So The Beatles are back. Rock Band game, remastered albums... Recently a friend asked via Facebook (where else?), "Have the Beatles sold out?" Well, they did have an album called, "Beatles For Sale". Maybe they sold out many years ago? My answer is this: Comparitively speaking, no. I think a band like The Beatles became bigger than its name long ago, so it's really hard to differentiate between what is selling out and what is just Beatlemania that has been going on since the early '60s. Keep in mind that this is one of the few band that turned down reunion gimmicks time after time after time, most recently in 2000, apparently, when Universal offered George, Ringo, and Paul a multi-million dollar offer to do one show. They quite obviously turned it down. I think that constitutes a very non-sell-out attitude toward your band.
But that's not what I want to write about today. Partly, I feel silly trying to contribute anything to the discussion about The Beatles. Anything and everything has already been written by people who are far better writers than me. But also, there's part of me that could probably write every single blog about The Beatles (or Bob Dylan) because I have been a life-long fan and really, though, my favorite songs and albums have changed over time, I've never tired of them. What I want to talk about is how one gets to that point of fandom. Can video games and remastered CD's carry on the legacy of The Beatles to future generations?
I really don't think they can. While I'd love to check out the Rock Band game and hear the remasters, I think that's mostly because I'm already a fan and am curious. Becoming a fan, I'm convinced, has everything to do with friends turning you on to a band and/or having magical experiences related to the songs of a particular band. It's a person by person, very individual process. You can't ram your music down someones throat and expect them to like you. I didn't get into grunge in the early to mid '90s because of media hype. I got into Pearl Jam because of my cousin, Mark. I later got into Nirvana because of conversations with my friend, Amy. Similarly, I can't imagine being a true, hardcore, life-long Beatles fan without experiences that are unique to my own life, not because of a particular reissue or hyped-up cross-marketing scheme.
I became a Beatles fan for a couple of reasons. First off, my dad was a dj on a local radio station, when I was a just a small town kid in Wataga, IL. By that time, The Beatles were already fodder for "oldies" stations. This was twenty plus years ago! My dad was (and still is) a huge Beatles fan. He would play them anytime he could and in fact spent one Thanksgiving Day (??? I think. I may have gotten the holiday wrong. Help me out here dad!) playing nothing but the Beatles for hours on end. But it was one particular time he played one song that sticks with me. I remember him asking me before he left for work one day, if there was anything I wanted to hear on the radio. And I said I wanted to hear, "Hey Jude". I must have been like 10 or 11 at the time. Man was I a cool kid! I sat by the radio, filled with anticipation, and waited for Paul McCartney's voice to ring out over the ancient speakers I listened to music through.
But before Paul's voice, came my dad's, and I'll never forget this, saying, "This one goes out to Wataga." Cue Mr. McCartney and the band. I loved that he put it that way. It wasn't, "This one goes out to my son, Andy", it was a more mysterious statement, but I was in on the secret. In fact, that moment may very well be one of the main reasons I went to broadcast school years later! It was magical, it was personal, it was The Beatles! And the song has remained extremely personal to me ever since.
One of my other early moments of Beatles indoctrination came from listening to them with my older brother. Particularly, we used to sit in his room and listen to my dad's scratchy LP of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Man, we must have listened to it thousands of times. We both, to this day, could probably tell you exactly where the record skipped. These days, I see very little of my brother, and quite honestly, we are far different people, but I always cut back to those days in my mind. Pre-cd (I know for a fact that when both of us eventually bought cd players, Sgt. Pepper was one of the first cd's we each bought) days of a kid sitting around with his older brother, who he idolized, digging music that came from a different universe--trippy, ethereal, melodic, fun, singable...it was all there.
Even though, those were the two big ones, I've had so many other moments that relate to the music of The Beatles. Countless times singing to a song on the car radio or on a dock of a lake on a summer day. Sitting around with music people talking about our favorite songs. When I still played open mics, one of my best performances came at a packed folk music-oriented open mic in the suburbs of Chicago. I kicked off my two song set with, "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away". I can't explain how it felt to have all of these people, many of whom were professionals, singing along with me to this song that I love. It gave me the confidence to deliver a solid rendition of one of my own songs.
And I've got to imagine, that this is how most people became Beatles fans, or fans of any band for that matter. Music is a supremely personal experience and while I hope that the Rock Band game and the remasters create some new fans, I think it's more complicated than that. The future of music lies on creating experiences for people, not necessarily in the physical product. New bands should get wise to a couple of things. First of all, get good. The Beatles were so good because they played together for hours and hours on end (without their stint in Germany, they may have been just another British Invasion band). Second of all, make personal connections with your fans. Don't push the issue, but meet your fans, talk to them, be accessible, make songs from your heart and soul. Say what you will about Twitter and Facebook and 21st century technology, but one of the positives about it, is that fans of an artist have a unique way of connecting to their favorite bands or singers, in a way that was never possible in the past. And artists have a unique way of marketing their music and creating one-of-a-kind experiences--secret shows, specially autographed merchandice--because of these social networking sites.
With music, first and foremost, it's about the MUSIC. But also, it's about creating personal experiences that people will remember for the rest of their lives. And I don't know if The Beatles did that purposefully, but their music has had the power and timelessness to be able to create those moments for myself as well as millions of others. Maybe you can't recreate that. Maybe it just has to happen. So while new Beatles "stuff" is great, it's not what makes them amazing or what will keep them alive for generations.
It's scratchy records, older brothers or sisters, moms & dads, summer sing-a-longs, the late night bar juke box on a night out with friends, FM radio on a roadtrip. It's moments that stick with us for a lifetime.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Random Thoughts for a Saturday Morning
Happy Labor Day weekend to one and all. I'll be celebrating by working tonight. I'm curious, what are the best songs about working? What are your thoughts?
Labor Day weekend is the unofficial last weekend of the summer, so I hope you all have some spectacular festivities planned. If you don't, might I suggest one to those in the Chicago area: the Chicago Jazz Fest in Grant Park, which goes on today and tomorrow.
I've often wondered how this fest can be so packed with people every year, but then you never hear anyone talking much about going to jazz venues or concerts. I suppose part of the charm of Jazz or Blues Fest is that you can sit around the lawn in Grant Park, enjoy some expensive food and beer, and spend time with your friends on a beautiful Chicago day--which as most know, we only get a handful of all year. The music almost becomes an after-thought. In fact if you walk around, you'll see a great number who definitely have no interest in the music itself and are merely using it like a soundtrack playing in the background, which is fine I suppose, but personally I don't get it.
Jazz is America's one true artform. It is spontaneous, at times energetic, at times thoughtful, at times a canvas of aural color, tone, and nuance. But to be truly appreciated, it needs to be LISTENED to. It takes work, but once you develop an ear for it, jazz will reward you time and time again. It's hard to shift between pop music and jazz music, as pop can be listened to very passively, and while you might even miss things with pop if you're not careful, you can still appreciate it on a certain level while doing about ten different things at once, as we Americans, the Kings and Queens of Multi-tasking tend to do. I encourage you to go to Jazz Fest and just listen. If you can't get there, get yourself some Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, and Billie Holliday albums and do the same. "Kind of Blue" by Miles and "Blue Train" by Coltrane are good starting points. Give them a couple of real, fully devoted listens and I think you'll get something out of them. Then if you're feeling really adventurous, check out "A Love Supreme" by Coltrane and "Bitches Brew" by Miles. Any thing by Charlie Parker is amazing. I recommend "The Quintet at Massey Hall", though, which also features Dizzy Gillespe, Bud Powell, and Charles Mingus (who may very well be one of the greatest American composers of all time).
That's my jazz rant of the day. I wanted to talk a little bit about Dylan playing 3 shows at the end of October, which coincides with the release of his Christmas album, but I'll save that for later.
Oh and did you know that the Sony Walkman outsells the iPod in Japan? I know it's the modern version of the Walkman, but in my mind I have visions of hip Japanese youth carrying around the big 'ol '80s style tape deck Walkman! Hey, I made some great mix tapes in my day! In a way, I kind of miss it.
