People make me sick. Literally. I watched a PBS documentary this evening on vaccinations. It amazes me just how stupid, uneducated and uninformed some people are and choose to remain. It seems that just because they see a video about something on YouTube that they take it as gospel! For Pete's sake folks...look at the source!
This level of idiocy is part of what is making all of us sicker. These parents who choose to not have their children vaccinated are also choosing to increase the risk of disease for everyone else. By not having your child vaccinated that leaves your child open to contracting any number of illnesses...illnesses which are, in fact, still around, like polio, dyptheria, whooping cough, etc. Most young mothers these days were never exposed to the types of dangers that these diseases pose. They think that because they don't see it in their own back yard that its not a threat.
Well guess again folks. We live in a global society. People travel to and from one country to another and many of them can and often are carrying germs. All it takes is one person to infect an unvaccinated child and bam, we can start the mess all over again...plus the added risk of diseases mutating to a form we don't have a vaccine for.
So why are these people reticent to vaccinate their children? Simply put: FEAR. With the advent of the internet, people have access to almost limitless information. Unfortunately, most people don't understand how to process the content they receive. When you Google something (or use any search engine) the top listings that come up will probably not be the most relevant. The top listings will be the most viewed. Example: there's a BBQ joint in Vancouver, BC called Memphis Mike's BBQ. The owner and I have spoken on occasion and laughed how whenever most people try to find his web site, they get mine instead.
Some years back, someone posed the hypothesis that vaccinations were causing autism. After many years of research & studies, it was proven to be not the case. The first signs of autism often don't manifest until about the same age as certain vaccinations are given. But noooooooo. A few celebrities had children with autism. Those celebrities, as most parents would do, went in search of supports for their kids. In so doing, a few of them became vocal advocates for the fear-based conspircay theorist fallacies regarding vaccines and autism. These celebrities were able to garner attention to their "cause".
Even after these theories were proven false, these celebrities and their groups, angry because their children still have autism, still continue to make noise and serve their own self-interests by continuing to spew this propaganda. And due to their celebrity, whenever it shows up on the internet, it remains popular, thus staying at the top of the search engine lists. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) is obviously not as popular as Jenny McCarthy. Their site may not be at the top of the list but they will most likely have the most FACTUAL information. But then again, a worried parent might have to spend an hour or two reading the site and following links rather than watch a 2 minute viral video on YouTube.
While no child enjoys getting a vaccination (I recall the pain of the multiple shots I was given by Dr. Nancy Bright MD 40 or so years ago) I'm sure that any parent would rather see their child suffer a momentary "pinch" or at worst an hour to a day of discomfort rather than a lifetime of disability. But in our self-centered, self-serving, entitled society, most people are no longer capable of seeing the big picture. There are times when the greater good is better served than the good of the individual.
I remember a kid I went to school with who went deaf from the mumps. Had he been vaccinated that never would have happened. I remember some young adults from my childhood who had had polio and were in wheelchairs for life due to its devastating effects. These parents who foolishly refuse to vaccinate their children are opening the doors for the return of these types of diseases. Polio, smallpox, dyptheria, etc. are all, for the most part, wiped out in the US...but the world doesn't begin and end here. And as long as people travel, birds fly and winds blow, we will continue to be effected by what happens elsewhere.
To all young parents and parents-to-be out there...should, God forbid, something befall your child, talk to a professional before you go searching the internet. And if you insist on using search engines to find your information, learn how to use it effectively...and most importantly, research your sources! Having a sick child has got to be scary enough without adding to your fear.
People make me sick. And they can make you sick too.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Time To "Remember When..." is NOW!
OK, I'm 44 years old now...so I guess that officially makes me old enough to remember when.
I remember when most Americans made a decent living, owned their own home, weren't completely saddled with credit card debt, paid their bills on time, weren't worrying about foreclosure and laughed at the thought of buying a Japanese TV or car. Those days really weren't that long ago!
Here it is 2010 and what do WE as a country have to show for it? Not much from where I'm sitting. "American Made" usually means overpriced and poorly made (in the eyes of the global economy which we are now a part of, whether you like it or not). Look at everything you own...how much of it was made overseas? Look at your car, your TV, your cell phone...hell, look at your clothes...where were they made?
