The Decline of the Musician Rock Star

The use of the term Rock Star is now applied to everyone except musicians. While watching the Mets home opener today, Gary Cohen and Ron Darling, Mets announcers, said there was such excitement in the air at Shea and the Mets are beyond players and are now Rock Stars. The first non musician reference to Rock Star that I can remember hearing repeatedly and still here is President Bill Clinton. Ok Clinton can play the sax, but that is secondary to his life as a politician. I've met him and he is charismatic. Barack Obama is called a Rock Star. He is a well spoken politician, which by today's media standards, deems him a Rock Star. I've seen Prince and Prince is a Rock Star in every way. He may be the last of a dying breed. I have not heard the words Rock Star applied to a musician in a long time. Is that because there are so many musicians out there now, finding an audience big enough to make you a Rock Star is out of reach? American Idols have massive audiences but is there a Rock Star among them? Don't think so. Where are the Jimmy Pages, the Jim Morrisons, the Janis Joplins, the Stings of the future?

The Shield -TV Crack

There is no better block of television than FX's The Shield (back this Tuesday April 3) and when those 10 episodes are over, Rescue Me kicks in. I am a late comer to The Shield. Christmas of 2005, my friend Dennice got the first season on DVD, which was the start of her addiction. She then rented all available seasons over the break. I never want to get into new shows as I think I already watch too much. Dennice lent me her season one and my addiction began. The Shield is TV Crack. I joined Netflix just to watch it and when they didn't have Season 5 (it wasn't out yet), I went into withdrawal. I wouldn't look at anything on the net that might give away one piece of the plot for the already broadcast season 5. The DVD just came out, but luckily iTune had it up before then and I've been downloading a few shows a week. TV just doesn't get any better. Forget about the Sopranos, which has lost a lot of it's shine the past few seasons. The Shield has the best writing and acting. The show is violent, so it's not for everyone. These are cops you know you should hate, but they get the bad guy and that really is their goal anyway. If they have to play dirty to make a few bucks to send their autistic kid to a special school, so be it.

Forest Whitaker is beyond creepy as Kavanaugh, the IAD cop who will go to any extreme to nab Vic for killing a fellow cop, for which he was already cleared. After watching him, I will never accept gum from anyone I barely know again. This show has me emotionally drained. I'm up to episode 7 which I hope to watch tonight. I will catch up before Tuesday. Dennice is insisting that I watch the final episode with her, which means it must be outstanding. Season 6 will be 10 episodes. According to the series creator, Shawn Ryan, Season 7 will start taping in June and when that airs, that will put an end to my addiction. Most people don't even know what channel FX is on their cable system. Make the channel a favorite and watch continuous good drama from now until the end of the summer.

PS for those who watch the show, I just found this little piece of trivia, CCH Pounder plays Claudette. The CCH stands for Carol Christine Hilaria.

Willie Nelson Spring Water? All Night Chemists more SXSW

The last time Len, Brandon and Andy played SXSW was with Thisway. With over 1500 bands and 16,000 people descending upon Austin, the conference has grown by leaps and bounds. 6th Street, the home of one music club after another, makes Ludlow St look small in comparison. Police close the street off to all vehicles and music can be heard coming from every doorway and alleyway too. ANC played a tight set the first night of the festival at the Troubadour. The band benefited from good sound and a great performance. Everyone agreed that they were the best vocals and performance that were heard that evening. Apparently bad sound and ultra volume were rampant among most of the clubs the first night.

24 hours earlier the band booked a show on the just assembled Willie Nelson Spring Water Solar Powered Stage. Willie and Spring Water seems like an oxymoron, but you have to admire his commitment to helping the earth. The stage was set up, like so many other stages in a parking lot, 2 doors down from the famed Waterloo Records. Watching people hang their heads out of passing cars to hear the music, just summed up the fact that anyone, anywhere could hear music in Austin last week. You could listen to free music from 11am to 2am and probably get free food and drinks if you hit the right parties.

All Night Chemists @ SXSW

The skies were finally bled dry and the masses hit 6th St last night. Two great live acts graced the same stage last night @ the Troubadour: All Night Chemists played a great set (Open rocked as always) before the Benjy Davis Project closed the evening. Benjy hails from Baton Rouge. Clowns was a standout. Great song!