And also, I'm thinking of the Dylan song, "Idiot Wind". Just wanted to let you know. Long story. Might have to do with politics, might not.
Oh, and here's some Bird and Diz, once again I'm technology stupid, so you might have to copy and paste this into your browser since I can't figure out how to create a link!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkvCDCOGzGc
Labor Day weekend is the unofficial last weekend of the summer, so I hope you all have some spectacular festivities planned. If you don't, might I suggest one to those in the Chicago area: the Chicago Jazz Fest in Grant Park, which goes on today and tomorrow.
I've often wondered how this fest can be so packed with people every year, but then you never hear anyone talking much about going to jazz venues or concerts. I suppose part of the charm of Jazz or Blues Fest is that you can sit around the lawn in Grant Park, enjoy some expensive food and beer, and spend time with your friends on a beautiful Chicago day--which as most know, we only get a handful of all year. The music almost becomes an after-thought. In fact if you walk around, you'll see a great number who definitely have no interest in the music itself and are merely using it like a soundtrack playing in the background, which is fine I suppose, but personally I don't get it.
Jazz is America's one true artform. It is spontaneous, at times energetic, at times thoughtful, at times a canvas of aural color, tone, and nuance. But to be truly appreciated, it needs to be LISTENED to. It takes work, but once you develop an ear for it, jazz will reward you time and time again. It's hard to shift between pop music and jazz music, as pop can be listened to very passively, and while you might even miss things with pop if you're not careful, you can still appreciate it on a certain level while doing about ten different things at once, as we Americans, the Kings and Queens of Multi-tasking tend to do. I encourage you to go to Jazz Fest and just listen. If you can't get there, get yourself some Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, and Billie Holliday albums and do the same. "Kind of Blue" by Miles and "Blue Train" by Coltrane are good starting points. Give them a couple of real, fully devoted listens and I think you'll get something out of them. Then if you're feeling really adventurous, check out "A Love Supreme" by Coltrane and "Bitches Brew" by Miles. Any thing by Charlie Parker is amazing. I recommend "The Quintet at Massey Hall", though, which also features Dizzy Gillespe, Bud Powell, and Charles Mingus (who may very well be one of the greatest American composers of all time).
That's my jazz rant of the day. I wanted to talk a little bit about Dylan playing 3 shows at the end of October, which coincides with the release of his Christmas album, but I'll save that for later.
Oh and did you know that the Sony Walkman outsells the iPod in Japan? I know it's the modern version of the Walkman, but in my mind I have visions of hip Japanese youth carrying around the big 'ol '80s style tape deck Walkman! Hey, I made some great mix tapes in my day! In a way, I kind of miss it.
And also, I'm thinking of the Dylan song, "Idiot Wind". Just wanted to let you know. Long story. Might have to do with politics, might not.
Oh, and here's some Bird and Diz, once again I'm technology stupid, so you might have to copy and paste this into your browser since I can't figure out how to create a link!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkvCDCOGzGc
Friday, September 4, 2009
3 Songs on Shuffle and more (Click here for Vivian Girls Video! Yay!)
I'm working on reinventing this blog. For no good reason other than I like music and writing and like writing about music probably more than any other type of writing. So I want to have regular features, rather than just random occasional rants. Maybe I'll keep doing the random occasional rants too, but I found myself ranting less and less, so time would go by and suddenly it's been nearly 4 months since I wrote an entry. So for today, I'm doing a "3 songs on shuffle" experiment. Fire up the 'ol iTunes library and let it shuffle to 3 songs and see what happens. I like seeing if songs link to each other in any peculiar way. I also just like the discovery process of listening to my library on shuffle. I have a whole lot on here that I've never heard or haven't heard much, so I wanted to mostly do a stream of consciousness approach to writing about it--attempt to capture the moment of listening to music. And then maybe go back and add on some further impressions. So here is todays "3 Songs on Shuffle". Sometime soon, I'll have a new feature as well. Would like to reprise the podcast very soon as well. If you are reading this, PLEASE, let me know and spread the word if you like what you read. I have an ego that needs to be inflated!!
You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As Your Told)--The White Stripes
The infectious hooks of the White Stripes open up this song which is in the vein of the classic type of "I'm gonna tell it like it is because I don't really care anymore" song. There's a few good ones in this vein. Dylan's "Positively 4th Street" possibly being the best. This one is pretty good, though. A couple of really good lines here, the title itself being one, the opening line being another (In some respects I suspect you've got a respectable side), and a line in the chorus as well (Just as a child of ten might act but you're far too old). I like a good "tell it like it is" song. And everyone knows the type of person who can't tell the difference between infatuation and love, who goes along with whatever the other person says, just because they say it and are supposedly in love with that person. Usually pretty unhealthy stuff happens here. One person dominates and manipulates, why the other is blindly pulled around in the name of "love". Good one Jack White! Love the typical Jack White high register guitar solo at the end of this White Stripes classic!
Don't Ya Tell Henry--Bob Dylan and the Band
Levon Helm of The Band takes vocals on this up tempo shuffle off of the classic, "The Basement Tapes". I definitely hear a little New Orleans influence on here. I could listen to The Band all the time. They had the unique ability to draw upon almost every type of American popular music of the last century and meld it into something fresh and alive. And to me, much of it sounds fresh and alive forty years plus after the fact. I'm not too familiar with the song, but there's nothing on "The Basement Tapes" I don't like. So big ups to this one as well. Why isn't music like this made anymore? Maybe it is and the landscape is just too crowded with crap to realize it. I don't really know. Oh and a connection to the previous song: Jack White was frequently playing with Dylan there for awhile, I think it was last summer, during Dylan concerts. There's a couple of weird dudes, but man, they both can play some music!
Where Do You Run To--Vivian Girls
I don't know a whole lot about Vivian Girls, which is one of the fun parts about listening to music on shuffle. I do know they are on Chicago's Bloodshot Records label, which is a plus for me already, as I love a lot of what Bloodshot puts out and also Bloodshot has some of the best SXSW parties. Back to the song. Pretty good. Kind of your basic straight ahead rock song. I don't know how to describe the beat other than kind of '60s pop rockisk (think "That Thing You Do!" and you've got it). The verses are hard to understand and but the chorus, which repeats the title of the song is clear and it's cool how they build upon it with harmonies. Vocals kind of seem Veruca Salt-ish (If you try to sing "Seether" with the opening strains of this song, it actually works pretty well...pretty sure it's in the same key) or Ravonettes-ish. Emotionless in a way, at least until the chorus, which it should be apparent, is my favorite part of this one. I think this might be a little bit of an accusatory song as well. "Where do you run to baby, why do you leave me all alone?" Maybe in a similar family to the White Stripes song. Not exactly siblings, but possibly cousins. They're both kind of angry, but this one actually asks for an answer rather than just ranting at someone. Although, I think maybe it's a rhetorical question. Either way, good dance-able pop rock. Would have fit right in on the "Pulp Fiction" soundtrack.
I included a link to a fun little Vivian Girls vid for ya too. Click on the title of the post. I'm not tech savvy so I didn't know how to embed it on here. But still...Enjoy!
You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As Your Told)--The White Stripes
The infectious hooks of the White Stripes open up this song which is in the vein of the classic type of "I'm gonna tell it like it is because I don't really care anymore" song. There's a few good ones in this vein. Dylan's "Positively 4th Street" possibly being the best. This one is pretty good, though. A couple of really good lines here, the title itself being one, the opening line being another (In some respects I suspect you've got a respectable side), and a line in the chorus as well (Just as a child of ten might act but you're far too old). I like a good "tell it like it is" song. And everyone knows the type of person who can't tell the difference between infatuation and love, who goes along with whatever the other person says, just because they say it and are supposedly in love with that person. Usually pretty unhealthy stuff happens here. One person dominates and manipulates, why the other is blindly pulled around in the name of "love". Good one Jack White! Love the typical Jack White high register guitar solo at the end of this White Stripes classic!
