Not your mom's music

It's ok to be an older fan but...

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:26:00 +0000

To the folks who have never been here before...I'm going to make some really unpopular statements but being someone in the the biz and over 40, I'd just like to give you some insight into the business and the people who keep it going. Hopefully I'll give you some understanding beyond what you have assumed from your time as Idolfans or people who wandered into Idoldom and received their education from them. Please don't get defensive. I'm speaking in generalities but I am speaking from personal experience.

The issue with some fans "old enough to be your mom" is that they scare the younger crowd away, especially at shows. Trust me. "Mom fans" crowding the barricades are not cool. Outrageous make-up and clothing is ridiculous. Trying to reclaim your teenage years? Nope!

It is due to some of these +40 fans that I have had to become even more careful with how I dress and conduct myself when working press at an event like Warped Tour. I'm in the press area most of the day and most of the media people are young enough to be my kids along with most of the musicians, techs and VWT staff. I also spend parts of the day taking in various sets for review, working with my photog to get shots of particular people and even, occasionally end up on tour buses interviewing artists. I let artists know that I respect them and their music and also am well aware of the age difference. When out an about, I stay out of the way and usually end up reviewing the audience reactions along with the band's performance. My dress is casual and practical for Warped Tour as we're outside a lot and it's hot and dusty. For club and arena shows I do dress nicer but go for subtle hip.

I do what I do because I love current music. My home was literally a "Dead" zone for almost 20 years having a now-ex husband who only listened to bad old folk rock and The Grateful Dead. When he left and the kids turned on Fuse, I discovered where the good music had gone. This blog was started with the intention of introducing "older folks" to the latest in alt, pop-punk, dance and Brit rock along with electronica. I want the over-40 crowd to feel "safe" about enjoying current music. However, I don't encourage you to dress like your kids and act like ridiculous fan girls/boys. Example; at VWT this summer..."Twi-moms" making fools out of themselves for Paramore. They not only embarrass their own kids if they come with them but every other 14-25 year old within 50ft of them. I kinda would have liked to review Paramore, having followed them since 2006 but knowing those women were there, my photog and I got down in the skank pit for Big D and the Kids Table to end our evening.

So I'm not saying that its not ok for Adam to have older fans in his base but when they start scaring off the younger people, then it's a problem. I spend time in the bases of other artists whose music is similar or complimentary to Adam's style. There are already more than a few Adam fans in those groups. We are all working on growing those numbers. However, there is already the Idol stigma to get some of these people past to start with. If they then go to a show and are greeted by their grandmother in blue glitter eye shadow and some other crazy get-up, they're not coming back. They're also going to be afraid that these same people will then start coming out to the shows of "their artists"...who are my artists too.

I am accepted because I am subtle and stay to the back and that includes the performance and meeting artists after a show. I let the kids go first so if the musicians have to leave for bus call before they get to me, the kids have had their turn. When I road-trip, I don't do more than three shows in my area, mainly because I can't afford more than that but also it creeps people out.

I'm not saying you will not see me in friendly conversations with particular musicians and their crews at some shows. A few of them actually approach me. I've been at this for 5 years now and I am actually friends with these guys and gals. However, I earned those friendships by being cool, calm, collected and letting them know I don't want to sleep with them. My tag line is always "Yes! I am old enough to be your mom".

If you accept your place behind the younger crowd, act your age and stay calm...we can all work this out. You may get to hear even more music from artists you still haven't heard (till you read the rest of this blog and my Hartford Music Examiner column ;-) ) yet. If you stay cool you may go to some amazing shows. But let the kids in first. You and I are gonna be long gone when these guys are still listening to Adam and My Chemical Romance and GaGa thirty years from now. Then they can introduce their kids to their "old people music" while listening to the new stuff. It makes for a great big circle of music and love.

Major and Minors

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:44:00 +0000

Majors and Minors:

'via Blog this'

Now that we have cleared Week #2 of Major & Minors I'm even more convinced that this show is what Idol, X Factor, et al only wish they could be.

Bring together a dozen kids between the ages of 10-15. Add some of the best producers, writers, vocal coaches and choreographers in the business. Don't vote anyone one off and keep their backstories out of it other than to tell you when and how they started persuing a career as a vocalist, instrumental musician and songwriter. Then teach them, step by step, how to be better at their craft and hopefully have a better shot at the big time. America does NOT get to vote!

The show is geared to the middle school crowd which is great because tweens get overlooked especially in musical entertainment. The JoBros and Miley have grown up so they're really not attracting this group any more. Selena and Beiber hit the top end (14-15). TV shows are either cartoons for the kiddies or the drek on MTV targeted at the college crowd. Also, middle schoolers have that issue of not getting along. Here they see twelve kids who are, basically, strangers and they come together under the umbrella of music, in a safe space where nobody says "You're weird", and they get along and they creative collaboratively. Watching these kids rewrite the lyrics to "One World" last night to be more personal and none of them called each other out or laughed at anyone for their suggestions? This is something the 11-14 year olds need.

Next is the fact that a many of the twelve can write...and compose if not also arrange. It looks like the majority of them play either piano or guitar or both. It also appears that they can read music. Holy cow! One of my biggest pet peeves with other music contest shows is that it's all covers so the contestants know the songs and then other people rearrange them and transpose them. You don't have to know music theory to compete on Idol and after the show you can fall back on producers, writers, composers that are hired for you. Most of my favorite artists currently have some professional music education. I run with a number of Berklee grads and with one artist whose mom is music teacher. Their music is always far better than what is one the radio right now.

To watch the kids present some of their original songs to Brandy last night and her break down, was so moving. One of them pointed out she's too young to right about relationships so she finds inspiration in just day-to-day living. This is true talent in its rawest, most organic form.

Yes, one of these kids will get a recording contract at the end but no one will get it if they don't work together up to that point. The fact that The Hub cast twelve kids on their individual voices, having no idea how they would sound and work together, was a huge risk. Magically they do work. And they work with the knowledge that if they don't help their fellow contestants along they way, it could negatively affect their chances. They're in this as a group. They also all know that every one of them will get their own, individual, single recorded at the end too. So it's a win-win situation.

I highly recommend this show. Friday nights at 8 p.m. ET on The Hub but rerun throughout the weekends. The website has tons of information, vids (including full episodes), links to iTunes to buy each week's song.

Spiderman-Turn Off The Dark...Not Your Mom's Musical

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:47:00 +0000

Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano in a scene from “SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark” © Jacob Cohl

So the fact that I found Spiderman-Turn Off The Dark exciting and entertaining makes sense. Most of the 'critics' who work for big snooty papers like NYT and WSJ say it sucks. But if you're going to compare it to Streetcar Named Desire or Our Town for play-writing? Yes, the script is lame...IT'S BASED ON COMIC BOOKS PEOPLE!! If you want to put it in a wrestling match with any other musical's score? Seriously, for me the only show that ever really had great songs was Chorus Line. All the old Rogers,Hammerstein, Hart and Gershwin stuff all sounded the same and Andrew Lloyd Webber really had one hit with "Superstar" because EVERYTHING after that is the same score...over (Cats), and over (Whistle Down The Wind) and over (Starlight Express) again.

Lets start with the score. I was nervous. U2 has worn on me over the years. Back in the Joshua Tree days I loved Bono but he's grown into an old, pompous ass. The Edge however has never lost that distinct 'edginess'. And it is that signature guitar riffing that barrels through on more than one song in the Spiderman repertoire. Heck, these Irish rockers were even pretentious enough to include one of U2's biggest hits, "Hello", in this final rework of Broadway's biggest monstrosity to date. Did I like it? Yes! Why? Because it isn't "like every other musical". The style of the songs don't try to be rock, they just are. 'Superstar; tried too hard to be a "rock opera" unlike "Tommy" (which...I know was a concept recorded album before it was even a movie) which was organically just that. The Spiderman score sort of fits the designated criteria with the love song, the power ballad, the big dance number, the huge finale but...it's the songs. Even "Bullying By The Numbers", the cheesy dance scene with all the boys...no one is wearing tap shoes or a straw boater nor do you get that feel from the song. It's definitely "Not Your Mom's Musical".

As far as the technical aspects of this show? They go from 21st century technology to 1950's electro-mechanics. The set piece graphics borrow the angled perspective that is part of traditional comic book art. Lots of black, gray and white with RED and YELLOW and BLUE being punched at you to make you gasp. Truly a "wow factor".


A scene from “SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark” © Jacob Cohl

Many have written about the craziness of the rigging for all the 'flying' called for in this show. Even to watch it up close with the eye of an engineer, this shit is unreal. What the 'flight crew' achieves with harnesses, cables, weights and other weird mechanical devices, has them swooping within a few feet of the tops of the heads of sections of the orchestra to soaring to landing pads on the edge of the upper balcony. At one point I, literally, had the Green Goblin in my face (8th row center).

Then there are the subtle nuances of the electric "El" train that travels on its little track above the stage. I will say one thing that could be worked on is the fire escape element for "If The World Ends". I'm a purist so if you're sitting on a fire escape that is lag-bolted to a brick wall...it shouldn't swing when Reeve or Jennifer move. They need to maybe drop a couple of weighted cables to the floor of the stage to keep the rig still. But other than that? Lightweight fabric backlit with red and orange with a fan under it to cause the flames of a burning building? Awesome. Using hydraulics to angle the center of the stage to provide perspective (big effect introduced by Cats in the 80's). Perfection. But then to take those mechanics and hydraulics to the next level raising and lowering backdrop pieces along with creating the huge Chrysler building set for the final fight between Spidey and the Goblin...totally badass. Add a lighting design that is beyond words and sound that belongs in an arena pop or rock show, visually and sonically your senses will be on overload (note to parents, please provide ear plugs or other sound attenuation for children under 12. It gets very loud in some parts and the explosions are really loud).

Costuming goes from simple to downright nuts. Carnage comes the closest to his comic book version after the web thrower himself. The Green Goblin will scare the shit out of you while Electro and his handheld pyro-technics is 'shocking'. Aunt May and Uncle Ben are still the 1960's versions of Stan Lee's creations while chorus members span era's from the 50's to the 21st century. Bad guys and victims are clad in three-dimensional versions of old-school comic book pen and ink drawings while Peter Sports a two-town denim jacket that mirrors the "Spidey suit".

Patrick Page in a scene from

“SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark”

As for the acting? It's over-the-top in some parts, not emoted enough in others but at the end of the day...IT'S SPIDERMAN!! It's a comic book brought to the stage. Reeve Carney's rock chops are a necessity so the fact that he had to learn how to act and dance too? He did a damned decent job. Can he improve? Yes. He and Damiano need to work on making the love scenes a little more believable. On the flipside, Isabel Keating, Patrick Page and Michael Mulheren kill it. Keating plays three roles-Aunt May, the teacher and a Bugle reporter. She is reserved and mushy as May, sassy as the teacher and snarky as the reporter. Page is superb as both Norman Osborn and The Green Goblin. Flamboyant, fierce and downright frightening with a biting wit that has all the adults laughing (yeah, I'll venture even the tightasses from the Times). That Patrick can face-act through the mask and all that makeup is really his crowning achievement in this show and if it doesn't get him a Tony nod, I'll be shocked. As for Mulheren? He IS J.J. Jameson, brimming over with bombastic energy teetering on the edge of a major coronary any second. He too is the source of a lot of the show's comedy.

I guess, without really knowing the subjectivity of rating stars for live theater, I'd give it three. It needs work. Parts need to be polished up like being able to see an exiting flyer still when the next one enters. Mary Jane needs a shot of caffeine directly to a vein and the chorus should spending more time with the dance captain and a case of Red Bull. I think those things will work themselves out as the show continues. I'd like to give a special shout out to Chris Tierney for not only returning to the show but continuing to fly his little heart out. He also is impressive as Grim (Kraven) Hunter even though that part doesn't involve a lot.

The show is definitely worth the ticket prices. Between still paying for some unbelievable set pieces, like the "Goblin globe", the power bill to run this thing, technicians and their maintenance of everything along with the poor souls who have to clean up all the paper "webs" at the end of every performance...this show costs an assload of money to keep running. But it is worth every cent if you are into superheroes, comic books, blockbuster spectacles and decent rock music.

I'll take some of those hits for myself thanks

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Fri, 20 May 2011 11:54:00 +0000

So a gossip blog decided to pull a small clip from Jim Cantiello's interview with James Durbin. Of course it was the strategic one...the one where Adam Lambert's name gets dropped. Funny thing about Adam. People can say all the negative things they want about him but his name will always get a blogger a shit-ton of hits and boost their paychecks. That's why they do it.

And the comments are never "middle of the road". No, it appears that to most Lambert is a taste you either can't get enough of or one you can't spit out fast enough. The blog post in question was just another example of this.

Adam's an opinionated guy with this sweet naivete about him that results in him just saying things. He's not mean spirited. He just speaks what's on his mind at the moment. He's also been professionally trained vocally and had ten years of experience in the biz, in Los Angeles before entering Idol. When he critiques a vocalist it is with the voices of all the criticism (artist constructive) he received for every audition he did, every performance he gave and every vocal coach he trained with. Like every other musical theater performer he read the dailies. In Idolverse he's kind of the epitome of "been there, done that".