Sure, you saved some bucks...but at what cost?
How many people do you know who's job has been "outsourced"? If you know one, that's too many. Sure, people in other countries need jobs too...but do they really need OUR jobs? The reality is this: American corporations have raped and pillaged our country. Sure, lets save production costs, get around the unions and charge at an 80% profit margin. While we're doing that, let's keep the American poor REALLY poor, abolish the middle class and piss all over the American dream.
I recall vividly a conversation I had with two friends when we were in fourth grade. We were discussing what we wanted to be when we grew up. This was 1976, our nation's bicentennial. I wanted to go into show biz, my one friend wanted to be a doctor and the third friend, and I'll never forget this until I die...said he wanted to "go where the big money is and get a job in the steel mill". At that point in time, he was correct in his thinking. At that time, a job in the mill would make you a very nice living. You'd be able to afford a house, a new car every couple of years, and have the money to raise a family and put your kids through college. It was only a matter of years after that that the unions destroyed the steel industry. Don't kid yourselves, that's what happened. The unions pushed too hard and destroyed the corporations...and the corporations have finally had the last laugh.
Steel work was a hard and often dangerous job. The unions were right in making sure the workers were taken care of...but it got out of hand. Things like triple overtime for working on Arbor Day...what a joke. The unions proved that they were just as bad as the corporations. So what do the unions AND the corporations have in common? Simply put: GREED.
Call it whatever label is comfortable for you. Call it "special interests". Hire someone to lobby for you. It all boils down to greed. That's the problem with our form of capitalism. It makes us WANT to cut off our collective nose to spite our collective face. Few of us ever look at the long term effects of this form of greed...we just want to fatten our own wallets and too bad for the other guy. Well, the time has come for all of us to pay.
Our country is in a mess. We the people elected a president who promises us change. It's coming...slow but sure...with a fight at every turn. And who's behind most of those fights? If you're thinking "Tea Parties" and fringe groups, you're wrong. Its corporate greed. Change will necessitate a dismantling of old policies in favor of new; a new status quo. It will most likely also turn billionaires into mere millionaires. And gosh, who could stand that????
The corporations are the ones behind your Tea Parties. They failed at attacking our changes for a better future for all so they've hidden behind the mask of Joe the Plumber. If they brainwash the masses with bumper sticker slogans their lies become accepted truth.
I remember when a trip to the doctor was normal. We all went for regular check ups. We ate healthy, got exercise and the biggest fear was cancer. Fast food was a treat not a diet. Now you hear about more types of cancer than ever before, we have AIDS, and even mold can kill us. We, as a country, have become sloths. We have hundreds of TV channels for our Japanes/Chinese/Taiwanese TV sets and little reason to get off of the couch. We can lay there waiting for our unemployment checks and watch lying idiots like Limbaugh, O'Reilly, etc... spout more slogans that they are PAID to spout. And who pays them? I'll give you a hint: it starts with a "C" and sounds like shmorporations.
I'm lucky. I have a job that I love. It doesn't pay crap but I love it. I finally have healthcare again. And I'm also lucky enough to have a heart condition that will hopefully kill me before this country completely flushes itself down the toilet.
Do you remember when things were better? I do. We can make it better again...together. Like the old saying goes, united we stand, divided we fall.......
I remember when most Americans made a decent living, owned their own home, weren't completely saddled with credit card debt, paid their bills on time, weren't worrying about foreclosure and laughed at the thought of buying a Japanese TV or car. Those days really weren't that long ago!
Here it is 2010 and what do WE as a country have to show for it? Not much from where I'm sitting. "American Made" usually means overpriced and poorly made (in the eyes of the global economy which we are now a part of, whether you like it or not). Look at everything you own...how much of it was made overseas? Look at your car, your TV, your cell phone...hell, look at your clothes...where were they made?
Sure, you saved some bucks...but at what cost?
How many people do you know who's job has been "outsourced"? If you know one, that's too many. Sure, people in other countries need jobs too...but do they really need OUR jobs? The reality is this: American corporations have raped and pillaged our country. Sure, lets save production costs, get around the unions and charge at an 80% profit margin. While we're doing that, let's keep the American poor REALLY poor, abolish the middle class and piss all over the American dream.
