Reunion Blues Backstage Banter

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Monthly Archives: September 2010

Is Paul McCartney the Most Influential Composer of All Time?

I attended a Paul McCartney concert recently at AT&T Park in San Francisco. I wasn’t expecting too much, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see one of the Beatles in person (aided by a large video screen!). My first album ever was MEET THE BEATLES, so it is only natural that I wanted to see Sir Paul. I will have to admit that I was very impressed with many things about the show, but mostly his passion for the music and performing. He was definitely not just going through the motions. He was right there with us, rocking out!

Before the show, filled with excitement and anticipation, I was discussing the accomplishments of Paul McCartney and my friend suggested that Paul McCartney was the most influential songwriter/composer of all time. I sarcastically replied, “well, maybe of our generation”. But, after a little more discussion, I had to agree! As my friend pointed out, Paul ‘s music is not only great, but he lives in the time of mass media and distribution to the farthest corners of the earth. One can argue that he wasn’t the “greatest” composer of all time, but who else can you think of that had a wider distribution? You may think Mozart or Bach are greater composers, but they never even came close to McCartney’s worldwide influence.

You may prefer John Lennon or George Harrison as songwriters, but I think it fair to say that their solo careers were not as successful as Paul’s. My favorite Beatle was George Harrison but that will have to be the subject of another blog. So, add up Paul’s repertoire as a Beatle and his solo efforts and you have the Most Influential Songwriter of All Time! And the fact that he performed at halftime of a Super Bowl didn’t hurt his worldwide appeal…Here, There and Everywhere.

Keith Barr Remembered

Sometimes we just have to share a story when we lose one of the really great ones.

Keith Barr died of a heart attack at 61 this week… inventor, icon and founder of many music industry companies including Alesis where I worked in 1991 as director of communications. Keith had a brain the size of a Buick, a sense of humor, and a 300+ employee company that was fueled with some of the most competitive people I have ever met, all of whom the company fed a free lunch to… every day!

 

Keith.Bar.8

The VHS tape-based Alesis ADAT Digital Multitrack Recorder was a hot product in 1991. I was charged with pulling together all the presentation tools to help Keith and his co-brainey conspirator Marcus Ryle (founder of Line 6) thwart the DAT tape-based competition. And thwart we did.

The ADAT won multiple industry awards that year. Always one to shun the limelight, Keith would leave the acceptance speeches to Alesis President Russell Palmer. There was this one time, however, when neither could make it to an award ceremony, so yours truly was chosen to mount the podium. When I asked what I was supposed to say, Keith pulled me aside and secretly suggested we create a Russell Palmer cut-out puppet with a moving mouth and let him do the “talking”… operated by the worst ventriloquist in the history of mankind.

Keith

The end result was one of the most embarrassing, hilarious, memorable nights of my existence with the room falling all over the place and “Team ADAT” having the time of their lives. We laughed until we cried.

Thank you Keith. Rest in peace.

 

Louie’s Legacy Lives @ Reunion Blues

Louie Armstrong was so hip, so creative, his musical roots and influence can still be found in today’s new music. I, for one, regard him as the best of the best.

Louie's

About 10 years ago, I spotted this picture in a St. Louis junk shop and, at first, didn’t even know what it was. After studying it, I realized it was a brass instrument mouthpiece. I was especially intrigued by what appears to be hacksaw grooves in the metal. Something made me buy that picture and, to this day, it hangs in my office.

Imaging my surprise when I stumbled across this web site.

http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/collections/jazz.htm

That’s right, it’s Louie’s cornet mouthpiece.

Go figure!

Notes From a Woodstock Wanna-Be

A very cool customer recently sent me a picture of himself at Woodstock. It looked like it was right off the album cover (he even commented on the clouds looming largely in the background-see for yourself). It made me think about how much I was influenced by that festival at Max Yasgur’s farm, and I wasn’t even there. I didn’t attend Woodstock because I was a little too young. But, I think that made me even more into the music and the whole scene (thank goodness for the movie and the album). Like many things in life, don’t we yearn to be part of something that our older brothers and sisters are into? And it can shape us for a lifetime.