Don't Ya Tell Henry--Bob Dylan and the Band
Levon Helm of The Band takes vocals on this up tempo shuffle off of the classic, "The Basement Tapes". I definitely hear a little New Orleans influence on here. I could listen to The Band all the time. They had the unique ability to draw upon almost every type of American popular music of the last century and meld it into something fresh and alive. And to me, much of it sounds fresh and alive forty years plus after the fact. I'm not too familiar with the song, but there's nothing on "The Basement Tapes" I don't like. So big ups to this one as well. Why isn't music like this made anymore? Maybe it is and the landscape is just too crowded with crap to realize it. I don't really know. Oh and a connection to the previous song: Jack White was frequently playing with Dylan there for awhile, I think it was last summer, during Dylan concerts. There's a couple of weird dudes, but man, they both can play some music!
Where Do You Run To--Vivian Girls
I don't know a whole lot about Vivian Girls, which is one of the fun parts about listening to music on shuffle. I do know they are on Chicago's Bloodshot Records label, which is a plus for me already, as I love a lot of what Bloodshot puts out and also Bloodshot has some of the best SXSW parties. Back to the song. Pretty good. Kind of your basic straight ahead rock song. I don't know how to describe the beat other than kind of '60s pop rockisk (think "That Thing You Do!" and you've got it). The verses are hard to understand and but the chorus, which repeats the title of the song is clear and it's cool how they build upon it with harmonies. Vocals kind of seem Veruca Salt-ish (If you try to sing "Seether" with the opening strains of this song, it actually works pretty well...pretty sure it's in the same key) or Ravonettes-ish. Emotionless in a way, at least until the chorus, which it should be apparent, is my favorite part of this one. I think this might be a little bit of an accusatory song as well. "Where do you run to baby, why do you leave me all alone?" Maybe in a similar family to the White Stripes song. Not exactly siblings, but possibly cousins. They're both kind of angry, but this one actually asks for an answer rather than just ranting at someone. Although, I think maybe it's a rhetorical question. Either way, good dance-able pop rock. Would have fit right in on the "Pulp Fiction" soundtrack.
I included a link to a fun little Vivian Girls vid for ya too. Click on the title of the post. I'm not tech savvy so I didn't know how to embed it on here. But still...Enjoy!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thoughts on Green Day and the Lonely Silence that Accompanies Music Blogging
It has been three months since my last blog. Forgive me readers, for I have let you down.
Here's the problem, though. To use the plural word, "readers", is to exaggerate the nature of my blog, which I suppose is partially what led me to not writing any entries. I kind of alluded to that in my last entry as well. Life is not sunshine and lollipops for musicians or budding music journalists.
So I stopped, which is something in my last entry that I said I wouldn't do. But what can you do? I've done a lot of things I said I wouldn't do. I remember thinking the high-and-mighty-colllege-graduate thought, "Ha! I'm so glad I'll never work at a restaurant ever again" as I left a part-time serving job to pursue substitute teaching full-time, on the road, to what I presumed to be a long and fruitful career as an educator. Fast forward a decade and I've been working at a restaurant longer than I have worked at any teaching job, or any other type of job for that matter. Oh well.
And then there was the whole swine flu scare (sorry, H1N1--although I find it a lot harder to channel my hypochondriac fear and anger toward the letters H and N and the number one, than when I could blame it all on pigs. The only imagery H1N1 brings to my mind is the game Battleship, which I have nothing but fond feelings for. Sigh!). I had been battling what was presumably bronchitis for quite sometime, but it wouldn't go away and I just wasn't feeling up to doing a lot. Just about the time I was ready to shrug it off as a particularly virulent cold, the whole bring-out-your-surgical-masks-and-bathe-in-purell-and-don't-watch-cable-news-channels-unless-you-want-to-be-convinced-that-you-are-going-to-die-a-horrible-black-death-esque-death-flu-scare came along. But it turns out I'm ok.
What's my point? I don't really have one. I'm basically justifying the life of a lazy writer. I mean, I don't get paid for this. I don't have a deadline. And readership is way down. Not that it was ever up. How does this relate to music? Bands are going through many of the same feelings of inadequacy and frustration. And maybe they are also going through bouts of hypochondria as well, but I don't have any solid evidence of it just yet.
What I do know is two things are clear with the music industry. One: There are too many bands vying for attention in a marketplace that isn't what it used to be. I can't imagine promising bands being able to realize their full potential, what with the lack of label support, the recession, and the millions of other factors that make it damn near impossible to make long term plans for your band's development.
Two: Bands with money, label support, and marketing campaigns are more visible, it's true, but seem just as clueless as the rest. I'm going to take Green Day as an example. Here is a band that's been around a long time. Who would have imagined this band that came out of the '90s post-punk pop-punk revival, along with the likes of The Offspring, Rancid, and Blink 182, would still be around to make a record called, "21st Century Breakdown".
I think the title is supposed to refer, at least partially, to the mess we are in as a country right now. But it would be an apt description of the music industry, as well. The money machine that was the record industry is broken and I don't think anyone knows yet the right way to fix it.
How has Green Day made it so long? Here's a band that once sang, "I've got no motivation". Seems like they've found a whole lot of it somewhere along the line. And indeed, they found the motivation to change their sound, which has given them the staying power to become veterans of the industry. Some would say they sold out, which, yeah, I think that would be somewhat fair to say. They always had pop sensibilities, but they gradually shed every ounce of punk street cred in favor of songs like "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and the ultimate cringe-inducing radio hit, Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) (please, oh please, when I die, I really don't care what music people choose to play--well, ok, I kind of do--but I'm going to put it in writing for all to see right now: Do Not Under Any Circumstances Play That Song At My Funeral. Over the past decade, when someone dies, you get the inevitable montage of someone's life backed with that horrible song. That is not a tribute to that person! In fact, to me it shows a laziness towards respecting someone's memory that someone would choose a song, so generic-sounding, which really isn't that profound a statement on living or dying, rather than a song that has specific meaning to said departed person's life. Why don't you just play "My Way" while you're at it for God's sake!).
But whatever your opinion on Green Day's career decisions, they've done just fine for themselves and are still around--everywhere, yes EVERYWHERE--with their new album.
This is where the whole "visible, but still not knowing what's going on" thing comes into play. It's the philosophy in today's music industry to find clever ways to insert a band's music into people's lives since no one listens to the radio anymore and MTV hasn't played a video in probably 20 years. So you get music in commercials, on tv shows, in ringtone form...basically blaring at you from every direction. But does it help?
Somewhat I think. Feist was certainly helped with an iPod campaign. Iron and Wine, Joanna Newsome, and even Bob Dylan, have watched their sales jump a bit after a particularly memorable commercial (made memorable perhaps because of the music only). But here's my question: When is it too much?
This Green Day album has been shoved down people's throats for quite some time now, particularly the track, "Know the Enemy", which is a decent, kind of Clash-ish sounding track (it even contains one of those non-sensical noises that punk/ska is famous for--you now, along the lines of, "Oy,oy,oy!" or "Ay oh let's go". It sounds kind of like "oh yeah", but slurred so it comes out like "ahhyeawwwll" which makes me think of struggling to get a bit of phlegm out of your throat, or maybe the sound you make right before throwing your guts up. I'm not sure. I'll let you know when I find out for sure. It may be that it's an actual lyric. I'm too lazy to look up the lyrics), but one that I am now thoroughly sick of, before I even felt like it occured to me to buy it. Not only have they played it on the traditional late night circuit, but it's on Comcast On Demand, they played it constantly on ESPN last month to promote the NBA Playoffs, I think they have a deal with Verizon too. I'd say Green Day has found the motivation they lacked in the '90s.