Last year American Idol invited Adam to be the first ever contestant-mentor. Now 19 is a smart entity. This was mainly done as a ratings ploy. However, if it was just that, then they could have invited Kelly, Carrie, Cook, Daughtry or Jennifer Hudson. JHud might have been a good alternative but except for Daughtry, none of them has the pre-Idol street cred Adam has. So if anyone wanted to call him out for his critiques 19 had a leg to stand on to support them. Also at that point the show needed more pizzazz as it was a major snooze fest and the producers knew they could count on glamberts to turn out en masse to watch the show.

Where is this rant going? Well it seems that Mr. Lambert had some criticism for Mr. Durbin that JambaJim decided to use to get a rise out of Season 10's rocker boy. Now I understand and sympathize with commenters about the "news" story that used the clip regarding James' neurological disorders. I understand that Aspergers and Turettes both cause inappropriate outbursts and, what appear to be, immature responses. So these conditions may well have been responsible for Mr. Durbin's response to Adam's critique. However...what he got from Adam was mild compared to what he will be subjected to by the press starting with the Idols Live tour. Adam's remarks were from a professional stance and in reality, were very constructive. He was trying to push Durbin's buttons a little to get the kid to step up his game. They also words far less harsh that what Lambert has heard over the years from casting directors, production directors and musical directors. He's had to listen to them coming over his agent/managers' desks too.

My issue with James Durbin is the same one I have with Susan Boyle. I'm all for mainstreaming challenged people. My grandmother was a special ed teacher so I grew up with special needs kids. Some of them were only physically challenged so they could pursue all kinds of careers that required brains and/or parts of their bodies that still functioned properly. Others were not intellectually or neurologically challenged to the point that they couldn't have a job in an office, factory, school, etc. But the problem with being a recording musical artist is that besides going into the studio to record your music, you also have to perform it live...sometimes in front of huge crowds. There will be shows that have no friendly faces in the crowd if you're the opener and everyone is there for the headliner. This problem is exacerbated when you're just not that great. Then after the show you have to face the press and fans. The challenged musician needs to understand this and evaluate their abilities to handle them.

Boyle has yet to do a full-on tour. Numerous tours and "one-offs" have been cancelled because she just can't handle the stress. We've also learned that apparently she doesn't do well with long-distance travel either. It's sad because the small percentage of the revenue stream that a musician sees is record sales. Live performances are a bigger slice of the pie. Susan is making money off a multi-platinum album...yes. But how many records of nothing but cover songs will her fans tolerate. And that's the other issue, she doesn't write. The largest piece of the money equation for an artist is writing cred. This is why Kris Allen's take-home pay is higher than Adam's despite the fact that FYE sold more copies. Kris wrote on many of the tracks.

From what I've seen so far of James Durbin, he could suffer from SuBo's touring problems depending on the extent of his autism. He and his management will have to be concerned with the Turret's outbursts to the press and especially to fans at meet & greets. With fans demanding face-time with artists these days, at the least he will be expected to "walk the barricades" after a show. Add to that the possibility of bad press for any show and another reporter or pap being within earshot to catch James' response to it...it could be a public relations nightmare.

I'll give the kid a pass on his response to Adam's critique based on his challenges. I do hope he went back and listened to it again and realizes that Lambert is pushing him to be better while making it look like he does so without trying (like Lambert-own a stage of your own volition) and broaden his musical horizons as far a genres he performs. However, going forward, I take the stand that this guy is not able to function as a touring recording artist. I can not see him handling himself professionally in L.A., Chicago or New York. I see him losing his shit with paparazzi and melting down in a press conference.

I do not apologize for anything I have said here. You can comment till the cows come home about how I am a glambert and a Durbin hater, or worse, have something against mentally and physically challenged people. I respond with - I am a journalist and an aspiring A&R. I have seen the business from the inside and am well acquainted with more than one major label musician along with a boat-load of indie artists. I know tour managers, venue owners, managers, booking agents and studio engineers. Yes, I do have certain genres, styles and artists I prefer to listen to. But I also listen to a lot of others and in the case of unsigneds, it's always from the view point of whether they should be signed. Those parameters include talent, creativity, originality, stage presence, tenacity and humility. If you come on stage, own your music, command an audience but can still take direction from a producer, manager and A&R then you stand a chance. But even then you have to stand the test of the road. Any artist who truly wants a shot at "the big show" must learn these things and they are taught through the criticism, advise and consolation of the veterans. If they are in it for the long haul they will respect those that have gone before them and earn their own respect. The majority of Idols come in with zero street cred and are led to believe by scores of TV voters that they have earned a level far above their actual experience. Durbin needs to cut himself a big piece of humble pie and grab a fork.

Please just stop existing - Mama Krankypants speaks out on American Idol

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Thu, 05 May 2011 04:46:00 +0000

Tonight I was convinced by a few friends to watch a couple of YT videos from American Idol. They all wanted me to listen to how good Haley was. One friend, who knows what a big 30STM fan I am, said I needed to listen to this Durbin kid's performance too but warned me.

As for Haley? The only thing I agree with the judges on is that she should be working with Joss Stone. I think they could tour together or even record together. Haley has a genuinely soulful voice, she is loaded with real charisma, owns the stage and sings very well. She's very pretty and is being styled well. If I was an A&R, I'd sign her.

Now for this guy? Well, he'd already made me grumpy when he, pretty much, made a mockery of Muse's "Uprising". We will not even begin to discuss my total adoration of Matt Bellamy not to mention Chris Wolstenholm or Dom Howard. Muse is in a class by itself as far as composition and arrangement go and Matt's vocals just add the last cog in the machine. Yes, Mr. Lambert did pay homage during Season 8 doing his version of Muse's cover of Feelin' Good and then took on Starlight on the Idols Live Tour (so wish they had let him do Super Massive Black Hole). But Adam is something Idol had never seen before...genuine talent, with a real voice and a larger-than-life stage presence that is real not forced. Durbin brought out a campy high school band drumline which turned me off immediately then just did horrible things to the vocals.

Tonight, James Durbin went some place NO other Idol contestant has gone and proved why. No one...let me repeat that...NO ONE!!! fucks with 30 Seconds To Mars. No, Jared Leto does not have a stellar voice nor is his personality uber likeable. BUT!!! JARED LETO OWNS A STAGE!! I have experienced "Closer To The Edges"....oh and Idol and YouTube posters PLEASE correct the title...first hand. Before the song starts, Jared and the band rehearse the crowd on the "No No No No's". They DEMAND that everyone participates. But honestly they don't have to. You are compelled to be a part of this song. Of course you are already amped up from hearing other epic tracks from This Is War and Beautiful Lie or the self-titled album. Your adrenaline level is through the roof. "No! No! No No!" is shouted from the every person loud enough to be heard in the streets.

As for Jared's signature scream? It is completely Jared Leto's. No one else sounds like him. Not Davy Havoc, Geoff Rickley, Gerard Way, Adam Lazzaro or Coby Shaddix. NOBODY!! So trying to listen to James Durbin recreate Leto's sound? I wanted to cry.

Whoever told James Durbin that tackling 30STM was a good idea...please, just turn in any musical cred you thought you had at the door and move to Siberia. Thank you. Then for Randy to add insult to injury, although I will give him props for speaking the awful truth, explains that Idol viewers have no clue who 30 Seconds To Mars or Jared Leto are. I do love how in the opening package they had Durbin rehearsing this song with Sheryl Crow. I'm guessing Idol fans are digging through her entire discography trying to find this song. Let's pander some more to people who have all the musical taste and experience of a carpenter ant.

Here's the deal. American Idol is NEVER going to find/crown the next big musical star. Yes, they did find ONE. He didn't win...thank gods because his career should always be bigger than that show. The thing is is that they've lost the audience they were originally targeting. The show was supposed to be watched by 13-16 year olds. Kids who didn't care if the talent was less than stellar. Kids still enamored with Cinderella not having learned yet that no one hands you the glass slipper, you have to go in search of it and most of the time when you find one, it's the wrong size. That voting audience was ok with the kid from the 7-11 making it to a record deal even if they were a one-hit-wonder. Then those kids got savvy. Sitting on the couch for four hours, two nights a week was dumb when they had homework to do, soccer practice, and friends to go to the mall with. This left Mom, Dad and grammar school aged siblings watching.

Over the years the show has continued to pander to the over-40 crowd by having the contestants cover songs recorded before their parents were even dating. They also cast way too many singers who were good but not spectacular. The producers never cared about stage presence much less confidence. They eroded into going for sob stories. Problem is, is the pity card gets these kids nowhere when they get out there amongst the musicians who have been fighting for it from the beginning. Artists, managers, labels and booking agents look at "Idols" and at best laugh or worst, cringe.

Jlo, Steven and Randy, go ahead. Continue to turn cougars and housewives on to James Durbin. Cause them to crown him "The Next American Idol". But understand this; within Idolverse, this kid doesn't hold a candle to the two real rock talents that came from the show. Both of them have grown past the show anyway and especially Chris Daughtry, are earning genuine street cred in the biz with Adam pulling up alongside quickly. As for James Durbin standing a chance up against real rockers like Jared Leto or Matt Bellamy? Muse holds four US gold albums along with one US gold single and a platinum single not to mention all the European shiny discs. Thirty Seconds to Mars does better in Europe as far as record sales go but they do have a platinum album. They also have a label who believes so strongly in their ability to generate revenue, that it gave them the largest budget on record for a music video for "From Yesterday". Will a label do that for Durbin? I don't think so.

Idol-fans say what you want. As Randy pointed out, you never heard of 30STM before tonight. You would get chewed up and spit out at one of their shows. Even the people at FYE would look at you strangely if you purchased a copy of "This Is War". Your hair would turn an even lighter shade of gray if you listened to their lyrics. You are not in a position to judge the quality of James Durbin's performance of "Closer To The Edge" tonight. The point is that Jared does not sing it perfectly. You have a hard time discerning some of the lyrics. However, the dark joy in the recorded version is contagious and live it is downright addictive. A performance that should have been an homage was an incredibly bad parody of a battle cry. Just like when James tried to turn Muse's revelations of truth and call to arms into some sappy pop number. Vote all you want. Crown him your new rock-king. But understand he will never have enough cred in the rock world to even be the merch guy for the Leto's or Bellamy.

As for American Idol, 19 Entertainment and what ever label is affiliated with this show now...please pull the plug at the end of this season. This show was done seven years ago. I know I only watched two seasons of so I base my demand on everything I have to hear and see on the internet and magazine covers. Even when I did get drawn into Season 8 it was only to see how far Adam would get all the while hoping and praying he could break free of the stigma of being on the show because I knew AI's rep in the real music world. It is an embarrassment.

Hawthorne Heights-definition of passion

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:25:00 +0000

A conversation with Eron Bucciarelli

Passion is a word I find myself often using to describe musicians-either their complete lack thereof or their deep love and commitment to their art. Eron Bucciarelli is definitely one of the latter along with his bandmates of Hawthorne Heights.

This quartet is so invested in their original vision that when they experienced the tragic loss of guitarist Casey Calvert, they chose not to replace him...ever. It probably helped that they were in the midst of an ugly court battle with their label, Victory Records, at the time as the company had a past history of forcing bands to not only fill the spot left by such a loss but to do so in the middle of the tour (read the history of Bayside).

I had met Casey in July of 2007. In fact he was the first current rocker I ever had a close encounter with when my kids took me to my very first club show at Toad's Place in New Haven in June of '06. One year later he and frontman J.T. Woodruff spent time talking to me and my son after the show at The Webster. Experiencing the commoraderie of these guys literally blowing off steam in the parking lot earlier making geizers with Mentos and Coke and then after the fans had left pulling skateboards and basketballs out of the trunks of the bus, the bond was palpable. And it was why, when I learned that Hawthorne Heights was returning to CT to my favorite haunt, that I HAD to get press and complete a circle.

Part of my conversation with Eron is on my Examiner.com column but parts didn't meet the publications critera. Plus I needed to use "I" when sharing parts of the interview with my readers.

One of Eron's biggest peeves since the release of Hawthorne Heights final album on Victory and their first record with new label, Wind Up Records, is the lack of promotion. Of course Victory was going to spend as little as possible on the group that had cost them plenty in legal fees, recording, demo'ing and mastering along with distribution of the final product. Considering "Fragile Future" had a very different sound than their first two LP's, Victory left it to fall on its face while the band took to social networks to round up their fans and get the word out.

Sadly it turned into a "one-two" punch when "Skeletons" was released by Wind Up just about the time they fell on financial hard times. They just didn't have the money to promote the album, so once again Eron, Micah, JT and Matt had to become their own PR team. It's not only affected record sales but also promotion of their tours. I was surprised to learn that this is the second US tour of "Skeletons". There was also a spin around Europe in between. It made me glad that I had persisted in ferreting out their management to provide press for the CT stop when Eron told me and then Steve Rogers, manager/owner of The Space, reiterated how much the band is doing to promote this show. They have been working dilligently with the venue to spread the word.