I recall vividly a conversation I had with two friends when we were in fourth grade. We were discussing what we wanted to be when we grew up. This was 1976, our nation's bicentennial. I wanted to go into show biz, my one friend wanted to be a doctor and the third friend, and I'll never forget this until I die...said he wanted to "go where the big money is and get a job in the steel mill". At that point in time, he was correct in his thinking. At that time, a job in the mill would make you a very nice living. You'd be able to afford a house, a new car every couple of years, and have the money to raise a family and put your kids through college. It was only a matter of years after that that the unions destroyed the steel industry. Don't kid yourselves, that's what happened. The unions pushed too hard and destroyed the corporations...and the corporations have finally had the last laugh.
Steel work was a hard and often dangerous job. The unions were right in making sure the workers were taken care of...but it got out of hand. Things like triple overtime for working on Arbor Day...what a joke. The unions proved that they were just as bad as the corporations. So what do the unions AND the corporations have in common? Simply put: GREED.
Call it whatever label is comfortable for you. Call it "special interests". Hire someone to lobby for you. It all boils down to greed. That's the problem with our form of capitalism. It makes us WANT to cut off our collective nose to spite our collective face. Few of us ever look at the long term effects of this form of greed...we just want to fatten our own wallets and too bad for the other guy. Well, the time has come for all of us to pay.
Our country is in a mess. We the people elected a president who promises us change. It's coming...slow but sure...with a fight at every turn. And who's behind most of those fights? If you're thinking "Tea Parties" and fringe groups, you're wrong. Its corporate greed. Change will necessitate a dismantling of old policies in favor of new; a new status quo. It will most likely also turn billionaires into mere millionaires. And gosh, who could stand that????
The corporations are the ones behind your Tea Parties. They failed at attacking our changes for a better future for all so they've hidden behind the mask of Joe the Plumber. If they brainwash the masses with bumper sticker slogans their lies become accepted truth.
I remember when a trip to the doctor was normal. We all went for regular check ups. We ate healthy, got exercise and the biggest fear was cancer. Fast food was a treat not a diet. Now you hear about more types of cancer than ever before, we have AIDS, and even mold can kill us. We, as a country, have become sloths. We have hundreds of TV channels for our Japanes/Chinese/Taiwanese TV sets and little reason to get off of the couch. We can lay there waiting for our unemployment checks and watch lying idiots like Limbaugh, O'Reilly, etc... spout more slogans that they are PAID to spout. And who pays them? I'll give you a hint: it starts with a "C" and sounds like shmorporations.
I'm lucky. I have a job that I love. It doesn't pay crap but I love it. I finally have healthcare again. And I'm also lucky enough to have a heart condition that will hopefully kill me before this country completely flushes itself down the toilet.
Do you remember when things were better? I do. We can make it better again...together. Like the old saying goes, united we stand, divided we fall.......
Saturday, April 17, 2010
7 More To Go
I used to hate recording. Once upon a time, it seemed so damned tedious. Start, stop, start, stop...as a younger man I was far more interested in the immediacy of the live performance. As I'm getting older, I'm enjoying recording more now. I can capture a moment in time and save it forever.
I think that all recording artists have a different style of recording. My good friend and mentor, Alan Leatherwood, has a unique style of piecing his albums together. I learned a lot about recording from him! I also learned that its best to do things however one is comfortable doing them at the time.
I usually like to work really fast. Sam Phillips once explained to me that recording is all about capturing the 'right' moment. So what if there's a minor flaw in it provided you capture the energy of the moment.
This latest CD (working title "7 More To Go") of mine has by no means been a quick production! It started 3 years ago. At the time, my aussie drummer, Brian Francis, and his ladyfriend were up for a visit. He'd long mentioned that he'd never been afforded the chance to record. I set out to change that and pop his studio cherry. I booked a session at my studio of choice (Daveworld Studios out in Ambridge, PA) and we went out and laid down 16 tracks in 3 hours. Most, I thought at the time, would just be demos for myself for future reference. We didn't rehearse a single note prior to hitting the studio.
