Ah! Leah!

I was sitting in the shrink’s office telling him about Friday night.  The
on-sale debut of the new "Harry Potter".

Felice and I drove to Village Books around 11 p.m. and encountered a line
down Swarthmore, of kids who probably had never been up at this hour before,
unless it was two years before, when the LAST "Harry Potter" book was released.

They were dressed up as characters from the series.  Kate served theme-based
refreshments.  They may have LOOKED like lemon bars and TASTED like lemon bars but they were labeled with some secret code you’d only be able to decipher if
you’d read the books.

At a minute before midnight, Jeff held up the speaker of the portable karaoke
machine, I started counting down the seconds into the mic, and when the date
changed we opened the door and people POURED IN!

It resembled nothing so much as rock and roll.  Lining up at an absurd hour
for tickets to an event that only fans were aware of.  NEEDING to belong.  It
was almost as if Bill Graham was back from the dead, with the free food and the
orderly camaraderie.  And the books sold like tickets to the Fillmore.  By
time Oliver Platt came in as the last customer, just shy of one a.m., four
hundred books had left the store.  I can’t say the tome wasn’t hyped, that modern
marketing methods were not employed, but the RABIDITY, it was PALPABLE!

And as we stood around doing a post mortem, I started conversing with Lea. 
Down from San Francisco, just in time for this event.

And when I got to this part of the story in the shrink’s office, a song
started going through my head.

Ah! Leah! Here we go again.

I told the shrink that I wanted to leave right then.  Go home and listen to
this song.  I needed to hear it.

At that price, I stayed till the end, but when I got back in front of my
computer I was stunned to find out that I didn’t have "Ah! Leah!" in my iTunes
library.  So I fired up my favorite P2P program and started downloading.

I had no problem finding "Ah! Leah!"  Which I’ve got on CD somewhere.  But
the album tracks, "Stagedoor Johnny" and "Never Did I"…I just couldn’t find
them.

I sat in front of my computer for an hour and a half.  Clicking.  Looking for
them.  To no avail.

And when you get this frustrated, angry that the days of the original Napster
are gone, when EVERYTHING was available, I fired up a well known search
engine.  Which allows you to find MP3s.  On Webpages.  It’s the last resort. 
Sometimes it works.

And I was having trouble.  But then I searched on the album title, "Fortune
410", and they CAME UP!

I clicked through.  And there they all were.  All the album cuts I loved.  It
was like winning a radio station contest, but BETTER…for instead of having
to wait forever to receive my prize I got it RIGHT AWAY!

There’s a good chance you’ve got no idea who Donnie Iris is.

Well, he was in the Jaggerz.  Who had that big hit thirty five years ago with
"The Rapper".  Kind of an insidious tune.  I didn’t love it, but I certainly
knew it.  And was stunned that the singer of that track was the guy I was
hearing on rock radio over a decade later, with "Ah! Leah!"

You know the kind of track that’s SO good you’ve got to go out and buy the
album RIGHT THEN?  Not even CARING what the rest of the record sounds like? 
THAT’S how good "Ah! Leah!" is.

"Ah! Leah!" had power.  And a memorable riff.  And even the changes were
good.  But what put it over the top, what infected you, was THE CHORUS!

It’s a modern day wall of sound.  With ENDLESS backup vocals sweetly singing.

That’s Donnie’s trademark.  Employed in the almost better "Sweet Merilee".

I ended up buying the subsequent "King Of Cool".  And, the follow-up, the
aforementioned "Fortune 410", named after the model number of Donnie’s eyeglasses.

Back in the day, we LISTENED to the album.  It was rarely over forty minutes
long.  It wasn’t about a single and then filler, rather, after the Beatles, an
album was a STATEMENT!  You wanted to delve in, on a voyage of DISCOVERY! 
And what I found on "Fortune 410" was "Never Did I".

"Never Did I" is the kind of track that gets you moving, involuntarily.  The
kind of song you can’t conceive of in advance, but the type you hear that
feels SO RIGHT!  So right that I’ve never forgotten it.

"Stagedoor Johnny" is overdramatic.  But it’s got another one of those
CHORUSES, with the endless backup vocals.

I just needed to hear them.

Oh, I could have fired up the vinyl.  But, I wanted files, that I could play
endlessly.  And I looked up the greatest hits CD on Amazon, to find out if
these two tracks were contained, whether I should search my house for it, but
they were absent.  And that’s how I ultimately found myself combing the Web. 
Finding this veritable TREASURE TROVE!

This site had BOTH of them.  And live versions of "Ah! Leah! and "Love Is
Like A Rock".

For a minute there, I thought this page had EVERYTHING!

But this was no thief.  This was a CURATOR!  If it was available
commercially, the track was absent.  But if you couldn’t buy it at any price, you could
take it for free, to keep Donnie Iris’s legend alive.

