Silent Stereo Scribbles

New Video for Carolyn Sills' George Bailey

2009-12-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

Check out the new video created for Carolyn Sills' George Bailey.

Founder of Dungeons and Dragons Dies

2008-03-04T12:07:00.000-08:00

Today marks a sad day for fantasy role players everywhere. Gary Gygax, co-founder of the Dungeons and Dragons game, died today. He was 69. The members of Silent Stereo Records are not ashamed to admit that our formative years were dominated by two things: music and Dungeons and Dragons. In fact, the two often went hand in hand, as we listened to Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath while embarking on our imaginative adventures.
Dungeons and Dragons has changed and evolved from the game we used to play as children. But we are still steadfast fans of the original incarnations of the game. Like analog recordings, the original version of the game still holds a certain beauty and simplicity about it and while later versions added more bells and whistles, it is the first incarnation of the game that we remember most dearly.

Nashville Trip

2008-01-13T14:55:00.001-08:00

We took a little trip to down to Nashville last week. On our way, we stopped by the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, VA. For any fans of traditional country/bluegrass music, the Fold is a must see. Every Saturday, people gather at the fold to hear some great music, some corny jokes, and dancing, all under the watchful eyes of the spirits of A.P., Mother Maybelle, Sara, June, Anita, Johnny Cash, and many other legends. Honoring the legend of the Carters, the performances have a religious element to them and no profanity or bad behavior is tolerated.
Once in Nashville, we took in all the history. The first floor of the Country Music Hall of Fame is so full of music lore that one could easily spend two or three hours up there. The second floor was less exhilarating for me, as I'm not very interested in the likes of Garth Brooks and Travis Tritt, but entering the rotunda, with plaques bearing the names of Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, and others is a special experience.
So too is entering the Ryman Auditorium. Here is where the Grand Ole Opry used to perform. Just going up on the stage and walking the aisles of the legendary theater is treat enough, but the hall also holds a fair amount of memorabilia.
Unfortunately, the current music scene in Nashville isn't exactly what I expected. I stopped in at Tootsies, the bar behind the Ryman where Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings would go drinking, to hear some local music. Suffice it to say that the band played some Garth Brooks, as well as "Play That Funky Music," and "Another Brick in the Wall." Not exactly the music I was looking for. Fortunately, the drummer only used his double bass pedal a few times.
Either way, the city of Nashville is definitely worth visiting. You can truly feel the presence of all the great artists who passed through the city on their way to music stardom.

Winchester, VA

2007-09-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we took a little trip to Winchester, VA, birthplace of Patsy Cline. After traveling down Patsy Cline memorial highway, we arrived at a small, nondescript graveyard. Patsy's grave would have been all but anonymous--she's buried under her married name, Virginia Dick,--were it not for the wreath and card someone had left on Patsy's birthday. However, in another part of the graveyard was erected a memorial bell tower with Patsy's name on it.
The town of Winchester itself made little mention of Patsy Cline, although a Patsy Cline museum is slated to open next year and one drug store where she worked had a cardboard cut out of her in the window.

Who Would You Rather Watch?

2007-07-16T18:55:00.001-07:00

This past week, Silent Stereo friends The Dansettes backed up two soul pioneers, the Mighty Hannibal and Young Jesse at a raucous show in Brooklyn. It was amazing to see the effort these two gentlemen, both in their late sixties at the very least, put into performing. When Young Jesse and Hannibal weren't regaling the band with tales of their encounters with Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett, Ray Charles, and the Beach Boys, these two dynamos told the band in no uncertain terms what live performing was all about. Even though the two men have been friends for more than forty years, each of them saw it as his duty to try to blow the other performer off the stage. The show was an event, with Hannibal and Young Jesse both dressed to the nines, each of them exhorting the crowd to give them more, each of them straining the limits of his vocal cords. All in the name of a good show and bragging rights at the end. Now compare that to your typical, "too cool for school" modern band. Many of these performers act like it's a drag for them to be up there on stage. Who would you rather watch? I'll take Hannibal and Young Jesse any day.

The Birthplace of Rock?

2007-07-11T08:22:00.001-07:00

Check out this interesting article from the New York Times about the dispute between two South Jersey towns--Gloucester City and Silent Stereo fave, Wildwood. Both are claiming standing as the birthplace of rock and roll after hosting early Bill Haley gigs.

Al Jackson, Where Have You Gone?

2007-06-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

I just listened to all of Booker T & the MGs "Soul Men" album, 25 tracks, over an hour of music. Not once--not once--did the great Al Jackson do any cheesy hi-hat garbage. Drummers and other musicians will know what I'm talking about: opening the hi-hat on the upbeats, using two hands on the hi-hat, throwing in 16th notes during the beat. All he did was lay down an amazing, yet simple, groove, around which the whole song builds.
Jackson's drumming was a stark contrast to the performance I witnessed today. Booker T. Jones, Donald "Duck" Dunn, and Steve Cropper played an outdoor show today in Brooklyn backed by that master of soul drumming, Anton Fig (of Late Night with David Letterman fame). Now clearly, Fig is quite technically accomplished as a drummer and I would go so far as to say that he perhaps could emulate Jackson's style if he so desired. But he didn't. Instead of a faithful tribute to the subtlety and soul of Al Jackson, I was subjected instead to tasteless overplaying. It was bad enough that Fig overused the splash and china cymbals; when he started in with the double bass pedal I was apopolectic. The worse thing about is that Fig could have enhanced the music simply by playing less--it took more effort to ruin the songs than it would to just lay back and let the rest of the guys do their thing.
Technical ability is of obvious importance in music, but so is the ability to listen. I'm not sure what Fig listened to in order to prepare to play with Booker T, but it wasn't Al Jackson.

