Quoting Napoleon

Free song Download

noreply@blogger.com (Quoting Napoleon) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:08:00 +0000

We recorded a new version of "The Belle Of Amherst" and wish to thank you for all your support by offerring you a free download. The new official, official version of "Amherst" is available here:

http://www.quotingnapoleon.com/audio.html

Again, thank you for all your support and we hope you enjoy this new version of one of most popular songs.

Sincerely,

QN

Steve's Portland Music Awards Synopsis

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:52:00 +0000

The quick, brief synopsis:

Likes:
A. Daniel Balwin hosting. Let him do most of the show next time.
B. Deen Castronovo, Drummer for Journey, Bad English, Hardline as a presenter.
C. The variation of genres for the actual performances.
D. The fact that (some of) Portland's musicians get recognized.
E. Some quality nominations for the Jazz and Blues categories and the Legends awards.

Dislikes:
A. The voting process.
B. The sponsor and lack of vendors.
C. The lack of winners to claim their awards. A lot of them weren't even there!
D. Repetition of winners from previous years.
E. Not enough appropriate categories and equality among the nominees.

The Portland PMA's started as a promising premise, unfortunately, it may have been started by the wrong man, Craig Marquado. If you're not aware of Craig's past exploits, you should start by Googling what the Portland Mercury has to say about his business and personality traits. The Mercury, in particular, has adamantly announced they do not support him, nor the PMA’s, which started three year ago in conjunction with Marquado's now defunct publication “The Music Spectator.” The Portland Mercury has gone so far as to print and ask the general public “please do not attend this event,” which is tragic, because had the Portland Mercury or the Oregonian sponsored this event, it may have proven to be the managed event everyone hoped it could be (though, I argue the Mercury would not have been as receptive (or knowledgable) towards other genres of music outside the typical indie-hipster for which both it and the Willamette Week are notorious for promoting religiously). I don't know Craig personally, but seeing that I play in three locally ignored bands here in town, (none-of-which were even aware of when the awards take place or how to get nominated) I thought it best to be proactive in learning more about this event. Like I said, I like the premise considering the musically rich town in which we live.

I arrived a skosh late and walked in as Three Leg Torso was playing to a fairly packed Crystal Ballroom. I dig world music. A good start, I thought to myself. At the entrance there were a few booths set up, but I quickly ascertained they only represented one new local record label out of Salem, Lucky Dog Records???, who, with questionable ties to any quality physical distribution, also set up the only other booth promoting merch from their one-and-only band Holly Pollack?, like it was the king and queen at the high school prom. No other local labels were set up. No other artists merch. No Hush Records. Nothing from any musical PR firms or local music distributors, music publications or radio stations. How was it this one label was able to set up a booth to promote itself and it's one band?

The gala juxtaposed announcements of winners with music performances by additional groups of classical musicians, the pop hooks of Geoff Byrd, the Pogue-like influence of Amadan, Alt rockers Holly Pollack, an Astor Piazzolla-esque tango by harmonica wizard Joe Powers, rock and blues of The Dennis Mitchell Band and Hip Hop by Cool Nuts. I liked the diversity and the bands were very entertaining and professional. For all the hipsters, a member from Boy Eats Drum Machine was there, and, although he was touted as playing numerous instruments which were onstage, failed to impress me with even a mediocre virtuosity on any of them, and his solo enthusiasm, though entertaining, could be compared to a little spaz pug dog, who greets you at the door by humping the shit out of your leg wildly until exhaustion. It was good for him, but I didn't really get anything out of it. I heard the full trio is something to see, however, and that could change my mind about the act.

I really enjoyed the Jazz nominations. I spend a lot of time attending local jazz concerts and was very impressed to see that the nominations for Jazz and Blues were handled by their respective organizations and board members. Kate Davis, a young jazz vocalist and bass prodigy just out of high school, won for both Best Jazz Artist and Best New Artist. Nice job! She's had a legit reason for not attending as she's studying at Berkelee College of Music this year, I think? Kudos for acknowledging her abilities. Well played sir! (Someday, though, Darrell Grant will be given his due!)