It was fun to get Eron excited about playing The Space. He asked me to tell him about it. I explained its quirkiness and intimacy which he liked. The Space has no barricade and the "stage" is less than a foot above the main floor so musicians and fans can get in close and really feed off each other. He said it reminds him of the kinds of places he used to go to shows at when he was a kid in New Jersey. Jersey is still known for "basement shows" which are really in the basements of multi-family houses. Bands and audience are all on the same level and in each other's faces. Eron says the same type of thing exists in the Midwest scene only somebody will rent out a VFW, Knights of Columbus or church hall for a night. The bills are a mash-up of more than one genre but the ticketholders don't care. They're just there for music.

This theme led us into talking about today's music. One thing Eron says he feels was a big loss for alternative rock was Fuse. Even though the network still exists, like MTV and VH1, there are not a lot of videos played and they've lost "Steven's Untitled Rock Show". Host Steven Smith always had bands in the studio and gave them a lot of time to talk. He asked questions that opened up great discussions and then he'd play a video or two in between interviews. Eron says that videos at this point are starting to become irrelevant for anything that is not pop or hip-hop. He said if you're going to make a music video, figure out how to do it on as small a budget as possible while retaining the quality that will get people to watch it. But don't blow you're whole album-launch budget.

We touched on illegal downloading as far as its affect on revenue streams. When peer-to-peer first became popular, downloaders felt like Robin Hood. Today, Bucciarelli, feels a lot of downloading is caused by the amount of music flowing into the system. Nobody can afford to buy everything they think they want to hear. Between artist overload and no one paying for music the cashflow is being choked off. Record execs are nowhere near ready to give up their cushy paychecks so the losers, as has always been the case, are the artists only now they are losing even more.

Add to this A&R's not being as picky about who gets signed, artist shelf-life has been severly shortened. In the day Dylan was given chance after chance to produce a hit record. It took The Scorpions ten albums to hit it big with "Rock You Like A Hurricane" Eron mused. But today, if there's not a platinum single on that first album? You're toast. I ran my idea past him about this "three year model" I think I'm seeing at least in the pop world...an new artist has three years that the label will invest in them and recoup that investment. After that, they're on their own and if they can't tread water, their contract goes in the can. They're left to flounder and maybe convince another label to sign them while their previous backers have moved on to the next new thing to replace them. He said that sounds about right. Eron says though that he is encouraged by bands like Kings of Leon whose label allowed them four albums with the last one finally producing a mega-hit single. It proved that songs do matter. Hopefully labels will go back to being the filter and then allowing the artists who make the cut to really hone their skills while putting out records even if they don't sell a million copies.

But Bucciarelli still puts an emphasis on investing in promotion. That has just not been happening on the levels that it used to. And without getting the word out that artists have a new album or are touring, there is no income.

One way that the revenue stream can be helped, with so much music coming so fast-so many people who know how to use Garage Band and posting a new song here and another there is to 1) Throw out the ten to twelve song album model. Do shorter, four to six song EP's. These are cheaper and quicker to produce allowing a band/solo artist the freedom to put out more music over the course of a year. In turn, fans can buy more of what they like at a lower price. 2) take a lesson from the past and bring back singles, especially with "b" sides. I explained to Eron that when I was in Middle and High school before landing a "real" job my assets were limited to babysitting money but I still have my stack of 45's that resulted from always having an extra $2 laying around. And its the "b" sides that would make a listener more apt to then go buy the LP because they got a better feel of the musician(s).

I highly recommend you come out to The Space on April 12th for Hawthorne Heights. Come see what true artistic and human passion is all about. These guys have worked hard for the past seven years and have put a lot of sweat equity into their careers. They deserve a few minutes of your time and will pay you in good music and great energy. Then take a minute after the show to talk to them. That's the extra special bonus gift.

Less is More

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:01:00 +0000

I know. That phrase is so over-used but it's the one that suits this post. Now you're wondering where I, Mama Kath, am going to go with it. Could it be about a particular musician, band, label, management company? Is it about a look, a sound, a style?

This time its about tour strategy. I just got through perusing my morning emails and opened up my newsletter from the MSG Group which gives me all the latest and greatest shows coming to The Garden, The Beacon Theater and Radio City Music Hall. As I scrolled down, I see the sweet face of young Mr. Josh Groban. Oh that boy does sing like an angel and I've heard his new album is very nice. But then my heart sank when I saw that, no, he was not going to be performing at the intimate, elegant Beacon or at the Grand Dame of Midtown Radio City Music Hall. His label and booking agents decided that they could try to grab as much money as possible all in one show and booked this man into Madison Square Garden.

I'll give you that for some musical artists this is a huge goal in the U.S. The only thing bigger would be playing Wembley in the UK. However...MSG is NOT a venue for ALL artists. Yes, bring in the gianormous rock bands; Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance, Muse, or Motley Crue. The classic veterans; Rolling Stones, Sting, Elton John, Madonna and Billy Joel are definitely candidates for this arena. Then there are the pop superstars; Christina, GaGa, Bieber and Brit'. Yes, these artists have the sound, the punch and the production that works in that venue. But honey, if I'm going to spend money to see a crooner like Groban or Harry Connick, Jr, I want a smaller room where I'm either being overblown by pyrotechnics that really do not fit in a production like this or I'm subjected to having to watch these sweet boys at their pianos on a Jumbotron from the 8th story of the arena.

Nope, for my money, the worst seat I want is in the back of a sloped balcony in a raked house that was designed for musical performances. I don't want GA, I want a nice cushy seat and I want to close my eyes and just drink in the sound. So here's my proposal to the fat cats.

Stop waving the pile of cash in front of the artist and getting them all pumped up to "play The Garden". Instead look at the example of LCDSoundSystem. I know they did it for a completely different reason but it still made them a fuck-ton of money along with lining the pockets of their label, management and booking agent. Book them in for two or three nights in succession in a smaller venue that their music works better in. My Chemical Romance has done it too and they can fill an arena with sound, production and people but they wanted to go back to their roots and tour two to three thousand body rooms so that everyone can get up in each other's business and build some huge energy at each so. So MCR is playing two shows back-to-back in New York at Terminal and at Starland Ballroom in New Jersey. We all know, if we read the schedules, that there are huge gaps between productions at The Beacon and Radio City. Why not book Josh for three or four nights in a row at one these theaters? I think the profit to everyone would be comparable and the audiences will get a far better show.

In this era when the music industry is moments away from going totally belly-up, it's a new idea...one you haven't tried yet. Think about. Because remember-the definition of insanity is continuing to use the same process hoping for a different outcome. The biz has gone insane and needs to try a lot of new and different ideas. The old ones don't work any more.

Sharing a blog

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:53:00 +0000

A friend referred me to this blog post yesterday. I feel it fitting enough for one of my recent posts (and probably for many more in the future) to share it. In fact I read more of Nathan's blog and added him to my roll. I hope you find it enlightening.

Nathan Bransford - How to write a good blog comment

Video killed the radio star but is the internet just killing the industry?

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 23:13:00 +0000

If you asked me even a couple of weeks ago if I felt that the internet in general and social networking in particular were a positive or negative force in the music industry, I’d have probably still said “positive”. I saw music networks such as last.fm, Reverbnation and iLike as great resources for artists to promote their music despite having had very disparaging things to say about MySpace and the “music” it spawned for some time.

However, after baiting some fans while genuinely expressing my feelings on a particular subject and then getting the responses I expected along with reading gossip posts about death threats I have changed my mind. I’m starting to align myself with artists who have stated that either social networks are the devil’s spawn or heading down the way of the dinosaur.

Why would going back to print media and TV music news be a better option?

Let’s start with bands/artists trying to get a contract. Today, creation of a digital press kit doesn’t take much. Finding the email addresses of A&R’s and other label execs is not impossible and now LinkedIn has been added to the mix as far as tracking these people down. Recording equipment has become cheap and easily accessible and recording in digital format is far easier than creating and then shipping tapes or getting a vinyl pressed to submit. Add to this the ability to create a fanbase by just posting your tracks on-line. It doesn’t take half the effort it used to and this is one reason why we now have all the “FBR bands”…all sound the same, nothing them to distinguish them but teenies clamor for them after listening to them on-line.

There are on-line radio stations and subscription radio that have provided more than one nail in the coffin of terrestrial radio. Add to that either complete apathy induced ignorance or that which was sparked by fear that has allowed radio to become just another big box store or chain restaurant. It’s the same fare no matter where you go in the country. DJ’s are no longer allowed to create their own playlists. They must flood the airwaves with what some corporate monkey in L.A., NY or Chicago thinks the whole country should be listening to. America is not longer introduced to good quality music or at least some variety. People with satellite and other digital access hand pick their own playlists but their choices are not affecting record or concert ticket sales except to themselves and maybe a person or two visiting their homes. And a quick aside regarding radio advertising, rare is it that a listener hears about local shows at small venues. The only tours getting ad space are large arena shows of the artists that the Great Radio Collective (reference to the mega-company that currently owns most U.S. stations) is pushing.

On to magazines. In the past they generally made an effort to hire editors with experience in the business. When they posted their monthly opinion, although containing some personal feelings, also included some researched information. Letters to the editor were screened by a series of staff people before the final fifteen or twenty were added to the month’s copy. This left most of the really crazy stuff in a dumpster some where. Articles were written by staff journalists who were on the magazine’s payroll or purchased freelancers after serious review of their work.

Another area of the industry affected by people with access to a computer and just spouting off is fan organizations. From fan clubs to street teams, although tedious at times as far a maintenance was concerned, could be apply a bit more scrutiny to membership and the actions of those members. Moreso in a street team, if teamers got nasty with other fans, potential fans, venue staffs or businesses where they were attempting to promote an artist, the manager of the team could release them. As for fan clubs, more effort was required to attain rewards and as with magazines, mail could be filtered before it was passed on to the artist.

Bottom line here is that any one with access to a computer that is connected to the internet can say whatever they want to whomever they please. Artists at the encouragement of their labels and management have made themselves accessible by creating presences on Twitter, MySpace, Facebook and most any social network site along with having their own website and maybe even a fan club site. Artist, fanclub and street team sites are then given the added attraction of the “forum” supposedly where fans can create a friendly community. Instead, especially Twitter, has given fans (and remember the root word is fanatic) direct access to the object of their fixation. Forums have become battle grounds for elitists while on the flipside providing fertile ground to grow these obsessions. Then stir in the anonymity the web allows. People can put on all manner of persona. Of course they are more apt to present what they believe to be a better ego but instead many miss the healthy stop point. Combine their fantasy self with their impression of the musician and it all just gets really ugly. I’m not saying that in the past fans didn’t get angry with an artist’s latest squeeze believing they actually had a shot at that person romantically but they were either limited to writing real letters and mailing them which took time and cost money or they had to actually go to the places where the musician was and attempt to get access to them. This was rare and when it did happen, one usually ended up with the lovely reputation of a groupie.

All in all a return to the analog world at this point might have far better results. No, I’m not giving up my internet account, my blog or any of the other electronic outlets I write for. But I do view it all with more skepticism than I have previously.

Next time-digital music thievery

I don't do battles of wits with the unarmed

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 18:31:00 +0000

...or "Got Brain? Use it"

It seems that I need to start 2011 with a reintroduction of myself and this blog. This post was completely unplanned. Actually I was (and will later today) going to post about Adam's 2010 Billboard stats. Instead I am inspired to write "Mom's" bio in long form based on some recent comments. I feel it is necessary to review my credentials and the points of view of this blog.

My name is Kathy. I'm a 54 year old single mom. This blog is called "NOT YOUR MOM'S MUSIC" and was born of the need to share with others different spins and more in-depth looks at music, musicians and the U.S. pop and rock industries as a whole.

Thirty years ago my knowledge of pop and rock was what I heard on the radio and the few records I could afford to buy. I didn't know the names of most of the band members of groups I listened to. I couldn't hold long conversations with people about my choices as everyone was listening to classic rock while I was listening to what today is classified as alt, prog, glam and electronica. I attended two shows, both arena venues prior to 2006. I knew that rockstars were untouchable, concerts were expensive and never anywhere near me and the radio played a lot of crap. I spent twenty years in a marriage that was an artistic desert filled with Crosby, Stills & Nash, Gordon Lightfoot, Jimmy Buffet and the "Dead".

Thankfully, once the creative vacuum moved out my kids brought music (along with all the other arts) back into the the house. They took me to my first club show at age 49. I was immediately drawn to the fact that musicians had become accessible over the years, at least in small venue settings. Although my trip to Warped Tour two months later showed that even in a large setting such as that that artists were everywhere and interacting one-on-one with their fans. But it would be a few more months before I was caught off-guard and had my first real conversation with a band member. Today, he and I are still friendly acquaintances.

It would be that meeting that would start my trip down the road I am still on. Currently I am a semi-professional music journalist and music blogger. I'm also still a "road mom" and do promotion and PR for a few bands and venues. As the co-coordinator of a regional street team for a major label band, I learned about working with management, labels and all the legalese of promotion. I was a member of a number of other teams along with doing solo promo for more than one band when they toured through my area. All the experience I compiled was brought together when I finally met The Dreaming from L.A. The band is completely DIY and had just started doing national tours but had no promotion outside of SoCal. I started and ran their street team, which quickly went international, for a year. Toward the end of my tenure I also did some PR for them.

