Category: Thought and Opinion

Music, Thought and Opinion

Some Final Thoughts on The Grammy’s

I’ve got some final words to say about this years Grammy Awards. Truth be told, I haven’t had much interest in watching them anymore.

Now you would think that as a musician The Grammy Awards would be something always on my agenda of things to watch. To see the best of the best get their due. But sadly, the ceremony, much like the AMA’s, CMA’s and any other “MA’s” I may have missed, seems to have become nothing more than just a lackluster showcase for the music industry to pat itself on the back instead of awarding real talent.

Don’t get me wrong, this year Adele easily deserved to sweep everything. She is a true diamond in a sea of the same old same. But outside of her obvious and most deserving win, every year the awards seems to turn more and more into something that can’t be taken seriously.

Consider the way Chris Brown was graciously accepted back onto the stage again and won a pair of awards after his most recent shenanigans. Or the way Dave Grohl of The Foo Fighters was blatantly cut off during his acceptance speech when he started telling the truth about how music should come from the heart and not a computer. And lets not forget the fact that a group of “old men” (The Beach Boys) schooled everyone who hit the stage before them with true vocal harmony.

But I’d really like to focus the meat of this blog on the list of artists from the “Rock Performance” and “Metal” categories. Because, you know me, it’s all about the Rock and Metal.

First, here’s a list of winners from thirty years ago:

Record of the Year: Rosanna: Toto
Album of the Year: Toto IV
Song of the Year: Always on My Mind: Willie Nelson
Best New Artist: Men at Work
Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female: Pat Benatar-“Shadows of the Night ”
Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male: John Cougar Mellencamp -“Hurts So Good”
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Survivor-“Eye of the Tiger”
Best Rock Instrumental Performance: A Flock of Seagulls – “D.N.A.”

And now, here is a list of Grammy winners for 2012:

Record of the Year: “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele
Album of the Year: “21,” Adele
Song of the Year: “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth
New Artist: Bon Iver
Pop Solo Performance: “Someone Like You,” Adele
Rock Song: “Walk,” Foo Fighters
Rock Album: “Wasting Light,” Foo Fighters
Rock Performance: “Walk,” Foo Fighters
Hard Rock/Metal Performance: “White Limo,” Foo Fighters

Look at the variety of artists from three decades ago. All with hit songs and all deserving. Where is that variety today?

Please don’t misunderstand me, I love the Foo Fighters. Really, I do. But three different songs winning Grammy awards? And one Grammy for Best “Metal” performance? The Foo Fighters aren’t “Metal”.

It really upsets me that there seems to be a lack of true nominees in these categories whether by accident or deliberate intention. Every time you see the list of nominations you pretty much know who is going to win. And why is it that groups you’ve never heard of always seem to get a nod and bands that have Grammy history and new albums get ignored?

Consider artists like Journey, Foreigner and Night Ranger for example. Ok, I agree that it’s been years since any of them had songs that topped the charts. But all of these bands have released albums of brand new music, most of it very good and all within the time frame of nomination, but their body of work wasn’t even acknowledged by the academy.

Now I’m not saying any of these artists should win. Hardly. All I’m saying is that wouldn’t it be nice to at least recognize the efforts of bands that have stood the test of time and continue to deliver music for their fans? But instead, true musicianship gets over shadowed by the need for computer generated beats and auto-tuned vocal performances.

I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised though. I mean lets face it, this is the same awards show that gave the very first Grammy in the Hard Rock/Metal category to Jethro Tull instead of Metallica.

And don’t get me started on that whole Milli Vanilli incident.

Music, Thought and Opinion

How Badly Do I Want To See Van Halen?

Like everyone else I was stoked when Van Halen finally announced “A Different Kind of Truth“, their long-awaited new album with original singer David Lee Roth. But even more amazing than the first new music with Roth on vocals in 28 years was the bands plan to embark on a tour to support the new record.

I never had the opportunity to see Van Halen with either of its two singers, Roth or Sammy Hagar (I don’t count the Gary Cherone “experiment”). And even though original bassist Michael Anthony would not be taking part I still wanted to hear Eddie shred on Eruption and experience “Jamie’s Cryin”, “Ain’t Talking Bout Love” and “Hot for Teacher”. I mean, let’s face it, Eddie Van Halen is one of the few remaining Guitar Gods. I had to see him and pay homage.