I was hanging in the back for a spell and noticed Keegan Smith and the Fam nearby. Keegan is no newbie to this show and won another award, Male Artist of the Year. I dig the crap out of Keegan and his band, they are all very talented and I've enjoyed their performances immensely. That said, next year if he wins again and there are no new nominations to replace out the worn out and repetitive winners in all the categories this show will get old fast. Yeah, yeah... we know, Storm Large, Pink Martini, Decemberists, blah, blah, blah. There are other bands out there so how about some of the music critics and booking agents at the clubs pick the bands instead of who can get more of their friends to vote. Major acts should be separate from local aspiring artists in nominations. Who do you think is going to have a bigger fan base, Chris Margolin or Pink Martini... Keegan Smith or Modest Mouse. I mean, c'mon! The category for best classical artist was a joke! Their were a few individual names and small chamber groups I have never heard of before, and then the final nomination - The Portland Symphony! Who do you think won??? The categories need to be better managed and determined. They need to have better balance so as not to pair newbies with big star acts.

The tribute to Paul Delay was well deserved and well done. The same for Pioneer award winner, Les Sarnoff, which were projected onto a big screen. I just couldn't hear the commentary over the din of constant chatter of the crowd, who didn't seem to interested, unfortunately.

[SIDE NOTE: Steve's personal lists of bands or musicians that should have been nominated this year for something but weren't. This is a short portion of the list]
Bands: Kleveland, Intervision, Jacob Merlin, The Dimes, Jake Oken-Berg, Throwback Suburbia, Tapwater, Patrick Lamb, Bryan Flannery, Amanda Richards, Amelia, Dirty Martini, The Stolen Sweets, Derby, Jasmine Ash, Justin Jude, Justin Klump. Individual Musicians: Damien Erskine (bass), Alan Jones (Drums), Sandin Wilson(bass), Mike Snyder (drums), Terry Robb (guitar), Reinhardt Melz (drums)... etc. etc...]

Steve's Personal List for future categories:
Majors (all genres combined so we don't run out in 5 years):
Best Major Label Act from Portland
Best Major Label Artist of the Year
Best Major Label Album of the Year
Best Song of the Year
(that's it... this is about the local level artists)

Local artists: (these EXCLUDE any artist/band on a major label or who has sold in excess of 20,000 albums)
Local Band Of The Year
Local Artist of the Year
Local Album of the Year
Local Song of the Year
Best emerging Artist/Band

Local acts According to Genre:
Best Heavy Metal
Best Alternative Rock
Best Blues
Best Jazz
Best Classical
Best Bluegrass
Best Big Band
Best Folk
Best Adult Contemporary
Best Country
Best World Music
Best Electronica
Best Indie

Keep their Legends Awards for people who spent a lifetime building the musical community here in Portland. That was a nice tribute this year.

Acknowledge achievment/merit awards for indivdual musicians (But don't categorize by saying: Best Vocalist. At that level there's no point in saying whose better, you can't quanitfy the word "best", just acknowledge that an artist is technically proficient, popular, playing gigs regularly and contributing to the musical community at large.) These Achievement awards could follow and possibly even be sorted out by gender:
Vocalist
Guitarist
Bass Player
Piano player
Keyboard Player
Sax player
Percussionist
Harmonica player
Non-traditional instrument
Classical or Jazz Composer
Composer in Film or Television

Any finally, individual awards for people involved with music production. Achievement awards for:
Recording Studio
Producer of the Year
Engineer of the Year
Mastering Engineer of the Year
Music Stores
Instrument Stores
PR fims
Managers
Distributors
etc...etc...

Also, the price is too high to get enough people to this event. Knock it down to $10 and there will be more attendance.

