Activism In Country Music

John Rich, the country singer was a big supporter of John McCain in last year's presidential campaign. This year he wrote a topical song, "Shuttin’ Detroit Down" (he has is posted on his myspace page) and rushed to include it in his recent offering, "Son Of A Preacher Man." The NY Times points out that country music is an unlikely genre for activism. I would tend to disagree. Having worked with Steve Earle and other alternative country musicians such as Rosanne Cash (listen to "Rosie Strikes Back"), they consistently wrote about the ills of society and made people aware of these circumstances.

John Rich writes

I see all these big shots whining on my evening news
About how they’re losing billions and it’s up to me and you
To come running to
The rescue

I think a good chuck of this country can relate to these lyrics, whether you're a country music fan or not.

Uriel Jones of the Funk Brothers: RIP

Uriel Jones joined the Funk Brothers as a drummer in 1963. A 2002 documentary on these unsung musicians brought to the forefront the power and beat behind Motown's hits. In an ironic notes, last night American Idol featured (in some cases butchered) songs from Motown. Contestants were guided by Smokey Robinson and in attendance was Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown. According to his NY Times obit, Uriel can be heard on on Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” the Temptations’ “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” the Miracles’ “Tracks of My Tears,” Jimmy Ruffin’s “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted,” and Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” among many other songs.

Mr Jones continued to live in the Detroit area after Motown left and toured with remaining Funk Brothers after the release of the documentary. He died on Tuesday of complications from a heart attack. He left behind a very impressive legacy.

Yusef

Formerly known as Cat Stevens, Yusuf, according to USA Today will be performing in NY, Toronto and LA. It's been 33 years since he last performed publicly. My friend Stephanie saw him over a year ago at a private concert for Atlantic Records and said the show was amazing. His website has a player with Cat Stevens songs, he's selling Cat T-Shirts as well as Yusuf material. No specific venues are listed on his website.

Abbijane

The untimely death of a woman so filled with life, left everyone who knew Abbijane in shock. Abbijane passed away last week from a ruptured aneurysm. Abbi was a clothing designer, but foremost a force of life. She was unofficially know as the mayor of her block on East 19th St. She lived in a wonderful townhouse, where she staged her fashion shows. (Her prior apartment was a lovely space with high ceilings and bright bubblegum pink walls.) Her designs were beautiful and understated. I have a few. They are timeless pieces, made of the best fabrics. Judging from the people who wore her clothes at the memorial, they still hold up and look better than ever.

Abbijane designed my wedding dress. She was so excited about it as she had the best cream colored crushed velvet that would be perfect to accommodate my need of being able to dance in it. She always overestimated my size. Even after taking my measurements, my first fitting was falling off me. She kept saying I forgot how small you are. Abbi was used to designing clothes for people like her: tall, thin and beautiful. She also made a point to say, you can cut the dress down after the wedding and wear it again. I still have the dress, but haven't altered it.

Abbijane had great stories. She told our friend Rosemary that she would never write a book. Too bad, it would have been entertaining. She was a mainstay at the Mudd Club in the 80's and a true supporter of her friends who all seemed to be musicians, artists or producers. Bob Gruen, the photographer was always at her shows. Lenny Kaye was a good friend. Being a David Johnsen fan, Abbi used to humor me by telling David stories. Abbijane never changed, she was ageless as I told her the last time I saw her last year. Her big smile will be greatly missed.

Sirius on you IPhone

Sirius XM Satellite Radio announced it is developing an app for the iPhone. No word on how much it will cost or what it will look like.

The Power of Imagery In Music: Los Lobos

When it works, conveying powerful imagery through song is extremely moving. Last night Los Lobos played at Irving Plaza. The band's songwriting team of Louie Perez and David Hidalgo are masters of imagery. In the first of a two set show, the band performed Saint Behind the Glass, which originally appeared on their album Kiko. Kiko is the ultimate example of imagery through song done to perfection.

Louie grew up in East LA. When they were recording Kiko, he told me Saint Behind The Glass was inspired by a statue in his mom's house.

Hammer and a nail
Hammer and a nail
Saint behind the glass
Holds a hammer and a nail

Baby in his arms
Baby in his arms
Saint behind the glass
Has a baby in his arms

Watches me sleep
Watches me sleep
Saint behind the glass
Watches me while I sleep

Coffee in the air
Coffee in the air
Saint behind the glass
Smells coffee in the air

Curtains blowing 'round
Curtains blowing 'round
Saint behind the glass
Sees the curtains blowing 'round

Night upon my head
Night upon my head
Saint behind the glass
Lays night upon my head

Mother don't cry
Mother don't cry
Saint behind the glass
Tells mother not to cry

Louie who over the past few years has liberated himself from the drums and now is in the forefront, sings the song with a lilting passion that is both poignant and soothing. I can visualize this statue of St Joseph (I'm assuming it's him from the carpenter and baby references) perched on a shelf. It's a spring day and St Joseph is keeping watch over the Perez family. In it's simplicity, this song is magic.