Moving into journalism has taught me much about working with publicists and PR firms. It's all about networking and connections. Thank you has become one of the most used phrases in my vocabulary because every time I use it it gets me farther along the road. I've also realized that I had to go through everything I have to this point in order to work in and around artists, managers, label people, etc without going all fangirl or getting starstruck. I truly have reached a point where I understand and relate to them as "normal" people whose jobs just happen to put them on a stage occasionally. I could never have survived the interview I did last summer with Matt Skiba had I not lived out the three and a half years that led up to it.

I've also learned about the evolution of a solo artist or a band. Everything tends to start in the garage. It used to be, from there one had to get a gig at a school dance or if you were old enough, at the local pub. Next was the hope that people would listen to you and then come back with friends to your next gig. If this happened enough then it was the need of a scout to turn up at a show and getting picked up to tour with someone farther up the foodchain than yourself.

Today with YouTube, Myspace, Facebook and iLike, scouts are kind of out of the mix. Although it is not unusual for an A&R rep to go scope out an act, for the most part they don't have to travel much farther than their computers. Labels receive demo CD's by the ton daily as recording equipment has become easier and cheaper to acquire. Bands either have friends who are journalism and marketing majors or they themselves are so they create their own press kits both on paper and digitally. They set up websites featuring their music. They are, still however, at the mercy of booking agents and managers when it comes to shows and tours. Plus the ulitmate goal of a record deal remains the holy grail.

The foodchain within the U.S. pop and rock industry hasn't changed that much. Artists earn their stripes by starting out cramming their gear into four beat-up Civics or Mom's mini-van. Next step, if they make enough money, is that raunchy church van and maybe even a trailer of questionable repair. No one sees a tour bus until they have major label backing (and/or a corporate sponsor) and even then they have to look at their take and figure out if they want to give some of it up to pay their share for said bus. In the beginning, most nights are spent in that crappy old van or on the couches of generous fans or venue staff. Hotels are unheard of. Again, even bus bands will spend entire tours on the bus without a night in a real bed with a real shower. My friends that I mentioned earlier have done a grand total of two tour bus tours in the fifteen years they have been in existence and one of those was in Europe and the bus burned to the ground in Switzerland taking many of theirs and their tourmate's personal effects with it. Their final tour, even though opening for a very well known headliner was ended two nights early when their van and trailer were stolen from a hotel parking lot in Philadelphia. The police found both vehicles the next day COMPLETELY STRIPPED OF THEIR CONTENTS. Kill Hannah lost everything but what they had brought into their rooms with them that night, including all the gear they had used to record and tour all their music.

So when I write about new artists earning street cred, this is where I come from. I am not a fan of American Idol nor have I ever been. It is the epitome of everything that is currently wrong with the U.S. music business. However, I am a fan of Adam Lambert and believe he has the potential to be a "real" artist. The stripes earned in the ten years prior to Idol have been overshadowed by the black mark the show put on his record. Musicians who have worked their way from the trenches have a real disdain for anyone handed a contract. So these are the artists along with their managers and labels whose respect he needs to earn. He needs to prove that he is not like the majority of kids who went to the Simons with stars in their eyes, hoping to be the next Cinderella. No, Adam Lambert came into that show with a cold, calculated plan. He'd been told by A&R's and other label people what he needed to get over that ditch that was keeping him from a real rock career. He needed to show them that he was a viable product. Idol was a platform for that and he has stated such repeatedly over the past year and a half.

I'm not going to lie. I like getting paid to write. I love working in the industry and am incredibly happy that I seem to have found my niche in it. But I will risk that and say that as much as I appreciate each and every person who reads this blog and twice-over if they share it with others, please do not goad me into a battle of wits. I am more than happy to have a well researched and intelligent argument with anyone but that's the crux...WELL RESEARCHED, INTELLIGENT! Because you voted for someone on a TV talent show does not make you well-versed in this business. AI, AGT, SYTYCD, etc. are the farthest thing from reality when it comes to the entertainment industry. If you don't believe me, look at the track records to 95% of the contestants who make it even to the top 25 finalists. Most of them are considered a joke in the biz. Imagine how that 20-something who is currently a receptionist at an insurance company despite being trained and educated as an operatic singer since she was six feels about Jackie Evancho getting a record deal for parroting opera singers on YouTube. Even Susan Boyle with her bazillion records sold would never have made it in the real business because she can't tour or make promo appearances. And just a little piece of insider info? No, she's not going to live in a cold-water flat but the money she's making is the smallest share of the pie. Labels get the lion's share of the revenue from record sales. In Adam's defense, he at least has writing credits on five tracks which result in bigger residuals. Sadly his label chose not to allow any of those to be released as singles so he's not seeing the kind of income that Kris, Crystal or Cook see.

Please visit this blog often. Use it as an inspiration to go learn things about the music industry in America and what you can do to improve it. Use it as a guide through the muddy waters of the biz and to learn what makes artists and the people behind them tick. But always remember, I'm not your mom so if you decide to do battle with me, do your homework and come armed with a well made sword and knowledge for a shield.

Next chapter on this subject? Just because you've been to a bunch of concerts does not qualify you to be a manager.

Looking into the Adam Lambert crystal ball

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 02:27:00 +0000

With the upsurge of artists such as Kylie Minogue, Robyn, Goldfrappe, Scissor Sisters, Florence & The Machine and Mark Ronson in 2010 and the recognition of Her Ladyship the GodGa, the way is opened for Adam Lambert to really hit his stride in 2011. Sharing Grammy nom listings with La Roux, Muse and Max Martin adds fuel to the fire that has the potential to burn bright for many years. The Glamnation Tour and For Your Entertainment are under his belt now. Now is the time to settle into finding his real niche, create and record a new album and then earn some genuine street cred.

Let’s break it down. Adam Lambert’s sophomore album will be the next big step. He’s said it should drop “this summer”. Considering tour wrapped on December 16^th and he had no more appearances scheduled, with holiday breaks, the process can start as soon as next week. Lambert has also stated in many interviews that there will be a lot more time put into this album, as it does not have the constraints of his debut disc so RCA is probably working toward a May or June release. Other things he has discussed are having done some writing on the road with members of his band and some of the sounds he is considering. It would be a wise move to continue moving in the vein of Gaga, Pink, Muse, My Chemical Romance and other artists who walk the line between alt and pop. His voice has so much flexibility which when combined with his lack of fear of trying new things can be taken into a world of combining rock, electronica, club, prog and glam for something completely different. Previous collaborations that can (and should) be explored deeper are GaGa, Matt Belamy, Sam Sparro, Evan Bogart and Greg Wells. New ones that should be added? Jake Shears, Brian Molko, the Leto brothers and Chris Corner. That dark electronica along with melodies that allow for the vocal acrobatics that are Adam’s signature are the kinds of sounds that can crossover numerous radio station formats and other fanbases.

It is this growth of listeners that is crucial to Adam Lambert attaining the type of longevity he deserves. The record that he puts out is only part of the equation. There is also the process of continued cultivation of fans. He knew early on that he needed to move beyond Idol-verse. Lambert has been both diligent and shrewd about distancing himself from the 19E juggernaut that he used to get the exposure he’d been seeking for a decade. Little things like polite “thanks but no thanks” included in interview questions, smoking weed on stage in Amsterdam (yes, it was totally legal and actually pretty tame when it comes to being ‘rock-n-roll’), and mentioning how the Grammy nomination gives him more true industry recognition have all resulted in indignant responses from some fans to the point of them walking (storming) away from Camp Glam. But as any gardener or farmer knows, you have to get rid of the weeds and sometimes even do a controlled-burn of the field to produce a rich, healthy crop in future harvests.

This culling will really come into play when tours for the new album are being planned. As mentioned at the outset of this dissertation, Adam needs to build some serious credentials as a real musician not a manufactured prima dona. This will mean doing tours as an opening act not a headliner this time around. If 19E keeps the 2-4K ‘seat’ sized venues or even attempts to move him into small arenas (4-8K) with other established acts as openers, he may meet with resentment from their fans. His is still a rookie in the sense that he hasn’t earned that tour bus or the headliner slot minus the Idol affiliation yet. If he is the opening act then fans of the headliners will be more willing to give him a chance. There are already cross-overs from the My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds to Mars, Placebo and Scissor Sisters worlds that need to be courted. Lambert would definitely be a good match for LaRoux and IAMX’s fans based on the sounds of FYE and if he continues with mixture of genres he’s been playing with.

There will be a great deal of speculation and discussion over the next four to six months. Anyone who has been paying even the slightest attention can attest to the fact that Adam Lambert is full of surprises. It’s not to say that he is completely unpredictable, as he has already proved himself to be a savvy businessperson who calls upon ten years experience, industry connections and just gut instinct on a regular basis to build his future. It can only be hoped that the label and management will not do something so foolish as to say “ok, we let you make your record, now you’re going to make ours” and steer him down either the crooner or classic rocker roads. Having a very bad track record of sabotaging idols either with lack of backline support and/or poor directing of their musical content only to drop them by the wayside to fend for themselves, one's skepticism is understandable. The wise move would be to encourage Lambert to create something as commercially successful as For Your Entertainment, book him onto good tours and at the end of the day have a nice little bankroll of residuals from two records and the profit made from the sale of his contract.

Portrait of a My Chemical Romance fan

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 06:32:00 +0000

It was an interesting experience to go to a rock show that no one bought a ticket for. Everyone at the P.C. Richard & Son Theater in SoHo Tuesday night either won their spot, were the guest of a winner or, like me, press. This opportunity pretty much insured that at least half the audience would be pretty dedicated MCR fans with their guests being all over the map in their tenure in the bandom.

The small crowd also offered me the chance to observe and/or talk to some of these people and develop a bit of a profile. The My Chemical Romance fan is male or female, Caucasian or African-American or Asian or Eastern Indian or..., straight or gay or lesbian or bi or transgender, eighteen years old or twelve or forty-something. On average they have attended over fifty or less than five shows. They come dressed as a Killjoy or a member of the Black Parade or a scenster or a north Jersey music fan. They are from north Jersey or New York or New Hampshire or Texas or Canada. They are college students, grocery clerks, executives, parents and kids. Where is this going? My Chem' fans are everyone and anyone.

Probably the most hard-core fan I met was an under-twenty young lady from Vermont. She was originally from Newark, NJ and had grown up with MCR. The NYC show was her fifty eighth live performance. She'd been in line since very early Tuesday morning and garnered herself a spot right at the barricade. She'd gotten to make physical contact with her favorite musicians and held tight to a lyric sheet she was given at the end of the set. Like many other long time dedicated fans she was more than a bit of a "walking wiki" of My Chemical Romance trivia. And she was one of group that waited for over an hour outside the stage door to talk to the band, get an autograph or a photo. She was also one of the disheartened when we were told by a member of the MCR team that the band was mastering recordings from the show and would not be out till after midnight. But her heart wasn't completely broken because she'd be back for the show at Roseland on Friday night.

Like so many others, Ms. VT made a few new fan-friends that night. They shared Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and cell phone numbers to continue sharing their love of MCR. The veterans will nurture the new fans and school them in all things Way, Toro and Iero. It won't be long before the rookies will become second-string having learned discography, spouses, tourmates, etc. They got on-line as soon as they got home to buy a ticket to one of the stops of the Spring '11 tour knowing that they'd have at least one familiar face to share the night with.

Gerard does a lot to create that fierce loyalty of fans. He is sincerely humble and gracious when he tells an audience that without them My Chem' would not exist, it would not have survived all the challenges it was met with over the past three years. Danger Days never would have made it past the demo stage. They would not have scrapped two whole albums because they just didn't meet the band's standards which include being good enough for their fans. The entire band shows their deep love of their fans by putting on the best possible performance they can every single time. They use every ounce of their talent, investing passion and energy into each note. I guess that kind of makes them their own fans too.

Being a My Chem fan, I'm proud to be one of the many brush-strokes that makes up this portrait. It's one of the brightest, most colorful, texture rich, loud and exciting paintings in the gallery of music fans.

Happy Birthday For Your Entertainment.

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:44:00 +0000

One year ago a small, highly anticipated package was delivered. Now it was my turn to listen to Adam Lambert’s debut album in its entirety and decide my feelings about it. Already I had heard the opening single and had cringed a bit over it. It just didn’t feel “radio friendly”. I did find the video very good on all levels though. Then, with the rest of the eastern half of the U.S., I watched the uncensored AMA performance which had a lot more issues than Adam’s lip-lock on Tommy Joe, most of them involving really poor vocals. Not a great opening salvo to boost record sales. Lambert would hit the ground attempting at least a decent recovery from the fall doing more explanation about one performance than promotion of an entire album which was supposed to have been the point of the press junket.

As Lambert came out to my part of the world a few days later for that junket, with his proverbial tail between his legs, I continued to listen to the album, deciding which tracks were my favorites and which I thought would have been better left on the studio floor. I did make a point to watch his television appearances too. Already the label was putting Whataya Want From Me in the wings as the single to replace For Your Entertainment, which was floundering. The more I heard it the less I liked it. For me the video still feels thrown together and boring. However, for his TV gigs, it wasn’t a horrible choice and he played it out well.

Along with television performances, those of us with computers who were not able to attend live shows, began seeing more of the album being brought to the stage. New Years Eve Adam achieved something no other newly crowned Idol much less the runner-up had by headlining a large event in L.A. This followed having played a few radio station Holiday events. He then returned to the east coast to do more promotion with small intimate concerts and the “Kradison” show put together by Ryan Seacrest. Each of these outings showed more of fact that the songs were more than their recorded versions. Like photographs as opposed to the real person.