Next year, get the Oregonian or some non-partisan publication to sponsor the event. I applaud Craig for doing this... it's a big challenge to coordinate and promote, but it's bigger than one man. I enjoyed the fact that his Music Spectator magazine actually garnished attention for the pop acts and talented musicians that often get passed up by both the Mercury and Willamette Week. There's a lot of us out there, many whom Craig, the Mercury, and the Willamette don't know even exist that are working diligently and playing countless shows a year and benefiting the community. A lot of us were not even aware of this awards ceremony or how to get nominated. That said, I really enjoyed the bands that played for this year's Portland Music Awards. Very talented acts and artists. Now it's time to look to the future and start investigating and acknowledging some of the great NEW talents emerging in this wonderful musical city of ours.

Steve

Our new album "Absence" is now available on iTunes!

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:46:00 +0000

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=337236326&s=143441

CD Release Party for "Absence" 10/23

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:16:00 +0000

Hello Everyone!

Our new album "Absence" is officially released today! You can order the CD or download the MP3s from CD Baby. You may also download it through SNOCAP, which is available on our MySpace page.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, we're holding our CD release party this Friday 10/23 at the White Eagle Saloon. We have Eric Tweed starting at 9pm, followed by Quoting Napoleon. We're very pleased with this album and excited to share the music with you. We hope to see you there!

White Eagle Saloon
836 N. Russell St.
Portland, OR 97227

QN

QN @ The Tonic Lounge 10/2

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:46:00 +0000

Please mark your calendars for Quoting Napoleon's first Portland gig in a long time. The new album is finished and details on that will be coming soon. Until then, please plan on joining us Friday, October 2nd at the Tonic Lounge at 9pm for a great evening of music including Whiskey Music, Matthew Lindley with Trobadour Deluxe and us, Quoting Napoleon!

Tonic Lounge

3100 NE Sandy Blvd Portland, OR 97232

http://www.myspace.com/thetoniclounge

See you there

QN On The KINK Local Music Spotlight Tonight!

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:36:00 +0000

Hear a track from the new album "Absence" tonight at 9:30pm on KINK 101.9FM. If you're not local to Portland, OR, stream it live at:

http://static.intertechmedia.com/inf/kink/index.html

Props to KINK.

QN

QN @ The Orgeon State Fair 9/6

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:53:00 +0000

Hi Everyone!

We hope to see you this Sunday 9/6 at The Oregon State Fair! We're playing the KINK Plug-In Portland Spotlight on the Car Toys Aftershock stage in the Sports and Recreation area at 3:30pm. There are lots of great bands from 2-8pm: Ruby Hill, Quoting Napoleon, Tapwater, The Dimes. It should be a great show. Come check us out. Come early. Grab an ear of hot buttered corn and check out some calf judging. Just don't miss this one because it's going to be huge.

We might (might!) have a few pre-release copies of the new album "Absence" for sale. Take a chance on being the first one on your block to have the new QN CD!

As always, we truly appreciate your support.

Absence

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:26:00 +0000

It's coming. Will you be ready?

Hall & Oates, Michael Jackson and Why We Should Just Focus On The Music

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:53:00 +0000

So I'm listening to "The Very Best of Daryl Hall & John Oates" as I work today and "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" comes up in the track order. Suddenly, something I never noticed before becomes obvious. I've been playing the bass line to "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson lately and this song is similar to it.

Hall & Oates released "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" in 1981 and it shot to #1 on the R&B charts. It subsequently became one of the most sampled songs for hop-hop.

Michael Jackson released "Billie Jean" in 1982 and it shot to the top of the charts as well.

In a recent Rolling Stone, Daryl Hall reminisced about how MJ told him he "stole" from "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" for his "Billie Jean". Hall said he told MJ he was cool with it because "creative borrowing is fair play".

This is what is so beautiful about making music. Take a little. Give a little. Bring people together. It's a fine line between "stealing" someone's work and "borrowing" from your influences. When Diddy (or whatever he wants to be called now) samples a complete loop of "Every Breath You Take" (cleared or not), I think it's a rip off. Make your own damn music, will ya? Borrowing from something someone else created and taking it further or making it into something new is another matter.

