Love/hate RockBand
I have some problems with RockBand and Guitar Hero – the video games. From a business perspective, they seem to be a great way to promote singles and give new life to older songs. But, it also is a lazy way to get into music.
I know how to read music because I started studying at the age of eight and continued into college. It doesn’t make me a great musician, many people who are more talented than I am and have a better ear don’t know how to read. But, it’s a skill that I’m glad that I possess. Even if I don’t use it for months at time, I can sit at a piano and sight-read a song or play some Neil Young tunes on the guitar.
I’ve played both Rock Band and Guitar Hero, and it’s fun. I was impressed that I could score high on the vocals to “The Hand That Feeds” by Nine Inch Nails in one take, or play the drums on R.E.M.s “Orange Crush”. I’ve always had a hard time mastering the drums, I’m too used to playing the melody in a song. But, with Rock Band I’m a pretty good drummer.
But, the guitar controller is a different story. The plastic toggle is too stiff so you can’t even come close to replicating a real strum. It just hurts my hand and I end up getting booed off the stage by the virtual audience.
My fear is that too many tweens and younger are going to pass up learning an instrument to get the instant gratification of banging out a few tunes with their PS3. With Guitar Hero you can sound like Slash in a matter of days instead of years.
Also, for parents, they just have to buy a $150 game and be done with it. No dragging the kid to lessons each week, buying expensive equipment and nagging them to practice.
So, I’m kinda torn on this. It’s great to be Thom Yorke for a night belting out “Creep”, but it’s also a bad message for the kids. Do as I say, not as I do…
Record Stores R.I.P.
I mourn the loss of the record stores. Not the “end-cap” displays that record companies fought to control or the overpriced CDs. The experience of record shopping.
Any true music fan has probably worked in a record store at some point. You have all of this otherwise useless trivia and knowledge about band histories and releases stored in your head and need to expose others to it. During the summer between high school and college I worked at a now defunct chain known as Record World. The store was in a mall at the border of Queens and Long Island in Valley Stream, New York.
It was a great summer job. Everyone working there was heavily into music, some people – like me – were in bands. I got to carry around the key that unlocked the glass cases holding the cassette tapes. This was before the plastic security strips were introduced. Those cassettes had to be protected under lock and key! Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Hot Tuna. Anyone could just walk away with those tapes…
My favorite thing was the Phonolog book. It was this massive yellow pages of record releases, telling you what songs were in print and could be “special ordered” if they weren’t in the store. Every few weeks, updated pages would be mailed to the store and they would have to be added to this huge binder. It’s hard to believe that this was only a few years before the internet…
Being in a mall store wasn’t quite the ultra-cool store experience portrayed in High Fidelity, but it had its moments. The best part was the customers who knew one line of a song and you had to figure out the title and artist. Most of the time it was something in the Top 40, so it wasn’t too difficult, but sometimes the song was 20 years old and it took three people to decipher the tune.
I was also a big fan of wasting an afternoon looking for imports and used stuff. Walking around the East Village looking for that one New Order single could suck up hours of a Saturday.
I spent several days in London, UK in 1996 just record shopping. It was so liberating to just walk the streets of Soho finding import singles that would cost double in New York (this was when the dollar was still worth something). I came home with a whole extra bag stuffed with vinyl and CDs – Pet Shop Boys remixes, Afghan Whigs bonus tracks, several compilations not available in the U.S. I was very proud of my findings.
I went to San Francisco this past Fall and noticed that the Tower Records was being used as a Halloween costume shop. It was kinda sad. In New York, the old Tower music outlet and main store on 4th street are gone. They had some great stuff in there. It was a landmark of the Village.
Since I make my living working on the Web now, I can’t really complain. The online communities are useful, but there is something about listening to a track in a store and discussing artists with the guy behind the counter that can’t be replaced with the internet…
Family rock
I went to a concert yesterday at Town Hall in midtown NYC. It was at 1PM and there was a stroller check - They Might Be Giants were playing.
I had seen them back in college and a few times in the 90s. They were always fun, usually had some interesting brass and percussion instruments during the show. Would I still be going to see them at this point in time? Probably not. But, they are now part of the growing list of alternative artists who have gone to kids music.