I mean how else are we going to keep the music of these secondary artists
alive?  The labels that own the material don’t care, they say there’s no market. 
But there is.  Hard core fans.  Who want to turn others on to their
favorites.  And, if the stuff is readily available, who knows, kids might surf by and
find it.  After all, Led Zeppelin was one of Donnie Iris’s favorite classic
rock bands.

I know that because I listened to the interview with him on the site.  Taped
from the radio.  Oh, it was in depth.  It was an aural GOLDMINE!

Made me feel excited.  Got me in touch with who I used to be.  A dedicated
believer.  Who wanted to know EVERYTHING about acts I was interested in.

I sat in front of my computer for half an hour listening.  I couldn’t even
answer e-mail.  I was hearing this guy’s life story.  Donnie’s probably pushing
sixty.  So many of the oldsters are.  They’re past their peak.  What are their
lives like?

Well, it turns out Donnie still plays.  But what’s he living on?  What does
he use to buy toys for his grandkids?

Donnie’s a musician.  Who had one big hit and some semi-hits.  And now all
that’s left to him is his music, hell, I doubt he receives any royalties, even
if they’re due him.

And it turns out Donnie is aware of this site.  He mentions it in the
interview.  But rather than squash it, send this guy a cease and desist letter, he’s
ADVERTISING IT!  THAT guy is helping him out, he’s a key element in his career.

That’s what fans are.  The linchpins of careers.

I guess if you don’t have careers you don’t need linchpins, don’t need fans. 
But that’s a tough way to do it.  Because, if you’ve got fans, they do half
the work.

Thomas H. Lee and Andy Lack don’t know what fandom is.  They know what MONEY
is.  They don’t know that WITHOUT fans, there’s a hell of a lot less money. 
They think it’s about OVEREXPOSURE!  That to sell records you get on the "Today
Show".

But the "Today Show"’s got no fans.  Nobody who’ll stay up till an ungodly
hour, WAKE UP at an ungodly hour, JUST to see it.  The "Today Show" is commerce.
 "Harry Potter" is art.

Not all art does the blockbuster sales of "Harry".  But you never know
exactly what art is going to go gonzo.  That’s the story of the late sixties.  Who
KNEW these acts would become so big?  They were just building careers.  Not by
selling out, but by testing limits, EXPLORING!

So, here’s the URL:

http://www.parallel-time.com/sound.htm

Listen to "Never Did I".  And "Stagedoor Johnny".  Maybe you’ve got to commit
to three plays.  But then you’ll be hooked, then you’ll be infected, then you
might even start spreading the word.

(Don’t be surprised if we blow this guy’s site up, he’s not PREPARED for this
number of hits, he probably doesn’t have enough BANDWIDTH, just like labels
of the past had no idea there was such demand for these acts, they were caught
short, when word started to spread…)

21 Responses to Ah! Leah! »»


Comments

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  1. Comment by Lon Levin | 2005/07/21 at 11:11:46

    As I have told my 12 year old harry potter crazed daughter, J. K. Rowling is the beatles of her generation.

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  3. Comment by Krista Mettler | 2005/07/21 at 11:12:01

    As an owner of "King of Cool" on vinyl, this post made me smile.  I lived in
    Pittsburgh at the time, and since he was a local boy, Iris was the shit there.
     All over the radio…. as a matter of fact songs like "Ah! Leah!," "Sweet
    Merilee," and "Love Is Like A Rock" all give me this wonderful nostalgia for my
    high school years and the simpler time they are the aural equivalent to in my
    mind.

    Thanks for the little trip down memory lane.  I think it’s time to break out
    some Donnie Iris!

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  5. Comment by Monica Ice | 2005/07/21 at 11:12:16

    Personally, I dropped Harry Potter at Book 4, but I never stopped listening
    to "Ah! Leah!"  What gets me isn’t the chorus; it’s *everything else*.  In the
    lyrics of the song, you can HEAR the spirit-hunger he has for Leah and her
    reciprocity.  You know that hunger.  Dried out and burning on the inside.  So
    many songs on major labels today AND in the past say things like "I want you",
    but you don’t feel a thing; they’re just mouthing words.  Donnie’s keeling over
    from it.  If you’re in tune with it, you are, too, because you’ve been there. 
    You know what he’s feeling, and you’re sharing it (with your mouth open). 
    That’s the way it should be.  Of course, we always say that, but how to go
    beyond "saying"?  "Leah, Leah, Leaaah!"    How do we do it?  Put the 3rd dimension
    back into music?

    P.S.  If anything such as an album is out of print, it should be perfectly
    legal to download, especially if you already paid for it once.

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  7. Comment by Christian Martin | 2005/07/21 at 11:12:32

    What a great site on Donnie. That interview is incredible. And the
    guy released that wonderful song in 1980. He was 37/38! (Born in 43.)

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  9. Comment by Al M | 2005/07/21 at 11:12:58

    hmm. cool stuff. sounds kinda like a catchier Huey Lewis, more hook-heavy,
    with some reaching for Robert Plant squeals via David Lee Roth.

    endearing and neat, but in places the synth sounds make it a bit dated. past
    that it’s solid.