Of course, it gets tricky when you get down to the nuts and bolts of music and copyright law but all these lawsuits over copyright and plagiarism strike me as silly. Everyone seems to want their cut whether they need it or not. The music world has countless stories of someone who was truly ripped off and never saw a dime in compensation. But they go on because they do music for music's sake, not for money. It's something to keep in mind as Joe Satriani sues Coldplay or as some publisher buys the rights to a song from 1934 and proceeds sues Men At Work for supposedly plagiarizing a flute riff.

Check out the songs and hear what I mean:

I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)

Billy Jean

KINK's Plug In Portland CD and the New QN Album

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:34:00 +0000

We want to update you all on some great news.

First, our song "Low Is Under" was chosen for KINK.fm's Plug In Portland Vol. 2 sampler CD sponsored by Bridgeport Brewing and is set to be released in July. It's chock full of great local music. We're flattered to be included.

KINK is hosting a "kick off" party at Jimmy Mak's on July 6th. You can pick up a free copy there or at other KINK events throughout the summer. You can get all the details as well as the track list here.

Second, and most important, we are merely days away from mixing our new album "Absence". It consists of 10 new QN songs plus our version of the great Finn Brothers song "Anything Can Happen". The track list is as follows:

01. Blood on the Sun
02. Absence
03. Invisible Camera
04. Destonie
05. Anything Can Happen
06. Edward Dunn
07. Faith & Desire
08. Saline
09. Newcastle Road
10. Delve
11. Epitaph

We're fortunate to have retained the services of Nick Moon at Tone Proper to mix and master the album for us. We know you're going to love it and you better because we worked long an hard on it! ;-)

We'll have more information soon regarding the release date and availability.

As always, thank you for your support.

Viva La Lawsuit

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:25:00 +0000

Here's more on the Coldplay copyright story.

Cat Stevens Says Coldplay Ripped Him Off Too

This time Yusef Islam (aka Cat Stevens) lays claim to the all-too-common musical progression:

"There's been this argument about Coldplay stealing this melody from Joe Satriani," he said. "But, if you listen to it, it's mine! It's the [1973 song] 'Foreigner Suite', it is!"

Some chord progressions are VERY common. Some very common progressions inspire very common melodies. In each of these songs, they only things that really set them apart are the lyric, arrangment and delivery. Or, in the case of Joe Satriani, the style of the guitar playing. The real value is in the whole.

These are pop songs. Anyone who has written pop songs knows they're are common elements or certain standard devices that are employed in that genre. This is true of any genre.

Fortunately for Coldplay or better yet, Joe Satriani, Yusef Islam isn't planning to sue.

Van Gogh's Ear

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:31:00 +0000

Our song "Right" is about the life of artist Paul Gauguin. I didn't know he and Vincent Van Gogh were so close. According to a new study by some German art historians, it was not Van Gogh who cut off his own ear but Gauguin.

Van Gogh's Ear Was Cut Off By Friend Gauguin With A Sword

By Henry Samuel in Paris
Last Updated: 10:43AM BST 05 May 2009

Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889 by Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) Photo: Samuel Courtauld Trust, Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery

He is known as the tortured genius who cut off his own ear as he struggled with mental illness after the breakdown of his friendship with a fellow artist. But a new study claims Vincent Van Gogh may have made up the story to protect painter Paul Gauguin who actually lopped it off with a sword during an argument.

German art historians say the true version of events never surfaced as the two men both kept a "pact of silence" – Gauguin to avoid prosecution and Van Gogh in a vain attempt to keep a friend with whom he was hopelessly infatuated.

They claim Gauguin used his trusty épée to lop off Van Gogh's ear and then tossed it in the Rhône. Interesting stuff to be sure. These men were essentially tortured geniuses. We may never know what really happened but it sure makes for interesting reading.