It’s not much of a stretch for them – “Cow Town”, “Birdhouse In Your Soul”, would fit fine on a kid’s record.
The audience was all mid 30’s to 40’s mom and dads, some in concert-ts. I spotted a renegade My Chemical Romance hoodie-wearing mom, while others had dug out their old They Might Be Giants shirts.
My kids are 3 and 5 and they’ve seen TMBG before. The band has toured over the past few years for other kids releases. Yesterday my 3-year-old grooved along for about 40 minutes and then her nap-time kicked in and she passed out in my lap. My 5-year-old is mesmerized by live performances and was fixed on the band for the whole hour +. At home she’ll dance up a storm, but she’s very focused when a band is on stage.
It’s kinda strange watching people with their kids at a rock show. Or even being with kids at a rock show. Usually they run away and there is a parent crotched down trying to catch them. Or cry because it’s dark in the theater.
I want to expose my kids to shows at an early age so it’s worth the effort. I’ll admit that I’ll be disappointed if they aren’t heavily into music. Can I ban Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers from the house? No…but hopefully I can slip some cooler stuff on the iPod and it’ll eventually sink in…
Musicals that don’t suck
I started to think about Broadway musicals again when I was walking past the marquee for Cry Baby with my sister a few weeks ago. I joked, “I’ll never go to a John Waters show unless they open Desperate Living-The Musical“.
No, that’s not happening. Although, it would be pretty cool if done properly. There was an article in the NY Times this past weekend about Cry Baby. The music is being written by the guy from Fountains of Wayne and the Executive Producer of The Daily Show. It could have potential…I might attempt it if there are $35 tickets available.
Being a native New Yorker, I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to Broadway. I try to avoid the shows that attract the bus tours. I never saw Cats, and have no plans to wait on line at TKTS to see Phantom of the Opera or Wicked.
I go for the musicals like Sweeney Todd (pre-Johnny Depp). The last production on Broadway in 2006 had all of the actors also playing instruments on stage- there was no orchestra. Michael Ceveris was a powerful lead, and the legendary Patti LuPone played his partner in crime. Much of the cast was fairly young, but gave great performances. Too short of a run for this Sondheim revival.
Cabaret with Alan Cumming. I saw this production several times at the old Studio 54 space, once with Molly Ringwald as Sally Bowles. She’s not really a dancer, but it was a novelty. Most of these Kander and Ebb songs are a sultry slow-burn that bring the nightclubs of prewar Berlin to life. There were many Emcees throughout this production’s lifespan. Alan Cumming eventually left and several other leads took over including the stellar Raul Esparza.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the greatest rock musical of all time. I love Tommy, but this is even better. John Cameron Mitchell is scary talented – playwright, singer, actor. I saw this show several times at the Hotel Riverview Ballroom. This decrepit hotel off the West Side Highway was the place that they took the Titanic survivors. The theater was the perfect setting for the story of a transsexual who never hit the big time. His former lover is playing Giants Stadium across the river, while Hedwig struggles with his identity and career. The songs are Bowie meets Jim Steinman (Bat Out of Hell), and are just great rock tunes on their own. But, Mitchell as Hedwig was unforgettable.
Truly the worst rock musical ever – High Fidelity. The book by Nick Hornby and even the movie were so great, how could this musical be so BAD!? They sucked the life out of every character. The cute indie rock record store chic into Belle and Sebastian became a John Tesh fan! Whoever put this thing together missed the entire point of the story. I want my $75 back…
I’m kinda curious about Spring Awakening, although could Duncan Sheik really write a musical that’s good? ”Barely Breathing” doesn’t have me convinced.
Ballad of the lost NYC rock clubs
If you haven’t noticed, New York City is in gentrification hyper-drive. Pretty soon there will be enough glass block $2.5 Million condos for every foreign investor, wall street exec and trust fund kid who needs a crash pad.
Much of this is at the expense of art spaces, music venues, and independent retailers. If the rent increases ten-fold, who can keep a business open?
