Bob.
There is no doubt that the ski industry can be challenging in terms of unpredictable weather and the constant need for capital investment. And yes, I know that in the last twenty years the US has closed approximately 140 ski resorts. However, in North America, 80,000,000+ visits continue to happen year over year, notwithstanding the exit of the Baby Boomers and the unpredictability of weather. The gap is being filled by the subsequent generation that love the sport for its adventure and ability to tell stories. By example, RED Mountain, the third oldest ski resort in North America, and the first in western Canada, has seen record breaking revenues and visits in the last two years. That is out of the last 68 years of continuous operation. I believe that our financial performance is not unique in the world of independent ski resorts. If you study our "Fight the Man, Own the Mountain." campaign, you will understand why our growth and others like RED, who offer that authentic and unique experience, supported by a great value proposition, are growing, notwithstanding the Mega Resorts. With our crowdfunding campaign, we feel that we are disruptors in the world of skiing right now.
You suggested that "Old School Resorts" and their operators have "no vision". Bob, to suggest such a blanket statement that all others in the ski industry are clueless is not supported by the facts. I wonder if you have never experienced a real ski culture/resort supported by their community - or you simply prefer the cookie cutter formulaic resorts that resemble shopping malls.
A few other clarifications to set the record straight. Vail Resorts did not invent the idea of focusing on skier visits as a result of the 2008 real estate collapse. By example, in 2015, RED Mountain opened up Grey Mountain, a 1000-acre expansion. This was one of the largest expansions in nearly 40 years by an existing ski resort in North America. We did this to increase our skier experience and also increase visitation. It worked. Many other independent resorts have done the same since the 2008 recession.
You also suggested that, "Now mountains cannot be standardized, but services can. What Vail does is buy your resort, throw a ton of money at infrastructure and upgrade the experience. To the point where others can't compete. Because once you've ridden modern high speed lifts, slow ones are anathema."
I couldn't disagree more with this statement. I'd love to refer you to our new REDictionary campaign - while light-hearted, it shines a serious light on what a great ski experience really is in comparison to the Vail model you trumpet as the "disruptor" of a dying industry. These made-up words and definitions were defined by using the RED experience as the example, but represent many other wonderful independent ski resorts throughout North America.
I'll reference just one of our words below based on your above quote, and you can see the rest here: www.redresort.com/redictionary/
Thigh Speed Quad: A chairlift that actually allows you enough time heading uphill to get some feeling back in your quadriceps, check your texts, snap a selfie, eat some food, un-fog your goggles, and tell iffy jokes to strangers. A chairlift that moves at the speed of powder. With 3,000 vertical feet on offer your legs will thank you for the break. And you just know all that pow won't be tracked out by 10am because, like, how could it be?
Bob, when you go to a resort like RED Mountain (and there are many) it's not always about modern high-speed this and wonderful gentrified that. Skiing is also about slowing down, enjoying the alpine and maybe meeting some new people.
?
I have no comment on your explanation of the Epic Pass, but Vail Resorts is not alone, including the Mountain Collective, The Max Pass, Rocky Mountain Super Pass, Powder Alliance, The Peak Pass and the Lake Louise Plus Card in which RED participates. You might want to do the math on those visitations. It might surprise you.
You boldly state that "the other resorts hate Vail." I don't hate Vail, and if it wasn't for Vail, I wouldn't have discovered RED Mountain. I am certain that many people love the Vail experience and that's absolutely fine. But Bob, as expressed in my response, there are roughly 740 other ski resorts in North America serving 70,000,000 people. These resorts are extremely important to the protection and preservation of a ski culture that has its roots founded in the late 1800's. It is that authentic ski experience and ski culture that is resonating with the younger generations right now. Which is more important than ever.
Bob, be my guest at RED. I think it'd be good for ya.
Cheers,
Howard
CEO, RED Mountain Resort
Rossland, BC. Canada
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From: Bob Lefsetz
To: Howard Katkov
Yes, Jim Rondinelli has told me about Red and I'd love to ski there.
But the financials must be challenging, otherwise you wouldn't be crowdfunding.
Your point about 10 of 80 million is a good one.
You may not be complaining, but many other resorts are.
As for skiing being moribund, it used to be growing by leaps and bounds, that is no longer happening.
Slow speed lifts are great for all the reasons you mention, but now that we have high speeds, the public is reluctant to embrace the old.
I hope the old ski areas survive, I hope skiing burgeons, but something has to be done to get new people into the sport.
Great to hear from you,
Bob
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From: Howard Katkov
Thanks for responding. The resort is frankly very profitable, but unlike a public company, I have to be creative in fundraising for future capital projects. I looked at Start Engine as a social experiment, a hunch, thinking that maybe we would get a reaction like the Green Bay Packers did when they went out to their fan base for engagement and ownership. I have also been an entrepreneur my entire life, having started eight companies in unrelated industries and I was fascinated by this opportunity to reach out to our fan base for the right reasons. It has surprised me, and opened my network to passionate people from all walks of life, from around the world, wanting to be part of our campaign and expressing their passion for old school skiing. If we are fortunate enough to close this financing anywhere close to the reservations, we will then have several thousand goodwill ambassadors spreading the love about Red Mountain. The new capital will enhance the skier experience. We shall see. Regarding high speed lifts, I can only say that it is not a prerequisite for enjoyment at resorts, like RED, that are bigger than Jackson Hole with 25% of the skier visits. If you skied with me on a powder day, we would be toast by 12:30 pm. As Thigh Speed Quad states, you welcome a recovery ride back up the mountain. My offer stands. Come and visit us at RED. You won't regret it.
Cheers,
Howard
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From: Kid Rock
Re: Hanukkah In Vail
Bob, I know how I typed this, watch how the haters dog me as a dumb ass redneck that can't even spell!! please don't print this part until a few days after you run it. Love ya. Merry Christmas ya fuckin jew!! See ya soon. God Bless
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