I see what they are trying to do, and I don't know, I'm no expert, maybe it'll work. But is this what it has come to? Not having any other options to expose people to your music other than ramming it down their throats 24/7? To me it smells of desperation and a certain sense of cluelessness. Is that the best the music world can give us? God, I hope not.
As I said earlier, Green Day has already given up most of their punk credibility, but when a band is so over-exposed, it's hard to take them serious when they stand up for a belief like the one they expressed on their appearance on The Colbert Report. The band will not be selling their album at Wal-Mart because of the censoring the notoriously conservative big-box retailer would do to the album. I can respect that on the one hand, but on the other hand, you've let everyone and their second cousin use your song in every possible way. You're in a cell phone campaign. It almost seems a little silly trying to make a stand against big 'ol mean Wal-Mart when you've let your music become so corporate already.
But what's a band to do? Green Day has made it this long, so they must be doing something right. Maybe this is how it has to be done. Maybe our twitterized culture is so attention span-less and distracted by so many other things, that the only way artists can have a chance is by metaphorically smashing people in the head with their music until the public finally says, "Ok, ok I'll buy your damn song as long as you promise to make it stop!!!".
The song is pretty well smashed into my head, but I still don't have that much desire to buy it. I get the feeling that's what a lot of people are saying about it. "Know the Enemy"? The music industry is its own worst enemy right now.
Here's the problem, though. To use the plural word, "readers", is to exaggerate the nature of my blog, which I suppose is partially what led me to not writing any entries. I kind of alluded to that in my last entry as well. Life is not sunshine and lollipops for musicians or budding music journalists.
So I stopped, which is something in my last entry that I said I wouldn't do. But what can you do? I've done a lot of things I said I wouldn't do. I remember thinking the high-and-mighty-colllege-graduate thought, "Ha! I'm so glad I'll never work at a restaurant ever again" as I left a part-time serving job to pursue substitute teaching full-time, on the road, to what I presumed to be a long and fruitful career as an educator. Fast forward a decade and I've been working at a restaurant longer than I have worked at any teaching job, or any other type of job for that matter. Oh well.
And then there was the whole swine flu scare (sorry, H1N1--although I find it a lot harder to channel my hypochondriac fear and anger toward the letters H and N and the number one, than when I could blame it all on pigs. The only imagery H1N1 brings to my mind is the game Battleship, which I have nothing but fond feelings for. Sigh!). I had been battling what was presumably bronchitis for quite sometime, but it wouldn't go away and I just wasn't feeling up to doing a lot. Just about the time I was ready to shrug it off as a particularly virulent cold, the whole bring-out-your-surgical-masks-and-bathe-in-purell-and-don't-watch-cable-news-channels-unless-you-want-to-be-convinced-that-you-are-going-to-die-a-horrible-black-death-esque-death-flu-scare came along. But it turns out I'm ok.
What's my point? I don't really have one. I'm basically justifying the life of a lazy writer. I mean, I don't get paid for this. I don't have a deadline. And readership is way down. Not that it was ever up. How does this relate to music? Bands are going through many of the same feelings of inadequacy and frustration. And maybe they are also going through bouts of hypochondria as well, but I don't have any solid evidence of it just yet.
What I do know is two things are clear with the music industry. One: There are too many bands vying for attention in a marketplace that isn't what it used to be. I can't imagine promising bands being able to realize their full potential, what with the lack of label support, the recession, and the millions of other factors that make it damn near impossible to make long term plans for your band's development.
Two: Bands with money, label support, and marketing campaigns are more visible, it's true, but seem just as clueless as the rest. I'm going to take Green Day as an example. Here is a band that's been around a long time. Who would have imagined this band that came out of the '90s post-punk pop-punk revival, along with the likes of The Offspring, Rancid, and Blink 182, would still be around to make a record called, "21st Century Breakdown".
I think the title is supposed to refer, at least partially, to the mess we are in as a country right now. But it would be an apt description of the music industry, as well. The money machine that was the record industry is broken and I don't think anyone knows yet the right way to fix it.
How has Green Day made it so long? Here's a band that once sang, "I've got no motivation". Seems like they've found a whole lot of it somewhere along the line. And indeed, they found the motivation to change their sound, which has given them the staying power to become veterans of the industry. Some would say they sold out, which, yeah, I think that would be somewhat fair to say. They always had pop sensibilities, but they gradually shed every ounce of punk street cred in favor of songs like "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and the ultimate cringe-inducing radio hit, Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) (please, oh please, when I die, I really don't care what music people choose to play--well, ok, I kind of do--but I'm going to put it in writing for all to see right now: Do Not Under Any Circumstances Play That Song At My Funeral. Over the past decade, when someone dies, you get the inevitable montage of someone's life backed with that horrible song. That is not a tribute to that person! In fact, to me it shows a laziness towards respecting someone's memory that someone would choose a song, so generic-sounding, which really isn't that profound a statement on living or dying, rather than a song that has specific meaning to said departed person's life. Why don't you just play "My Way" while you're at it for God's sake!).
But whatever your opinion on Green Day's career decisions, they've done just fine for themselves and are still around--everywhere, yes EVERYWHERE--with their new album.
This is where the whole "visible, but still not knowing what's going on" thing comes into play. It's the philosophy in today's music industry to find clever ways to insert a band's music into people's lives since no one listens to the radio anymore and MTV hasn't played a video in probably 20 years. So you get music in commercials, on tv shows, in ringtone form...basically blaring at you from every direction. But does it help?
Somewhat I think. Feist was certainly helped with an iPod campaign. Iron and Wine, Joanna Newsome, and even Bob Dylan, have watched their sales jump a bit after a particularly memorable commercial (made memorable perhaps because of the music only). But here's my question: When is it too much?
This Green Day album has been shoved down people's throats for quite some time now, particularly the track, "Know the Enemy", which is a decent, kind of Clash-ish sounding track (it even contains one of those non-sensical noises that punk/ska is famous for--you now, along the lines of, "Oy,oy,oy!" or "Ay oh let's go". It sounds kind of like "oh yeah", but slurred so it comes out like "ahhyeawwwll" which makes me think of struggling to get a bit of phlegm out of your throat, or maybe the sound you make right before throwing your guts up. I'm not sure. I'll let you know when I find out for sure. It may be that it's an actual lyric. I'm too lazy to look up the lyrics), but one that I am now thoroughly sick of, before I even felt like it occured to me to buy it. Not only have they played it on the traditional late night circuit, but it's on Comcast On Demand, they played it constantly on ESPN last month to promote the NBA Playoffs, I think they have a deal with Verizon too. I'd say Green Day has found the motivation they lacked in the '90s.
I see what they are trying to do, and I don't know, I'm no expert, maybe it'll work. But is this what it has come to? Not having any other options to expose people to your music other than ramming it down their throats 24/7? To me it smells of desperation and a certain sense of cluelessness. Is that the best the music world can give us? God, I hope not.
As I said earlier, Green Day has already given up most of their punk credibility, but when a band is so over-exposed, it's hard to take them serious when they stand up for a belief like the one they expressed on their appearance on The Colbert Report. The band will not be selling their album at Wal-Mart because of the censoring the notoriously conservative big-box retailer would do to the album. I can respect that on the one hand, but on the other hand, you've let everyone and their second cousin use your song in every possible way. You're in a cell phone campaign. It almost seems a little silly trying to make a stand against big 'ol mean Wal-Mart when you've let your music become so corporate already.
But what's a band to do? Green Day has made it this long, so they must be doing something right. Maybe this is how it has to be done. Maybe our twitterized culture is so attention span-less and distracted by so many other things, that the only way artists can have a chance is by metaphorically smashing people in the head with their music until the public finally says, "Ok, ok I'll buy your damn song as long as you promise to make it stop!!!".
The song is pretty well smashed into my head, but I still don't have that much desire to buy it. I get the feeling that's what a lot of people are saying about it. "Know the Enemy"? The music industry is its own worst enemy right now.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Does anyone care about music anymore?
