A few years ago, when I was washing my clothes at a local laundromat, I'd take my notebook with me and write about different observations and get caught up on journal writing and what not. I've since moved out of that neighborhood and the laundromat has closed but I still have a few things rattling through my head. Isn't that what this whole blog thing is about anyway? I figure if nothing interesting is going on with my job, maybe there's something else I can entertain you with.
A friend of mine posted a youtube clip on facebook that was talking about the current state of music. Next to the clip he posed the question of do you agree or disagree? The person being interviewed is someone I've admired and respected for years and I know he's not talking out of his ass when he says that he thinks the state of music is alive and well. Being in the industry, his ear is most likely closer to the ground than mine. I live in the mid-west and work in and around bars where cover bands and d.j.'s come to play the same 50 songs every weekend. I listen to classic rock on the radio because it's the station that comes in the clearest at home. In the car I'm usually listening to a book on cd. I've become a fan of Spotify because it gives me access to 83% of the bands on the planet without having to spend a bunch of money just to find out that the song that made me buy the album was the only good one on it.
I'm fortunate enough to be friends with a lot of musicians and have been turned on to a lot of good music that way. Most of it theirs. Unfortunately, most of the bar/club patrons have the attention span of a three year old and just want to hear the same thing that corporate radio has been shoving in their ears all day so, no matter how good of a musician these people might be, if they want to make money they'll be practicing Santaria and telling all the single ladies to put a ring on it.
One of the things mentioned in the clip is how a lot of bands are using the internet to get their stuff heard. It is cool when you can find somebody who's playing for the sake of playing and not getting stingy over a royalty payment. Also, companies like CD Baby make it possible to get the music to the masses without having to conform to the big labels idea of what they think people want.
Something I miss, and I'm surprised that there isn't more of it considering all of the social networks, is when you would hang out with your friends and one of you'd be listening to something new and cool and you could turn each other on to other things. I have a couple of friends that will post about some new release they just listened to but they're in the minority. Now, if you don't check the website of your favorite bands, you don't know what's coming out. Also, you miss out on some things you'd never hear before.
I've been called everything from an alien to a freak because of things I've retained as a music fan. Sometimes I might be talking to somebody about an obscure song on side two of some rare album and if you just found out about this band yesterday, I'll let that blank look slide. When I talk to some of my musician friends about the follow up track to a number one hit that went platinum, and I still see that look, I start to question them. I love music. It's always been a big part of my life. But I've always considered myself the outsider looking in. Movies and books have always been my passion. Music is just what I listen to while reading. These people were so inspired by music that they picked up an instrument and learned to play so they could MAKE music. How they don't take me on some musical Enter The Dragon every time I open my mouth still surprises me.
The flip side of that is while they blow me away with being able to come up with some cool stuff with only a piano, guitar and an empty room, I get to turn them on to stuff they should have heard already. It's almost circular.
One final thought before my dryer goes off, in an age where we now have the world at our finger tips, I no longer accept "that came out before I was even born" as an excuse. Charles Dickens wrote books before I was born and Humphrey Bogart made movies before I was born. Richie Vallens had a career and died before I was born. I'm not Superman, I just find something that turns me on and I follow the thread. Stop playing Angry Birds and do something constructive. This isn't like the good old days where the radio d.j. could express his own personal tastes and you could hear music that was new to you. You have to do your own leg work. Even if you like Justin Bieber, find out what some of his influences were, maybe you'll like them too. Hopefully they didn't become corporate whores as well.
The buzzer means the laundry is done and so is this post. Hope you enjoyed it. What are your thoughts on the current state of music? I've told you my limited view, I'm curious to know yours.
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