Guy

QN Featured on KINK's Local Music Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:22:00 +0000

Quoting Napoleon is scheduled to be featured on KINK's Local Music Spotlight, Tuesday May 5th at 9pm PDT.

http://www.kink.fm/pages/130403.php

If you're in the Portland, OR area, you can tune in on 101.9 FM. Or, if you prefer, you can stream the broadcast online at http://www.kink.fm/ by clicking the "LISTEN LIVE NOW!" button.

Thanks to KINK and Bridgeport Brewery for the opportunity and thanks to all of you for your continued support.

We are asking all of our friends to call or email the station after the broadcast to request more "Quoting Napoleon" on KINK.fm!

Contact Kink FM:
Phone(503) 228-5465
Email: dean@kink.fm

QN

Update:

It looks like the Local Music Spotlight starts closer to 9:30pm PDT. Tune in in time!

Duke Ellington Day in NYC!

noreply@blogger.com (Quoting Napoleon) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:09:00 +0000

NEW YORK, April 29 2009 -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has declared Wednesday Duke Ellington Day in New York in honor of the 110th anniversary of the late jazz great's birth. Ellington died in New York in 1974 at the age of 75.

To commemorate the musician's life, The Islands of the Bahamas said they are sponsoring a special run of New York's last surviving 1939 A Train, made famous in Ellington's signature tune "Take the A Train."

Paul Mercer Ellington, his grandson, and members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, as well as musicians from Music Under New York were scheduled to perform the song on the mezzanine at 125th Street and St. Nicholas stop in Manhattan. The musicians will then board and perform on the historic train as it travels out to JFK Airport.
United Press International, Inc.

Napoleon News

noreply@blogger.com (Quoting Napoleon) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:05:00 +0000

Greetings Friends of Napoleon!

I just thought I’d check in and give you a brief update from the trenches.

We are putting the finishing touches on the new album, and are very excited about this collection of songs! Highlights include “ Newcastle Road”, an homage to John Lennon, and “Faith & Desire”, an ode to Joan of Arc.

Pre-Orders of the new album will be available soon, so get your fantastic plastic ready to do some major damage! :)

Also, check out the new Music Video I just uploaded to Youtube.
It’s a loving tribute to our fair city of Portland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JVlcfUNGVk

As always, thanks for all of your amazing comments and support!

Thanks for listening,

John

-Quoting Napoleon
http://www.reverbnation.com/quotingnapoleon

Belated Grammys Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:18:00 +0000

Actually, this raises more questions than answers for me. Nevertheless, it's a Grammys first:

Indies Win 50% Of This Year's Grammy Awards

Independent artists and labels had a banner year at the 2009 Grammy Awards winning 56 of the 110 awards given or just over 50% of the total prizes.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly what this means. First, how do we define an "indie"? Then, what does this signify?

What's Going On

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:39:00 +0000

We've been back down in the basement for over a month now working on songs for the new album. We have about 8 or 9 in the hopper. Tracking is close to being done on about 4 of them and we have a few more to start. This album is shaping up to be somewhat dark, dealing with thoughts and emotions that we all have at one point or another. It's sounding like a slightly more cohesive album than our last one but we'll see (or hear). It seems like the themes explored on this one are very apropos in these times of woe and want.

We'll be sure to keep you up to date as we get closer to the finish line.

QN Makes German Newspaper!

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 21:18:00 +0000

Quoting Napoleon has been written up in a German newspaper that serves 70-90,000 people in southern Bavaria!

Link

Here's a crop of the article:

Of course, none of us speak German but Babelfish seems to think it's a very positive review of "Rise & Fall". If you speak German and would like to translate this for us, please drop us a line.

Now if we can just get some local coverage. Hint, hint.