I just finished watching "Almost Famous" for probably what was the 10th or 11th time, maybe more. Besides the fact that it has a great soundtrack, essential to a good film if you ask me, it captures the joy and passion of rock and roll. It speaks to what it means to be a fan of the music, first and foremost. It also captures a time that doesn't exist anymore. It's the time when people still cared about the music.
One of the funnier segments has the rock critic Lester Bangs (played flawlessly as usual by Phillip Seymour Hoffman) declaring rock dead. This is set in 1973 mind you. William Miller, the Cameron Crowe character, replies that at least he's there for the death rattle. So if 1973 was the death rattle, what does that leave us with in 2009? The rotting corpse?
That would be fitting, considering the times. Every industry is feeling the recession (which by the way, when does a recession become a depression, please let me know). But the music industry's been suffering pretty consistently for years now. I'll spare the details. We know them all by now. I watched the concert scenes in the film and thought to myself, "That's when rock and roll was what it was all about." Kids went to rock shows. They played rich vinyl albums. Yes, full-length albums filled with texture on so many levels: sonically, lyrically, spiritually.
I feel like music is kind of an after-thought now. People have their iPods and listen to music, I don't doubt that, but these days, it's like you're sharing a secret language when you find someone who wants to talk music. I'm not referring to talking about the artists who make the Grammy cut or who came out of American Idol, I'm talking about really talking about the MUSIC--underground bands, cutting edge artists, experimentalists, those who really know what it means to produce amazing works.
I worry about the future of rock and roll and popular music in general. It's fine to me when the major labels start to go under. I tend to feel like, "Well serve's 'em right for ripping us off for so long!" But when I hear about indie operations, like Chicago's Touch and Go, having to cut back, I cringe. If the indies can't make it, who's going to befriend the real artists? If it really takes 10,000 hours for anyone to become proficient at anything (see my previous post relating to the book, Outliers), how can anyone make it that long if there's no viable way to make a living?
Real fans of music are the ones who need to save it. I've said it before and I just said it again. We can't let it die. I'm not so naive to think that it will ever be like it was, but if those who care about good music just stand by and do nothing, I think things can only get worse. What does that mean exactly? Hell if I know. Maybe we should buy more music and see more shows. With what money and what time, though, right? I'm a firm believer that when something captivating comes along, people will support it. But then I come back to the question, "How can up-and-coming musicians make a living?"
There are billions of bands out there. But 95% of these bands are either really crappy or just doing this as a hobby and will quit after a short amount of time, after making the realization that they can't get gigs, no one's buying their cd's, and no one cares about their myspace page. Maybe with time they could get better--to the point that they can make quality, captivating music, but there are careers to think about. Rock is dead. Music is something you listen to, not do for a living. Maybe it never was actually, but now it's harder than it ever has been.
I think one problem is how this country views the arts. In European countries, it's like a foregone conclusion that the arts will be funded. Here, if legislators call for increased funding for the NEA, there is an outcry like people are calling for the funding of puppy slaughterhouses. There is a view by many that the arts are a simply a diversion. What type of society doesn't value art? I know President Obama's got bigger fish to fry right now, but how about establishing a Secretary of the Arts cabinet level position, like Quincy Jones and many others have suggested? How about we look into ways the arts can help fuel our struggling economy? How about more grants for independent artists, whether they be rock musicians, writers, visual artists, conceptual artists, etc? How about we fund arts programs in schools for once?
Ok so I'm getting a little off point. I'm guessing the government's not going to step in anytime soon, even though I think President Obama cares about the arts and may pursue some arts funding initiatives in the future. The inauguration festivities are evidence of that. Where does the indie musician/average music fan/indie music business owner/indie music journalist go from here then? I think some collaberation needs to happen where the minds meet and a new paradigm is established. The rock/pop scene of the '60s and '70s is dead. You can't go back. But we can't just stand by, throw our hands up in the air and say, "Oh well!". To me that's like standing by and watching a good friend get continually beaten, but doing nothing.
The world of music is a big mess right now. Guys like Live Nation and Ticketmaster think they're the ones to save it by merging, but that's not going to help the average fan or average band. It's still the world of the big dogs, though. I know as someone who tries to be an independent journalist, I'm not taken very seriously. I applied for press credentials for this year's SXSW and was granted them, provided I pay $135 for a wristband, which is a "press rate". That's serious money for a guy with no operating budget. I'm just an indie voice. Tack that on travel expenses, recording equipment expenses, rental car, and food, and what you have is a very expensive trip. And your average band faces a similar dilemma. Yeah this is the place to be to get exposure and to network, but most bands aren't getting their way paid. I'm not sure if I'll be making the trip or not.
I'm not saying that SXSW will miss me, but it begs the question, "What happens when the indie artists, writers, labels can't afford to make it to these things?" It goes with the previous question about how one can make a living as a musician. What happens when producing art becomes a game of who has the most money, rather than producing art itself? Everyone loses, that's what happens. Especially when no one has money in the first place! Alternative voices and ideas get shut out. Then you're stuck with the same old tired voices that ran the industry into the ground and continue to do so.
I kind of think this is a test. This is a test for those who truly love music. How creative are those who love music willing to get to save it? I'm just one blogger/podcaster, though, who struggles to even get his friends and family to read/listen! It's a frustrating landscape and the situation is the same for bands. The market is oversaturated. Too many bands, too many bloggers. There's nothing new or interesting so I think people turn to other things, rather than digging for the new or interesting.
So let's review the situation: no money for musicians, companies supportive of indie musicians are cutting back or folding completely, an oversaturated landscape exists with thousands upon thousands of bands (mostly crappy) to choose from, no government help for artists trying to make a living, the big industry guys are consolidating their powers. Hey kids, wanna start a rock 'n roll band? Why bother, right?
I kind of feel that way about this blog sometimes. Why bother when thousands of others are doing the same thing, probably better than me? Why bother when sometimes I have only one or two readers at a time (thanks for reading, Mike!)? The answer is that I love the music. It's like how the "Almost Famous" character, Russell Hammond replies to William Miller's question, "What do you love about music?" He answers, "First of all...everything." It's an illness, it really is. But I heard too many Beatles records as a kid, have been to too many great concerts, have felt transformed by it all too many times to count. I love being around the scene. Hell, I even love the egotistical, self-righteous musicians who pour on the charm and make big promises to you, but just want you to make them look cool (that's another aspect of the music industry that "Almost Famous" captures spot on).
Chances are, I'll find a way to get to Austin. Maybe it'll be like going to a wake this time around, I don't know--celebrating what was, with all of the other people who love music just as much as I do. I don't think it has to be that way, though. It's time for the little guys at the bottom, though, to offer some life support. It's time to start thinking outside the box, to use a tired old cliche. I don't have the answers to the industry's ills, but I'm not willing to give up yet. There's too much at stake.
One of the funnier segments has the rock critic Lester Bangs (played flawlessly as usual by Phillip Seymour Hoffman) declaring rock dead. This is set in 1973 mind you. William Miller, the Cameron Crowe character, replies that at least he's there for the death rattle. So if 1973 was the death rattle, what does that leave us with in 2009? The rotting corpse?
That would be fitting, considering the times. Every industry is feeling the recession (which by the way, when does a recession become a depression, please let me know). But the music industry's been suffering pretty consistently for years now. I'll spare the details. We know them all by now. I watched the concert scenes in the film and thought to myself, "That's when rock and roll was what it was all about." Kids went to rock shows. They played rich vinyl albums. Yes, full-length albums filled with texture on so many levels: sonically, lyrically, spiritually.
I feel like music is kind of an after-thought now. People have their iPods and listen to music, I don't doubt that, but these days, it's like you're sharing a secret language when you find someone who wants to talk music. I'm not referring to talking about the artists who make the Grammy cut or who came out of American Idol, I'm talking about really talking about the MUSIC--underground bands, cutting edge artists, experimentalists, those who really know what it means to produce amazing works.