All the while I was consuming myself with the thought of seeing Van Halen for the first time a little voice inside my head was telling me that I had better hurry up and order a ticket. For if the past is any indication, I’m quite certain that it’s only a matter of time before the devil they’ve been running with inevitably rears his ugly head again and breaks up the band again. So time was indeed of the essence.

I was very excited to discover that the band would be making a stop in Philadelphia on March 5th and so I immediately grabbed my credit card and proceeded to the ComCast Tix website to make my purchase.

Since I ‘d be going alone I didn’t really care where I sat. I noticed that the cheapest ticket available online was in the upper bleachers for $49.50. That sounded good enough to me so I added the ticket to my shopping cart and proceeded on to the next screen.

“Uhm… excuse me, is there something wrong here? There must be some mistake.”

I was greeted by a screen that told me that the $49.50 ticket I was about to purchase would also require me to pay a “fee” of $11 and another $5 “order charge”. What these so-called “fee” and “order” charges were wasn’t explained but suddenly my ticket cost had gone up to $65.50 (a 32% increase).

As the blood pressure started to rise I was able to calm myself by singing out loud some possible Van Halen songs I’d hear: “Might as well JUMP! JUMP!”…. “PA-NAH-MA!”…”Daaaance The Night Away!”….That seemed to work although my dogs, which were within earshot of me in the living room, made a bee line for the exits. My confidence had been restored.

I was next asked by the website if I’d like to purchase advance parking for the event ahead of time. “Yes, I guess that makes sense”, I said to myself as I clicked on the link.

My cart was immediately updated and now things were beginning to get a bit out of hand. Parking for the show would be $25 and, you guessed it, that cost did not include another additional $2.25 “fee” bringing the total for my original $49.50 cheap-seat ticket to see Van Halen to a whopping $92.75. Beg pardon Comcast, but you do realize that now I am paying almost double the cost of what my ticket is worth don’t you?

But if you thought it ended there, wait….there’s more!

I had the ticket and parking covered but now the question was: how did I want to receive my one SINGLE paper ticket? My choices ranged from an additional $2.75 just for the opportunity to print the ticket out at home up to a $19 charge for express delivery.

After adding everything together, including the mandatory toll charges to and from the event, I concluded that the cost for me to go by myself to see Van Halen in Philadelphia with a $49.50 ticket was going to be over $100. I clicked “Cancel” on the transaction screen.

The more I think about it, the angrier I become. Not at Van Halen mind you. My issue is with these outrageous parking fees and the Comcast Tix, Ticketmaster and Live Nation sites who are supposed to be doing service to the fans but instead wind up screwing them with fees. It’s frustrating to essentially have to pay double the price printed on a ticket just to see the show.

Worse still, it makes me do something else I’ve never done before besides see Van Halen. It’s made me start to second guess just how badly I want to see a concert.

And shame on these ticket outlet sites and venues for making me feel that way.

Music, Survivor, Thought and Opinion

The Album Experience

A few weeks ago I was perusing iTunes looking for songs to buy on a gift card I received. I chose a few Foo Fighters songs from their most recent album (I didn’t really care for the previews I had heard of the whole thing) and the Bon Jovi anthem “It’s My Life”. I’m not even sure which record that track was on. My guess is it’s probably on several of them but I just wanted the song for when I do cardio at the gym so it didn’t really matter.

I mean, you can’t play Eye of The Tiger consecutively for thirty minutes straight while on the treadmill. Well, I suppose you can but I like to mix it up a bit.

Speaking of Bon Jovi, I read an article not too long ago from Jon Bon Jovi himself. He made the outrageous claim that Steve Jobs and iTunes had single-handedly ruined the music business. This coming from a guy whose band has made millions of dollars off of it. Including quite a bit of it from me over the years I might add and more than enough money for him to one day become part owner of a billion dollar NFL team. A guy who still continues to sell his music on iTunes and profit off of it. Just who is he trying to kid anyway?

But the more I thought about it and looked at the receipt for my downloaded songs the more I realized….he’s right. The entire “experience” of getting and listening to new music is gone.

Back in “the day” if you heard a cool song on the radio from a band you loved you had three choices…

One:  Call the radio station 24/7 and beg them to play it.
Two:  Try and find the 45″ single of it somewhere.
Three: Buy the album, which was always readily available.

In my case, the choice was easy. I would always buy the album because I LOVED the experience (ok, and also because I didn’t want to sound like a sissy calling the request line).