As luck would have it, we really nailed most of the songs! The more I listened to them the more I knew this could turn into a fun record! But then the dark cloud hit. My finances hit a snag, my car was stolen, I had a heart attack and was looking at a bogus assault charge! Needless to say, that slowed down the recording process!
I am, however, if nothing else, resilient. In 2008, we decided to release our "LIVE in Australia" CD and added 2 of the tracks I recorded with Brian as bonus tracks ("Rockin' In Melbourne" & "The Last Time"). Both have been received well. 2008 also found me producing AJ & The Two-Timers' debut CD. I was really starting to get the itch to record again. I had tons of ideas...but no money to finance a new project. Finally, 2010 came along and life has started to settle down again. The cash flow, at least for the foreseeable future, is steady. My health seems pretty good and I knew it was time. I called up Dave Granati at Daveworld and booked a session...in part to get it done and also to see if I could still do it! I'd pretty much given up gigging and hadn't really done much more than play guitar around the house. Dave was excited to work with me again and was really excited to get to finish these 3 year old tracks! He'd always enjoyed them. I took out a copy of the rough tracks and started making notes. There was indeed some good stuff there!
Like I said, I like to work fast. I tend to exhaust everyone who works with me so I decided to just go in and do as much by myself as possible. The session had some time constraints...due mostly to my not being able to start until late afternoon due to working the night shift. But in 4 and half hours, I knocked out 16 electric guitar parts, 10 upright bass parts, 2 electric bass parts, 12 acoustic guitar parts and one "dobro" * part! By 9:00pm, David was looking exhausted. The session was over and I was still ready for more! It appears the genie has left the bottle again!
Next up for this project are the vocal tracks....and as it's spring time and as I, like many of you, am an allergy sufferer, this might take a bit of time. In the meantime, I plan to bring my regular rhythm section (Rob Jacob & JD Dauer) in to record 2 new tracks PLUS I plan to bring my original rhythm section (Shawn Moyer & Bruce Martin) in to record an old song of mine that no one can play as well as they can!
Check back soon for more updates! It appears that rock & roll just may be becoming fun for me again!!!!!!!!
* "dobro" is technically a brand name for a type of resonator guitar made by the Dopyera Bros. Over the years, its become synonimous with acoustic, lap style playing. The cone in a "dobro" is usually what's called a spider cone, which gives a more honking tone than the standard resonators, which have a more reverby sound.
I think that all recording artists have a different style of recording. My good friend and mentor, Alan Leatherwood, has a unique style of piecing his albums together. I learned a lot about recording from him! I also learned that its best to do things however one is comfortable doing them at the time.
I usually like to work really fast. Sam Phillips once explained to me that recording is all about capturing the 'right' moment. So what if there's a minor flaw in it provided you capture the energy of the moment.
This latest CD (working title "7 More To Go") of mine has by no means been a quick production! It started 3 years ago. At the time, my aussie drummer, Brian Francis, and his ladyfriend were up for a visit. He'd long mentioned that he'd never been afforded the chance to record. I set out to change that and pop his studio cherry. I booked a session at my studio of choice (Daveworld Studios out in Ambridge, PA) and we went out and laid down 16 tracks in 3 hours. Most, I thought at the time, would just be demos for myself for future reference. We didn't rehearse a single note prior to hitting the studio.
As luck would have it, we really nailed most of the songs! The more I listened to them the more I knew this could turn into a fun record! But then the dark cloud hit. My finances hit a snag, my car was stolen, I had a heart attack and was looking at a bogus assault charge! Needless to say, that slowed down the recording process!
I am, however, if nothing else, resilient. In 2008, we decided to release our "LIVE in Australia" CD and added 2 of the tracks I recorded with Brian as bonus tracks ("Rockin' In Melbourne" & "The Last Time"). Both have been received well. 2008 also found me producing AJ & The Two-Timers' debut CD. I was really starting to get the itch to record again. I had tons of ideas...but no money to finance a new project. Finally, 2010 came along and life has started to settle down again. The cash flow, at least for the foreseeable future, is steady. My health seems pretty good and I knew it was time. I called up Dave Granati at Daveworld and booked a session...in part to get it done and also to see if I could still do it! I'd pretty much given up gigging and hadn't really done much more than play guitar around the house. Dave was excited to work with me again and was really excited to get to finish these 3 year old tracks! He'd always enjoyed them. I took out a copy of the rough tracks and started making notes. There was indeed some good stuff there!