“One-offs” would continue as label and management got their ducks in a row, looking at sales figures and determining if there was enough revenue available to actually allow Lambert to tour the record. By early spring with For Your Entertainment still cemented in the Billboard Top 100, Whataya Want From Me doing well in radio spins and single sales, the decision was made to not only let him tour but allow him to (1) headline and (2) produce it.

To my approval, Adam decided to dig into the bonus tracks that were released either with the record or months later. When RCA elected to allow the Sam Sparro penned Voodoo to be released to the U.S. I was ecstatic as I had been a fan of his for about two years at that point. By then I’d pretty well settled into my favorite songs on the regular album and found that Adam leant very well to club, prog and electronica so this eerie, sensual creation was just the perfect collaboration. I was also a big fan of Down The Rabbit Hole from its original release with FYE. The Glamnation Tour opens with these two songs, setting a mood that Adam had really planned out. The rest of the set list was most of my favorites although Aftermath still doesn’t do it for me other than being a great message anthem.

One song that fades in and out of the tour performances is Broken Open. I’ve always loved the song on a lot of levels. Musically it is haunting. The engineering and composition of the electronic tracks is so well done and it is the first writing I’ve heard from Adam that has some lyrical sophistication. It is just very emotional. But it is also very tough on his voice to perform every night.

For Your Entertainment, it turns out, is an album always meant to be performed live. After attending Glamnation in Manhattan back in June and watching way too many YouTube videos, the recorded tracks come up lacking. Adam Lambert has now given over one hundred audiences more than their money’s worth every night by changing up each song just enough to give it a personality to match the crowd’s and the venue’s. Never one to lip synch or rely on auto-tuning Lambert has proved he has the “it” factor and the voice to back it up. He can strip these songs down to bare acoustic or add more electronic and instrumental effects to build them up. He can take a song like If I Had You and work with directors to create a video that is really a piece of performance art. For Your Entertainment is not just a small disc in a jewel case or a playlist on someone’s iPod. It is an invitation to participate in its songs.

One year later my favorites have pretty much stayed the same. I base my choices on my preferences in flavor, color and texture. Taking in the entire album along with all the bonus tracks for both live and recorded favorites are If I Had You, Voodoo, Down The Rabbit Hole, Fever, Sleepwalker, Soaked, Strut and Music Again, which Adam continues to improve on. In the beginning he had a tough time with the chorus in live performances. Recorded songs that did not make it into Glamnation that I still like: Loaded Smile and Broken Open. Songs that could be cut from the set list and I wouldn’t be broken hearted: Whataya Want From Me, Sure Fire Winners and Aftermath and the same goes for recordings but I’d also add For Your Entertainment and Time For Miracles to that. Pick U Up, Master Plan and Can’t Let You Go are my peanut butter and strawberry preserve sandwich songs. I’ll eat it if there’s no grape jelly or fluff in the house and some days I really like it and others, it’s just a means to get some food in me. Don’t love or hate any of them.

FYE left the Top 200 a few weeks short of its one year anniversary. Not a bad showing for a guy who is still fighting the Idol stigma. Adam Lambert never was American Idol material and never will be. He is a savvy musician, artist and businessman who saw it as a means to an end. The record sits about two-hundred-thousand copies short in sales of going platinum. The second and third singles have gone gold. Internationally the album has sold over one million copies. The Glamnation Tour has sold out almost every venue it has played in North America, Asia and Europe. It has been a presentable showing for a rookie. Happy Birthday FYE, I can’t wait to see where Adam goes with the next record.

La Roux and Adam Lambert...good match

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 01:32:00 +0000

As some of you who know me and/or who follow this blog know, I am always interested in pointing out new ways to further Adam Lambert's career. I remain committed to getting him exposed to as many new fans as possible, especially those that are not at even remotely connected with the idol fanbase.

Starting with Ring of Fire, then Born To Be Wild and Whole Lotta Love on American Idol, I started seeing potential artists that Adam should tour with and or collaborated with. When the album dropped I commended the genius A&R people who got him together with Pink, Gaga, Sam Sparro, Matt Belamy and Greg Wells. Watching his performances of "Starlight" and the Bowie medley on Idols Live Tour, I knew he would be a great match for a Muse tour both in the U.S. and in Europe. Gaga, well that might be enough theatricality and performance art in one show to make people's heads explode but oh what a wonderous detonation of rainbows and glitter...and FIRE! I was a fan of Muse and Sam Sparro long before 90% of Adam's fans knew who either were so I was looking forward to some club tracks and some prog. I was a Zeppelin fan too but never liked Whole Lotta Love, however, I knew Black Dog way before Idolfans found the Zodiac Show version on YouTube. Again, Adam and prog are a great match.

Other bands that immediately came to mind were 30 Seconds To Mars, My Chemical Romance, IAMX and Scissor Sisters. Now having seen the latest 30STM tour along with Adam going more the club route over rock I don't think so any more. I'll still stick with My Chem, especially seeing the video for Na Na Na and the trailer for Sing!. Gerard and Adam's theatricality compliment one another and the crowds can go crazy over twice the stage gay between Adam and Tommy and Gerard and Frank. Adam has interacted with Scissor Sisters and based on Jake's comments, I hope we will be seeing a collab coming out of that camp on the new album. SS's fanbase will so welcome Adam into their fold. Chris is a lot more angsty than Adam when it comes to IAMX but it would be a nice balance of the positive and negative and again the performance art is complimentary.

Last night I found pure gold though in a band I had really only known by one single up to this point. La Roux. Now, first, let me teach you what I learned. The "real" La Roux is actually Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid. However, Ben is the producer and is the other half of "studio La Roux". The three musicians that are on tour with Elly are just that, touring musicians. However, you would not know that all four of them have not been together for years based on the connection between them. They create this amazing dynamic that is fueled by Elly's energy.

La Roux's live performance is instrumental, vocal, electronic, visual, fashion and performance. Every element is required and each track is brought to life with its own personality. When I came home last night I watched the videos for In For The Kill and Bulletproof. Both are weak when compared to live performances. The radio version of Bulletproof doesn't even have a skin tone, that's how bad it pales against what I experienced last night even before the audience joined in on every chorus was added. Reminded me so much of how If I Had You maybe be a great video but the live performance is just so much more.

Elly Jackson is this mystical androgenous beast who lives on her ability to bend the gender. Sound like someone else we know? Hair, make-up and fashion are all a part of it. She has stated in interviews that she will walk away from any stylist who tries to pull her away from the sheman elf she has created. Add in this crazy voice voice that ranges somewhere from mid-alto to surreal descant/falsetto soprano and never misses a note. Again, sound familiar. Finally comes this amazing Brit synthpop-techno that gets all the kids in the club dancing their asses off. These would all make for a phenomenal match to tour with Adam and also for some studio collaboration.

Lastly add in the crowd I witnessed. Now you have to understand the music scene in Connecticut. Real scene kids (not the Hot Topic wannabes) and the LGBT crowd don't usually turn up at The Webster. It's a venue where even knucklehead dude bros can take their lives in their hands just walking from their cars to the theater. But last night I saw butchier lesbians, more than a couple of "lipsticks", a mess of scenesters, the gay boys and then this group of frat boys. Now the really odd part about this is, is that when La Roux came on and as the set progressed, it was these ball-capped, football jersied, cavemen who were (1) no even half as drunk as you'd expect and (2) were dancing themselves stupid and doing a pretty decent job of it. And they weren't mocking the band or the fans, they were trying to get more people to join in and were truly into La Roux. So maybe Adam can find a fan or two in that bunch, he can certainly score more than one from the other groups represented.

So I add La Roux to the line-up of bands that Adam Lambert needs to collaborate with and to tour with.

Fred Mascherino - father, son, "brother", rocker

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:38:00 +0000

Recently I had the opportunity to talk to Fred Mascherino. If the name sounds familiar you might be a fan of Breaking Pangea, The Color Fred or probably the best known of his former bands Taking Back Sunday. Fred has spent a lot of years on the road and in the studio with his guitar and his voice putting out some really good rock music. His current band is the one he says he is most passionate about, Terrible Things. This trio includes Andy Jackson, formerly of Hot Rod Circuit and Josh Eppard who used to drum for Coheed and Cambria.

The new band makes up the "brother" role in Fred. One thing he said was very important about the creation of the group was a connectivity on many levels starting with musical. The guys are all over the map as far as their styles go and yet bringing it all together works. On the one hand Fred says that Josh's darker leanings add the "clouds" to his lyrical sky and gets him writing in places he hasn't gone before. The mix also seems to prevent Terrible Things from becoming just another "that band". Mascherino observed that while they were on Warped Tour this past summer they heard some really good music but then there were ten other bands that were trying to sound like the good ones. He, Josh and Andy decided they didn't want to get locked into a genre. They left behind the screaming, "emo, pop punk, prog and are going for a purer rock sound.

As a son, Fred has been influenced by his mom who is also a musician. Mom was self-taught so she wanted him to have more. His teacher taught him everything from Led Zeppelin to Bach. One question I asked was how his family felt about the fact that he has his bachelor's degree in jazz from Temple University yet chose the life of a wandering minstrel after school. He said his parents are very supportive. He chose his major as a way to justify playing guitar 8 hours a day. Since there was no concentration in rock music, he chose his next favorite genre, jazz. He has an education in guitar that goes back to his childhood. He spoke fondly of his guitar teacher who was very patient with him.

Fred is also a dad. He has three children, The youngest is three. It's a lot to juggle for him and his wife. But over the years they have found ways to deal with the challenges. The kids grew up with their father being on the road a lot so they are used to it. They know that it's "Dad's going to work". When he comes home he hangs out with them as much as possible. He does the usual "dad things" like going to Cub Scout meetings and camping in the backyard. One of the things that was important when putting together Terrible Things was that everyone had extensive touring experience. Each of them have been on the road for more than ten years. And Andy is a dad too so he and Fred can relate on that level also.

Talking to Fred, once again, I came away wishing that things had not evolved the way they did when it comes to how people treat performers. At the end of the day? Fred Mascherino is just a regular guy. He's someone's son, someone's father, another person's "brother", a nephew, an uncle, etc., etc. He just wants to sit down and talk to you as a person. And when he's not on tour, he wants to go home and be an average person like you and I.

Show me what you're working with

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 18:59:00 +0000

This year I've attended four major musical events that I had very strong desire to experience and equally high hopes for those experiences. Two I just went as a fan and two I went as press. In order they were: Muse at MSG in March, Adam Lambert at the Nokia in June, Warped Tour at The Meadows in July and 30 Seconds to Mars at The Webster a few nights ago. Muse and Adam were for recreation. Warped and 30STM were as both fan and journalist. It was my evening with the Leto Brothers that really got me thinking.

First, many people are aware my dislike of Jared Leto. I have been in his vicinity on an evening where he was a royal douchebag...to venue staff, to fans and just in general. Many people left the venue that night with very negative feelings which was a shame because some friends of mine had opened the show and this was their first exposure to potentially new New England fans. However, despite my feelings about the eldest Leto that night and crossing paths with other people over the years who have similar feelings due to their own experiences, I still really like 30 Seconds to Mars' music. It is generally in my "Winter jam" rotation or just when I'm feeling angry, passionate or anxious. I really like the enormity of each song and the imagery that Jared, Shannon and Tomo use in their lyrics. A cross-over of religion and life in the wild. No one else but Jared can do any of the tracks justice vocally.

I was really anticipating Thursday night. Especially considering how easy it had been to work with the band's PR person. She really jumped through some serious hoops attempting to schedule some interview time with Tomo. Sadly I begged out on one opportunity in order to continue a very messy battle I was fighting with another artist's management and publicist, just to review the show. Even though I'd learned that, for the most part, I didn't need to ask for a comp ticket or guestist slot, the situation with Adam Lambert's people had me doubting what status quo was. I asked the PR lady about a pass for the Webster show and she was all kind of "well of course silly. Will you need +1 for a photog?" This assured me of what protocol generally is with the press and how badly I had chosen as we were not able to reschedule the interview.

The discovery that I would be an invited guest to the show put me in a very good state of mind and emotion to review it. I almost blew it off when, for the first time since I've been going to this theater, the parking lot was full and I was told to park at the church. The church is across the street and about half a block down. The whole neighborhood around the theater is a litte sketchy. But I revaluated the opportunity I would be giving up and decided to find my guts and park in the church lot. When I arrived at the box office, my ticket was ready and waiting (unlike most of my other experiences of having to wait for the guestlist to be brought down by the TM). There was a small hiccup with security trying to tell me I couldn't bring a pen or pencil. When I said "Really? I'm press. How am I supposed to take notes?". She apologized and into the theater I went. After procuring something to eat and my usual bottle of water, I claimed my piece of wall with a smile on my face, ready for whatever 30 Seconds to Mars would bring.