Another good review for The New Rags

2007-05-30T20:29:00.001-07:00

This one is courtesy of Amplifier Magazine.
Check it out here:
http://amplifiermagazine.com/reviews/cds/the_new_rags_cd_ep.php

The Evils of Global Warming--And Drum Machines

2007-05-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

Spinal Tap, the ersatz metal band featured in 1984's spot-on mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap", is reuniting to play a concert at England's Wembley stadium on July 7th as part of Al Gore's Live Earth concert series. While Gore is trying to bring attention to the problem of global climate change, the Spinal Tap teaser video released to the press brings a bigger problem to light: drum machines.
Spinal Tap's drummer mortality problem has been well-documented but the footage of Tap practicing shows that any drummer is better than a drum machine. Check out the video and watch the band rehearse with a guy screwing around with a drum machine program on his computer. We hope the band will be featuring a real live drummer come July 7th. The future of the world might depend on it.

Nice Review

2007-04-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

The New Rags got a nice review from allmusic.com. Here's the text:

"There haven't been too many keyboards-and-drums duos in the history of rock �n' roll (Lee Michaels and Attila come to mind), but it's easy to wonder why after listening to Tom Merrigan and Andy Pierce, a/k/a the New Rags, on their six-song, 16-minute EP Taking (sic)Jennie To Brooklyn. Actually, the sound here is not so much reminiscent of Michaels' classic rock or Attila's
heavy metal as it is like another unadorned rock duo, the White Stripes, with keyboards substituted for electric guitar. "Recorded entirely on Otari MX5050
MKIII-8 to achieve the fullest truth," reads a sleeve note, and the fullest truth entails some degree of distortion, but all in the name of fervent rock 'n' roll. Merrigan sings in a slightly strained tenor while providing lots of electric piano and organ chording, and Pierce pounds away busily as if the two were in a garage somewhere. The music could have been made any time in the last 40 years, from the sound of it, with a likely date closer to 1965 than 2005. But the excitement never lets up, and the listener never
wants it to stop". ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Silent Stereo Update: Chicks RockFest and the New Rags

2007-04-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

The 7th annual Chicks RockFest took place from April 5-8th at Cinncinnati's Poison Room. Silent Stereo's own Dead Language packed up its gear and made the 11 hour drive out to the Queen City to play. The band played the on the festival's first night on the upstairs stage and impressed the small but passionate crowd. The trip was made worthwhile by the pleasant and accommodating nature of the show's organizers, who made every effort to welcome the band and attend to its needs. The promoter even thanked Dead Language for playing, making the band realize it most definitely was not in New York City anymore.

In other news, the New Rag's single "Your Room," already appearing in Nike commercials throughout Asia and Australia, will be featured on spin.com as one of it's featured "mp3's of the day." The song should up in a few days, but we're sure all you Silent Stereo faithful have already heard it. The New Rags also showed up on VH1's "Best Week Ever" blog. The word's getting out on these guys, but we still need you to tell your friends and family about them.

Finally, pre-production has begun on our next Silent Stereo release. Our studios in Jersey City have just undergone some extensive renovations and we've picked up a vintage 4 track Ampex tape machine. Capitol records used the Ampex 4 track back in 1969 and many classic tracks have been recorded on this model. We hope to begin a new legacy of authentic sounding music on this machine.

Save Coney Island

2007-04-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

Preservation of the glorious aspects of our past, whether they be musical or cultural, is the mission of Silent Stereo Records. A little while back, we posted a blog about the destruction and 'renovation' of Wildwood, New Jersey. Now, thanks to a friend of ours over at Myspace, our attentions have been turned towards another historic link to the past, Coney Island. Coney Island has long been a welcome destination for the working people of New York, who in the 1870's started taking rail, streetcar, and steamship to reach the popular beach. The area grew in renown as the amusement parks and entertainers moved in and Coney Island reached the height of magnificence in the era before World War II with such attractions as the Wonder Wheel, the Cyclone, and the Parachute Jump. As a testament to its place in history, Robert Moses, the patron saint of urban development at all costs, once decried the amusements there as "tawdry" and opposed any further development in the area.
Coney Island, like many of America's urban centers, suffered from a steep decline in the 70's and 80's, but the area began to reemerge in recent years. Now, though, developers have set their sights on Coney Island, envisioning a land of high rent condos and modern amenities. The only cost will the years of history and the homes and neighborhoods of the people that have lived in Coney Island all of their lives. If this cost seems too high to you, as it does to us, please sign the petition available here.

Good News and Bad

2007-03-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

The next few weeks bring much excitement to the Silent Stereo family. Silent Stereo artists Boss Tweed are off to Europe for a whirlwind tour. The band touches down in Belgium on March 15th and then plays dates in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Poland. Stop by the band's myspace page and wish them well on their journey. Or better yet, download Boss Tweed's newest recordings. The band came down to our Jersey City studios to record a real old fashioned 45 record, but we know that not everyone still has a record player, so we're making the songs available at your favorite digital download service. You can find the tracks at iTunes, Rhapsody, and a number of other distributors.
Meanwhile, our friends the Dansettes and the Black Hollies are heading down to Austin to take part in the annual South by Southwest Music festival. And in a show of the close bonds we share at Silent Stereo, there will be a little member mixing as Andy of the Dansettes drums for the Black Hollies and Justin of the Black Hollies returns the favor by playing bass for the Dansettes. Last year, the Dansettes had a raring good time at the festival, meeting Eddie Bo and Archie Bell. Let's see what this year brings.
Oh, and March 11 was the birthday of silent movie star Dorothy Gish, sister of Lillian Gish and known for her comedic work. The Gish's are a favorite of ours at Silent Stereo and we remember and honor their work.
In sadder news, Brad Delp, original lead singer of the band Boston, was found dead in his home at age 55. While we won't profess to be great fans of Boston, it must be noted that Boston's first album truly encapsulated the Silent Stereo philosophy. Keyboardist, guitarist, and studio maestro Tom Scholz (from the lovely town of Toledo, OH) recorded the first Boston album in his 12-track analog basement studio. After getting a major label deal, the album was released more or less as it was recorded in the basement. And as the three hit singles ("More Than A Feeling," "Long Time," and "Peace of Mind,") can attest quality music has more to do with the talent and passion of the band than any fancy studio production. Of course, this was in era prior to electronic pitch correction (remember Billy Joel at the Super Bowl?) and Delp did all of his own vocal harmonies, which sound quite good.