I worry about the future of rock and roll and popular music in general. It's fine to me when the major labels start to go under. I tend to feel like, "Well serve's 'em right for ripping us off for so long!" But when I hear about indie operations, like Chicago's Touch and Go, having to cut back, I cringe. If the indies can't make it, who's going to befriend the real artists? If it really takes 10,000 hours for anyone to become proficient at anything (see my previous post relating to the book, Outliers), how can anyone make it that long if there's no viable way to make a living?
Real fans of music are the ones who need to save it. I've said it before and I just said it again. We can't let it die. I'm not so naive to think that it will ever be like it was, but if those who care about good music just stand by and do nothing, I think things can only get worse. What does that mean exactly? Hell if I know. Maybe we should buy more music and see more shows. With what money and what time, though, right? I'm a firm believer that when something captivating comes along, people will support it. But then I come back to the question, "How can up-and-coming musicians make a living?"
There are billions of bands out there. But 95% of these bands are either really crappy or just doing this as a hobby and will quit after a short amount of time, after making the realization that they can't get gigs, no one's buying their cd's, and no one cares about their myspace page. Maybe with time they could get better--to the point that they can make quality, captivating music, but there are careers to think about. Rock is dead. Music is something you listen to, not do for a living. Maybe it never was actually, but now it's harder than it ever has been.
I think one problem is how this country views the arts. In European countries, it's like a foregone conclusion that the arts will be funded. Here, if legislators call for increased funding for the NEA, there is an outcry like people are calling for the funding of puppy slaughterhouses. There is a view by many that the arts are a simply a diversion. What type of society doesn't value art? I know President Obama's got bigger fish to fry right now, but how about establishing a Secretary of the Arts cabinet level position, like Quincy Jones and many others have suggested? How about we look into ways the arts can help fuel our struggling economy? How about more grants for independent artists, whether they be rock musicians, writers, visual artists, conceptual artists, etc? How about we fund arts programs in schools for once?
Ok so I'm getting a little off point. I'm guessing the government's not going to step in anytime soon, even though I think President Obama cares about the arts and may pursue some arts funding initiatives in the future. The inauguration festivities are evidence of that. Where does the indie musician/average music fan/indie music business owner/indie music journalist go from here then? I think some collaberation needs to happen where the minds meet and a new paradigm is established. The rock/pop scene of the '60s and '70s is dead. You can't go back. But we can't just stand by, throw our hands up in the air and say, "Oh well!". To me that's like standing by and watching a good friend get continually beaten, but doing nothing.
The world of music is a big mess right now. Guys like Live Nation and Ticketmaster think they're the ones to save it by merging, but that's not going to help the average fan or average band. It's still the world of the big dogs, though. I know as someone who tries to be an independent journalist, I'm not taken very seriously. I applied for press credentials for this year's SXSW and was granted them, provided I pay $135 for a wristband, which is a "press rate". That's serious money for a guy with no operating budget. I'm just an indie voice. Tack that on travel expenses, recording equipment expenses, rental car, and food, and what you have is a very expensive trip. And your average band faces a similar dilemma. Yeah this is the place to be to get exposure and to network, but most bands aren't getting their way paid. I'm not sure if I'll be making the trip or not.
I'm not saying that SXSW will miss me, but it begs the question, "What happens when the indie artists, writers, labels can't afford to make it to these things?" It goes with the previous question about how one can make a living as a musician. What happens when producing art becomes a game of who has the most money, rather than producing art itself? Everyone loses, that's what happens. Especially when no one has money in the first place! Alternative voices and ideas get shut out. Then you're stuck with the same old tired voices that ran the industry into the ground and continue to do so.
I kind of think this is a test. This is a test for those who truly love music. How creative are those who love music willing to get to save it? I'm just one blogger/podcaster, though, who struggles to even get his friends and family to read/listen! It's a frustrating landscape and the situation is the same for bands. The market is oversaturated. Too many bands, too many bloggers. There's nothing new or interesting so I think people turn to other things, rather than digging for the new or interesting.
So let's review the situation: no money for musicians, companies supportive of indie musicians are cutting back or folding completely, an oversaturated landscape exists with thousands upon thousands of bands (mostly crappy) to choose from, no government help for artists trying to make a living, the big industry guys are consolidating their powers. Hey kids, wanna start a rock 'n roll band? Why bother, right?
I kind of feel that way about this blog sometimes. Why bother when thousands of others are doing the same thing, probably better than me? Why bother when sometimes I have only one or two readers at a time (thanks for reading, Mike!)? The answer is that I love the music. It's like how the "Almost Famous" character, Russell Hammond replies to William Miller's question, "What do you love about music?" He answers, "First of all...everything." It's an illness, it really is. But I heard too many Beatles records as a kid, have been to too many great concerts, have felt transformed by it all too many times to count. I love being around the scene. Hell, I even love the egotistical, self-righteous musicians who pour on the charm and make big promises to you, but just want you to make them look cool (that's another aspect of the music industry that "Almost Famous" captures spot on).
Chances are, I'll find a way to get to Austin. Maybe it'll be like going to a wake this time around, I don't know--celebrating what was, with all of the other people who love music just as much as I do. I don't think it has to be that way, though. It's time for the little guys at the bottom, though, to offer some life support. It's time to start thinking outside the box, to use a tired old cliche. I don't have the answers to the industry's ills, but I'm not willing to give up yet. There's too much at stake.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
One For My Hometown.
I've never been out to the cities out east like NYC, Boston, Baltimore, Philly, or DC, but I have been to a lot of different cities and have yet to find one better than the one I live in--Chicago. I mean, come on, the president's from here. How much better can it get?
It's an unseasonably warm day here in Chi-town. I just got back from walking all over the place. Probably about five miles if I had to guess, but it's just a guess. I walked past Wrigley and down to the lake, which we Chicagoans tend to forget about during the winter months, but man did it look stellar today! I walked back and stopped to have lunch at Harry Caray's by Wrigley, where a cute bartender talked me into spending too much money on a delicious burger, loaded with toppings. She said I would probably fall in love with her because of how good it would be and yes I did.
And now after a couple of lunch beers, a full stomach, and sore legs, I'm ready to write! Yes, this is still a music blog. I'm working up to it.
Two music related things crossed my mind as I was out wandering. One, the warm weather is getting me psyched for SXSW next month. If I had to choose a second favorite city in this nation of ours, it would be Austin, TX. I will be heading down for my 3rd annual trip to SXSW next month. Austin deserves the title of "Live Music Capital of the World". I haven't been to every live music city in the world, but I can't imagine it getting much better than Austin. The airport even has great live music for god's sake! The image I always cut back to in my mind is the first time I ever walked down 6th St. and soaked in the beauty of live music coming out of most of the buildings I walked past. Now I know part of it is solely for SXSW, but part of it is the real deal. This is a city that embraces the wonder that is live music. Put it together with the weird characters, friendly people, delicious food, and beautiful scenery, and you have near perfection. At least from a guy who ends up there once a year.
As I walked around Chicago today, I thought about how underutilized this city's rich music history is. Chicago is the home of the blues. It is one of the cities where America's only true original artform, jazz, developed. It has been home to several great rock acts, like The Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair, Chicago, among others. It has produced rappers like Kanye West and Common. It was the home to Chess Records, which released records from Muddy Waters and countless legends. It produced The Staples Singers and Buddy Guy. It has an underappreciated folk/singer-songwriter history that produced, in my oh so humble opinion, three of the greatest singer-songwriters of the 20th century--John Prine, Steve Goodman, and Michael Smith.
Why doesn't Chicago take more advantage of this rich history? Why isn't there an entertainment district like 6th Street where one can hear live music blaring out of every building? Oh sure, Chicago has some great venues like The Empty Bottle and Schuba's. It has also hosted Lollapalooza for the past few years now, but I still thing the city could cash in quite a bit more if they just embraced the music culture that exists here. Here's a call to Mayor Daley and the Chicago City Council: look at what you have. Utilize it. Why not a Chicago Music Hall of Fame or museum. Take a lesson from Austin. Chicago should be one of the premier music cities in the world, but I'm not sure if it is at this point. The history is there, but as for the present, one word: underutilized.
