Reading: “Groove Interrupted”

Reading: “Groove Interrupted”

Started this the other day, and it’s kinda hooking me in the way Geoff Dyer’s “But Beautiful” did. Another group of portraits of musicians, but this time based in the world of New Orleans blues and R&B. Might just have to do another video companion to it. Stay...
New Model, Old Model…No Model.

New Model, Old Model…No Model.

[I read something on Digital Music News this morning, and felt the need to add my voice to a debate that, in my opinion, needs to be reframed in order to be understood.] ——– I’m an “Unsuccessful” Artist. And Here’s Why Things Have Never Been Better I was inspired to add a different perspective to David Lowery’s SF MusicTech Summit talk I read on Digital Music News this morning. (“I’m a Successful Artist. And Here’s Why Things Have Never Been Worse” http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2012/120214cracker) I’ve only been broke – truly, guitar-sellingly broke – twice. The first time was when I was on a label. The second was when I licensed a record to a different label. The problem was not labels, and the solution was not to avoid future labels. It was to tune out all preconceptions and move instinctively, based on my strengths, while bolstering my weaknesses. Lowery is an artist finding a way, and I get his frustration, because I live it, too. In his argument, he sets up a comparison between the old model and the new, comparing iTunes to labels, gross receipts vs. touring receipts, etc. As I read, my eyes glazed over, not because it was right or wrong, but because I’m finally far enough out on my own limb to realize: 1) There is no “new model.” There is Chaos, and Chaos is not a model. We artists cannot treat it as such. Pointing out looters in the middle of a riot is an exercise in unenforceability. Do the looters know this? Oh, yes. 2) The proponents of “new model” are not hatched, fully formed,...

Pop-Up Video Marathons on VH1 Classic

In preparation for all-new episodes of “Pop-Up Video,” VH1 Classic is gonna ramp it up with marathon sessions of the originals: Sunday, June 19 at 3:00 pm, Saturday, July 16 at 2:00 pm and Saturday, August 13 at 2:00 pm. BostonHerald.com sums up the feelings of the entire galaxy by writing, “There’s a lot to like about this. ‘Pop-Up Video’ was basically the last cool thing VH1 and MTV did. Not coincidentally it was also one of the last shows related to music on the networks. And that theme song…” Aw,...