When you first heard the new “hit” from the band on the radio and the brouhaha that followed you knew the countdown to the new album was officially on. It was almost like Christmas was coming.

There was nothing quite like getting that new album (or CD) and taking it home for the first time. Especially if you’ve waited the habitual two years since your favorite group’s last record. A literal lifetime when you are growing up.

My ritual was this: I would get the album, lock myself in my bedroom, tear open the shrink-wrap and put new vinyl on the turntable. Always first song, first side (or first track on a CD – I’m not THAT OLD). I knew the “hit” was always about the third song in and I didn’t want to just skip to it. I wanted the build up.

As the first notes of the record started I knew ‘the boys were back’ and I’d  begin to immerse myself in the liner notes. The smell of new ink would invade my senses and the troubles of the day would soon fade away.

Even though the guys in the band had absolutely no idea who I was (at best just a little dot in the 23rd row at their last concert) it felt like a reunion with old friends. Friends that had inspired me, comforted me and consoled me with their music.

“Boys, where have you been? What’s new?”

I’d read all about the musicians and where the album was recorded and who any “special guest” musicians that had played on the album were. The thank-you notes would always include references to God and family and as a musician myself I’d always think that maybe some day I’d have the opportunity to make these same decisions for my own album.

But most important of all, I read the lyrics.

I loved reading about the pain, heartache and reckless abandon the band felt when creating this record. I tried to relate what I was going through in my own life with what I read and listened to. By the time the “hit” started playing I was already in some distant utopia. (which coincidentally, was the name of the store in downtown Easton where I bought a lot of my records).

When the record was over it was almost like you had just gotten off an amusement park ride. Sure, some of the songs weren’t as good as I had hoped but there were always some gems on there. I liked to guess which song would be the next one released to radio and I’d start wondering just how long it would be before these guys came to town and I could go see them again. The whole thing was indeed an experience.

Now, I couldn’t even tell you the last time I had the whole music experience. I too find myself falling into the same routine that everyone else does. Getting the quick-fix by downloading the one “hit” song. Quite frankly, I even believe most artists these days are perfectly happy with just getting the 99 cents for that one song and ignoring the “album”. But taking Jon’s advice, I decided to pass the digital quick fix and try the album experience again. I chose to buy a physical album from a favorite band whose records spent many months on my turn table growing up and one who coincidentally had just released a brand new album: Night Ranger’s “Somewhere in California”.

I sat there in my office, put the CD into the computer, fired up the media player and started playback on the first track. It was so easy to fall back into the groove, read the liner notes and get lost in thought. And although there were some really great songs on there I know that in today’s music business not a single track on this album will ever get airplay. But the experience of listening to an album from start to finish was as wonderful as I had remembered it to be.

So Mr. Bon Jovi was right in a way. I guess iTunes has changed the game. And sure, I’ll probably take the Night Ranger album and throw it on my mp3 player to take with me. Will I listen to it day and night? Probably not. But favorite songs aren’t meant to be just some digital file on an iPod.

They’re meant to stay with you for a lifetime.

 

Extra: Be sure to check out my other Night Ranger blog article here

Music, Thought and Opinion

Beware of Media

The past few weeks have finally made me take a second look at how the news media reports stories. If you follow politics at all you’re already well aware at how each side (Democrats and Republicans) claim each other is in cahoots with the media to further their own agenda (the “liberal” and “corporate” media respectively).

Quite frankly, I think the argument is ridiculous. I mean, who in their right mind would want to use an organization who can’t even get its own facts straight?

Late last week singer Adam Lambert announced that he would be singing with the band Queen for the MTV Europe Awards. This led news organizations to some how believe that the announcement really meant Lambert was going to be the replacement for the band’s late singer Freddie Mercury on a tour this summer.

This would have been big news, had it have been true of course. This was something the media has been chomping at the bit to report. I mean, Adam Lambert is a good singer AND he’s gay. It makes perfect sense that he would replace another gay singer in one of the biggest bands of all time.

But these news outlets, in their haste to always one-up everyone else, reported this non-existent replacement story and subsequent tour without having all of the facts straight. Even if Mr. Lambert’s comments were a bit ambiguous, someone wearing a fedora with a “Press” pin on it should have clarified it before sending it off to cyberspace.