Second thing I thought about as I walked around The Windy City today, and yes it is pretty windy today (even though the nickname did not come from the gale force winds that usually add insult to injury this time of year)--the aforementioned, Steve Goodman.
My mind often wanders to Steve Goodman when I walk past Wrigley Field, especially on a spring-like day like this. Steve Goodman was and is the epitomy of Chicago and Chicago Cubs fans. He lived and breathed this city. He wrote songs about his horribly underachieving favorite baseball team, about the crooked towing companies, about the famous original machine-politics mayor of Chicago. He had that wry, honest Chicago way about him, much like other famous citizens of this city--Studs Terkel and Mike Royko for example. Goodman and I were never Chicagoans at the same time, as he died in '84, a decade and a half before I would become one down to my bones, but still I feel as if I can identify with him. That speaks volumes to his immense talent.
So as I walked past that great baseball shrine on Clark and Addison, I thought about the man who composed the song that plays now after every Cubs victory. I looked at the stadium, which is being touched up in preparation for the season that is just two months from its beginning, and I could almost hear the refrain, "Hey Chicago, whaddya say, the Cubs are gonna win today". And as I walked past the statues of Ernie Banks at Clark and Addison and Harry Caray at Addison and Sheffield, I thought to myself, "Steve Goodman should be here too."
I propose that a Steve Goodman statue should be put up at the entrance to the bleachers, right at the corner of Sheffield and Waveland. What a more perfect place for the man who encapsulates what it means to be a Cubs fan. I picture the statue being the diminutive Goodman seated with his guitar, wearing a Cubs hat and blue Cubs jacket, seated in the stands singing, "A Dying Cubs Fans Last Request". If I'm not mistaken, and it's been awhile since I've read Clay Eals' amazing Goodman bio, "Facing The Music" so I'm not positive on the facts, Goodman did a piece for a local tv station where he is doing just that. The picture is vivid in my head.
Goodman knew what it was to suffer with the lowly Chicago Cubs. Yet he also knew the joy of being a Cubs fan. Who else, but a hopelessly die hard fan, could write such an optimistic song as, "Go, Cubs, Go". Here is a man who sat in the bleachers on many a warm summer day. He would occasionally bring his guitar and play for the fans. The man bled Cubbie blue and had a deep abiding love for the game of baseball. What better representation for all of the true Cubs fans, than a statue of Steve Goodman. And why not? There stands a statue of a non-player at Sheffield and Addison already. Why not one just down the block too. Maybe save the corner of Clark and Waveland for a Ron Santo statue. Then it's an even two and two. This team as much as any is about the fans as much as the players themselves.
This day is a real tease! Much like the Cubs making it to the playoffs. You know they are going to lose, just like you know that this day is just one glorious anomoly in the midst of another harsh Chicago winter. But in this city, you take advantage of what you have, when you have it. You don't think Mayor Daley's going to milk the Obama connection for all it's worth in his mission to get the 2016 Olympics? Please! He's all over it. It's time the Cubs and the City of Chicago to do the same and embrace the amazing music that is associated with them. There's nothing like Chicago anywhere around. It truly is "My Kind of Town"!
It's an unseasonably warm day here in Chi-town. I just got back from walking all over the place. Probably about five miles if I had to guess, but it's just a guess. I walked past Wrigley and down to the lake, which we Chicagoans tend to forget about during the winter months, but man did it look stellar today! I walked back and stopped to have lunch at Harry Caray's by Wrigley, where a cute bartender talked me into spending too much money on a delicious burger, loaded with toppings. She said I would probably fall in love with her because of how good it would be and yes I did.
And now after a couple of lunch beers, a full stomach, and sore legs, I'm ready to write! Yes, this is still a music blog. I'm working up to it.
Two music related things crossed my mind as I was out wandering. One, the warm weather is getting me psyched for SXSW next month. If I had to choose a second favorite city in this nation of ours, it would be Austin, TX. I will be heading down for my 3rd annual trip to SXSW next month. Austin deserves the title of "Live Music Capital of the World". I haven't been to every live music city in the world, but I can't imagine it getting much better than Austin. The airport even has great live music for god's sake! The image I always cut back to in my mind is the first time I ever walked down 6th St. and soaked in the beauty of live music coming out of most of the buildings I walked past. Now I know part of it is solely for SXSW, but part of it is the real deal. This is a city that embraces the wonder that is live music. Put it together with the weird characters, friendly people, delicious food, and beautiful scenery, and you have near perfection. At least from a guy who ends up there once a year.
As I walked around Chicago today, I thought about how underutilized this city's rich music history is. Chicago is the home of the blues. It is one of the cities where America's only true original artform, jazz, developed. It has been home to several great rock acts, like The Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair, Chicago, among others. It has produced rappers like Kanye West and Common. It was the home to Chess Records, which released records from Muddy Waters and countless legends. It produced The Staples Singers and Buddy Guy. It has an underappreciated folk/singer-songwriter history that produced, in my oh so humble opinion, three of the greatest singer-songwriters of the 20th century--John Prine, Steve Goodman, and Michael Smith.
Why doesn't Chicago take more advantage of this rich history? Why isn't there an entertainment district like 6th Street where one can hear live music blaring out of every building? Oh sure, Chicago has some great venues like The Empty Bottle and Schuba's. It has also hosted Lollapalooza for the past few years now, but I still thing the city could cash in quite a bit more if they just embraced the music culture that exists here. Here's a call to Mayor Daley and the Chicago City Council: look at what you have. Utilize it. Why not a Chicago Music Hall of Fame or museum. Take a lesson from Austin. Chicago should be one of the premier music cities in the world, but I'm not sure if it is at this point. The history is there, but as for the present, one word: underutilized.
Second thing I thought about as I walked around The Windy City today, and yes it is pretty windy today (even though the nickname did not come from the gale force winds that usually add insult to injury this time of year)--the aforementioned, Steve Goodman.
My mind often wanders to Steve Goodman when I walk past Wrigley Field, especially on a spring-like day like this. Steve Goodman was and is the epitomy of Chicago and Chicago Cubs fans. He lived and breathed this city. He wrote songs about his horribly underachieving favorite baseball team, about the crooked towing companies, about the famous original machine-politics mayor of Chicago. He had that wry, honest Chicago way about him, much like other famous citizens of this city--Studs Terkel and Mike Royko for example. Goodman and I were never Chicagoans at the same time, as he died in '84, a decade and a half before I would become one down to my bones, but still I feel as if I can identify with him. That speaks volumes to his immense talent.
So as I walked past that great baseball shrine on Clark and Addison, I thought about the man who composed the song that plays now after every Cubs victory. I looked at the stadium, which is being touched up in preparation for the season that is just two months from its beginning, and I could almost hear the refrain, "Hey Chicago, whaddya say, the Cubs are gonna win today". And as I walked past the statues of Ernie Banks at Clark and Addison and Harry Caray at Addison and Sheffield, I thought to myself, "Steve Goodman should be here too."
I propose that a Steve Goodman statue should be put up at the entrance to the bleachers, right at the corner of Sheffield and Waveland. What a more perfect place for the man who encapsulates what it means to be a Cubs fan. I picture the statue being the diminutive Goodman seated with his guitar, wearing a Cubs hat and blue Cubs jacket, seated in the stands singing, "A Dying Cubs Fans Last Request". If I'm not mistaken, and it's been awhile since I've read Clay Eals' amazing Goodman bio, "Facing The Music" so I'm not positive on the facts, Goodman did a piece for a local tv station where he is doing just that. The picture is vivid in my head.