There were many things that Woodstock represented, but for me it was all about the music. I still consider Jimi Hendrix’ version of the Star Spangled Banner to be the most creative piece of music ever played. The customer that sent me his photo said his favorite performers were Ten Years After and The Who. He said he had a hard time picking a favorite. I can believe it. Look at the lineup and try to choose a favorite. Monumental, epic, seminal…all words I’ve heard to describe what happened during that summer weekend in August 1969. And here we are, over 40 years later and people still know Woodstock as if it were the moon landing. So, even though I wasn’t there, I will happily listen to the music of the musicians who performed there for the rest of my life. Hey, Joni Mitchell wasn’t there and she wrote the classic song. It was a big vibe that still vibrates.

Is Looping Considered Cheating?

It wasn’t long ago that if one recorded backing tracks for a performance, it was almost as bad as lip-syncing. Think back to Milli Vanilli and Ashley Simpson. Not something that a self-respecting, qualified musician would do since the emphasis was on “live” music. Now, it is very common for a musician to loop some tracks and play along. BOSS is even having a Looping competition now, and the winner gets to go to Hollywood! I’d rather go to San Francisco, but that is a separate subject. As computers become a mainstay of the musical landscape, should we allow this intrusion of the non-human element without crying “Cheater!”? I have finally decided to go along and say…Maybe! It better be good, with no slip ups!
I think I began to give in when I saw Joe Craven perform. Joe Craven is a multi-instrumentalist who plays violin, guitar and a variety of percussion instruments. He has played with David Grisman and Jerry Garcia, so he’s got cred. What took me over the top, to accept looping as viable, is when he played the jawbone of a mule as a percussion instrument, along with a loop. Maybe it was the novelty of playing a jawbone, but more than that, it was a successful mix of modern technology and good old fashioned ingenuity. Back when Keller Williams did it, it seemed like he needed a back up band. When Trey Anastasio of Phish looped, it was so much a part of the musical backdrop that I couldn’t tell he was looping. I really thought it was Page McConnell on the keyboard. At the end of the day (is that term overused or what?), it doesn’t matter what I think. Computers and looping are here to stay. It’s up to the next generation of musicians to challenge themselves and come up with something interesting and compelling. The audiences and fellow musicians will shape the use of looping and computers. I still wouldn’t break it out at a bluegrass hoedown (unless I was Joe Craven)!

The Ever Elusive But Always Captivating Hope Sandoval

Had an opportunity to catch Hope Sandoval playing at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco last night. Having been a fan of her work since I first heard the Mazzy Star song “Ride it On” back in 1992, I was excited to finally see her perform live, and being that this was only one of two US performances this year it was not to be missed. Working with drummer Colm O’Ciosoig (of My Bloody Valentine fame) and a phenomenal backing band (Irish group Dirt Blue Jene), her recent record “Through the Devil Softly” is a haunting blend of melancholy folk and americana that was one of my favorite records last year, and the whole group was in top form last night. Hope performed mostly in the shadows, seeming to shy away from the light, while a huge screen backdrop displayed a psychotropic mix of old video loops. While somewhat aloof, her delivery incapsulated the sultry distance of her records, like a grainy, sepia-toned photograph. I really enjoyed the show, especially classics like “Suzanne” and “Blanchard”, but the closing rendition of Syd Barrett’s “Golden Hair” stole the show, with a slow build up to a screaming rock crescendo that left me breathless. As the final feedback wails reached their peak, Hope delicately whispered “thank you” into the microphone and tiptoed off the stage, the epitome of the ghostly figure her records have made her out to be. Utterly brilliant.

Why Don’t Venues Want to Pay Bands Anymore?

I’m not talking about Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, but many of the “second tier” performers who play the clubs and bars. It is a fact that for years now, many venues expect musicians and bands to play for tips. In the old days, the bar or restaurant would “hire” a band, pay a pre-arranged amount, advertise and accept the responsibility of getting customers in to see the band. Somewhere along the line, the venue owners realized that there was a good supply of quality musicians looking for a place to play and could work this angle in getting the musicians to play, basically for free. And, many of us are guilty of perpetuating the cycle by giving in and going along with the program.

Is it because music is an intangible? I mean, the bar owner still has to pay for the booze to serve the customers. Why shouldn’t he or she pay for the music that serves the customers and helps keep them happy and buying drinks? I guess there are just too many of us that love what we do and are looking for a chance to play. Sometimes I think it would be better to have been born before the advent of recorded music. Then, if someone wanted to hear music, they had to hire the musicians to create the live music. Of course, if the king didn’t like the music, he might chop off your head.. but at least you got PAID. ;-)