Another example of the media jumping the gun happened just a few weeks ago. Long time Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who had been in ill-health for several months, was about to pass away. Being that one of the greatest coaches of all time was at death’s door was more than enough information for a sea of journalists to descend upon Happy Valley to get the scoop and report of his death seconds after it had happened.

Unfortunately, some small college newspaper claimed it had received an email informing players that Coach had passed away a day early. When they went to press with it, all the other news organizations blindly followed suit and within hours had to apologize for it. The next day, Coach Paterno died (for real this time).

These little “accidents” are definitely cause for concern. There needs to be more accountability when reporting. Especially in an age where information goes out to the world in seconds.

If a bunch of farmers could fall for a radio station saying we were being invaded by aliens in 1938 consider this: What if the media all reported at the same time about a bogus nuclear attack by some rogue nation without having all the facts first? I think there would be people taking to the streets with more than pitchforks and torches to combat the alien menace. We as a society can not allow these news outlets to control us. We need to get the facts straight.

So whether it’s the New York Giants posting they’ve won the Superbowl on their website before the game is even played or news organizations announcing Dewey defeats Truman in the 1948 election before all the votes were counted one thing is certain. We need to take everything these news outlets report on with a grain of salt.

Singers, football coaches, it doesn’t matter. There’s no real media bias. There’s only media stupidity. So Beware.

Music, Thought and Opinion

Just Get Permission

I remember being a teenager and going to my first dance. It was one of those events where I wanted everything to be perfect. My brother, who was a few years older than me, had his own room and a bottle of cologne that he had bought with his own hard-earned money sitting in his dresser drawer.

Even though I had already showered, I still remember wanting to make a big impression with the “ladies” that night. I certainly didn’t want to take the chance of coming across smelling like teenage sweat and gasoline from mowing the lawn earlier in the day.

My brother was away so I secretly crept into his room, donned some of the essence of manhood, resealed the bottle and was on my way. “He’s got so much of it, he won’t mind if I use it”, I said to myself.

Of course, when I came home from the dance and my brother smelled the remnants of his cologne on me well, needless to say my arm hurt for weeks from the punches I had received.

My point is: there are consequences for doing things without permission.

The same can be said for politicians who decide to use artists songs without permission for rallying cries and campaign themes. As was evident most recently when Newt Gingrich decided to use the song “Eye of The Tiger” by the band Survivor as the entrance theme for his political events. An author himself, and probably more knowledgeable in the area of copyright laws than the average person, Newt should have known better.

Consider this: What if someone were to raise money for their own cause at some conference by reading verbatim one of Newt’s books? If large amounts of cash started pouring in, how long would it be before Mr. Gingrich would send a registered letter with a cease and desist order attached to it?

We’ve seen this before. In 2011 Congresswoman Michele Bachman tried to use Tom Petty’s “American Girl” without permission. In 2008 then republican presidential candidate John McCain tried to use the song “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne without permission.

Even as far back as 1984 President Reagan attempted to use the Bruce Springsteen anthem “Born in The USA” as part of his re-election campaign . In each case the candidate was eventually, and sometimes embarrassingly denied.

But unauthorized use of songs isn’t just restricted to republicans. in 2008, then candidate Barack Obama started using the song “Hold On! I’m Comin'” made famous by R&B group Sam and Dave. That is of course until Sam Moore, the songwriter, requested he stop using it.

All of these are good songs and ones that would be a no brainer for use at rallies and campaign events. But the people using them all forgot to seek permission to use them first.

Now some may think to the contrary but I personally don’t believe songwriters choosing to sue or have cease and desist orders sent out are based on personal politics. What most people don’t understand is that songwriters put their heart and soul into their material.

Songs aren’t just something you create like a paper airplane. The words and music contained in songs are the thoughts, pains and struggles of the writer. They’re actually living, breathing works of art and as such, it’s the writers duty to protect their copyright. As a songwriter myself, I can relate to this.

But whether or not a songwriter chooses to allow a political candidate, or anyone for that matter, to use their material is irrelevant. Maybe they will let you use it and maybe they won’t. But to avoid consequence, much like the lesson I learned using my brothers cologne, you should always remember to do one thing:

Get permission first.

Thought and Opinion

Feeling Like Number 2

Most of the time I abide by the creed that I’m number one but for some reason I feel like number two today. I’m not really sure what I did to deserve this either. I mean, I woke up in a pretty good mood. I had the day off from work (always a good thing), the sun was shining on a cold, crisp day in mid January and I had just cleaned the Keurig the night before so I knew the coffee was going to be fresh. I anticipated a quiet day of doing absolutely nothing but being in my nice warm jammies and socks, drinking coffee and watching TV. Sadly, things just went down hill from there.