Like I said, I like to work fast. I tend to exhaust everyone who works with me so I decided to just go in and do as much by myself as possible. The session had some time constraints...due mostly to my not being able to start until late afternoon due to working the night shift. But in 4 and half hours, I knocked out 16 electric guitar parts, 10 upright bass parts, 2 electric bass parts, 12 acoustic guitar parts and one "dobro" * part! By 9:00pm, David was looking exhausted. The session was over and I was still ready for more! It appears the genie has left the bottle again!
Next up for this project are the vocal tracks....and as it's spring time and as I, like many of you, am an allergy sufferer, this might take a bit of time. In the meantime, I plan to bring my regular rhythm section (Rob Jacob & JD Dauer) in to record 2 new tracks PLUS I plan to bring my original rhythm section (Shawn Moyer & Bruce Martin) in to record an old song of mine that no one can play as well as they can!
Check back soon for more updates! It appears that rock & roll just may be becoming fun for me again!!!!!!!!
* "dobro" is technically a brand name for a type of resonator guitar made by the Dopyera Bros. Over the years, its become synonimous with acoustic, lap style playing. The cone in a "dobro" is usually what's called a spider cone, which gives a more honking tone than the standard resonators, which have a more reverby sound.
Friday, April 9, 2010
More thoughts on the local music "biz"
I just turned down a bunch of shows. Why? Simple: if you ain't talking money, don't talk to me.
That said, allow me to clarify. There are some bands/musicians who are "hobbyists". They're cool with going out and lugging a few hundred pounds of gear around and making noise for free...it gives them something to do, I guess. I'm not one of them. I can play my guitar anywhere for free and not have to lug spare guitars, amps, a PA system, etc. around to do it.
Times have changed and not necessarily for the better. It used to be that if a venue booked bands, they understood that the risk was theirs. The band showed up, did their job and hopefully the audience was there, enjoyed their show and all were happy. Bands were an enticement for patrons to come out. The trick was, if your band was unknown or didn't draw, you didn't work. (note: I say "work" because it IS work)
Nowadays, the venues that still have bands now put the risk onto the performers. Hell, some venues expect the performer to supply the door man as well! Sure, the venue is looking out for the performer's interest by doing so...because they obviously can't hire someone trustworthy to handle money. (yes...that's sarcasm) While many of these venues now supply a PA system (some better than others), I know that some of these venues expect the performers to pay the sound tech! Now wait just a minute...that's crap. Patron #1 hasn't even walked through the door yet and the performer is already $75 or so in the hole. Does this sound right to you?
So, these venues have jumped on the old showcase band wagon. Rather than find 1 or 2 GOOD bands, they'll book 3-4 (sometimes 5 or 6!) acts for one night. These acts usually don't have enough material to play an entire night but due to the recent societal trend of everyone feeling "entitled", these acts feel they deserve to play.
No, these acts deserve to turn the hell around, go home and learn another 20-30 songs. If you can't do the whole night, stay home.
I'm not saying that these bands aren't good. Some are and some have the potential to be great bands...they simply can't do the whole night. Now why is that a problem? Sometime acts cancel or just don't show for whatever reason. I remember a night when a friend's band found themselves in this exact situation. These guys, who are a good band, only had a set's worth of material. The other 2 bands on the bill didn't show and these guys had to play their only 10 songs over and over and over. Needless to say, the crowd left.
The venues are in business to make money by selling a product (booze). They may have a sideline in providing entertainment...but that's just to sell more product. It used to be that a good club would build a reputation for providing good, quality entertainment and you usually knew that if an act was performing at a certain venue, regardless of whether or not you'd heard of them, they were going to be good. Nowadays, its a crap shoot.