Musicians Scalping Tickets To Their Fans

Ethan Smith in the WSJ reports that artists are profiting from selling premium seats with premium prices to their shows on secondary sales sites such as TicketExchange. They are priced and presented as resales by fans and it is a practice used by many top performers according to Joseph Freeman, Ticketmaster's senior vice president for legal affairs, who is quoted in the article. This is essentially scalping by the artists themselves. This is not a new practice, it's just one that has come to the forefront in a piece in the Wall St Journal. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Why doesn't the artist just sell 100 tickets at a higher price and be transparent about it?

The major record labels do not believe in transparency and it leaves me a little sick reading about these artists who now allegedly are playing the same game. Is it necessary to milk the fan for every last dime? Neil Diamond, Bon Jovi, Celine Dion, Van Halen, and Billy Joel/Elton John are all cited in the article as participating in secondary ticket selling.

This practice came to light after Springsteen protested the unauthorized sale of tickets to his show on secondary sites. It's a practice that has been going on for years. I remember repeatedly hearing rumors about Rod Stewart and his manager Arnold Stiefel, selling their tickets to scalpers to make an extra profit. It's disheartening to see these names connected with such a practice. All of the above mentioned have made more money than they can use in a lifetime. Money is the only motivator I can fathom in resorting to this practice, but how much can you have in a lifetime and why do it at the cost to your fans?

PBS takes on SXSW

SXSW begins today and PBS.org will be covering it. Throughout the duration of the festival, the site will present interviews with the filmmakers, musician and movers and shakers. The site's schedule will be updated periodically.

No Doubt Stands and Delivers

If you buy tickets to an upcoming No Doubt show, they'll give you their digital catalog of music for free. Also included is a cover of the Adam and The Ants song Stand and Deliver.

More details on their website.

YouTube and Universal Deal

According to the Wall St Journal, Google Inc.'s YouTube and Universal Music Group are discussing a partnership under which YouTube would build a new hub for music videos.

YouTube would also provide technology and advertising-sales support to help distribute Universal's video content to other Web sites, people familiar with the matter say.

Is creating a new YouTube hub worth the time and effort? Does it justify jobs at Universal to work on this with YouTube? If there was an announcement that YouTube was setting up a hub for indie artists and they would promote and develop new acts, that would be worthy of a news story. Somehow a major label trying to eek out a few more dollars sounds like tired old news.

Neil Young Defends Warner Bros against YouTube

Neil Young pointed out that YouTube's practices are unfair. Labels have different deals for different compensation. His argument is that it should all be the same across the board for all artists. He said Warner/Reprise is being punished for being the early negotiator with YouTube and now other labels have better deals. Are the indie artists left out of the picture entirely?
Here's the posting on his website.

Dusty the Puppy

Although Dusty The Puppy sounds like a good name for a band, it's an introduction for the newest member of our household. Here she is. What a bundle of life.

iTunes Pass

Depeche Mode fans can buy an iTunes Pass to get access to everything the band releases on iTunes between now and June 16 (can't find the significance of that date). Sounds of the Universe is their next full length record. Songs are DRM free. Items are delivered as soon as they are made available. There is no mention of what other bits the pass gives takers, beside the initial single, album and a remix. It sounds like an inching closer to a subscription based idea that the major labels are resisting. I'm not sure that success can be measured by using Depeche Mode to launch such a promotion. When I did travel coordination for the band in the 80's, the height of their popularity, they didn't sell a truck load of records, which leads me to think iTunes Pass might not bring in a lot of takers. I do know that this band sold more merchandise that many of the bigger acts in the 80's. They also put on an amazing live show.

Actors Try Singing - Joaquin Phoenix on Deck

There has been a buzz since Joaquin Phoenix stated he's retiring from making films and is recording a rap album. There have been numerous actors who have tried their hand at a singing career with dismal results. There will always be those TV actor one hit wonders, anyone remember the Donna Reed Show with Shelley Fabares and Paul Peterson. It doesn't hurt that they had people like Carole King and Gerry Goffin writing for them. Today on WNYC's Soundcheck they discuss this very topic and the host John Schaefer blogs about it. . Mare Winningham, Rick Moranis and Minnie Driver have all appeared on his show promoting their musical endeavors.

I've thought about this often and have yet to come up with an actor (acting has to have been his/her first career) who had a successful recording career. Rick Springfield is eliminated. He had a hit with Speak To The Sky, long before his cartoon, Mission Magic or General Hospital. Schaefer mentions Eddie Murphy, She And Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) and of course William Shatner. I can list a lot of actors who have had top 10 hits, but never a career singing: David Soul, John Travolta, Vicki Lawrence, Jack Wagner. Dyers.org has a list of Actors Who Tried to Sing, along with their album covers. Check out: Kristy McNichol, Donny Most, Anson Williams, Keanu Reeves, the list goes on. Kevin Bacon and his brother have successfully played live for many years, but never had a hit.

