Well, we made it through the 00′s … Technology-wise, I think it was a frighteningly amazing decade for music.
As for many fields, the World Wide Web shook the music world inside-out, upside-down (boy ya turn me) and basically gave everyone an all-access pass. It made searching for rare records, bootlegs, new music & concert info incredibly easy. It made purchasing these things much easier as well.
The MP3 really came into its own in the early 00′s – compression & quality improved greatly and stand-alone mp3 players started storing more songs & they became more affordable.
Computer processing speeds improved, storage space grew and software for recording-editting-mixing developed rapidly. It took some time for pricing to become more reasonable … but by the mid 00′s musicians now had the option to forego “The Studio”. Heck, even non-musicians now have the ability to purchase a program to create drum patterns, write key lines, use guitar samples, etc etc.
Exposure for bands was never simpler. Not only can you see a picture of the band, but you can listen to a song, read about their background, see if they’re coming to your town & then … you can contact them with a few clicks.
Alllll-Accesss … yep. Nice & easy … yep. Want it now … get it now.
It’s taken the work out of being a music fan. It’s taken some of the mystery out of rock-n-roll. No more tape trading lists to get live recordings, no more record swaps, no need for trips to new or specialty record shops … it’s all out there at the end of some keystrokes & web searches. Sure, “collectors” will still make the trips – maybe not as often but ya gotta scratch that itch sometimes. But folks whose desire to hear something rare, new or different from one of their favorite artists is more important than sheer collectibility are now missing out on what I call the “Holy Crap” moment.
There’s something to flipping through a used record bin & coming across that Misfits Beware EP or Blue Cheer’s debut album … that “Holy Crap” moment where you feel like Ponce De Leon. CD re-releases in the 90′s made it a lil’ easier to find rare songs but weren’t always cheap & often times were limited releases themselves. Now, finding mp3 versions of once hard to find songs/albums has all the excitement of finding a quarter in your couch. The “Holy Crap” moment has been replaced by the “Phew – I don’t have to look around for this anymore” moment.
To the purist, mp3′s will never measure up in the audio department. Since I’m not gonna be dropping a few grand on a receiver & a pair of speakers that would reveal all the imperfections that audiophiles bitch about, I can live with decently encoded (192 min.) mp3s. But, mp3s really take the sex appeal out of music. There’s nothing to touch, little to read, and really nothing to look at … well, unless you’re a code junkie. How lame is it to see a DJ working a laptop! There’s no excitement – no physicality.
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should”, applies to many things (including this blog – but TFB I warned you I’m a ranter) … and sadly, there are several bands/players out there that need to review the “doesn’t mean you should” part of this old saying. So you got your free version of drumbox and audacity or reaper along with a mic – awesome! Or maybe you just got a Mac & garageband is going to unleash the musician inside. Yeahhhhhh … you can get all the music creation software in the world but no amount of effects or processing will cover up a lame idea. There’s gotta be a zillion Blink 182 knock-offs out there … why do you wanna be number one zillion & one?
Well, enough of my curmudgeony windbagging … overall, the technological advances of the last decade are a great thing. Personally it’s opened a buncha doors, educated me and saved me some money over the years. I just fear a greater disconnect with the physical side of music appreciation. Not to get all “Orwellian” … but imagine logging in to watch a concert rather than buying a ticket & going to a club. Sure, the band wouldn’t have travel expenses … the promoter wouldn’t get as big a cut … you’d save cash not having to travel or buy bar-priced drinks … you could smoke or not depending on your preference … you could be naked … win win win win win … really? There’s something to the experience of a live show that will never be replicated, broadcast nor downloaded.
Sentimentally I feel the same way about vinyl. But my back is shot & lugging all these things around is gettin’ exhausting. Rackin’ Frackin’ kids … get off my lawn … oh boy …
this rant is done.
(for now)
Boom-lakka-lakka-lakka … Damn! Sly & The Family Stone was an amazing group! WTTW was broadcasting musical performance portions of the Ed Sullivan Show last night during it’s pledge drive. They showed The Beatles, Stones, Supremes, Animals & several others. Lots of cool stuff. The sheer volume of the screaming girls during “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” by Herman’s Hermitts was hysterical … you could barely hear the band!