Goodman knew what it was to suffer with the lowly Chicago Cubs. Yet he also knew the joy of being a Cubs fan. Who else, but a hopelessly die hard fan, could write such an optimistic song as, "Go, Cubs, Go". Here is a man who sat in the bleachers on many a warm summer day. He would occasionally bring his guitar and play for the fans. The man bled Cubbie blue and had a deep abiding love for the game of baseball. What better representation for all of the true Cubs fans, than a statue of Steve Goodman. And why not? There stands a statue of a non-player at Sheffield and Addison already. Why not one just down the block too. Maybe save the corner of Clark and Waveland for a Ron Santo statue. Then it's an even two and two. This team as much as any is about the fans as much as the players themselves.
This day is a real tease! Much like the Cubs making it to the playoffs. You know they are going to lose, just like you know that this day is just one glorious anomoly in the midst of another harsh Chicago winter. But in this city, you take advantage of what you have, when you have it. You don't think Mayor Daley's going to milk the Obama connection for all it's worth in his mission to get the 2016 Olympics? Please! He's all over it. It's time the Cubs and the City of Chicago to do the same and embrace the amazing music that is associated with them. There's nothing like Chicago anywhere around. It truly is "My Kind of Town"!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Shocking News! The Music Industry is Trying to Screw Us Even More!
Big rumor has it that Live Nation and Ticketmaster are talking merger, thus bringing together the titans of concert promotion and artist management together with the titans of ripping concert-goers off by tacking on service fee after service fee.
To this I say, big deal. First of all the deal may not go through considering coroporate America is under a bit more scrutiny with a new president running the show. Second of all, haven't they been screwing us for decades already?
I mean, Ticketmaster has been the antichrist of the music industry since at least the mid-90s when Pearl Jam took them on. I don't know how Live Nation has been screwing us exactly, but I'm sure they have been too. Oh well. I'm convinced that the large scale music industry is just about done for anyway. Let it crumble so the indies can rise up and take things in the direction they should have been going in for years. Let the artists have the music back.
Bruce Springsteen, bless his sold-out heart, came out against this proposed deal, which good for him I guess, but I don't know how I feel about the Boss these days. He played a lackluster performance at the Super Bowl, where he let his songs be editted down for time and turned into a large scale karaoke party. On top of that, The E Street Band wasn't actually even playing! One day he looks like the rock poet laureate as he plays on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for the Obama Inauguration. The next day he's sliding crotch first into the tv cameras as his legacy as a blue collar, working man's rock & roller, is cheesed up to the max for the benefit of NBC's tv ratings and the super rich who can afford tickets to the game. So thanks, but no thanks for voicing your opinion Bruce. Take a lesson from your idol Pete Seeger, who also graced the stage of the inauguration festivities, and walk the walk when you talk the talk.
But whatever. I'm done with the big scene. Sure occasionally something interesting will come out of the evil lair's of the major labels, but it's happening less and less frequently. Take a band like Fleet Foxes. They would never end up on a major label, but there they were stealing the show on SNL a couple of week's back. Sure they don't put up Lil Wayne numbers when it comes to the Billboard charts, but a band like this has longevity. Where the major labels are looking for quick flash in the pan superstars that they can make some money on, they miss the point of overlooking bands with real talent. Fleet Foxes have been gaining momentum gradually over the past year and will only continue to do so. The quick fix will bring you a couple of dollars up front, but then what happens when people get sick of the gimmick? They find a band like Fleet Foxes, that's what. Take the example of The Shins. People were talking about them in the indie world for quite sometime and then the movie Garden State propelled them even further. By the time they released their next album, not only were they huge on the indie scene, their album debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts.
But the thing with the major labels is that they've dug themselves too far down to be able to have patience for bands to gain momentum. The days of profit are gone for them and now they are in desperation mode. So to all of you indie labels, just keep doing what you're doing. Find credible talent and let them find their voice. The great thing about most indie labels is that they are run by people who actually know and actually love music. Those are the people who are going to rescue the industry.
So go ahead LiveTicketNationMaster, have your little merger. No one's going to care for that long anyway. Music was fine before you and will be fine after you as well.
Oh and not to be a broken record, but please subscribe to the podcast. I'm having a few technical difficulties with getting it up on iTunes, but once I find a decent hosting site, that should be taken care of. But the bands I feature on the podcast for this month represent what's good about the industry. Both The Shackeltons and Astral Feedback have the street cred of a working rock and roll band (you know, the street cred that Springsteen just lost). They are passionate about the music and are trying like hell to make it. And they care about their craft. They want to make good music and put a lot of sweat into doing so. Check them out on the podcast, but also go check them out online. If you like them, buy something. If you don't, find a different hard working band to support. Go to a show, buy a shirt. Support your local music scene!
myspace.com/astralfeedback
theshackeltons.com
...and scroll down and click on the link to get to the podcast!!!
To this I say, big deal. First of all the deal may not go through considering coroporate America is under a bit more scrutiny with a new president running the show. Second of all, haven't they been screwing us for decades already?
I mean, Ticketmaster has been the antichrist of the music industry since at least the mid-90s when Pearl Jam took them on. I don't know how Live Nation has been screwing us exactly, but I'm sure they have been too. Oh well. I'm convinced that the large scale music industry is just about done for anyway. Let it crumble so the indies can rise up and take things in the direction they should have been going in for years. Let the artists have the music back.
Bruce Springsteen, bless his sold-out heart, came out against this proposed deal, which good for him I guess, but I don't know how I feel about the Boss these days. He played a lackluster performance at the Super Bowl, where he let his songs be editted down for time and turned into a large scale karaoke party. On top of that, The E Street Band wasn't actually even playing! One day he looks like the rock poet laureate as he plays on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for the Obama Inauguration. The next day he's sliding crotch first into the tv cameras as his legacy as a blue collar, working man's rock & roller, is cheesed up to the max for the benefit of NBC's tv ratings and the super rich who can afford tickets to the game. So thanks, but no thanks for voicing your opinion Bruce. Take a lesson from your idol Pete Seeger, who also graced the stage of the inauguration festivities, and walk the walk when you talk the talk.
But whatever. I'm done with the big scene. Sure occasionally something interesting will come out of the evil lair's of the major labels, but it's happening less and less frequently. Take a band like Fleet Foxes. They would never end up on a major label, but there they were stealing the show on SNL a couple of week's back. Sure they don't put up Lil Wayne numbers when it comes to the Billboard charts, but a band like this has longevity. Where the major labels are looking for quick flash in the pan superstars that they can make some money on, they miss the point of overlooking bands with real talent. Fleet Foxes have been gaining momentum gradually over the past year and will only continue to do so. The quick fix will bring you a couple of dollars up front, but then what happens when people get sick of the gimmick? They find a band like Fleet Foxes, that's what. Take the example of The Shins. People were talking about them in the indie world for quite sometime and then the movie Garden State propelled them even further. By the time they released their next album, not only were they huge on the indie scene, their album debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts.
But the thing with the major labels is that they've dug themselves too far down to be able to have patience for bands to gain momentum. The days of profit are gone for them and now they are in desperation mode. So to all of you indie labels, just keep doing what you're doing. Find credible talent and let them find their voice. The great thing about most indie labels is that they are run by people who actually know and actually love music. Those are the people who are going to rescue the industry.
So go ahead LiveTicketNationMaster, have your little merger. No one's going to care for that long anyway. Music was fine before you and will be fine after you as well.
Oh and not to be a broken record, but please subscribe to the podcast. I'm having a few technical difficulties with getting it up on iTunes, but once I find a decent hosting site, that should be taken care of. But the bands I feature on the podcast for this month represent what's good about the industry. Both The Shackeltons and Astral Feedback have the street cred of a working rock and roll band (you know, the street cred that Springsteen just lost). They are passionate about the music and are trying like hell to make it. And they care about their craft. They want to make good music and put a lot of sweat into doing so. Check them out on the podcast, but also go check them out online. If you like them, buy something. If you don't, find a different hard working band to support. Go to a show, buy a shirt. Support your local music scene!
myspace.com/astralfeedback
theshackeltons.com
...and scroll down and click on the link to get to the podcast!!!
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