Although my initial thoughts were to spend the entire day on the couch my wife had other plans. Today, in addition to it being a holiday for her and a vacation day for me it was also garbage day and since I had the day off she I had decided that before coffee I should quickly go out into the yard and gather up the number two my Boston Terriers had deposited in the yard over the past week. Not a pleasant job mind you but one that needs to be done regularly before the mole-hills becomes mountains if you catch my drift. Number two is also not something you want lying around in your garage for another week until trash day rolls around again.

So, as the Keurig started to percolate I slipped on my best pair of sneakers, coat and rubber examination gloves, grabbed a large plastic bag and made my way out onto the frozen frontier.  A man on a mission.

As I made haste around the perimeter of my yard extracting and being extra careful not to step into any stray number two I couldn’t help but think about the number one reason I hurried along: the fresh coffee that awaited me. The reward I’d receive for collecting number two.

Having finished the job I tied the bag of number two up and placed it into the garage. Feeling victorious, I quickly went upstairs to remove my sneakers and get back into full “day-off” mode. But just as I placed my sneaker on the bed to adjust my sock a disturbing aroma began to fill my nose. It was number two… but from where? I hastily looked to where my sneaker now sat and confirmed that even though I thought I was careful, number two had somehow made it onto my sneaker. And now, not just on my sneaker but also on my bed as well. And to make matters even worse, it was the side of the bed that I sleep on.

So I went into the bathroom and cleaned the number two off of my number one sneakers. Once finished, and with stage one of caffeine headache (or lack there of) beginning to set in, I tore the bed linen off, put it in the laundry basket and hastily made my way down to the laundry room to clean the number two linen.

As the hot wash cycle began I made my way to the powder room to wash up and finally partake in cup of coffee number one. I began to wash the last remnants of number two off of me and at that moment I heard my daughter yelling from the other side of the door. “DAD…Are you almost done?” Now I don’t know about you, but from my experience when someone is standing outside of the bathroom door asking if you are almost finished it usually only means one thing. Yup, number two.

“I’ll be out in a second”, I said as I finished rinsing my hands. But number two waits for no one and apparently she decided to go upstairs and use another bathroom instead. So, with number two now gone from the yard, my sneakers, and in the process of being cleaned off the linen I finally made my way to the kitchen to my awaiting coffee.

I slowly raised the coffee cup up to my lips fully anticipating heaven and the angels to start trumpeting but instead heard the heart wrenching call coming from upstairs:

“DAD, the toilet won’t flush!”… Yep, as if you haven’t already guessed, more number two.

Without even taking the time to enjoy the first sip I put down my #1 Dad coffee mug, grabbed the plunger from under the sink and made my way upstairs.

So that’s how my day has been so far and why I feel like number two. Oh, did I tell you that I had to take the dogs to the vet today too? And you’ll never guess what the vet wanted to do while we were there? I’ll  give you a hint: It has to do with number two.

I sure hope my day gets better.

I hope yours does too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life, Thought and Opinion

Old Man Nudity

Ah, there’s just something about going to the gym that’s exhilarating. I love the feel of pushing the plates. Getting that one last rep. Going beyond failure. Stretching the body to the limit. The magic of the “pump” and how good you feel afterwards. But alas, there is also one thing I hate and will never really understand about gyms.

Old man nudity.

It never fails. Every time I enter the dressing room at LA Fitness I am greeted by the sight of at least one fat, bare assed individual who one: absolutely seems to have no business being in the gym in the first place and second and more importantly, has no problem with taking extended periods of time to get dressed.

Now please don’t get me wrong. I’m as comfortable with my naked body as the next person. I have no problem with nudity. I was born that way. I also shower daily in said manner. In fact, on the opposite sex I even find it very attractive.

My problem is seeing individuals who should not be “skivee” or toweless at all in public let alone taking their good old sweet time to become “un-nude”…. I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that there should be some kind of requirement on the length of time a man can be naked when in front of a group of people in a social situation such as being in a gym locker room.

I figure thirty seconds from the time you remove your towel to put on at least your underpants isn’t being all that unreasonable.