Some Random Stuff

2007-02-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

There's been some buzz in the blogosphere about Billy Joel's performance of the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Speculators believe that Joel used Autotune on his voice to 'assist' him during the notably difficult piece. For those who haven't heard, Autotune is a computer program that adjusts a singer's pitch to correct fluctuations. When it's used, if you listen closely, you can hear the program 'grab' the note and fix it. Here's a clip of Joel singing the anthem. Listen for yourself, especially when Joel sings "By the dawn's early light..." and "...stripes and bright stars."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYIMmi7JtHc

And in other news, The New Rags, who most assuredly do not use Autotune or any other digital enhancement, are creating quite a stir in the Land of the Rising Sun. They've reached number #2 on iTunes's charts of most downloaded single with their song "Your Room." If you haven't already, pay a visit to the boys at their myspace page or purchase their music at iTunes.

Sneaky Pete Slips Away

2007-01-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

Sneaky Pete Kleinow, one of the most influential pedal steel guitar players, lived up to his namesake by quietly passing away on January 6th, with little media attention. As of this writing (1/15), Kleinow's biography at allmusic.com still lists him as alive.
Sneaky Pete's life was truly lived behind the scenes, both musically and later in the special effects work he did for Hollywood. Born in 1934 in Indiana, Kleinow spent the ten years of his life after graduating high school working for the Michigan State Highway Department and presumably playing lots of pedal steel guitar. He moved to Los Angeles in 1963, landing some gigs on the LA club circuit and paying the bills by writing jingles and surprisingly, the theme music to Gumby. In the City of Angels, Sneaky Pete met Gram Parsons, who at the time was still in the Byrds. Parsons asked Sneaky Pete to join him on a new project he was putting together, The Flying Burrito Brothers. Kleinow played on the Burrito Brothers' first three albums and wisely decided to leave only one album after driving force Gram Parsons departed.
After (temporarily) leaving the Burrito Brothers, Sneaky Pete went on to become a sought after session player. A glance at his resume reveals names such as Joan Baez, the Bee Gees, Booker T and the MG's, Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, the Eagles, John Lennon, the Stones, and Stevie Wonder.
Kleinow returned to the Burrito Brothers in 1976 and played with them in their various incarnations until the 1980's. At that time, Kleinow began devoting more time to his other passion--special effects. His work appears in The Empire Strikes Back, The Terminator, and Gremlins, and Dune, among others. In addition, Sneaky Pete did graphic work for video games, commericials and music videos.
A true artist, Sneaky Pete was instrumental to the both the birth of modern country rock and the development of cutting edge visual effects. His contributions will be missed.