Update:

Here's the Babelfish translation with a few modifications:

"The coincidence led me over YouTube to me to date completely unknown the volume " Quoting Napoleon" and their marvelous album Rise & Fall. The song " The Belle of Amherst" is a beautiful Ballade, which has your roots in the music of Van Morrison. The remainder of the entire album, which I on " myself; well Glück" then, is an ear pasture procured immediately. A song more beautifully like the other one, jazzige Rhytmen, soulige of song, groovige and very in-usual numbers of the all-finest. In particular the song " Fade" and " Plastic America" run with me highly and down and already invariably since turn of the year 07/08. Who looks for something special, directly good music and perfect sound paired with a gift far apart of the mainstream search, that have here the correct ultimative gift for all opportunities!!! That purchase-tap absolutely not to keep so easy unfortunately at all but if in the collection perpetuates, then a true jewel!!!!!"

The article was written by Udo Kewitsch and ran in the Traunsteiner Tagblatt. I'm sure his words are far more eloquent and proper than those of Babelfish. Thanks, Udo!

Quoting Napoleon Meet David Lynch

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 20:14:00 +0000

John has edited scenes from David Lynch's "Lost Highway" to fit our "Plastic America", complete with sax solo. It's pretty dope so check it out:

And, check out other David Lynch classics like "Blue Velvet".

Peace

Album vs Singles, CD vs Download

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:20:00 +0000

There seems to be a lot of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) in the music industry of late. There's also a lot of experimentation. Some folks resist change as a form of self preservation. Some embrace it as an opportunity to grow. I try to follow all the signals flowing into my brain and the only thing I can figure so far is that no one really knows what they're doing.

We've seen a lot of firsts in the last year or so. A few big exclusive distribution deals. A major international band releasing an album themselves and letting consumers pay what they want. There are also some acts refusing to embrace the now and doing things the old-fashioned way. Here's an interesting article on the issue of single-track downloads, long the fear of many a album-producing recording artist and record company:

Single-Track Digital Downloads Death Knell To Artists?

More than half a decade after Apple’s iTunes online music store revolutionized digital music sales by introducing single-track downloads, artists and music labels are beginning to question whether or not the approach is smart business.
AC/DC and Kid Rock, two of the year's biggest rock acts, insist their albums only be sold whole, something Apple rarely permits. Furthermore, despite the fact that iTunes is the largest music retailer in the country, neither allows iTunes to sell its albums in the United States.

I love albums. I love being immersed in 10 or 12 songs for 40 or so minutes that represent some kind of cohesive statement from an artist. It just seems so much deeper to me. Then again, there are those rare little gems that just seem to stand on their own. Nevertheless, I spend my time as a consumer in the realm of albums, both CD and download. As a musician and recording artist, I need to think a bit differently.

They go one to talk about Lil Wayne and success with downloads...

It’s fair to ask whether AC/DC or Could Kid Rock could have accomplished these feats.
"They're leaving money on the table by not offering track sales," Carlson told Billboard.
"I don't think that creating an economy of scarcity works. There have been a couple of examples that have been successful ... people like to hope that part of the industry is still alive. But I personally think those two are anomalies."

I have to ask, why not do it all? Seriously, why is it such a big problem to put out an album and make singles available as well? There are so many different ways to do this creatively. You could hold back the availability of singles for a short period after an album's release. Or, you could release singles for a while before the whole album becomes available. Or you could just throw it all out there at once and give people the freedom to chose whatever they want. You could also release a traditional album and then make special singles available in between.

Some of this smacks of bunch of old codgers not wanting to embrace the digital age. It's like, dare I say, McCain and his inability to email! Hire some young whipper snappers fellas! Take a class at the senior center. Something! I'm not sure what Kid Rock's objection is. Should I care?

I guess the point is why not do a little of the old and a little of the new? CD sales aren't tanking nearly as fast as other media historically has. Not everyone is downloading. I'd like to have a fan base that crosses a variety of preferred mediums and I really don't see any reason to not satisfy them. As for a band like AC/DC refusing to offer downloads, well, I loves me some AC/DC but I'm not at a point in my life where I'm going to go out and buy their CD. However, sitting here at my desk, waxing nostalgic about tearing down the road in my '64 Ford Galaxie, no shirt on and Highway To Hell blaring from the rear deck makes me wish I could easily (and legally) download some new material from Angus and the boys. Sales left on the table? You bet.