Although I’ve never personally showered there, I do swim on occasion and unfortunately have the need to be sans clothes while changing out of my swimsuit. Not to brag, but I’ve clocked my time from the final towel drop (and exposure) to underwear at waist and came in at under ten seconds. That includes full drying of necessary areas prior to getting dressed. I’ve been working up to that time since swimming class in high school and am damn proud of it. In fact, I think if I were a woman I could get the bra on in another two or three seconds easy. That’s how good I am. My point being, if I can do it, anyone can.

I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve had to change my clothes from street to gym (or vice versa) to the view of old fat guys toweling off and letting it all hang out. Shaving, combing their hair, scratching their belly – doesn’t matter. It’s the Garden of Eden at the LA Fitness. And they are damned proud of it. No Eve’s reside here (although from what I hear, they have their own little sanctuary in the next room). But suffice to say, there are plenty of little snakes roaming around. And this sure ain’t no garden I want to be in.

What I don’t understand is why these people seem to have no care in the world that they are showcasing their belly rolls and “winkies” for the world to see. This isn’t Rio Pops. No nudist colonies in this part of town. I’m really glad you’re comfortable with your body. That makes one of us. But is it really too much to ask to put a towel around your waist while you’re standing in front of the mirror shaving?

I’ve even seen dudes having long conversations about work while just standing there in the nude. Without even the inkling to reach for their clothes. Does being in your birthday suit make the conversation more fun?

Maybe it’s like a game. You know, one where you engage someone in conversation while you’re nude knowing that sooner or later the other guy is going to look down at your manhood. And the challenge is to go as long as possible without looking down.

I really feel like complaining to management. But seriously, what would I say? I’ve gone over it many times in my head and the best I could come up with is: “Uhm yes, I am trying to change my clothes in the locker room and there’s this fat old Jewish man standing in the buff next to me having a serious conversation with his buddy and its making me uncomfortable….Can you please enforce the thirty second no nude rule? And NO, I will NOT tell you why I think he’s Jewish”……Yeah, like THAT would go over.

Why can’t there be a third locker room for these jokers? Put them in a dark room with black light. A disco ball. Let them towel slap each other and recite poetry for all I care. Something. ANYTHING! Just keep them away from me so I can change.

Sadly, aside from me setting up a home gym, which is not in the cards, there is ultimately no escape from watching these guys perform the full monty.

Sometimes I find myself changing at work in the men’s room prior to heading to the gym in the afternoon. Sure, the cleaning guy might catch me but at least he knows my name. These guys don’t care who you are.  It’s more like: “Look at ME…Look at ME!!!!”. Unforunately, I can’t do that all the time and will inevitably find myself back in the bowels of the LA Fitness locker room. Where believe me, it’s only a matter of time until I reach down to tie my sneakers and rise up to find my head next to Jabba The Hut’s hairy ass. It will happen. Trust me.

Oh, the things I do to stay fit.

1980's, Music, Thought and Opinion

Say It Isn’t So

A few days ago a friend of mine asked me to go online and check out a new CD the band he was in had just released. I quickly pointed my web browser to the CD Baby website to give a listen to a buddy whose cover band has been tearing up the local watering holes around town for years. Finally getting to hear his own original music was really going to be a treat.

CD Baby is a gold mine for independent artists. A website most local and regional bands use to promote their new music. It’s a great way for unknowns to get the word out to people who may not even know who they are.

But I never would have guessed that the CD Baby platform would ever be used in the opposite way.

Case in point: While listening to my boy’s uptempo bar songs I happened upon a CD listing for a band whose name sounded familiar to me. The album for sale was called “Replay” and the band was “The Outfield”.

“The Outfield?? It couldn’t be”, I said to myself. But by checking the band description it didn’t take long to realize that yes, this “Outfield” was the exact same Outfield who had been all over radio and MTV and sold five million records thirty-two years ago. Riding a stream of hits including “Say It Isn’t So”, “For You” and “Your Love” (a song which ironically has been in the set list of my buddy’s band for years). What the hell were these guys doing on CD Baby?

I gave a listen to some of the preview tracks just to verify that this was the band whose catchy hooks were a staple of the mid 1980’s. The new songs I heard were actually quite good. Just as good if not better than some of the ones I had heard from them during the Reagan administration. Music that brought back memories of blaring boom boxes, feathered hair and childhood summers. Music that, in my opinion, should now still be played on Top-40 radio and what ever the alternative is for MTV.