I would love to be enlightened. Is there is a actor who did have a successful singing career post acting? Does this mean it is much easier to act than to perform music? I guess Joaqin is up for taking the challenge.

ELO Bassist RIP

Kelly Groucutt, bassist for Electric Light Orchestra died of a heard attack on February 19, according to his official website. Groucutt was a member of the group from 1974-1983. He passed away in Worcester, England at the age of 63.

I saw ELO in their heyday at The Nassau Coliseum. It was an amazing show. At the time it seemed like there were 40 people on that stage. We see bigger productions now, but it impressed me then. There was so much hair and so much music coming off that stage.

Guitar Hero Misspells Lynyrd Skynyrd

As Rolling Stone points out Lynyrd Skynyrd lost a "Y" on the Guitar Hero artwork and "haven’t they lost enough already?" Lynyrd Skynyrd's name is misspelled on the cover of the latest version of Guitar Hero: Metallica. "Lynyr Skynrd" is listed with the other bands that are represented on the video game. Check the left-center for the mistake. It goes into the word Hero.

Quadrophenia: A UK Stage Production Debut

According to Billboardbiz, Quadrophenia will be start it's UK theatrical run on May 9.

The article quoted Quadrophenia's author, Pete Townsend. "It's taken a long time and a lot of wrangling to accept that Quadrophenia is probably never going to work as conventional music theatre," said Townsend in a statement. "So I hope for a grand and chaotic explosion of music and chorus that revives the memories of being young in the '60s, but also brings those memories to life in the 21st century."

Metropolitan Entertainment promoted Quadrophenia at Madison Square Garden when I work there, which is why I saw it. I think it was the summer of 1996. At best I was a casual Who fan. I was blown away by the energy of Roger Daltrey and the writing of Pete Townsend. I now pay attention to the Who. This wasn't even Townsend at his best. He was only playing acoustic guitar as he had hand trouble. Billy Idol and Gary Glitter were part of the show. Zak Starkey (Keith Moon was his godfather) was impressive on drums. Even without it being a full blown Who show, the power of the music hit me. Hearing Bettye LaVette sing "Love Rain O'Er Me" at the Kennedy Center Honors reinforced the ability of Pete's music to strike a chord that resonates deep in one's soul.

iTunes Replay

Apple Insider is reporting that Apple is getting ready to launch a media streaming service called Replay which would work with iTunes 8. This would allow a purchase from iTunes to be streamed anywhere the consumer is logged into iTunes. Right now it seems to be geared toward TV shows and movies. Mobile device users could watch what they bought, but not have to take up precious storage space on their device. It's similar to the Instant Watch service Netflix offers now, but it's mobile. This would be a big boast for the iPhone and iTouch. Apple creates a product and then builds programs to make using them easier and more efficient; therefore selling more products. The major record labels couldn't do it, but Apple did.

Beacon Theater Shines

Tomorrow Paul Simon will be the first person to grace the stage at the newly renovated Beacon Theater on New York's Upper West Side. The theater was designated a landmark in 1979. It seems to me that it was always in a halfway state of either repair or disrepair depending on how you look at it. The backstage areas were on different floors with little staircases that eventually lead outside or to the stage. I've seen many shows there, the last one was Marisa Monte. Whether it was Marissa or Los Lobos performing, the place always looked like it had too many coats of gold paint. From the looks of the photos in the NY Times slide show, the 7 month renovation has made the theater almost unrecognizable to me. It is gleaming in all it's original glory. I wonder if the backstage area got a face lift also?

The New Face of Banana Republic: Liz Phair

Banana Republic is rolling out a new ad campaign called "City Stories". They've enlisted musicians who embody the city and are comfortable in Banana Republic clothing. The article in Billborad.biz, quoted Banana Republic’s chief marketing officer Peter DeLuca that the campaign began by targeting “the modern soul”: shoppers between the ages of 25 and 49 who “aspire to a city lifestyle,” says DeLuca. “We’re really trying to establish the brand’s vision of the city as an anchor point. Music is a key piece of the puzzle.” What about those of us who live in a major city? This sounds a lot like a series of ads the Gap (owned by the same company) ran in the 1990's. When I was working with Luscious Jackson they did a Christmas ad, as as well as one called Stone Fox, which was an original song they wrote for the ad. Around the time I was working with Luscious Jackson at Side One Management we also managed Liz Phair, a participant in the new BR campaign.

Other artists participating: Sara Bareilles, OK Go! and Tommy Torres.