Remembering James Brown and Gerald Ford

2007-01-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

Last week, the country-and dare I say the world-lost two very different personalitites, two men who traced disparate paths to the top of their fields, and, as is inevitable, fell from glory. Both Brown and Ford prided themselves on their work ethics, with James Brown christening himself "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business" and Gerald Ford remarking that no matter what else history thought of him, it should remember that he had "worked like hell."
For Ford, the hard work began in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His father abandoned the family when Ford was only two years old, and his mother changed his name from Leslie Lynch King, Jr. to reflect his stepfather's name. Growing up, Ford was steeped in traditional Midwestern values and joined the Eagle Scouts, a group known for it's celebration of loyalty. Ford's first run for office ended in failure when he lost his bid for class president of South High School, but in school he excelled at football and was selected most valuable player by his teammates.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, James Brown was born into abject poverty in South Carolina. Stories claim that he was a consummate performer even at a young age, singing and dancing on the street corner for pennies. Unfortunately, while Gerald Ford was returning home a hero after serving in the navy during World War II, James Brown was running into trouble with the law, being convicted of armed robbery. And as Ford was being elected to the House of Representatives, Brown was languishing in prison. At the close of the 1940's, the two men's lives appeared headed in entirely different directions.
During the fifties, Gerald Ford settled into his position as US Congressman, an office he would hold for 26 years. His hard work led him to a position on the Appropriations Committee, one of the most influential bodies in the House. James Brown's life got put on the right track with the help of singer Bobby Byrd, who sponsored the future soul brother's parole and gave him a job singing in his band the Flames. With the Flames, James Brown scored a hit with the single "Please, Please, Please," just the opening he needed to expose fans to his singular live performances. Although his next few singles were not nearly as successful as "Please, Please, Please," Brown's legendary work ethic kept him on the road, touring relentlessly and winning over audiences wherever he performed.
Both men reached important career milestones in 1960's. In 1963, Ford, admired for his staunch fiscal conservatism, was elevated to the third highest ranking position in his party. While Ford was garnering his colleagues' respect with his impressive work manner and genuine personality, Brown was redefining r&b music. He released his seminal album Live at the Apollo, which reached number two on the charts and solidified Brown's reputation as one of the most dynamic performers of his time. 1965 was even kinder to both men; Ford ascended to minority leader in the House and Brown released his two most recognizable hits, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," and "I Got You (I Feel Good)." The last half of the sixties saw both men cement their standing in their respective fields; Brown was a constant fixture on the r&b charts, while Ford earned the respect of his rival Democrats and his fellow Republicans as House Minority Leader.
After reaching such heights, the 1970's could only offer a decline. Critics claimed that artistically, James Brown was fading, his albums inconsistent and padded with filler. After twenty years in the House, Ford confided to his allies that his dream was to become House majority leader. But the political winds were not at his back; the Republican party was never closer than 16 seats to upsetting the Democratic majority. Surveying the landscape, Ford declared that he did not want to be a "minority leader in perpetuity" and indicated he would resign from the House by 1976. Both men were stumbling towards the twilight of their careers, with Brown being undercut by the disco explosion and staring down the dark hallway of musical irrelevance.
Ford was granted a reprieve of sorts when on Oct. 10th, 1973, Spiro Agnew resigned the Vice-Presidency. Ford was put forward as the clear choice for the post, a well liked politician who could perhaps take some of the heat of off Nixon's increasingly troubled presidency. A year later, in 1974, Brown was releasing Reality, an effort panned by the critics and revealing an artist seemingly devoid of inspiration, and Ford was being sworn in as president of the United States after Nixon stepped down in disgrace.
Despite engendering early hopes of a return to normalcy in Washington, Ford's legacy was immediately called into question when after one month in office he chose to grant Richard Nixon a full pardon. Ford believed that it would be necessary to "heal" the nation, but many saw it as a political favor to an old friend and an indication that the powerful could flout the law at will. James Brown was having his own troubles with the law, as the IRS began investigating his finances, threatening him with financial ruin. After two years as the nation's only unelected President, Ford was defeated in the 1976, largely because of the perception his pardon of Nixon had on the electorate. Ford retreated home to Michigan and both men limped into the 1980's, their legacies flaming out.
Surprisingly, Brown found himself without a record label for a time in the 80's, but like a true survivor he was able to rebuild some of his star power with hits such as "Unity" and "Living in America." But a conviction and a six year prison sentence (he was paroled after two years) again derailed The Godfather of Soul. There was some talk of Gerald Ford becoming Ronald Reagan's running mate during the 1980 presidential election, but nothing ever came of it and Ford slipped away into relative obscurity, giving speeches and occasionally representing the US at overseas functions.
It seemed as though both men's past achievements would be buried under the weight of their later failings, but both men's records have been vindicated by history. Ford's decision to pardon Nixon, widely criticized at the time, was seen in a new light after the years had past and he was honored by former critic Edward Kennedy with a "Profile in Courage" award. And Brown, long seen as inferior to such soul legends as Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and Aretha Franklin, enjoyed a critical revival, as his early work was reevaluated and seen for the influential body that it was. The long journeys these two men--one white, one black, born twenty years apart and hundreds of miles away--undertook came to a victorious end in the final week of 2006, as the legacy each man worked so hard to fashion took its final and proper place in history's pages.

The New Rags and Nike

2006-12-19T21:09:00.000-08:00

Nike has launched a new ad campaign featuring the music of none other than Silent Stereo's own, The New Rags!!

The campaign is worldwide and The New Rags' song "Your Room" is featured in the Asian, European, and Australian versions of the commericial (strangely, the Nike CEO decided to go with a different band for the US commercial).

The commercial features not only the music of The New Rags, but prominently displays the band names a number of times. This is a great achievement for the band and we hope you'll drop by their myspace page to say congrats.

Here's a link to the spot.