Sadly, there was no point in me picking up the phone and calling the local radio station to request California Sun, a track from the new record. Although it would personally be cool to request “The Outfield” again what were the odds that the DJ on the other end of the line would even know who this band was?

Now, had I said Bruno Mars, Katy Perry or Taylor Swift it would be a different story. There is a plethora of songs to choose from there. “Music” that saturates radio today. Song by artists that quite honestly are completely interchangeable with each other. All manufactured with the same chords, the same beat and the same theme. The only difference being the actual lyrics of the song and even most of those are cliché’.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of hearing about skies full of lighters, a drunk party or crying out in the yard at two in the morning because my boyfriend broke up with me. They only make me long more for the days of Josie being on a vacation far away.

Music isn’t created anymore, its manufactured on an assembly line. The songwriters are gathered together with ideas already in place by the suits at the record company and the music is programmed in a high-tech studio in some big city. It makes me wonder how many actual musicians are playing their instruments on these tracks. Finally, it’s all put together, packaged and backed by a gigantic marketing team with deals already in place with major suppliers.

The days of the public deciding what music is good and bad are over – companies now tell you what you should buy and price their product appropriately.

Want proof? Just check out in stores and digital downloads. Ever notice that some new digital music singles sell for 30% less than standard 99-cent rate? And new CDs, for certain popular artists, which normally sell for $13.99 at a store, sell for $7.99?  Not coincidence.

It’s no longer about the music or how much money sales generate, it’s only about how many physical units are sold. Selling a million physical copies of a single or a CD offsets the loss of millions of dollars in the art that created it.

Worst of all, this manufactured stuff gets top billing in stores, radio and I-Tunes while “real” new music gets pushed to Indie web sites to be stumbled upon by accident.

To help reinforce my point about the difference between real music and today’s manufactured material let’s do a quick comparison of #1 songs in the USA from the years 1982 and 2011.

Entire month of January 1982: Physical: Olivia-Newton John
Entire month of January 2011:  Grenade: Bruno Mars

Entire Month of April 1982: I Love Rock and Roll: Joan Jett and The Black Hearts
Entire Month of April 2011: ET (Katy Perry w. Kanye West) – No, it’s not about the little alien guy who ironically, first appeared in 1982.

Half of the month of July and all of August 1982: Eye of The Tiger (Survivor)
Entire month of July and Half of August 2011: Party Rock (LMFAO Featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock)

Now, armed with this knowledge, ask yourself this question:

Thirty years from now, which songs will you still remember?

Music, Thought and Opinion

Stop Being a Baby

It was recently announced that 75% of the original members of Van-Halen would be releasing a long-awaited new album and embarking on a new tour. In an effort to give some high level members of the media a taste of what’s to come, the band performed a set of songs in New York City at an invitation only event where new songs and classic hits were showcased.

Now I am someone who would have begged, borrowed and stolen to be part of such an experience. But since someone at VH1 dropped the ball and forgot to mail me my ticket I instead voraciously sought out any and every review of the showcase I could find. Hoping to hear not only about the new music but also tid bits of how everyone in the band was holding up physically as well. Because, let’s face it, the members of this band have been through a lot.

Eddie Van-Halen, a revolutionary guitar hero, had been diagnosed and treated for cancer and had recently completed a stint in rehab. I wanted to know how his health was. And then there’s Diamond David Lee Roth. Would he still have the crazy gymnastic moves in his arsenal? And what about the booze? Has the band finally rid itself of the alcohol demons?

So many questions and I wanted them all answered immediately. But alas, the only conclusion I drew while reading these articles was that the ones in attendance at the showcase would have been better suited wearing diapers.

Instead of focusing on one of the most influential bands in the last 35 years and whether this will be their final hurrah, many media reviews I read seemed to focus on the fact that original bassist Michael Anthony wasn’t in the group. “Micheal’s not there, it’s not the same”….was a theme I read often. 

My response? “DUDE, you just saw VAN-HALEN playing in a club atmosphere and this is what you write about? Don’t you know that people would KILL to be in your shoes right now? Stop being a baby!”

Did the people who actually get into this event not know that Michael hasn’t been in that band for over a decade? Or worse still, even if they were already armed with this knowledge, why would they not focus on all the positive and instead bring up only the negative?

These are the same forty somethings who, having now attained their dream job of working as part of the entertainment media, will bitch and moan all day long that THEIR kind of music is becoming obsolete. Yet when given the golden ticket and being able to be part of a unique experience such as an intimate showcase with Van-Halen, still find reason to hate on them.