Soggy SXSW

It started raining at 1pm and let up for about 15 minutes. This was enough time for me to make it back to the hotel after grabbing lunch at Nueva Onda. Besides myself & Brandi Shearer, having dinner at The South Congress Cafe was David Byrne. Tomorrow is the official start; my first show is Brandi @ Moonshine Patio 303 Red River @ 1pm. Also checking out The Cliks at 4:20pm and All Night Chemists @ The Troubadour Saloon 305 E 6th St, 11pm.

SXSW Revisited

Tomorrow I'm off to Austin for music's biggest conference SXSW. I haven't been to it in over 7 years. Last time I went there were about 800/900 artists/bands. This year there are over 1500. It's almost doubled in size. I'm looking forward to seeing some great music: All Night Chemists, Brandi Shearer, Patty Hurst Shifter, Ari Hest the list goes on, eating good food and seeing many people I just don't see on a regular basis.

Jam All Over

I was a big Jam fan in their heyday. I DJed in college and Town Called Malice became a favorite song to play. It was the ultimate seguer (note: you could segue almost any song into and out of it). It got people dancing, even though they had no idea who The Jam were. Malice was a great conduit to bridge songs like To Hell With Poverty and Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While) or Uptight, which of course would work it's way into Really Saying Somethin' by The Velvelettes which had to lead into It Ain't What You Do It's the Way That You Do It (Fun Boy Three's introduction of Bananarama to the world). It probably broadened The Jam's fan base. You can't help but get sucked in the minute that song starts. It's political and I think angry, but it's disguised as a perfectly constructed pop song.

As Paul Weller was closing three nights at Irving Plaza in New York (I believe one night was dedicated to the songs of The Jam), the remaining two thirds of of the Jam: bassist Bruce Foxton and drummer Rick Buckler were announcing they are reuniting for a tour without Paul called "From the Jam: Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler." They will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Jam's debut In the City. As of now, there are only UK dates planned.

Record of the Day featured Little Man Tate. This band wears its Jam badges on it's sleeve. It Must Be Love was described as having charmingly juvenile lyrics and the melody is catchy, catchy catchy. This is among a pack of songs coming from the UK recently, that have justified my belief that songwriting is making a comeback. There's more music on their MySpace site, including the wonderfully titled, Man I Hate Your Band. Worth a listen.

Response to Sequencing

A friend and former music writer from Houston, Sandy Adzgery had the following to add to the discussion on sequencing:

Your bit on albums and the order of songs made me think about XTC's "Skylarking" -- Todd Rundgren used his "continuity concept" to "marry" certain songs as Andy Partridge told me at the time... It doesn't work on a CD, because there is a real break that is noticeable, and the US wanted "Dear God" on the album, which they had decided didn't fit... But that is an element of music making (along with album art and worthwhile album notes) that are a thing of the past. CDs may still use art, but an album cover was a REAL piece of art!

Adding to Previous Entry via Courtney Love

When the judgment came against MP3.com, the RIAA sought damages of $150,000 for each major-label-"owned" musical track in MP3's database. Multiply by 80,000 CDs, and MP3.com could owe the gatekeepers $120 billion.

But what about the Plimsouls? Why can't MP3.com pay each artist a fixed amount based on the number of their downloads? Why on earth should MP3.com pay $120 billion to four distribution companies, who in most cases won't have to pay a nickel to the artists whose copyrights they've stolen through their system of organized theft?

The above is actually an excerpt from a piece Courtney Love wrote for Salon in 2000 that was sent to me today. It plays into my previous thoughts and it seems as timely as ever.

Does the Artist Share in the Revenue?

Google is in the news again, this time involving a month long test of it’s video advertising system. It has Warner Music and Sony BMG as partners in this test. They will share in advertising revenue generated through AdSense, which will pay every time an impression is generated when their music videos are viewed. I’ve been reading a lot about this and there seems to be no mention of what happens to the money the record labels receive. Is that money shared with those artists whose videos are being viewed? I’m guessing that since this is a new model, these provisions were not written into artists’ contracts. As an artist manager, I want to know that my client is receiving his/her fair share of profits generated by their art. I will continue to look into this.