The closing of CBGBs was a very public affair. Patti Smith paid her respects, chairs were sold on eBay, a toilet was preserved that might end up in Vegas…
I was exposed to a lot of different bands at CBGBs – Rollins Band, Foetus (Jim Thurwell), Cop Shoot Cop, and many other bands I can’t remember the names of…
But, there are many other clubs and venues that went out with less fanfare.
Anyone remember…
Tramps – Any night of the week they’d be featuring rock, country, blues – you name it. I saw everyone from Frank Black to the Mavericks there. Unfortunately, I got shut-out of a Foo Fighters show once because they oversold it and the Fire Marshall got involved.
Wetlands – This place was green before it was a trendy marketing ploy. Most of the stuff was a bit too “jam band” for me, but I did get to see Philly’s Finest – the Dead Milkmen. Bitchin’ Camaro! Plus, one of the first shows that Oasis ever played in the U.S. I actually went to two shows that night. After Oasis I grabbed a subway uptown to see Killing Joke at the…
The Academy – It was right smack in the middle of the Times Square theater district before it was Disney-fied. So many great shows here – Happy Mondays, Afghan Whigs, Nine Inch Nails, etc…
At least the Beacon survives. Although, it was going to be torn down in the 80s. Many high-profile New Yorkers worked hard to save it. I was employed there as an usher there in college. $20 a night plus tips to watch concerts. Pretty good gig…
For the latest on the ever-changing NYC landscape check out this blog: Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York . This guy pounds the pavement on a daily basis giving updates on the charming old businesses that are getting driven out of the city.
Whigs (Afghan, that is)
I don’t look for favorite artists or bands expecting it to be a long-term investment. I hear something that I like or read an article, check out a single. Sometimes the sophomore album is a let-down and that’s kinda it. You can’t get too attached one or even two albums in.
Back in 1993, I was lucky enough to be up late watching 120 Minutes and Matt Pinfield introduced a video for the song “Debonair”. About 30 seconds in I was hooked. The sound was different than the usual lo-fi indie rock that was going on at the time. This was the Afghan Whigs.
My friend Alan who went to Ohio State then filled me in on the details and gave me a special gift. The Afghan Whigs’ first Sub Pop release Up In It (on limited edition orange vinyl, no less). Thanks, Alan…wherever in the world you are…
Then, since I was still doing music marketing for BMG in 1993, I attend the CMJ convention. One of the panels was entitled “Life After Nirvana” and it was about breaking bands after Nevermind. There’s a guy on the panel from Elektra and he plays the video for “Debonair” and talks about this band that he’s promoting – The Afghan Whigs. Needless to say, two releases later, they are no longer on Elektra, one album is released on Columbia and then they break up. There’s probably a major label horror story in there somewhere.
Just before the break up, Twilight As Played By The Twilight Singers is released. It seems like a collective of interesting artists more than a band. But, it’s obvious that just like the Afghan Whigs, Greg Dulli is the mastermind and songwriter driving this project, and I’m still hooked. The next Twilight Singers album, Blackberry Belle features a different band, but it’s more focused. The songs are dark, soulful and just great rock tunes – all at the same time. It’s an album that I go to at least once a month, a real masterpiece in my musical world.
Powder Burns has one of my favorite songs of all-time: “Candy Cane Crawl”. Ani DiFranco even does backing vocals – can’t get much better than that…
This year I had the pleasure of seeing two performances by the Gutter Twins – Greg Dulli with Mark Lanegan. Once again, Dulli has got a new project and album, Saturnalia. The mood is even darker, but the groove is still strong. I always thought that Lanegan’s solo albums dragged a bit, not really my taste. But, the combination totally works.