But the footage of Sly & the Family Stone was the best of the night (that I saw – I didn’t stay up to watch all the clips interspersed between the calls for donations). This morning I pulled out a recording of The Family at the Texas Pop Festival in 1969. So much positive energy! So much Groove! So much Rock! So much improv! So much Soul! Damnnnn I bet seeing Sly & The Family back in ’67-’70 was one of the most uplifting things you could do. Hey Music Lover! Dance to The Music! I Wanna Take You Higher! And my fave Sing a Simple Song!
Sorry … I’m still on a “Sly-High”.
Anyhow! Besides gushing over a band that has been a favorite of mine since 5th grade when I came across the double LP “Anthology” in my parents’ stack of records inside the hi-fi cabinet in the living room (yikes … run-on anyone?) I’d like to point out a few things I find remarkable about Sly & the Family. Sure ’67 was the Summer of Love and all that … but to form such a large band of men & women of different ethnicities was groundbreaking. To incorporate gospel, rock, blues, soul, country, etc. into such a vibrant sound that you could dance to and still get social & political ideas across was genius. The Family was also an integral part in taking Funk to the next level. I don’t want to start a “who’s the original” pissing match – but I really think Sly & The Family really opened up the world of funk. They made it more than raucous R&B “on the one” … they got down & dirty and rocked it and expanded the possibilities. Maybe it’s best summed up as they are the bridge from James Brown to P-Funk. Maybe that’s too simple … I dunno, but I really think that if “The Family” didn’t happen – alot of cool music wouldn’t have happened after them
I’d like to take a moment to thank WNUR (Northwestern University Radio) … Well actually … ALL this area’s college radio stations – WZRD, WRRG, WDCB, WHPK, WLUW (I apologize to the stations I’ve forgotten) for enticing my ears & opening my mind. Without you I’d be happy to guzzle whatever garbage commercial radio has been serving up for the last 26 years of my life.
I’m gonna keep this short … (well, short for my ranting big mouth)
I recently attended a “festival” that featured several bands throughout the day. It was a mix of cover bands & bands playing originals. Some were great, some were background music and then there was the final act. I stood there watching & listening … giving them a “fair listen” … and then it hit me. THANK JEBUS I FOUND WNUR!!! If I hadn’t stumbled across 89.3 when I was 14 years old, I might have ended up in a band like the one that I was suffering through. Imagine a blend of all the worst parts about Metallica (including prima donna attitudes), Stone Temple Pilots, and a poorly executed dash of Skynyrd. I gave it 15-20 minutes before I opted for Karaoke at a nearby bar.
Yes … I said Karaoke! Those people singing their “out-of-key” hearts out were more interesting & genuine than the overgrown adolescent boredom-machine that I had just escaped. This band (which shall remain nameless) weren’t quite as old as me, but they were well out of their teens – I guess physically just not emotionally nor mentally.
Big D’s tip for the day … aww hell the week – month – forever! … take some time & listen to College Radio, your soul will thank you.
Also – donate during you favorite station’s pledge drive if you can … they need it. NOTE – I’m not affiliated with any media source, so this isn’t an “ad” for any particular radio station.
My love affair with bacon started thirty some odd years ago. Breakfast just wasn’t a “meal” unless bacon was on the plate. Sausage or ham was good but it was never as wonderful as bacon. It really is a magical meat. Everything about it screams Rock-n-Roll.
When the bacon hits the pan it’s showtime! Like a tight roll on the snare you hear the sizzle. Then rhythmic pops & loud cracks like the kick & toms. Then the sizzle gets loud like an open hi-hat along with some cracklin ride. It’s all part of the build up.