NaNoWriMo: The Conclusion

2006-12-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the month I blogged about my foray into the world of Nanowrimo, an organization of individuals with a singular purpose: to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. My reasons for joining were twofold. The first was as a challenge to myself, to see if I could in fact write consistenly enough over the course of a month to churn out a story roughly the length, although not the quality, of The Great Gatsby. The second aspect of my little experiment was of a more social bent. I was interested in exploring the idea of social capital, the measure of 'connectedness' amongst people. Social scientists examining a number of indicators have concluded that the social capital of Americans has been steadily declining since the 1950's. Fewer people are joining clubs and teams, participating in professional or neighborhood groups, volunteering their time, or simply stopping by the neighbor's for a visit. Additionally, and perhaps most troublingly, the percentage of people who respond positively to the question 'in general, do you trust most people' is down to about 32% from a 1960's level of around 60%.
There are a number of possible explanations for these trends and it is probably impossible to point to one thing as the primary cause. But there is little doubt that the rise of technology such as televisions, the personal computer, and the Internet has a damning correlation with the fall in levels of social capital. While the percentage of people who join social clubs falls, the amount of time the average American spends watching television, surfing the Internet, or playing video games is rising. Studies of online 'social' activities, like internet gaming or cards, even show that the participants pay more attention to the game itself and make little use of the chat feature.
Of course, exploring falling levels of social interaction by joining an online writing community doesn't exactly meet the rigorous standards of the scientific method. But what I was interested in was not the actual writing itself but the effect the social bonds had on the participants. One of things that helps keep the Nanowrimo writers going is the reinforcement and support offered by the numerous other people participating and going through the same type of travails. Surely with a dedicated group of your friends in your corner egging you on, writing 50,000 words wouldn't be much of a challenge.
With that mindset, I assembled a group of friends and coworkers and convinced them to join Nanowrimo and take up the challenge (I also relearned the lesson of how reluctant people are to join things--only about half of the people I solicited took up the invite). I reassured all of them at the outset that we'd all be in each other's corner, encouraging each other's writing and pushing each other to finish line. The month got off to a good start, as the seven of us exploited the early excitement of the task to pick the genres of our novels, come up with titles, and get cranking away. Trashtalking ensued, leading to some goodnatured bets on final word counts and promises of evenings spent commiserating at a local watering hole. I finished the first week with 5,932 words, not a bad total but well off the pace (at 1667 words a day, I should have been at 11669 by the end of the first week). And only one member of the group had failed to even write anything.
According to Chris Baty, one of the founders of Nanowrimo, the second week of the competition is the toughest. It is during this week that participants hit that "fabled Week Two Wall---a low-point of energy, enthusiasm, and joie de novel that strikes most NaNoWriMo participants between days 7 and 14." Indeed, my word count remained flat for four straight days. Plans for possible meetings and writing in sessions led to naught. I finished the week at 9,456 words, not even a fifth of a way to the total. Three other participants were so far behind the pace they finished the week with fewer than 5,000 words, virtually dooming them. It was not looking good.
I decided to try to kick things into high gear for the third week. I urged, I cajoled, I begged, I pleaded. Anything to try to get my fellow nanowrimo'ers to work on their floundering word counts. Unfortunately, for the most part my efforts fell on deaf ears. By this point in the month, four of the original seven participants were finished. One never wrote another word after the beginning of the third week. I was still chugging along in second place, trying to stoke the competitive fires to drive me into the lead. By the 21st, I was at 15, 809 words and more than 4,000 words behind the leader. There were nine days left in the month and I still had almost 35,000 words to go. And Thanksgiving was looming, a writing-killer if there ever was one.
Most of the other participants looked at the upcoming four day weekend as a golden opportunity, the chance to put there heads down, type and get back into the game. The optimism was apparent in the renewed chatter amongst the group. "Wait to you see my word count after the holidays" was the popular refrain, even from the members dead last in word count. I, however, was not so sanguine about the possibiliy of a massive holiday word rush. As an amateur student of human nature, I figured that it would be all too easy to look at that great empty expanse of ninety-six hours and keep thinking that I would write right after dinner, right after this nap, right after this football game's over. There was no way I was banking that coming out of that week that I, nor any of my fellow participants, would be anywhere close to being on target for 50,000 words. Lo and behold, I surged into the lead with 30,021 words, about 6,000 words more than my nearest challenger, who wouldn't write another word.
That left me with two days in the month and a moment of truth. I could pack it in, pat myself on the back for at least beating the other six in my cohort, and settle with the knowledge that I gave it my best and fell short, as did roughly 80% of the other Nanowrimo participants. Or I could make good on my promise to myself and my friends to do what I said I would do 28 days ago. Once I considered the situation in those terms, the decision was clear. I was going to finish. To me, it was a symbolic gesture. I told everyone around me that I was going to do something, an action that creates an implicit trust, the cornerstone of social capital. So I would finish. Not coincidently, in my opinion, by this point, not only had everyone pretty much packed it in, but only one of my friends was even offering me any encouragement; the rest had melted away.
Over the course of 36 grueling hours that included only about four hours of sleep, I wrote those 20,000 words. I finished the last words at 11:30pm, a mere 30 minutes before the deadline. And it was a great feeling, worth it to me because I could say that I followed through on the promise I had made and perhaps contributed in a miniscule way to the overall level of trust in the world. On December first, the New York Nanowrimo chapter had a party to celebrate the end of the experience. I extended an invitation to my vanquised comrades to join me to reminisce and rejoice in the efforts we'd made. I guess other things had come up for them, though. Alas, I went to the party alone.

Electronic Voting Machines: The ProTools of Democracy?

2006-11-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

Now that the election is a week behind us, we can step back and take stock of the momunmental change that took place in our culture. But since this isn't really a political blog, you'll have to go elsewhere for an appraisal of the political ramifications (from the right, from the left). What we're concerned with is in some ways a more dramatic change, the shift from "old-fashioned" voting technologies such as paper ballots, punch cards, and mechanical lever machines to modern electronic voting technologies. Why the change? Certainly the "hanging chad" problems in 2004 galvanized the nation to take note of the potential problems involved with the current voting technologies. But more broadly, the shift towards electronic voting machines is as inevitable as the consistent losses of third party candidates in American politics. The inexorable march of progress dictates that newer is better, and we are moving boldly into a fully digital age. But consider:

--In Florida, the home of the hanging chad, electronic voting machines "recorded unusually high percentages of ballots with no votes"

--In Ohio, my home state for better or worse, electronic voting machines were used in all districts, but with various problems reported throughout the state

--In Pennsylvania, another crucial battleground state, there were "reports of machines not going through all of the election screens, machines that were not functioning at all, machines automatically shutting down early due to timing problems"

A quick search of the Internet (one of the "good" technological advances) reveals a host of similar issues. While it may be easy to dismiss these problems as typical of the growing pains all new technologies face, the deeper question may be more revealing. Are these technologies really necessary? Or, to put it another way, are there some non-digital technologies that are actually better suited to certain jobs?
The music industry certainly provides a telling analogy. Simply put, it's clear that analog technology is better suited to making music sound real, provided of course that's what you're looking for in your music. Digital technology may "solve" a number of problems, but in the process, creates myriad new problems, some of which may be worse than the problems the technology was intended to fix. I would make the argument that the issues arising from paper ballots and the other "analog" technologies could be best fixed by updating those technologies (for example, here in New York, many of the voting machines are the same ones used forty years ago) rather than enacting a wholesale shift to a new technology. I believe this not because digital machines cannot or do not address the shortcomings of the current voting technologies, but instead because of the severity of problems introduced by these new digital machines.
It has been fairly well documented that many of these new machines provide no paper trail of the votes cast, which is a serious problem in and of itself. But of even more concern is the potential for fraud in these new voting technologies. When the president of Diebold Inc, a leading manufacturer of voting machines said he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year," it's hard not to see the sinister implications in that statement. Say what you will about those clunky old lever machines, but it's pretty hard to manipulate those paper ballots in one fell swoop, as one could do with networked machines.
Just as digital music technology seems to take something essential out of the creative process, it seems like digital voting takes something crucial out of the democratic process. We're not so naive as to believe that the American democratic process is free from all hints of corruption, but participating in the process has a major symbolic component to it, one that cannot be enjoyed if the integrity of the system is in serious doubt. When I put on a record of my favorite musician, I want to believe that everything I hear on that song is a product of a real live breathing human being. And when I cast a vote, I want to believe that my preference will be accurately recorded and counted by the powers that be. Things just don't work otherwise.