I rarely perform anymore. My band can play the whole night; no problem. We're better than average if for no reason other than we've been doing it forever. But I refuse to play for free, or worse, pay to play. Many venues locally have tried that particular ruse for years...it never lasts long. I've been blessed with a healthy music career. I've played in numerous countries for crowds up to 60,000. I've made a lot of money doing it (and blown most of it! LOL). Now, due to aging, health & legal problems, I'm stuck performing locally (or not). I don't want to play the game anymore. Its just not fun. Sure, I'll do a show once in a while if it sounds like fun...getting to share the bill with some old friends or an act I admire...but for the most part, its a drag anymore.
I'm not putting the venues down for protecting their interests. They're in business to make money. That said, a performer who has spent years honing their craft and spent a good deal of money on gear also has interests to protect. They should be afforded the ability to make some kind of return on their investment provided they have the talent to do so.
Alas, ours has become a society of instant gratification. Why learn to play guitar, bass or drums when you can just play Guitar Hero? Why do the work of putting together a band and establishing yourselves when you can try out for American Idol? Why go see a band when you can go on YouTube and see a plethora of bands from the comfort of your home? The problem is, one day...sooner than you may think...the bands will stop playing. When they do, all we'll be left with is old recordings and videos and worse, whatever dreck the corporate music world decides to throw at us.
Yes, I miss the old days. I miss the days of knowing which venues had the best jukebox selection. I miss knowing that if a band was playing at "this or that venue" that they must be pretty good. Sure, its easier, for now, to find entertainment...but how good is most of it and at what cost? Easier is not always better.
If you enjoy music, go out & support it! Pay the measly cover charge instead of balking at it. If you can't afford to spend those few extra bucks, stay home. If you enjoy a band, ask if they have a CD and buy it! Don't beg for a free copy. It costs REAL MONEY to produce even a low budget CD. (FYI: studio time is usually $50+ per hour. Factor at least 2 hours per song for recording & mixing multiplied by the number of tracks per CD. That's for a low budget CD. Higher quality will require more time. Google CD packaging prices...then you'll get some idea of how much that CD you're trying to get for free is worth.)
To my fellow musicians: Keep on playing! I plan to return to the stage at some point...but I don't plan to do it for free. Support each other! If you have a night off and a friend's band is playing, go see them! Let's recreate some semblance of a local music scene again! If you know some kid who is interested in music, help them out! Show them a few chords, teach them a riff, show them that playing for real is infinitely more exciting than the video game version!
That said, allow me to clarify. There are some bands/musicians who are "hobbyists". They're cool with going out and lugging a few hundred pounds of gear around and making noise for free...it gives them something to do, I guess. I'm not one of them. I can play my guitar anywhere for free and not have to lug spare guitars, amps, a PA system, etc. around to do it.
Times have changed and not necessarily for the better. It used to be that if a venue booked bands, they understood that the risk was theirs. The band showed up, did their job and hopefully the audience was there, enjoyed their show and all were happy. Bands were an enticement for patrons to come out. The trick was, if your band was unknown or didn't draw, you didn't work. (note: I say "work" because it IS work)
Nowadays, the venues that still have bands now put the risk onto the performers. Hell, some venues expect the performer to supply the door man as well! Sure, the venue is looking out for the performer's interest by doing so...because they obviously can't hire someone trustworthy to handle money. (yes...that's sarcasm) While many of these venues now supply a PA system (some better than others), I know that some of these venues expect the performers to pay the sound tech! Now wait just a minute...that's crap. Patron #1 hasn't even walked through the door yet and the performer is already $75 or so in the hole. Does this sound right to you?
So, these venues have jumped on the old showcase band wagon. Rather than find 1 or 2 GOOD bands, they'll book 3-4 (sometimes 5 or 6!) acts for one night. These acts usually don't have enough material to play an entire night but due to the recent societal trend of everyone feeling "entitled", these acts feel they deserve to play.
No, these acts deserve to turn the hell around, go home and learn another 20-30 songs. If you can't do the whole night, stay home.
I'm not saying that these bands aren't good. Some are and some have the potential to be great bands...they simply can't do the whole night. Now why is that a problem? Sometime acts cancel or just don't show for whatever reason. I remember a night when a friend's band found themselves in this exact situation. These guys, who are a good band, only had a set's worth of material. The other 2 bands on the bill didn't show and these guys had to play their only 10 songs over and over and over. Needless to say, the crowd left.