Then a lil’ smoke starts rising from the pan, and as you wave your hand to clear your vision you see the once pinkish pieces of meat emerging as crisp, edgey strips of bacon. Hey, they’re the headliner for this breakfast gig … gotta make a grand entrance. Then the whole place is filled with the sweet smell of bacon. Not just the kitchen … I mean the whole joint! That cloud of bacony goodness rolls through the house and compells you to come to the kitchen. That’s when ya know ya better get in there quick cuz ya don’t wanna miss out.
Sitting next to the fluffy scrambled eggs & the uniform lil’ tater tots, the pile of bacon looks all crazy. It’s crisp on one end & chewey on the other. It’s wavey & curled & no piece is exactly the same. You wonder if you should eat it because there’s a small pool of grease gathering below the pile. Crunch! Awwww yeahhhhh – that’s the stuff! All doubt is gone at this point – the tater-n-eggs are simply the supporting acts.
Bacon gets a bad rap, it gets blamed for people’s behavior. “The Bacon made me do it”, yeah right! If it had a cousin, it’d be some fiberous grainy mixture that preaches the evils of bacon …”It’s the meat! the meat! ask any teenager what drives them to bacon and they’ll tell you – it’s the meat! the meat!”. Like anything in life, knowing your limits is important. And like Elvis’ swingin’ hips, bacon fryin’ on a griddle stirs up those carnal feelings that make ya wanna go wild! G’head … cut loose … just watch yourself.
I could go on & on about how bacon can make anything better, but I realize that bacon means something different to each of us. Maybe it means “family”, like a group of loved ones gathered together to share a meal. Or it could be your “spice of life”, pulling you out of the doldrums of lunch. And then it could represent the “bad-ass” in you, “%*^#! C. Everett Koop … I’m chompin’ on a pound a bacon today … fried in BUTTER no less!” Bacon nourishes, comforts, excites, and brings people together.
Once, I nearly witnessed a “bacon conversion” … I saw Cash Money (now called Cash Audio) and during the set they fried up bacon sandwiches on a hot plate to hand out to the crowd. Well, this gal next to me had a look of desire on her face that you could probably see clear cross the room, anyhow, she turned & said, “Ya know, I’ve been a vegetarian for 10 years now, but goddamn do I want one of those sandwiches”. That, my friend, is the majesty of bacon.
A conversation overheard on the train (paraphrased a lil’) …
mouth 1 – “Dude … emo blows, those shoegazers are worse than goths with their self-pity. I’m not talkin about industrial metal goth, I mean that new wave goth.”
mouth 2 – “Yeah … well it’s better than that hair metal you played for me yesterday.”
mouth 1 – “Shut up, that was a sick-ass comp full of street punk, glam, proto-punk, stoner rock, grindcore and a lil Screamo just for you.”
Ok … I could go on but I think you get the point … the amount of genres +/or sub-genres has become ridiculous. I mean, look at the “genre menu” when you adjust an mp3′s tags in itunes or similar program … there’s well over a hundred genres listed – WTF!
Now I don’t know exactly when “music genre” became so important – but I’m pretty sure it had somethin’ to do with sales. If your product is easier to categorize then it’s easier for a retailer to display & sell which of course means more money for the label. I figure it started sometime in the 60′s because of stickers on some of my records that say File Under “whatever genre” the record company wanted to push an artist as.
Or maybe it started with Jazz and the different movements within Jazz. Big Band, Ragtime, Be-Bop, improvisational … I don’t know. To me those names mark growth in Jazz more so than applying marketing terms to a product.
Regardless of when it started, it’s here and it’s getting worse. Ask someone who is in a band, “Hey what kind of music do you play?” and 85% of the time you’ll get a long winded combination of genres because they don’t want to be pigeon-holed as one thing. Well either that, or they’re tryin’ to impress you with their wide range of influence – and majority of the time, when it comes down to it, they’re just in a rock band. But anyhow … if you’re a punk band – say it! If you play metal – throw up those horns! If you play jazz – cool … but I don’t need to know what bizzare syncopated time signature your latest jam was in. It’s not that difficult a question to answer.
I realize there is Country influenced Punk and Jazz influenced Rock and Rock influenced Funk and yadda yadda yadda. But those are influences or aspects … not a whole new genre!