Get Out and Vote!

2006-11-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to vote today. Check back in later during the week for a Silent Stereo take on the election.

My Apologies

2006-11-01T22:41:00.000-08:00

One of my duties as Executive Director of Communications at Silent Stereo Records is to maintain a consistent blog presence. Although as an executive, I should have underlings to do the actual writing, that is not the case in our homey little company. In any case, I noticed that my last posting was way back on September 17th, practically an era ago in these days of 24 hour news cycles and Internet blogs. In my defense, I just started grad school, which severely cut into my free time. Still, there has been a lot of good stuff going on in the Silent Stereo world. The Black Hollies and Boss Tweed both finished recordings at our studio and we're eagerly awaiting the release of those numbers. In a special touch, the Boss Tweed single will be released as an authentic 45, just like in the good old days. We will definitely keep you updated on that release. Furthermore, Silent Stereo friends The Dansettes will be playing the big CMJ Music festival this week in New York City. Word on the street is that some record industry bigwigs are interesting in checking out the retro stylings of the Dansettes, but I'm sure every band at CMJ believes that.
In other news, I'm embarking on a project that is relevant to the theme of this blog (check the masthead if you've forgotten our theme). As it happens, November is officially "National Novel Writing Month." In fact, there's even a website for it at www.nanowrimo.org. While it's not as if I don't have enough excuses for not updating this blog, now I have a new one: I'll be writing a novel. Or more accurately, I'll be attempting to write 50,000 words in the space of a month. And why should you care? This is where the Silent Stereo angle comes in.
In the last forty years, American culture has been plagued by a steady, debiliatating decline in "social capital." Social capital, as the name implies, refers to the value inherent in all sorts of social endeavors, whether they be book clubs, religious groups, knitting circles, and even bands, which as we know from our rock history are just as good as gangs. Although the data is not complete, it appears that after reaching a high point in the sixties and seventies, group participation has plummeted. So apparently good music wasn't the only thing we lost in the eighties. The changes in the music industry that we rail against here are simply one part of a larger metamorphis in the American cultural landscape.
But instead of cursing the darkness, I'm going to light a candle. The Nanowrimo project gives me an opportunity, albeit an electronic one, to investigate social capital. As I torture myself to keep to a daily output of 1667 words a day, I can reassure myself that I'm also gaining valuble insight into the new American culture of the 21st century. I'll let you know how that turns out for me.
And in a final twist, the novel I intend to write will use music, especially sixties soul and rock, as its main metaphorical device. Maybe if it turns out okay I can try to expand the company into publishing.

The Wisdom of Bob Dylan

2006-09-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

This interview happened some time ago, but I'm so out of touch with modern pop culture that I'm just getting to it. Bob Dylan sat down with Rolling Stone magazine to discuss his new album, "Modern Times," and in the interview he laid out some tasty positions that reverberated with the folks here at Silent Stereo Records. To wit:

On music producers: "I didn't feel like I wanted to be overproduced any more," he tells me. "I felt like I've always produced my own records anyway, except I just had someone there in the way. I feel like nobody's gonna know how I should sound except me anyway, nobody knows what they want out of players except me, nobody can tell a player what he's doing wrong, nobody can find a player who can play but he's not playing, like I can."

On modern recordings: "The records I used to listen to and still love, you can't make a record that sounds that way..."

On musical genius: "Brian Wilson, he made all his records with four tracks, but you couldn't make his records if you had a hundred tracks today."

On the digital music revolution: "Everybody's gettin' music for free.' I was like, 'Well, why not? It ain't worth nothing anyway.'"

It's nice to find to a kindred spirit in this vast digital landscape. Check out the rest of the interview here. Then go dust off a copy of of "Bringing It All Back Home," or "John Wesley Harding" and enjoy.