All my highs, lows, frustration, desire, success, disappointment, of the past fifteen years have had the perfect soundtrack… and I’m sure there’s more to come…
New Music – Coconut Records, Liam Finn
I only seem to discover new bands or releases nowadays by listening to Sirius, or visiting MySpace or iTunes. If anyone knows of any other really good blogs or sites, let me know…
Some cool stuff that I’ve heard recently…
Liam Finn:
Yes, he Neil Finn’s son, and sounds like it. I saw him play guitar with his dad a few years ago at a taping of the PBS series Sessions. Neil is such a clever songwriter with killer pop hooks. Liam’s first single “Second Chance” is a bit brooding with a pop edge. And, he even knows how to play a Theremin! Bonus points for that…
Coconut Records
This is Jason Schwartzman’s new project. It’s not enough that he got to play one of the coolest movie characters of all time – Max Fisher in Rushmore - now he’s a rock star too. “West Coast” is a slow groovin’ tune, kinda sounds like the Shins – it would definitely fit into a Wes Anderson soundtrack. “Nighttiming” has a fun, disco, totally shallow vibe.
The Replacements – All Over But The Shouting
I recently finished reading this book which is a mix of band interviews, quotes from Minneapolis music scene diehards and fan musings.
It’s a tough read at times because there is an index in the back where you feel compelled to reference everyone who is being quoted. There are so many different sources and most of the names aren’t familiar which makes it difficult. There are some obvious ones like Grant Hart from Husker Du, Dan Murphy from Soul Asylum and a few others. But it seems like every local Minneapolis writer and musician who ever went to a Replacements show is quoted.
If you are a big fan of the band, it is interesting to follow their career from start to finish. They were a group of talented guys who, in the end, weren’t ready to play the major label game. The saddest part is the death of Bob Stinson, who died from years of alcohol and drug abuse in his 30s.
When I was in college at NYU, I interned for the ‘Mats management company in NY. Their managers worked out of a building that doesn’t exist anymore due to the new gentrification of NYC. It was an old five story building across from the now extinct Tower Records on West 66th Street.
This was the tail end of the Replacements career. Bob Stinson had been kicked out, and Slim Dunlop was the new guitar player. Their Minneapolis manager who had been with them from the beginning had also been given the boot. They were trying to make it as a major label band with New York management.
The Del Fuegos were also managed by the same guys. It’s pretty funny that Dan Zanes is now a kid’s music star. I’ve taken my kids to see his band many times, he’s really a great musician. But, back in the late 1980’s the Del Fuegos were best known as the band from Boston who appeared in a Miller Beer commercial. The ‘Mats loved joking about that, how the Del Fuegos were sell-outs.
Over the year that I worked for their management, the Replacements had just finished Don’t Tell A Soul and Warner/Reprise was ready to launch them into hit single heaven. But, it seemed like all of the fun had been taken out of what the ‘Mats were by that time.
The first time I saw them was at The Ritz on 11th Street in NYC (now Webster Hall). It was on the Please To Meet Me tour. They came out wearing matching yellow and blue plaid suits and by the end of the show they were drunk off their asses throwing toilet paper into the crowd. Regardless, as a music fan, you could see through the absolute stupidity. Paul Westerberg’s songs were the reason we were all there and Tommy Stinson always looked like he was having the time of his life.
In the end there wasn’t any hit single, they were being pushed into a direction that wasn’t what the spirit of the band was about. Westerberg has gone on to write many other great songs that are clever, introspective, and just good rock tunes.
I just read on the Westerberg site that The Replacements’ first three albums and an EP will be reissued in remastered, expanded form this April. Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out the Trash, Stink, Hootenanny and Let It Be will be released on Rhino.
Finally! Since the cartridge broke on my turntable I haven’t been able to listen to Hootenanny which I only own on vinyl…
What this is all about…
OK, I’m not quite 40 yet…still a good 8 months to go.
I’m a music junkie, majored in Music Business at N.Y.U. and have a Bachelor of Music. Although, I haven’t worked in the business pushing “product” for a few years now. The major labels are putting out mostly crap at this point. I’m now working in Interactive Marketing (like many former music biz people). I was the writer/editor for my college ‘zine, amongst others, and wrote for a free weekly in NY. I’m trying really hard to stay on top of the latest bands and culture.
That’s why I started this blog. It’s getting harder to stay current and keep up with good new music. I also like to keep up with my favorites from the previous decade. The early 90s had a lot going on!
I’ll probably be posting about new stuff mixed with memories of past shows and experiences. I have lots of info to share and hope that others will post as well. We’re just in our 40’s, better than the alternative, right?
We’ll see how it goes…