Sequencing

Listening to an album from start to finish has become passe lately. In an iPod culture there is shuffle, which means songs, not necessarily grouped the way there were meant to be played. iPod is more like Top 40 radio of yore. A great album consists of great songs performed not always by great musicians, but certainly those with a passion for what they are doing. The average listener probably doesn't think about why Caroline No is the closing track on Pet Sounds or why Brand New Cadillac follows London Calling. There is an art to sequencing an album properly. When vinyl was king, an artist could split their work into two sides, essentially having two opening tracks. There is only one track to lead off a CD and one lead track for the iTunes user to hear. Sequencing is still very important to many musicians and listeners. That lead track sets the tone for what the listener is in for. That song hopefully signals a Pandora's box of musical gems. The listener should be taken through a journey of highs, lows, middles and it all should sound seamless. The New York Times had an article about the lost art of listening to an album. Their claim was that most people hear whole albums in concert these days, such as Lou Reed performing Berlin from start to finish or Brian Wilson recreating Pet Sounds. The piece hit home as All Night Chemists are preparing their sophomore album. Much thought and agonizing goes into putting the right songs in the right place. It looks like the first two songs are set. More hours will be spent on making sure the rest of it falls into its destined place, making this a total body of music - so one day it can be performed in it's entirety on a stage in front of many music loving fans.

Christmas Music

I love Christmas music. I have what is becoming too large a collection. Some rarities like a 45 of I Want Eddie Fisher for Christmas to the ubiquitous White Christmas by Bing Crosby, which I probably have on over 30 CD's. Eddie G’s Christmas compilations are legendary. I'm not sure that he’s still creating them.
5 Favorites of the rock era:

1. Christmas Baby Please Come Home performed by Darlene Love. Her Letterman appearances are a must see each year. In fact Letterman always says It’s ain’t Christmas till Darlene Love sings. Although others have, no one should cover that song. She owns it.

2. Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys. The innocence conveyed in the song is sheer joy.

3. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus performed by John Mellencamp. He thought about the arrangement before he recorded it. He completely made it his own and made it a dance party. Most Christmas covers sound like the performer is sleep walking through the song: not this one.

4. Sleigh Ride Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. See above. This song makes me smile.

5. Christmas All Over Again by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It’s Tom. Nuf’ Said.

U2Charist: Is Bono the Second Coming?

In Encinitas, CA Christian masses are incorporating the music of U2. The minister at this Episcopal Church apparently donned dark wrap glasses ala Bono. This is not unique to Encinitas; this initiative is being embraced worldwide. The mission of this movement is to help the UN achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals, adopted in 2000 which include eradicating global poverty and diseases in the next 10 years. These services raise money for the cause. The Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation site explains it all.

Here is an excerpt from North Carolina Bishop Michael Curry's surmon at a U2Charist: I am convinced that these Millennium Development Goals, and our embrace of them passionately as an act of Gospel-based discipleship, is a way for us to discover live again as a church. (Yeah! and applause) And I'm convinced, because Brother Bono has shown us the way. God will always have a witness, and if the church doesn't give it, U2 will! (Laughter and applause). Bono is being raised to the level of deity.

There is a U2Charist MySpace page, with 130 friends. U2Charist founder, the Rev. Dr. Paige Blair is based in Maine. There are Service outlines and leaflet to be downloaded. Elevation, One and Beautiful Day are some of the songs that are sung at these masses. Upcoming services are being held in many states, but none that I've seen in NY. Love him or not, Bono continues to be a force to recon with. He's a unifier. If he can eradicate poverty by 2015 he should be canonized. I haven't been able to determine two things: 1. Is U2 a partner in these services (I'm guessing they are as Universal is working with Rev Paige) and 2. Who came up with the word U2Charist-it's branding at it's best.