Show Review: Soul Music @ McCarren Park Pool

2006-08-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, August 20th, Brooklyn's fun-loving, sun-loving, soul-shaking populace headed down to McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg to enjoy burgers, beers, dodgeball, and most importantly, the sizzling soul music provided by local standouts The Dansettes and The Fabulous Soul Shakers and soul legends The Mighty Hannibal and Archie Bell.
The Dansettes got the show off on the right foot with a tight 45 minute set of pop-soul straight from the sixties. The Dansettes feature the vocal talents of not one but three amazing singers- Leah Fishman, Jaime Kozyra, and Jennie Wasserman-and an incredibly accomplished backing band. The Dansette's set allow each of the girls to highlight her particular strengths, with Jaime starting the show off with the heart-tugging plea "No Questions Asked." Like the sirens of yore, Jaime drew the assembled masses up to the stage, where they were treated to Jennie's flirty, bouncy (yet incongruously sinister) romp "Ladykiller," and Leah's signature tune, the simmering "I've Got A Feeling." Even bandleader Jay B. Flatt got into the act, putting his sweet rough voice to good effect on the crowd pleasing "I Say That I Love You." But with the August sun heating things up, The Dansettes were all too soon off the stage. Jaime sent the crowd back to the shaded environs on the edge of the pool with the defiant "Don't You Ever," and the band left the stage to prepare for their biggest challenge yet: backing up soul legends The Mighty Hannibal and Archie Bell.
But before those stalwarts hit the stage, the too cool for school crowd was wined and dined and left behind by Harlem's own doo wop sensations, The Fabulous Soul Shakers. The Soul Shakers one-upped the Dansettes by featuring not three but four tremendous vocalists. The guys whipped the crowd into a frenzy with the old Sharpees song "Do the 45," then continued to stoke the fires by trading off the lead vocals on a number of great soul classics like "Rainbow," "I Want A Love I Can See," and my personal favorite, Smokey Robinson's "Bad Girl." After their set, the crowd was hot, sweaty and hungry for more.
Although the crowd may have been hankering for something cold and icy on such a smoldering day, The Mighty Hannibal made them sweat even more. And it was a good thing. Hannibal looked the part of soul consigliere as he marched out onto the stage in a black suit and hat. The Dansettes and their backing band provided the musical backdrop, digging into Hannibal's feature song "Get In the Groove." Although Hannibal is getting up there in age, his energy and verve are unmatched. He danced, swaggered, and jived his way through upbeat numbers like "Get In The Groove" and "Good Time," then slowed things down to a agonizingly sweet crawl in numbers like "I Just Want Some Love," and "Baby Please Change Your Mind." All the while, the Dansettes provided an angelic counterpoint to Hannibal's gravelly infernal growl. In the middle of the set, Hannibal took a moment to dedicate his stirring "Hymn No. 5" to the soldiers serving in Iraq. The song was originally written during the Vietnam War and beat the hippies to the punch when it came to war protest songs. Forty years later, it's still relevant. Hannibal's set moved the crowd like mercury in a thermometer as he danced off the stage to the sounds of "Fishing Pole." The Dansettes and the boys of the band, Jay, Dennis, Andy, and Tom, had passed their first musical test with flying colors. They gave Hannibal exactly what he wanted, a soundtrack that alternated between raucous and poingant, grievous and triumphant. Now, they left the stage to ready themselves for the smooth grooves of Archie Bell.
Archie Bell knows how to work a crowd. He strutted out onto the stage, his matching red shirt and pants signaling the coming inferno. His first two numbers, "Let's Groove," and "I Can't Stop Dancing," set the tone. Bell was working hard on stage and he expected the crowd to do the same. As the band settled into a wah-wah guitar/disco drum rhythm, Bell bounced around the stage, exhorting the crowd and the band to make him sweat. At one point, Archie noted that he didn't need the Drells when he had the Dansettes in the house. Archie and the band then worked their way through a number of Bell originals as well as such soul classics as "Stand By Me." Still, as the set progressed, everyone was waiting for one thing: Bell's number one single, "The Tighten Up." A true maestro, Bell saved the best for last, first hitting the crowd with "Knock on Wood." The band turned in a spot on performance of Eddie Floyd's classic, so much so that Archie himself said that they sounded just like "Stax." While the crowd was still reeling from that performance, Archie finally got everyone to tighten up. If you read our previous blog posting about the Ponderosa Stomp in Memphis, you'll know that the band had something to prove. At that fest, Bell couldn't even get his band to tighten up, as they obviously didn't even know the intricacies of the song. Not here, though. One by one, Bell got the musicians to tighten up, and Andy, Tom, Den, and Jay hit all the right notes (but not beats: for some reason Andy did not play the correct drum break; maybe he didn't listen to the original recording). After leading the crowd through numerous tighten ups, Bell finally marched off and the massive crowd wilted. It was a long day in the hot sun, but it was the great music by the Dansettes, the Fabulous Soul Shakers, The Mighty Hannibal, and Archie Bell that sent everyone home with heatstroke.

photos courtesy of g. wong (www.thewongway.org)

Technorati Tags: soul, Archie Bell, Brooklyn, music

Interwar Available Online

2006-08-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

Not all of our posts are educational. This one is shameless promoting of our own product. Interwar from Dead Language is now available in all of the major online music stores:

iTunes

Rhapsody

Napster

Even if you don't wish to buy, you can stream the tracks at Rhapsody. Digital is good for some things