More Thoughts On Coldplay And Plagerism

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:03:00 +0000

I'm not a lawyer. I just play one on the intertubes.

I keep thinking about this case Joe Satriani has brought against Coldplay and of course, it's getting quite a bit of coverage in light of the Grammy noms. I have a few thoughts... I suppose in defense of Coldplay. Although, I can totally understand why Satriani brought the case. I'm still curious about the legal standards that will be applied. Does he have to prove damages? Does he deserve all the profits the song has generated? Does he have to prove intent? Does the "coincidence" defense hold water? Anyway, here are some thoughts:

In 2005, Coldplay received permission from the pioneering German electronic band Kraftwerk to use the synth melody from "Computer Love" as the vocal melody for their song "Talk" from XY. That establishes a record of being forthright with their derivative works.

Furthermore, it's entirely possible for two people to "invent" the same thing nearly simultaneously. It's happened in the world of technology and mathematics multiple times. People in different parts of the world, working independent of each other, have at times made similar if not identical discoveries at roughly the same time.

The Great Radio Controversy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_of_radio

Einstein and Poincare published papers on special relativity within months of each other
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Poincar%C3%A9#Poincar.C3.A9_and_Einstein

The Taylor Series
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_series

Colin Maclaurin (February, 1698 – June 14, 1746)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Maclaurin

Brook Taylor (18 August 1685 – 30 November 1731)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brook_Taylor

I also find it very interesting that Satriani is specifically requesting a jury trial. Why specifically rule out arbitration or a settlement? I suspect he figures normal folks will be more sympathetic to his claim. Frankly, from the chatter I hear about this, the average person doesn't know what the hell they're talking about. All they hear is the two melodies played against each other. They don't know enough about music to truly have an educated opinion.

There are 12 notes in western music. That's it. There is not an infinite number of melodic combinations for those 12 notes but there are billions. When you consider the variety of ways those note can be played and combined with harmony and rhythm, it definitely starts to feel like infinity. However, in this case, we aren't talking about rare melodic combinations. On the contrary, with no intended offense to the artists in question, this melody is fairly simple. Furthermore, there are some slight differences in each melody.

In the end, it won't matter what a bunch of douchebags (myself included) on the intertubes think. It will only matter what the lawyers present, what the judge allows and what the jury decides.

I'm going to change my prediction on this one. I suspect Coldplay will be forced to pay something despite no one being able to prove this was intentional. As it has in the past, intent doesn't seem to matter. Exactly where are we musicians supposed to go to check the melodies we create against the vast database of every song ever written?

Satriani Sues Coldplay

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:41:00 +0000

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE4B40XV20081205

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rock guitarist Joe Satriani has sued British band Coldplay, accusing the Grammy-nominated stars of plagiarizing one of his songs.
Satriani's copyright infringement suit, filed on Thursday in Los Angeles federal court, claims the Coldplay song "Viva La Vida" incorporates "substantial original portions" of his 2004 instrumental "If I Could Fly."

The 52-year-old guitar virtuoso is seeking a jury trial, damages and "any and all profits" attributable to the alleged copyright infringement.

Let me first say that I am a fan of Coldplay despite their haters. I'm also a huge, longtime fan of Joe Satriani. I even had the good fortune of meeting him and shaking his hand in '89. For the record, his hand was soft and supple like butter and he was a genuinely nice individual.