Jared Leto is a showman through and through. That's why he's an actor and a musician. He can create a character to perform each song but the passion that he brings to those characters and to his music is genuine. He had every one of the over 1000 bodies in that room held tightly by the fronts of our shirts, belt buckles and the hair at the back of all of our necks for an hour and a half. He said "Jump!", we responded "How high?" while obeying the command. He came right out and said, "Nobody's getting laid tonight", "there's nothing crazier going on anywhere else". What it meant was, we were not being held hostage by something sexual, or by a spectacular production. No! We were the prisoners of finely crafted music that played to our primal animal and our spirits.

After pondering this, I then looked back over Warped Tour and Muse. Muse was all about the spectacle but Matt Bellamy has the talent and creativity to back that production up. The power to run the lights, elevators and projectors could have failed and Muse's music would still have been the star of the show that night. Matt, Chris and Dom's energy is real, it is organic and it is spontaneous. There was very little stage banter because the band was taking the entire two hours to not only give us what we paid for but to share with us each song which for them is a perfectly cut jewel that they turn around and around making us gasp at the beauty of the stone. And at the end, Matt bows and looks a little proud and very humble. He drinks in what their music has done to each person there.

Warped Tour is a roller coaster day. There are over eighty bands to choose from, some little unsigned indies and others major nationally touring headliners. As I had to balance my day between interviews and reviews, I did miss many smaller bands in order to see certain big names. I was determined to see The Bouncing Souls as I've been trying to catch them for over three years. There would be no missing All American Rejects as this would be my third time seeing them. Motion City Soundtrack was how I had gotten my journalistic foot in the door so they were a must (and my fourth time around with them, second time on Warped Tour) and finally Alkaline Trio because they'd become a bit of an enigma for me. I interviewed Tony from MCS and Matt Skiba from Alk Trio so I got even more incite into the sincerity of their bands.

One band I really had no intention of watching but ended up impressed after having wandered in on the middle of their set was Bring Me The Horizon. Here's another band with a really pretentious front man with a crappy reputation off-stage but I had to give Oli Sykes real props for commanding their audience for the entire length of their set. And their music, although not very musical, is from the gut, in your face and filled with passion. You will at least come away saying that the band is believable in nothing else.

AAR continues to show that it doesn't matter what kind of stage you put them on, how much pyro, lighting effects or projections they do or don't have, it's not about that. It's about really fun music, flirting and dude-bro/frat boy humor. Tyson, Nick, Mike, Chris and Toad make goo-goo eyes at the pretty 20 somethings, toss a pick or stick to a teenie, belch with the college boys and laugh out loud at themselves. They hold the audience in the palms of their hands, amp up an energy that might be a little sexy but is also just a lot of fun.

So I think you might see where this is going. To those who know, me, I am an Adam Lambert fan and want to see him succeed. He's got the vocal chops and has tapped into other talents the Fates have given him...production design, costuming, and make-up for starters. I was at the second NYC show at the Nokia. Both shows had very high energy factors due to the large number of his fans in the general vicinity and with the easy access to numerous mass transit hubs, many who traveled from farther away. There were high profile attendees such as Jim Cantiello, Michael Slezak and a rumor that Steve Vie was in the house. However, there were some things that added an air of pretension, starting with the extensive wait between Orianthi and Adam's sets. It's one thing to have a lot of set up to do that creates a delay. But when that set up is complete and a guitar tech is polishing an instrument to kill time (all the bands & techs I know have guitars prepped usually before the opening acts go on) then the wait is ridiculous. People became bored, anxious and inebriated.

Once the set started, it was a lot of production and the tension in the room became very sexual. I know where it stems from and I don't like it but until a certain sector of the fanbase gets weeded out, it's going to be there. The other part of this equation is that Adam in turn, feeds on that sexual energy and just ramps it up. Somewhere in all of that, for me, things stopped being fun, tongue-in-cheek and started to feel like a cover for lack of real confidence in his talent. I had to work to listen both aurally and emotionally through all that hormonal static to hear if the music was as good live as it was recorded. It became harder to tell if the passion was real. There were some very genuine moments where I saw this little boy inviting us to come an play. But the audience took it as a dirty joke and Adam turned back into the sensual dominator.

Another clue to this lack of self-trust is his stage banter. For the most part it’s rather stilted and he finds if difficult to come up with new material. He saves the friendly, funny guy for off stage. I’m not saying that he or any performer should drop their walls on stage (or even off sometimes) but if they choose to interact with the audience conversationally, they will need to draw on some of their true nature to have a believable intercourse, whether you’re bold and brash like Tommy Lee or silly like Tyson Ritter or just a ball of every emotion possible like Gerard Way. When any of these guys come to the edge of the stage between songs, they’ll never say the same thing twice, they are totally in the moment and it doesn’t feel scripted. Adam needs to key in on the people in the crowd that are there for the music, his voice, his real talent and not the ones that just what a singing hoochy dancer or to be shocked by the stage-gay.

As I consider that night more deeply, Adam also suffers from the attendance teenies and children. When I look at the other three shows I am comparing to? The audiences tended to be 17+. Warped Tour does draw the high school crowd and the occasional middle schooler but they are not shrieking girls, who first and foremost, ruin the experience with their incessant high-pitched vocalizations. There's also just a vibe that kids put in a room that will suck the life out of older fans and throws the energy off. I will stand by my conviction that teenies are what killed Panic At The Disco. By the time they brought out an album that spoke to the college crowd and made twelve-year-olds go "WTF?" it was too late. Parents need get back to saying “no” to their kids again. We are parents, not besties and if your kid really wants to go to a rock show then take them to see the JoBros, Beiber or Selena Gomez.

The high point of Thursday night was when Jared Leto took probably the most massive song 30 Seconds To Mars has ever written and stripped it back to a solo acoustic number. “From Yesterday” took on a completely different spirit, color, face and energy. It was raw and ripped out hearts and guts. It was then that I realized, that no matter what negative traits the elder Leto brother has in the make-up of his personality, the man is genuinely talented and has real stage presence. I can say the same for other musicians I have seen do this…Gerard Way with Ray Toro, Kill Hannah, Paramore, AAR, and Andrew McMahon. That’s where the shit gets really real.

So here's my acid test. I want to see Adam Lambert as an opening act for someone who is not a major pop star on a stage in a room that holds no more than a thousand people with none of the current crazies and/or their kids in attendance. I want him totally strip down one of his bigger songs, maybe "Music Again" or Master Plan or take one of those real gut-wrenchers like Loaded Smile or Broken Open by the balls and show us how passionate he really is about them. Take them off the disc and bring them to life on stage. Give me "Strut" full of all its attitude minus tails, cane and dancers, etc. Then turn around and talk to me. Speak what’s in his heart from the high of that last song or building up to the next one. Don’t pump me up to “feel sexy”. Tell me to dance and mean it. Tell me how proud he is that his album went platinum worldwide. He needs to find his confidence, not hide behind the schmaltz and also grow a pair with his management to improve the PR situation so the press becomes a little friendlier. If he can show me that there are some real guts inside that glittery shell then I'll believe that 10 years from now I'll still be writing about him.

Learning as you go

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:25:00 +0000

Lesson #35 - Paying to review a show

Being a "journalist" without a Journalism degree, as with everything else I've done so far in "the biz", I've been learning as I go. Honestly, even though I've never been to college, I have to say that the school of hard knocks is a far better teacher. When you live the lessons they stick with you, make a real impact. You're less apt to make the same mistake twice. You're also put in a mental place of seeing opportunities to learn more, ways to connect with more of the right people and then choosing to use that information to your advantage. I won't say forced because we all know there are plenty of bloggers and press people who would be a lot better if they had been tied to a chair and required to use all the resources around them.

All this said, I'm going to start in the middle with this post. It's one I've wanted to write for a couple of weeks now but was waiting for more concrete examples to prove my theory. But lets deal with a fact that I got from my child who is professionally employed in the theater. Each new production that the company stages has a "press night" a week or two after opening night. On "Press Night" all the local reviewers are treated to a ticket, a meal (it's a dinner theater) and all their alcohol.

Why all the comp? Well, as my offspring explained, who PAYS to do their job? For example, by day I am a customer service rep. Do I pay my employer to rent the phone or take a check to purchasing for a notepad, pens or my share of the company's monthly photocopy toner bill? No. So as a reviewer, why should they pay to review a show? But there's more to it than that. Think about it. When the theater manager comps the ticket and in this case meal, it makes them look like a better person. It starts the reviewer's night on a positive note about the establishment and how it is run. Now with the press in a good mood, unless the show is a total flop and/or the rest of the audience just has no life at all, the reviewer will be less apt to completely pan the show. In the end, it is a win-win for the theater (again, unless the show really does suck) in that they will get a good review which sells more tickets and makes up for the tickets, food and booze given to the press.

Now you're wondering what brought up this conversation with my child. Up until a few weeks ago, I have been offered comp tickets and press passes for 90% of the shows I have reviewed, When requesting to feature an artist from their PR people or in the case of Warped Tour, from the promoter, who by the way has a very well organized process which included press and photo passes, paying for entrance to any of these events was not mentioned. I was asked or offered free admission. In fact most times they asked "plus one?" That's mainly if you're traveling with a photographer, but I could have used the ticket for someone else. The only exceptions are the shows I review at very tiny local venue that is completely self-sufficient and features mostly unsigned artists. I happily pay admission and buy my meals there to keep the place going.

Where the train derailed was with a potentially major pop artist who is signed to a major, major label with high-end management. This artist is selling out every show when a lot of tours are canceling dates due to low sales. The scenario that played out at first had me annoyed which magnified into anger by the time it was over.

I'll save the story of indie artists trying to go DIY and depending on volunteer "staff" to further their careers for another time. However, my story started with dealing with one of these types of "managers". I will be honest and say that as much as I wanted to help her artist, I was more interested in his boss. One of the many tricks of the trade...book press with the opening act to get a shot at the headliner. The artist that I attempted to book time with though has an interesting history and when I did my homework, I knew I could do him justice.

Where the problems arose was in attempting to book a press pass to review the show he was playing in. As I had to make a two and a half hour drive to interview him, which also entailed renting a car, I wanted to make the trip worth my while. After many days of haggling via email, AFTER I picked up the rental and was now out $65, the message came through that "oh yes, I did have a press pass however I HAD TO PAY FOR A TICKET TO USE IT!". WTAF???

Referring back to what I stated earlier about the comps I have received to this point, the very first gig I booked I was just offered guestlisting which was a nice surprise. Since then, except for the small venue cited, its just been the questions of "+1?" and/or "Do you need a photo pass?" I've also learned, when it comes to my photog, if he has a pass for one band, he usually gets to shoot them all (1st three songs in front of the barricade).

So now my shock is in perspective for you. I took my thought process a step further after thinking about how paying to review an artist can taint the writer's point of view. I mean come on...even without a rental...I've paid for gas, usually food, dealt with traffic and occasionally the shitty fan or venue staffer. I'm usually, despite the adrenaline high, a little pissy by the time I get to a venue. So add to that another $45-$50 out of pocket? I think you'd all agree that the performer better be pretty damned good for that price. To prove out where my brain was going I started looking up reviews of this artist and their current tour done by legit press outlets. What I read did not describe my experience when I attended one of the stops as a fan not a journalist. These reviewers were (1) apparently cub reporters or senior journalist who really didn't want the gig so they didn't do their research. They even got the name of the artist's album incorrect. (2) They were definitely not into the genres that this artist performs. My thoughts were: either the news outlet was pissed about having to pay for their reporter to be there so they just sent anybody or the reporter ended up out of pocket for their ticket and entered the theater very grumpy.

It's one thing for a rabid fan blogger to write a sparking review of show but how many people other than fans who are already familiar with this person's blog read it? Compare that to people who read things like The Boston Globe, The Times or the Chicago Tribune (print or digital).

I'm not saying a comp ticket will guarantee a good review. You can refer to mine of Social Distortion. But I can assure you that the fact that I don't have to worry about my ticket for an upcoming event that involves my guiltiest pleasure artist who I already have some serious issues with one member is colored much more pleasantly going in. If the PR person had said I needed to buy a ticket? I would have thanked them and hoped that another journalist would provide press for the band's stop here and believed that that certain band member is an even bigger jerk than I thought before.

Is your artist really a star?

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 15:22:00 +0000

Or are you just a very clever label/management exec?

Apparently one of the perks of being a Music Examiner is a free subscription to Billboard. That’s the only explanation I have for the weekly copies of the rag that have been showing up in my mailbox for the past five weeks. There’s been no funds taken from my checking account or my credit cards to explain the occurrences. So thank you Examiner. Considering the pittance I am paid for writing it’s a deserved incentive.

Back to the point of this article though. One of the charts that is posted towards the beginning of the publication each week is the concert box office draw. The chart is only the top thirty-five grosser for the past seven days. The algorithm for the chart is daily box office revenue for an individual show so you can see Justin Beiber, Green Day, James Taylor, etc. with multiple mentions on the chart. With such a limited list, the lowest draw comes up at just over a half-million dollars..FOR ONE PERFORMANCE!

Another parameter that skews this report is that it includes international data. So if you’re looking for, say, the top twenty-five grosses in the U.S. for the week? They may not all be there. So Rod Stewart in Scotland (7/14-15) being ahead of Michael Buble in CT (7/2-4) is not necessarily a valid comparison. Also look at the dates. A week apart. In fact, in the July 31st issue at #11 is Alicia Keyes for a concert in Paris on the 31st of MAY!