Quote of the Day

James Blunt is the new Dan Hill - Howard Stern

Happy Birthday Dennis & Carl Wilson

There are some things that never leave your brain. Being a long time Beach Boys fan I always think about Dennis Wilson on Dec 4 and Carl Wilson on Dec 21, their birthdays. Carl is my favorite singer. I had a chance to meet him as he checked into the Rhiga Royal Hotel when suddenly I became too shy to follow through. That is the only time that has happened. I now regret it because he passed away in 1998 at age 51. I read that Carl had perfect pitch. He sang my favorite song “God Only Knows” (It’s killing me that it’s being inappropriately used in a TV commercial). He had soul, was an underrated guitarist and sang like an angel. Dennis was I guess you could say the yin to Carl’s yang. He had sex appeal, females went crazy when he sang “You Are So Beautiful” in concert and he was the first Beach Boy to release a solo album: the wonderful Pacific Ocean Blue. I have it on vinyl and haven’t heard it in awhile, but it might be time to hook up the turntable and give it a spin. His voice was darker, somehow sadder. Dennis also died way too young at 39. He was the surfer who drowned; he was buried at sea. On a morbid note, there is a website dedicated to dead musicians. You can search by means of death. Dennis has company in Jeff Buckley and Brian Jones, whose first name wasn’t even Brian-I didn’t know that. I’ll probably never forget it now though.

What I heard at the airport

We had a 6am flight from our Thanksgiving vacation in San Antonio and the only open store at the airport at 5:30am was Starbucks. While waiting on the long line I was treated to one of my all time favorite songs, Lost in a Supermarket by The Clash. It was followed by what sounded like a mixed tape from my college days. I saw the Clash live probably about six times and they were consistantly amazing. I remember the show where Mick Jones smashed his guitar on the stage of the Palladium and at that same venue when they sang London Calling and ripped up a copy of the Post or was it the Daily News. The headline was predicting a Beatles reunion, the band sang "that phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust". The Palladium is now an NYU dorm-which houses the only Trader Joe's in NYC. We need more bands like The Clash now. Their songs meant something, they took in all genres of music and made it sound great and they put their heart and soul into their live show.

Marisa Monte at The Beacon

I'm amazed by the amount of music out there that I know nothing about. Last night I saw Marisa Monte at the Beacon. She is a huge star in Brazil and in the Latin music world. I would know nothing of her if it wasn't for Mike at AEG, who promoted the show. I don't think I've ever seen the Beacon that packed. Day of show they put 100 SRO tickets on sale and they all sold out. That's about 2900 tickets. I read that she hasn't toured the States in 6 years, so I'm guessing fans were starved. The staging was quite elegant, like Marisa. She performed the first song completely in the dark accompanied by 9 musicians. It reminded the of the Public Image tour where they performed behind a curtain. PIL had chairs thrown at them; this was not the case last night. A solo light shone on her face at the end of the song. She was seated for the first few song, playing acoustic guitar on a riser behind and above most of her band. The other guitarists were seated next to her. Lighted panels that moved, created a cocoon for the band. Marisa has a beautiful voice, which was heightened by the instrumentation around her: ukulele, flugel horn, trumpet (according to her site, at the suggestion of Phillip Glass, she added a trumpet/flugel horn) keyboard, something that looked and sounded like a cowbell. Songs were sung in Spanish. My college Spanish failed me. My ears were opened to some beautiful music. A natural siting: David Byrne in the lobby before the show.

All Night Chemists: Point Of View

Point of View - The Making of a Video

Gabriel Trujillo, renaissance man and music lover shot this video on the ever scenic Brooklyn Bridge. Gabriel's vision was right in line with the direction Len and I were heading in. My idea was fueled by watching too many Beach Boys promotional videos from the late 60's early 70's on YouTube. I have Josh from The You to thank for that. Luckily it was mildly windy on the day it was shot. Luckily the pedestrian path is down the middle of the Bridge instead of on either side which would have eliminated me from the day's festivities. To quote U2-vertigo. No lip synching, just Len, Brandon and Andy hanging out on the bridge. There is a much cleaner version of the video on flurl. Watch it and enjoy.

A Gem: Poughkeepsie Live!

There are gems out there than can be unearthed. I booked the TV show Poughkeepsie Live! for All Night Chemists. They performed on it last night. Time Warner subscribers in the Mid-Hudson Valley, South of Albany area of New York can watch it. One act gets 30 minutes of airtime! Raj Sirohi leads an amazing team of volunteers who put on a top notch, profession show. Did I mention how friendly/accommodating everyone was? How much they enjoyed what they do? It was a great experience. For those unable to view it, the show will soon be streamed on the Chemists website. Len, Brandon and Andy rocked.
Set list:
Waste of Time
Open
Fine with Me
Look Me In The Eye
No Reason