The venues are in business to make money by selling a product (booze). They may have a sideline in providing entertainment...but that's just to sell more product. It used to be that a good club would build a reputation for providing good, quality entertainment and you usually knew that if an act was performing at a certain venue, regardless of whether or not you'd heard of them, they were going to be good. Nowadays, its a crap shoot.
I rarely perform anymore. My band can play the whole night; no problem. We're better than average if for no reason other than we've been doing it forever. But I refuse to play for free, or worse, pay to play. Many venues locally have tried that particular ruse for years...it never lasts long. I've been blessed with a healthy music career. I've played in numerous countries for crowds up to 60,000. I've made a lot of money doing it (and blown most of it! LOL). Now, due to aging, health & legal problems, I'm stuck performing locally (or not). I don't want to play the game anymore. Its just not fun. Sure, I'll do a show once in a while if it sounds like fun...getting to share the bill with some old friends or an act I admire...but for the most part, its a drag anymore.
I'm not putting the venues down for protecting their interests. They're in business to make money. That said, a performer who has spent years honing their craft and spent a good deal of money on gear also has interests to protect. They should be afforded the ability to make some kind of return on their investment provided they have the talent to do so.
Alas, ours has become a society of instant gratification. Why learn to play guitar, bass or drums when you can just play Guitar Hero? Why do the work of putting together a band and establishing yourselves when you can try out for American Idol? Why go see a band when you can go on YouTube and see a plethora of bands from the comfort of your home? The problem is, one day...sooner than you may think...the bands will stop playing. When they do, all we'll be left with is old recordings and videos and worse, whatever dreck the corporate music world decides to throw at us.
Yes, I miss the old days. I miss the days of knowing which venues had the best jukebox selection. I miss knowing that if a band was playing at "this or that venue" that they must be pretty good. Sure, its easier, for now, to find entertainment...but how good is most of it and at what cost? Easier is not always better.
If you enjoy music, go out & support it! Pay the measly cover charge instead of balking at it. If you can't afford to spend those few extra bucks, stay home. If you enjoy a band, ask if they have a CD and buy it! Don't beg for a free copy. It costs REAL MONEY to produce even a low budget CD. (FYI: studio time is usually $50+ per hour. Factor at least 2 hours per song for recording & mixing multiplied by the number of tracks per CD. That's for a low budget CD. Higher quality will require more time. Google CD packaging prices...then you'll get some idea of how much that CD you're trying to get for free is worth.)
To my fellow musicians: Keep on playing! I plan to return to the stage at some point...but I don't plan to do it for free. Support each other! If you have a night off and a friend's band is playing, go see them! Let's recreate some semblance of a local music scene again! If you know some kid who is interested in music, help them out! Show them a few chords, teach them a riff, show them that playing for real is infinitely more exciting than the video game version!
Hope to see y'all soon!
BOP!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
New Bike, Same Old Me
OK, I went out and bought a new bike today!
Why you ask? A) I seriously need to get back into a shape other than "round" B) Pittsburgh has some absolutely AWESOME bike trails! C) It sounded like a good idea at the time! LOL
I just got back from my 1st ride....in over 25 years! KEEEEEEEEEEE-RIST!!!!!!!!! If you ever want to feel foolish, try hopping on a mountain bike when you haven't ridden a bike in decades. Add to this having to start on a hill and you start to get the picture!
I wobbled like mad at first...then realized my legs were about to rip apart! Who the hell needs 18 gears on a bike?????? 10 speeds were confusing enough for me! LOL Anyhoo, I "zipped" up the street and around the church a few times. I can't tell you the last time I was this out of breath! It's maybe 50 degrees out and I'm sweating like a pig in a sauna! BUT IT FEELS GOOD!!!!!!
I really need to figure out these gears...the bike almost seems to have a mind of its own just yet! But...I plan to do this regularly. In a week or two, expect to see me sweating and wheezing on some of the bike trails. Long term goal: the bike trail that leads from Pittsburgh to DC! (mind you, that might take a few years to build up to! LOL)
I really had noooooooo idea just how out of shape I was. This was an eye-opener! Time to get serious about this!
More updates to come...provided I don't collapse first!
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