Here’s a suggestion: Next time you folks in the media get tickets to a VIP event such as this, please allow me to go in your place. At least I’d be able to report on what people really want to know and not why someone who hasn’t been in the band for years couldn’t somehow magically be there that night.

No takers? Hmmm, how about if I throw in a pacifier?

1980's, NY Ink, Thought and Opinion

Reflections of 2011

So here we are at the end of another year. Most people use this time to recall events from the year and look forward to what the future holds. And I’m no different. I always find myself sitting in the kitchen, coffee cup in hand, reflecting on the past.

I started out this morning by reading an old journal entry I wrote 25 years ago. Searching for something that I thought made 1986 memorable for me. All that I found were paragraphs of me rambling on about learning a Van-Halen guitar lick and having a project due in my high school music theory class I wasn’t too enthused about. My only real goals for the new year were getting into my first real band and graduating. In that order if possible. Suffice to say, only the latter event happened.

The following New Years Eve though, 1987, will always be memorable for me. I was spending time with a girl I liked, got a little bit tipsy on the Manischewitz Concord Grape Wine I “borrowed”  from my Grandmother (sorry Nan) and actually got up the nerve to ask her out. You must realize that I was an 18-year-old who had never actually been on a date before. So needless to say, this was HUGE for me. Fortunately, she said yes and we’ve been together ever since.

But the last day of the year hasn’t always been good to me. Nine years later New Years Eve literally changed everything.

It was around 10PM on December 31st, 1996 and  I was at home getting ready to watch Dick Clark freeze his ass of in Times Square. It was fortunate that we had no plans of going out.

The phone rang.

On the other end was my Mother in tears. She NEVER calls me at night unless something was wrong. And this time something was. My grandmother, who had been in ill-health the past few months, had just passed away in the nursing home. The Grand Matriarch whose house I grew up in and who took care of me and my brother and sister was gone. Although the last words we spoke to each other was “I love you” a day earlier as she drifted in and out of consciousness, it was of no consolation. I put down the phone and just cried right there in the middle of the kitchen.

So it’s been fifteen new years eves since I got that call and usually not a day goes by that I don’t think about her in some way. I’m sure tonight I’ll be thinking about her even more.

Now that I’ve wiped my tears, let’s talk about some of the good stuff from this past year (2011):

#1. In January of 2011 I resolved to start writing. My very first blog post was about Pierogies and I’ve never looked back. I’ve written over 120 blogs since then and have even written articles for other online web sites.

#2. I was re-acquainted with a bunch of classmates I haven’t seen in years. It’s been so exciting to see what everyone has been up to and to take part in planning for our 25th reunion next year.

#3. My daughter started middle school this year. She excels at reading and writing (actually making books with chapters and everything) and is big into playing music, much like me. I am so proud of everything she’s becoming. I had the chance to visit her new school for the day and see how everything has changed since I roamed those halls. Made me feel, yup, old.

#4. This one many of you may not know but I can say it now. I was selected as a candidate to be on the TV show NY Ink. I went to New York and got tattooed by Megan Massacre while being filmed by the TLC network. I’m not sure if my segment will be airing or not but the whole experience was incredible. I got tell my story about my own musical journey and how for one night I became a rock star. I’ve been working on a four-part blog about it that I’ll be posting in the New Year.

#5. After hearing about one of my favorite bands, Survivor, reuniting with my favorite singer (Jimi Jamison), I wrote a blog about my journey with the band and how their music affected me. Because of it, I was asked by the management of Frankie Sullivan (guitarist from the band) to do an interview with him. We talked on the phone for over an hour yesterday and I heard so much good stuff about the band and the music I loved growing up.

Those are just five and I could probably go on. Life’s been good and I’ve been so blessed.

I’m not sure what 2012 will hold but I am looking forward to it. I’ve got plenty of ideas for articles and songs. I may even have a go at my first book. And to celebrate the resolution that didn’t come true in 1986 I think I may even take the plunge again and go back into a band situation. The sky’s the limit.

Over the years friends have remembered the Manischewitz story and every so often buy some for me as a joke. I haven’t had any of it in years. But tonight, in honor on Nan, I think I just may have to break it open.

And right after I toast to her memory I’ll make one for you as well.

Here’s to a Happy 2012.