Bottom line, this chart does not give a viable picture of whose hot and whose not for large venue big name tours. Did you see what I said there? LARGE VENUE! BIG NAME! Yes,

Where does that leave musicians who are touring the under ten-thousand seat venues? The ones who only charge $45 or less for tickets? Are they not equally successful? Especially over the past year and a half with the big slump in recreational spending, the live music part of the industry has taken huge hits. People are looking for more bang for the buck. So where we see the Staples Center half-full for the Idols Live tour last night, we see over sixty-five-hundred people turn out a Musikfest in tiny Bethlehem, PA for Adam Lambert’s Glamnation Tour. Warped Tour was drawing thousands at every stop this summer with headliners Alkaline Trio, The All American Rejects and Bring Me the Horizon.

This is the problem any more, not just in the entertainment industry but business in general at least in the U.S. the bottom line. From my line of view, “the bigger the label, the higher profits expected”. Execs scurry like the rats that they are to pump up that bottom line to make shareholders happy. But it is my suspicion (as no label employee would ever admit to it and still have a job) that the fat cats also desire a rather large pad in their own pockets after investors have been paid their dividend. And they’ve figured out very clever ways to achieve that.

Labels and managers have one source of income…the artists. The starry-eyed kids who are so idealistic about sharing their music with the world and maybe making enough money doing it to pay the bills. There are some with much higher aspirations-expensive cars, big houses, designer clothes…but they are breed we won’t talk about here. On the other side of the room is the A&R guy who watches these altruistic art warriors from the viewpoint of “How much money can he/she/they make for me and my boss?”. The answer to that question determines if they get signed.

For the sake of brevity, I’ll just say that along with the aforementioned Billboard chart, I’ve been reading weekly articles on the new and creative ways that labels and management have been coming up with to maintain the revenue streams of the past. This includes tapping into venue concessions, larger percentages of ticket sales and getting their fingers into the artists’ merch till. All this because they can’t or won’t make any real effort to stem the tide of the theft of recorded music which is killing record/CD/digital recording sales. And all of this creative financing shows up in the numbers on that chart.

So you decide. Who is more successful? The KISS reunion tour stop at Mohegan Sun, nosebleed seats $95 or Alk Trio on Warped Tour for $35? And for your money Mr. Lyman and MSO offer choices of almost ONE HUNDRED musical acts over an eight hour day. With KISS you get? KISS along with $50 t-shirts, $10 beers and assigned seats. At VWT, if you’re dedicated you can be up front for The Bouncing Souls and way in the back for Streetlight Manifesto if you chose.

I understand it is about idealism versus income. But honestly I’ve experienced far better music in a two-thousand body club, general admission and taken home far more merch at $15 for a t-shirt and $10 for a CD which is money going directly into the musicians’ pockets. And these guys and gals will fill those small venues and put out a show that is not lip-synched, auto-tuned or over produced. Lights, pyro and other performers are not added to cover up a second-rate vocalist’s lack of talent. Sure sometimes the vocals are a little off, the backing track craps out, but it is real, it is from the heart and even if it sucks balls I’m only out $25 for my ticket.

How do you measure talent and success?

MTV Fail!

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 20:27:00 +0000

For the record, I am a GaGa fan and think she deserved all the noms she got for VMA's. The woman is talented musically, as a performance artist and as a production designer. She writes her own songs which are quirky as hell and that you can't get out of your head. Now up through "Bad Romance" that was cool with me. But "Alejandro" is getting on my nerves. I find the video more for the shock value than for production value. However, she really did deserve the recognition.

Eminem is always going to get love from MTV. He's been their fair-haired (literally) boy for a long time. I admit he gave an amazing performance a few years back with Sir Elton however, it hasn't seemed to stop his brushes around gay bashing along with dissing fellow musicians and women in his music? It's rap, I'll never put that in a music category. It is a performance art and is the modern version of beat poetry but that's me.

However, then we get B.o.B, Jason Derulo, Ke$ha, and Beiber! Really MTV? Really? Auto-tuners, vocorders and a 16 year old who puts out lyrics to old for his years. Besides, the kid ain't that great and his videos? Yah..no!

Did we notice some names distinctly missing here? Christina Aquilera? Rhianna? Adam Lambert? Yeah. Now here were some videos that were a little over the top. Ok, I'll give you that the lyrics to "Rude Boy" are pretty graphic but it didn't stop MTV affiliate Nickelodeon from having her perform it live in front of 7 year olds. Christina's video for "Not Myself Tonite" seems to be just for shock value but the song is decent. As for Lambert? For me "Whaddya Want From Me" was a boring video but how can MTV ignore "For Your Entertainment" and "If I Had You". For both shoots, Adam brought the L.A. art tribes onto the sites with him and they created productions that were visually stimulating, went along with the songs and were for songs that are catchy/hooky and not nearly as risque as most of the hip-hop and female pop music on the charts right now.

Now you all know I am not a Glambert so I don't go dropping the "H" bomb when someone speaks negatively of Adam Lambert or outright ignores him. No MTV is not homophobic. They own Logo for god's sake. And they're not shy...the VMA's used to be one of the raciest awards shows on TV plus you get all the bleeped out profanity on their "reality" shows. They adore GodGa who is currently the chosen diva of the gay community. So why the VMA snub? Is it an Idol thing? Is it because his album hasn't gone platinum yet? Do they honestly see Beiber or Ke$ha holding up longer in the biz? I don't have an answer here.

As far as a snub of Idols...haVE Cook or Daughtry been ignored? I know Kelly has been nominated and Carrie. I have to say that none of the other Season 8 alums with videos out have had a spectacular showing on MTV or VH1. I don't think Allison's ever got aired and Kris's is ok but not something I'd drop things to watch. To give you the perspective of my taste the videos I think are worthy of awards? 30STM "From Yesterday" and "Beautiful Lie" and...yeah just about every 30STM vid. I'm Not OK" - My Chemical Romance. Also from My Chem "Famous Last Words" despite the injuries that occured in its filming. Fall Out Boy - Dance, Dance. Taking Back Sunday - "Make Damn Sure". Incubus-"Drive" and Nine Inch Nails - "The Hand That Feeds". So when FYE and IIHY came along I was pleasantly surprised. They are both videos I watch often.

I have no answer to this question. It is indeed frustrates me. Maybe we'll see somewhere down the road, what MTV's thinking was. In the meantime allow me to share what I feel is Adam Lambert's best video to date

A conversation with Matt Skiba

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:09:00 +0000

Whether or not you are a huge fan of an artist's music, sometimes you just need to take the time to get to know the artist. You still may not have their CD spinning in your car all the time but you will come away with a new respect for that person. That was my experience when I sat down with Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio.

The interview started with the topic of Alkaline Trio and their Connecticut fanbase. He said that Alk Trio shows are pretty well attended here partially because they do have a very loyal fanbase in Boston and NYC that tend to road trip through a number of tour stops when they are in the area. He said he loves their fans because they are loyal to the point of even filling in on vocals, like they did earlier in the day during the band's set at Warped Tour, when his voice isn't fully up to par. He really hates it when he's not 100% because he wants to give it all to the audience every single show.

Alkaline Trio has been together for fourteen years. This is their fourth bout on Warped Tour but only the second time they've done the whole tour. Part of the senior patriarchy of the Chicago punk/alt community, with Matt at the helm from day one, the band has put out seven albums and like the rest of that brotherhood, toured relentlessly. Matt loves Warped because he says, it's like the family coming together. Everyone goes around catching up with old friends they haven't seen in a while. They support each other by going to watch someone else's set, or stopping by a merch table to say hi. And they dig being able to expose their music to new people every day.

Talk continued on the subject of popularity, especially regionally. Siting how some artists or even complete genres may attract attention in some places but not others Matt told a story of going to a Smashmouth show at The Metro, in Chicago. It was well after the Nebraska band was all over terrestrial radio, with videos on MTV. Yet that night there were only a couple hundred people in the Windy City's best known music venue. Skiba says, you just never know with whom, how and where your music will catch on.

Which brought us around to the real art of music. If punk rock is nothing else, it is genuine. You'll never find a vocalist or musician plucked out of some open mic night or talent contest and molded into a punk rocker. The genre is from the heart and is either solo acts doing music they create and perform or bands made up of guys and girls who have gravitated to each other based on a similar vibe. Alkaline Trio are definitely that group of people. With a couple of line-up changes, it has always been musicians with a similar vision to Skiba's. This results in honest compositions and performances of the things Matt writes.

Matt Skiba literally lives art. Drawing on his days growing up in the suburb of McHenry, IL to the time he lived in a neighborhood in Chicago that saw non-stop gang violence and then mixing that with the influences of family, friends and just his own muses, he envisions a song and sets it to paper. People have asked him when he knows a song is done. He responds that he sees the whole thing before he starts writing so he knows where the end is. He said the same about his painting.

Painting you say? Yes, As we sat talking there were two gallery shows opening. Sponsored by Alternative Press, some of Skiba's pieces were being shown at the Los Angeles (Matt's current home) location. You can view a few of his paintings here: http://www.myspace.com/mattskibaartwerk

This revelation opened a door that allowed me to turn the conversation to a theme I've been drawn to for over a year now. Art "languages". As an artist and a friend of a number of artists, I've come to understand that most of us "speak" more than one "language". I asked Matt about his 'languages" He is definitely a lyricist, composer and musician along with painting. He went to college for fine art so he has dabbled in some photography too. So then I asked what languages he understands and likes to "listen" to even though he doesn't speak them. He first explained that he completely understood the concept saying he can listen to conversations in German or French and understand them but he can't join in because he does not speak the languages fluently enough. In the art context Matt understands and loves architecture as art especially in cities like Chicago and Manahattan even though he admits he couldn't design a building. His favorite structure in New York is the Chrysler building as he is a big fan of Deco.

To take it a step further, I asked the musician if he thought that people who don't tap into their creative self are really not artistically connected or just lazy or fearful. He is of the mind that it is one of the latter two. Agreeing that art comes in so many forms: carpentry, writing, car and motorcycle design and restoration, that a lot of people are really artistically talented they just don't see it as their art languages are not those necessarily classified as art. Matt said one of the most beautiful pieces of art he's ever seen is his Ducati motorcycle but understands that others would look at it, feel the same but not mentally catalog it as art. However, there are the others who have unwarranted reasons for not being creatively adventurous.

The most profound thing Skiba said to me in our entire conversation was that art as a whole is a universal language that speaks with and through the heart and that language speaks with in voices of love and passion. That statement got us talking a bit about spirituality and community and mainly just the breaking down of barriers and people learning to get along which is the ultimate point of the human race even though we don't do so well with it. We allow ourselves to be ruled by our fears which most times are unfounded. Matt sited the fear of death as one such thought. He feels death is far from the worst thing to be afraid of. It's inevitable so don't waste your whole life worrying about it.

Another time waster we agreed on was negativity . Karma is a bitch! Cut and dried. She will come back around and either take her payment for the negative energy you have put out or reward you for the positive. So rather than waste what short lifetime we have on negative things such as seeking revenge or defending your prejudices, pour that energy in to positive things so you can fully use the life you have.

I came away from what started out as an interview feeling more like I'd had a conversation with an old friend. I think Matt felt the same way. I know that he is one of the most fascinating people I have every had the pleasure and honor to sit down with. Make sure to check out Alkaline Trio's music. Definitely get out to see them live and also take a look at some of Matt's fine art.

The fate of the 2010 Concert Tour

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:12:00 +0000

http://new.music.yahoo.com/various-artists/news/pollstar-reports-concert-tour-revenue-down--62002992

I found this article this morning in my Yahoo headlines. It was one of the few that I took the time to read. Being someone who has a good deal of American Idol news in various feeds due to the press I provide for Adam Lambert, I have already heard about the poor performance of the Season 9 Idols Live Tour. Dates have been changed and canceled with more possibly coming.

I also caught headlines recently about Christina Aquilera pulling the plug on her tour and Kelly Clarkson pulling out of Lilith Fair. So the article linked above didn't really surprise me. However, the reasoning behind all of this does strike an off-key chord with me.

I agree that the U.S. has fallen on some tough economic times. People are being more frugal with their entertainment dollars. But does that mean that they are writing off entertainment completely? Well, looking at the box office revenues from of some of the early runners in the summer movies, it seems people are definitely frequenting their local cinemas. They might be scrimping on what they will spend for concessions but those numbers aren't as easy to come by.

I also see plenty of folks attending shows at smaller venues. The smaller names on major labels and many artists on smaller labels or even unsigned are seeing decent returns on ticket sales. Warped Tour is still making every stop this summer and Lollapalooza is going off the weekend of August 6th. One well known artist has gone the route of smaller venues guaranteed to sell-out even with a $50 ticket price and that's The Smashing Pumpkins. And then there are the two AI alum touring together this summer who are selling out 2K-4K capacity venues with many repeat attenders.

So here's my theory. The media is too scared to call-out the new concert demigod LiveNation/Ticketmaster and the bastard child they try to distance themselves from, Stubhub. With the largest owner of venues and artists crawling into bed with the biggest ticket sale outlet, we were fed the lie that this was a good thing for venues, artists and patrons. In reality it not only did not relieve ticket buyers of the ridiculous fees Ticketbastard has charged in the past but in some cases, increased them. One such fee was the "print at home" one. How do you justify mailing tickets for free but charging $2 for a customer to use their own electricity and ink to print their tickets?