Anyway, here's a video comparison:

I'll say that the melodies are nearly identical except for the flourishes that Satriani puts in at the end. However, this is not a complicated melody. It's a pretty simple line and it would be no surprise that two or more writers came up with it independently. Furthermore, the harmonic structure is directly tied to the melody so it's no suprise to me that the root movement is the same. When you listen to the songs whole, they're different except for this main hook. What's more likely; that Chris Martin happened upon the same melody whether through hearing it somewhere or at random or did Martin and company (one of the biggest bands in the world) deliberately ripoff one of the foremost pioneers of instrumental guitar rock and put it out there for all the world to see?

I venture to guess there's another song out there that uses the same or similar melody. Boom pow zing! There is! This is the second time that Coldplay has been accused of lifting a melodic hook for the song Viva La Vida. The Creaky Boards claim Coldplay stole their idea. Why isn't Satriani suing the Creaky Boards?

It makes me wonder where music comes from. Are we just channeling bits of some cosmic song? Do Satriani and Coldplay share a musical consciousness? Perhaps they should just put their differences aside an make a record together.

I think Satriani will likely lose this one though. This is simply what happens when you're one of the biggest bands in the world. No one is suing the countless unknown bands who sound exactly like other more popular bands. There's no money in that.

New Adventures In Bass

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:39:00 +0000

As we're working on writing, arranging and recording new material for the next album, we're listening to each part and thinking about how best to pull it off or how best to serve the song. There's a new song with an ascending bass line somewhere in the middle of the song that just begs to be bowed. So there you go. I'm playing upright for the first time.

Some may say it's no big deal. It's just another bass. And, while it's true that I feel that I fully grasp the concept of "bass", these dog houses are very different animals indeed! Anyway, I've rented one for a few months so I can get myself up to speed. So far so good. I'm planning on a fairly simple part as it's a fairly simple and mellow tune. Nevertheless, it involves different technique and works my muscles in different ways that I have to get used to. It's also pretty hard on the fingers. Upright guys, you have my utmost respect.

Maybe I'll post some pictures of me playing it here shortly after I start looking like I sort of know what I'm doing. It's definitely an adventure and it's important to break out of one's comfort zone. It's also fun.

Here's someone I'd like to model my upright playing after:

Viktor Krauss - Live on PCTV

Keep learning!

Mobile Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:37:00 +0000

Mobile Blogging

This is a test of mobile blogging. Should QN ever hit the road, you can rest assured that all the antics will be reported in near real-time. Of course, no one is reading this Blog yet so...

Musings On La Cucaracha

noreply@blogger.com (Guy) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:10:00 +0000

My wife and I just got back from Mexico, Cabo San Lucas to be exact. What? I went on vacation in the middle of writing and recording a new QN album? Well, this thing had been planned for well over a year and we just got around to starting a new recording project. The time away did give me an opportunity to reflect on some things related to music. It was also a fantastically relaxing time for the both of us and I really enjoyed the company of a special someone who is extremely supportive of my musical endeavors. No, not the maid.

Anyway, I observed quite a few things in Mexico:

There is a salsa version of Coldplay's "Clocks" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWyO4QJ_75E
Not tipping a mariachi after you agree to let them play you a song is NOT cool.
People listen to dance music, laying on the beach, not dancing. Hey, to each his own but seriously, the repetition of a slamming house beat is not at all relaxing to me.
Five different mariachi groups can work the same stretch of a half dozen marina restaurants and not come to blows over who gets to play Guantanamera for the tourists. This was possibly the greatest display of musical comradery I've ever seen. It was like they were all brothers under a common cause. Oh wait, they are!
Most CDs at the Cabo San Lucas Wal-Mart are only $5 US. Pick up a few for your drive up to Todo Santos. Might I suggest some yacht rock like Christopher Cross's debut album?
Sammy Hagar is not likely to be playing at Cabo Wabo when you're there, even after four visits over a 13-year period! Please plan around this.
Waiters in Mexico seem happy to be given your band's CD and when you see them later in the week, they thank you for the music.

It's nice to be back to my girls, my basses and my band but I sure miss the wonderful weather and atmosphere in Mexico. Fortunately, I didn't hear La Cucaracha once while I was there.