Goodbye To The Captain

2006-07-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know that typically we only cover music related topics on this blog, but check out the masthead. It states that we're going to write about "any other aspect of culture that fits into the label's philosophy." And Steve Yzerman, former star center for the Detroit Red Wings hockey club, more than epitomizes what we do here at Silent Stereo Records. Yzerman played the game the right way and was in many ways a throwback to the golden age of hockey. In his 22 year career--all of which he spent with the Red Wings--he never held out, demanded a trade, or griped to the media. He simply went about his business and played the game to the best of his ability. And fortunately for the Wings and hockey fans everywhere, his talents were surpassed by few of his hockey peers.
Steve Yzerman's career got off to a less than auspicious start. He was drafted 4th overall in the 1983 draft, but then Red Wings General Manager Jimmy Devellano made no secret of the fact that he would have preferred to take Pat LaFontaine, who was selected third by the Islanders. All Yzerman did was show up at camp and quickly prove that he was the best player there. He gave the Detroit fans a sign of things to come when he scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game and went on to register 39 goals and 48 assists in his first campaign. Despite leading his club and all rookies in assists and points, Yzerman finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting. For the next few seasons, Yzerman put up consistent numbers, finishing with 89 points, 42 points (in only 52 games--he broke his collarbone and missed a third of the season), and 90 points. Yzerman's stellar play notwithstanding, the Red Wings as a team were mired in mediocrity.
1987 was a breakout year for both Yzerman and his team. The year before, Yzerman was named the youngest captain in Detroit history and his numbers justified the decision. Steve racked up goals and assists at a prodigious rate, reaching 102 points in only 64 games. Unfortunately, in the very game that he scored his fiftieth goal, Yzerman suffered a terrifying knee injury. Rushing towards the goal, Yzerman lost his footing and plowed into the net, slamming his knee into the goalpost, which in those days was firmly attached to the ice. The Captain suffered severe damage to his right knee, an injury that would haunt him in his later years, and missed the rest of the season. However, the Red Wings, buoyed by the scoring of their new Captain, reached the semi finals of the playoffs for the first time in nearly 20 years. Yzerman was able to return for game three of the Conference finals, but it was too little, too late for the Wings.
The next few seasons cemented Yzerman's status as one of the games brightest stars. In 1988, Yzerman scored 155 points, a total surpassed only by fellow legends Wayne Gretzsky and Mario Lemieux. The Red Wings played better as a team, making the playoffs in 2 out of the next 3 years, but making little headway in the the NHL's second season. During the early nineties, the Wings began acquiring some talent to surround Yzerman with and the team's fortunes took a turn for the better when Hall of Fame manager Scotty Bowman was hired in 1993. In Bowman's second season as coach, the Wings reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 29 years. Unfortunately, they were swept by the New Jersey Devils, who's frustating "trap" style of play totally neutralized the high flying Wings. To Scotty Bowman, an arch tactician, the writing was on the wall. If the Wings were to win a Stanley Cup, they'd have to play better defense. And if the Wings were going to buy into his system, he'd need the Captain on board.
After the 1993 season, Bowman approached Yzerman and told him what he needed to do. The Captain, one of the league's best offensive players, was going to have to change his style of play. Instead of focusing on scoring, Bowman wanted Yzerman to set the defensive tone for the team, a job typically reserved for the lower skilled players on the the third and fourth lines of the team. As Bowman pitched it, Yzerman's personal stats and glory would diminish, but the team's prowess would improve. In an age of mega-agents and lucrative endorsements, Bowman was asking Yzerman to sacrifice a lot. But if the Captain didn't sign on, Bowman's plan had no chance. Without hesitation, Yzerman told Bowman he'd do whatever it takes to win the Cup.
With Bowman's new system in place, Yzerman's scoring totals dropped. Instead of scoring over 100 points a season, he was down in the 80-90 range. But the Wings' fortunes took off and they became the juggernaut of their conference, going 62 and 13 and falling just short of the Stanley Cup finals.
Finally, in 1997, Bowman's strategy and Yzerman's sacrifices paid off. The Wings captured the Stanley Cup, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in four straight games. Yzerman did his part, tying for second in playoff goals and third in playoff points. It was the Wings first Cup in 42 years, breaking the longest Stanley Cup drought in the NHL at that time. During the celebration, tragedy struck the Wings family when punishing defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov was left incapacitated after a brain injury suffered when his limosuine crashed. The next season, Yzerman and the team vowed to win the Cup for Vladdy and kept good on their promise by sweeping the Washington Capitals. Suddenly, the Motor City, without a championship for 40 plus years, had two in a row. The Captain was the leading playoff scoring and notched the Conn Smythe trophy as Most Valuble Player. At the victory parade, Detroit citizens turned out in droves to shower their Captain was adoration. Steve Yzerman was the working class hero of a working class city.
Yzerman's transformation from high scoring hot-shot to hard nosed defensive stalwart was completed in the 1999-2000 season when Yzerman was award the Selke trophy for best defensive forward. For a player who would go on to finish sixth in scoring in NHL history, winning the Selke trophy was a true honor. It symbolized all the personal sacrifices Yzerman made for the Detroit Red Wings and the city of Detroit.
In 2002, Bowman had his swan song. The Wings, with all-world goalie Dominic Hasek in net, went on to capture their third Stanley Cup in the last six seasons. After the victory, Bowman and Hasek announced their retirements and many thought Yzerman would follow suit. At 37 and with three Stanley Cup championships, ten All-Star game appearances, a Selke Trophy and a Finals MVP, Yzerman had nothing left to prove. Plus, his right knee, shredded in a horrific injury fifteen years ago, was falling apart. But Yzerman's competitive fires still burned. After the season, he underwent a radical surgical procedure on his knee, one that most doctors said would leave him unable to play hockey again.
After the procedure, Yzerman made a valient comeback, but he only managed 8 points in 16 games. The Red Wings were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and speculation once again swirled that Yzerman would retire. Instead, he suited up for his 21st season in 2003-2004. The Wings were undergoing changes and younger players were carrying more of the load. Yzerman saw his role changed and his ice time reduced, but the aging Captain never complained. He did whatever the team needed and managed to put up a respectable 51 points in 75 games. The Wings started the playoffs strong, but lost their Captain when he was hit in the face by a puck, shattering his orbital bone. After the loss of their leader, the Wings suffered another early exit from the playoffs and then the league went dark, shut down by a labor dispute between the owners and players. The entire 2005 season was wiped out, giving Yzerman time to reflect on his career and let his battered body heal. At the end of the lockout, Yzerman felt rejuvenated enough, even at the age of 41, to give playing another shot. He returned for the 2006 season in which the Wings revamped roster looked unbeatable. Yzerman put up 34 points in 61 games and girded himself for the playoffs. But it was not to be. The Wings were stunned in the first round by the upstart Edmonton Oilers and were sent home for some serious soul searching.
During the offseason, Yzerman knew it was time to hang up his skates. His heart was willing, but his body could no longer handle the grind of the NHL season. He finished his career 8th all time in goals scored, 7th in assists, and 6th in all time scoring. But Yzerman is perhaps more proud of his other distinction: he played his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings and finished it as the longest serving captain with one team in NHL history. In a few short years, Yzerman will be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but to millions of fans in Detroit and elsewhere, his legacy has already been enshrined in their hearts and minds.
Technorati Tags: Yzerman, Red Wings, hockey, Detroit