Now throw in Stubhub. "A fast convenient way to sell you tickets in a site that is solely for this purpose." What they don't tell you is that the commission you pay to Stubhub to post your tickets is almost double what you will pay to post them on eBay or that you can still post them for free on Craigs List. On the other side of this hoodwink is what Stubhub charges the purchasers. What this site is, is nothing more than, apparently, legalized scalping. I'm still surprised someone has not challenged it in court.

The final piece that is adding unnecessary cost to large venue tickets is labels working clauses into artists contracts that give the label a "cut of the house". In that touring is really a musician's bread & butter any more with CD and digital music sales in the toilet, thanks to piracy, along with the fact that they have always gotten the smallest percentage of that revenue, ticket prices are hiked so the artists can hold on to a little bit after the label takes their cut. And apparently this is not only affecting ticket prices but also merch. I was floored to see a t-shirt for a new artist going for $50. As one who who has encouraged merch purchasing at shows to provide musicians and their crews with gas & food money, I'm trying to figure where the rest of the profit on that shirt is going. Is it safe to assume...directly into some label exec's pocket? Me thinks.

So if the big-ticket musicians want to try to turn things around they need to find good advisers and legal people to make sure their contracts provide more money for them and less for fat-cats sitting on their asses. They need to join the fight to stem piracy. Venues that signed on for LiveNation management need to re-evaluate how they run their businesses and allow these contracts to expire unless they can find potential illegalities that will allow them to have the contracts voided. They need to go back to being privately owned entities with operating costs kept in check. Patrons need to demand accountability from ticketing services as far as "service fees" and just ticket prices in general are concerned. They also need to stop pumping money into the pocket of Stubhub. Don't put yourself in hock no matter how bad you want to see the show because anything above the original ticket price, is only going to the scalper. Artists, crews, labels, and management don't see a penny of it. Also parents need to stop sending the message to their kids that stealing is ok. Pay for your music, it keeps your favorite artists recording and touring with affordable ticket prices.

Think twice before you judge a book by its cover

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:43:00 +0000

Intially I wasn't sure how a recent event would fit into this blog, until I heard my mother's voice ringing in my head saying "You're going to let THOSE people in your house?" Those people are rocker boys, eyes lined with kohl, hair dyed jet black, skin covered in ink, with a mess of holes poked in their flesh and wearing girls' jeans. Those people are supposedly the bain of human existence, the dregs of society and possible worshipers of the Devil himself. Those people drink a little too much a little too often and sometimes dabble in illegal substances. However, those people also live their lives on the road bringing the music that is so precious to them, to us for very little monetary reward. The biggest payment they receive is our love demonstrated by the positive energy we direct to the stage during a performance, the excitement over meeting them and getting and autograph and for those of us fortunate enough, the chance to share a warm hug and a thank you. This is what keeps them going day after lonely day.

It is one of those hell-spawn who is in a Chicago, improving as I type but was touch and go a few short days ago. Not because he drank too much or over-dosed on drugs. Not because he tried a stage-dive that went wrong. Not even because the band's less than safe van was involved in an accident. No, this young man's body was battered severely by a man who had been previously focusing his physical abuse on his wife. Matthew Leone was walking home from his twin brother's apartment when he came upon this scene. His gut reaction was to rescue the woman from her attacker. The man, larger in stature, turned his wrath on Leone. Matthew was left for dead by both the man and his wife.

Matthew Leone, bassist for Madina Lake, identical twin of the band's lead vocalist Nathan, is one of those rocker boys I have had the honor and pleasure of meeting. It was at soundcheck for their headlining tour in November of 2007 that I delivered one of my famous carepackages to Matthew and drummer Dan Torelli. Matthew stood on the stage of The Webster theater in Hartford, joining in the conversation that had started between my son, myself and Dan. As I reminisced about that night, I remember Matthew's bright smile and him making us laugh. His aura ranged from yellow to white. He was so genuinely sweet. He would go on for their set that night and deliver a great performance charged full of positive energy. He and his brother fed off each other, the yin to the other's yang. It was such a great set. The audience was on fire and completely engaged. Matthew was definitely partially responsible for that.

So to all the people who think that rockers are the scum of the earth, here is not only proof of how false that statement is, but also a reminder about making judgments and about humility. Matthew Leone did what is asked of all of us, put our neighbors' needs ahead of our own and lay it down for someone else. That's what love is . Here's to Matthew Leone. And my challenge to everyone is to now donate to the funds being set up to pay Matthew's medical bills because, if you didn't know, even signed artists (Madina Lake is signed to Roadrunner Records) do not have medical benefits. They are classified as part-time employees.

When you really know what you want to be...

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:47:00 +0000

...when you grow up.

Last Friday afternoon I sat on hold with a group of other anonymous journalists. Based on the last phone-in conference I attended I figured there were about thirty of us out in the phone-verse waiting patiently with our questions in hand to spend an hour with Adam Lambert. Some of us were genuinely hoping we had come up with intelligent and creative inquiries that would provide interesting material to serve up to our readers and to promote Lambert, his album, the new single and his tour.

A few days prior to receiving my invitation to the event, I'd had a bit of a meltdown. I was unable to procure a press pass for Adam's Connecticut show on June 24th. The disappointment was fueled further by the realization that I had been being pretty unreasonable about the whole idea from the beginning because the concert is the same night as my son's high school graduation. I had delusions of grandeur about being able to make it from the school to the casino in time for Mr. Lambert's set. Seriously? Not unless I owned a Lambo'. But the spiral continued downward seeing that my kids should always come first and my parents and...and...and. It got all the way down to feeling like I shouldn't even be thinking about this journalism thing or any other position in the music industry. I should just go back to being miserably happy in my current job and become a mature old lady and like it.

Fortunately that was around one in the morning and my eyelids were very heavy. I passed out before I could email friends and digitally immolate myself on the front lawn of their in-boxes. The Fates spent my sleeping hours rearranging my thought process and I awoke going "it's just one time. Yes, your son does come first now but you need to write and create and be around creative people. There will be other opportunities." My friends said, "yes, Kath'. Good to see you got it back in perspective."

So back to waiting on hold, listening to terrible music...really Sony? You have a roster full of amazing artists. Why are we listening to bad piano elevator music? Reporters and possible the man of the hour were running late. Hold lasted for almost fifteen minutes. Finally, the music stopped and the nice male MC announced we would begin. The first few questions ranged from some really good ones about tour and the single. Some were not so well thought-out.

Then came the announcer, "Our next question comes from Miss Lyndsey Parker from Yahoo Music". I had to fight really hard not to squeal out loud. She and Adam already have a great interview rapport so I knew he'd open up for her. I also know she comes in with really good questions. The whole time she and Adam talked I was hanging on their every word. Then I started thinking. Was my question as well thought out. Would it show current and potential new fans another reason to listen to his music or go to a show? She set the bar high for me.

Lyndsey got two more questions in and even the fun one still allowed Adam some space to showcase his individuality and production sense. She almost got to close the afternoon. Sadly the MC dude cut her and Adam off before we could get her clarification of the question and more of Adam's answer. I knew she must have been frustrated but still and all she did have another successful session with Adam.

I initially became a fan of Lyndsey's when she first interviewed Adam during the Idol tour. I also read her blogs on other artists she followed and/or sat down with . When Adam's album dropped she was the one doing the fangirling because she had already identified herself as a Muse lover. When she heard "Soaked" she was really excited. She is also an old fan of The Darkness so "Music Again" is another favorite for her. Her enthusiasm and true love of alternative rock genres is contagious. Myself being a fan of many of the same artists, I "got" her from the beginning.

So Lyndsey, just so you know. You sealed the deal for me. There is no turning back. No more thoughts of giving up. If I fangirl over a fellow journalist then I think that says that it is definitely a career path I need to follow. Thank you for being my inspiration.

Lyndsey Parker - Reality Rocks

A sparkly gypsy with a heart of gold

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:50:00 +0000

What is it that keeps people coming back to Adam Lambert? Maybe it's that 0 to 60 thing he does as he reveals his many sides. One minute a 17 year old reincarnated hippie with a Utopian ideal, the next a shrewd over-40 business man only to morph flawlessly into the perfect 28 year old gentleman when fielding overworked questions in interviews.

Well maybe this is not the case for the average fan who only gets to read the output of interviews with Adam Lambert in the print media. Occasionally there are audio and video meetings that get posted to YouTube but I find most of them are radio interviewers who (1) can't get over their own notoriety and (2) ask the same questions ad nauseum so again, the public is really not seeing much of Adam. However, on rare occasion he has been able to share a great deal in sit-downs with folks such as Lyndsey Parker, Michael Slezak and Touré revealing the truly interesting person behind all the hype.

Even though the first conference I sat in on was only three weeks ago, most of it is pretty vague in my mind. But the most prevalent memory of that morning was Adam's laugh. The rocker laughs a lot, mostly at himself but sometimes at those who refuse to listen to him say time after time "It's not that deep. Don't take it so seriously. It's about kitsch and camp." Adam Lambert's laughter is that of about a 12 year old boy. It is genuine and filled with joy. Just like that smile that always starts in his eyes, it will warm you, calm you down and invite you to come an play with him. Remember this is the guy who lived with the Halloween box in the living room year round. Adam's not Peter Pan per se in that Peter had some darker issues, but one of the lost boys? Yeah. He really does want to you come into his world, leave all the worldly bullshit behind and play.

I may have seen a little of it in the first conference but this recent one had it laid out over and over in front of me. I even helped to bring more of it out with my questions. Adam is a hopeless romantic who loves his friends deeply and dearly. He is a firm believer in Karma - always doing for others with his own good fortune. He is passionate about the arts and the people who create them. When someone gives him the opportunity to wax poetic about what stirs his soul, he will run with it. The production of his set for the Glamnation Tour and the creation of the music video for If I Had You are near and dear to his heart. He wants more than anything for the world to grasp the concepts of both of these. He wants people to take the light he and his friends created in Griffith Park that night and conjure on stage throughout this tour into the world and share it. He doesn't want a lot of moths who are just attracted to the flame, eventually to be incinerated by it. He wants candles and lanterns coming to be lit to then go out and reveal the beauty to be found in all of our differences.

Adam Lambert is a polished professional. He takes on questions about the choice of the next single and explains in detail about demographics and marketing and what will get airplay on the radio. He turns an analytical eye to explaining his, the label and management's long-term plans to maintain him as a relevant artist who will continue to sell records, concert tickets and merch. He is watching around him to see what is working and not working for other artists. But he also calls out the industry on points where some ideas have become stale and business practices irresponsible.

Adam Lambert is true to his art but equally courteous when responding to the fact that fellow vocal artists use various forms of electronic enhancement or assistance. Adam wants to sing and he wants to sing live. He doesn't diss the use of auto-tuners and vo-corders by others but he likes providing the audience with the real deal recorded and live. Yes, he does use backing vocal track, but the lead vocal is all Adam, night after night. No lip syncing. He is all about artistic integrity.

On that note, Adam Lambert is a true gentleman whose parents taught him etiquette. I heard so many paltry questions in the first session and a couple more pretty weak ones this week. The ones reporters need to stop asking. Idol's over. Adam and Kris are on separate paths. Look at ticket and record sales. It very obviously doesn't matter if the "wrong guy won". The AMA's were eight months ago and four female artists have put on far more risque live performances since then along with a couple of music videos that could classify as soft-core porn. Yet through all those stupid...yes stupid...questions, Adam was the better person. There was no audible sigh that said "Oh no. Not this one again". No clenched jaw responses. He will call people out, heck I got it myself on the first one but he still smooths it with respect. Basically "doing a good job, just not as good as you could do". Yesterday I did my homework and got the other response...a very honest compliment for coming prepared. I felt a little secondhand embarrassment for some of my constituents though but also aggravated that they didn't want to believe he was referring to them.

I know that at the end of the day, to the fans of most music artists/performers none of this matters. It's whether they like the music and/or whether they think the musicians are physically attractive. It's not a bad thing. It keeps labels happy because it's selling records. But for me? I like to know a little more about the people making that music. It allows me the ability to enjoy the music on a deeper level because all art comes from the heart. It also increases my level of respect for the artist where I can appreciate their personality which in turns reveals whether they are truly an artist or just a manufactured good. For me, this one is the real deal.

Adam Lambert on Examiner.com

noreply@blogger.com (MamaKath) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:22:00 +0000

Please visit my Examiner pages for articles on what's up with Adam Lambert and the GlamNation tour. I was in on his phone-in press conference last Wednesday. The first two posts are from that conference. Don't forget to subscribe to the Hartford Music Examiner page so you get all the latest updates. Thanks.

http://www.examiner.com/x-32278-Hartford-Music-Examiner~y2010m6d3-Adam-Lambert-and-Glamnation-are-coming-to-CT

http://www.examiner.com/x-32278-Hartford-Music-Examiner~y2010m6d6-Adam-Lambert-on-For-Your-Entertainment

http://www.examiner.com/x-32278-Hartford-Music-Examiner~y2010m6d7-Glitz-is-coming-to-Foxwoods--Adam-Lambert-and-GlamNation