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  11. Comment by Michael Witthaus | 2005/07/21 at 11:13:14

    You’ve got to be shitting me!   Twenty-four years ago, on the day after April
    Fool’s Day, I had my first date in an amped-up Boston club with the woman who
    later become, and still is, my wife.  I knew it was an omen when, a few weeks
    later, a package from my MCA rep arrived in the station mail.  In it was the
    promo-only "Donnie Iris Live at the Paradise".  I mean, how many first dates
    have been committed to vinyl?  Every year, we listen to it and remember, and it
    remains my "In Case of Fire, Break" excuse for having a turntable.

    Now that you’ve unearthed a site with digital copies of the show, maybe I can
    finally unload the old thing.  No, wait – "The Rapper" is left off of the
    download list, guess that’s karma, eh?

    The song still kicks ass.  Here’s something I haven’t even told my wife: "The
    Rapper" was the favorite tune of the first girl I ever kissed, in 1968.  Will
    the cirle be unbroken, indeed!

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  13. Comment by Jane Tattersall | 2005/07/21 at 11:13:38

    Re-Harry Potter

    screw the kids – I picked mine up at midnight friday at the bookstore by my
    house – they had an event that was for big people…..and it was packed…..and
    they gave away tons of prizes, including starbucks gift bags, etc…..

    went home and read the first three hundred pages….finished it late saturday
    night/sunday am….best one yet.

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  15. Comment by John Brodey | 2005/07/21 at 11:13:54

    Harry Potter is just the literary version of Rocky Horror Picture Show.

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  17. Comment by Jeff Rogers | 2005/07/21 at 11:14:13

    Did you ever hear the cover of The Rapper by "Santers"? The leader of Santers later joined Triumph for a short stint when Rik Emmett left. Santers consisting of two brothers and a friend had a record deal in Canada with Ready records and maybe made three records back in the 80s. They never made it past the tight pants, long hair bar band scene but the cover they did of The Rapper was great.

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  19. Comment by Richard Pachter | 2005/07/21 at 11:14:28

    I found that site a while back. Dig the Ah Leah video with Donnie’s bad rug
    (and bad teeth). It is SO rock and roll….

    Donnie’s a fuckin’ MORTGAGE BROKER right now!

    Priceless.

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  21. Comment by Chris Misutka | 2005/07/21 at 11:14:53

    There is a good chance I DO know who Donnie Iris is…just didn’t think that
    anybody outside of Pittsburgh did.  I grew up in Pittsburgh, and Donnie Iris
    is a household name.  Granted, half in jest as serious, but a household name
    nonetheless.  WDVE’s morning show does parodies on him regularly, every one
    inevitably saying at some point "Donnie Iris is’a big rock star," in a heavy
    Pittsburgh accent.

    Yes, Donnie still plays, and hopefully one of these days I will be visiting
    the ‘Burgh when he is playing.  I was a little too young during Donnie’s
    heyday, but can remember hearing "Love Is Like A Rock" all the time on the radio
    growing up.  When I hit college, every time I would drive home I’d hear "Ah Leah"
    on the radio within 24 hours of entering Pittsburgh.  Another song to check
    out, "That’s The Way Love Ought To Be."  Again, huge hooks, huge chorus…they
    don’t write ’em like that anymore.

    Thanks for the link.  DONNIE IRIS VIDEO?  Who knew???

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  23. Comment by Joshua Freni | 2005/07/21 at 11:15:10

    I got my copy of Potter on Sunday after my Softball league game (yes, I’m
    addicted to Potter and Softball).  As I was riding the A train home I noticed no
    less than 5 people in my one subway car reading the book.  All over the age of
    18 I’d say.

    Gotta luv ‘arry.

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  25. Comment by Denny Young | 2005/07/21 at 11:15:27

    What a great read.  I live in Cleveland and grew up listening to Donnie Iris
    and The Cruisers and the Michael Stanley Band.  They both played the area
    every year — together — and the concerts were big events.  Multiple sold-out
    nights at the Richfield Coliseum and Blossom Music Center.

    Today, as you mentioned, Donnie and the band still play.  In fact, I saw them
    Memorial Day weekend in Cleveland.  Donnie still sounds magnificent and yes
    he is actually 60+.

    The chief creative guy/songwriter in the band, Mark Avsec, is now a very
    successful lawyer in Cleveland.  He does all kinds of IP work…So yes, this is a
    band that does understand something about royalties.  In fact, a dispute on
    the matter is the main thing that drove Mark to law school.  He is still the
    keyboard player in the band and joined the James Gang (Joe Walsh included) as
    keyboard player for their recent string of three sold-out nights in Cleveland.

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  27. Comment by Doug Mark | 2005/07/21 at 11:15:44

    Re-Ah! Leah!

    Played it on Rhapsody (an amazing service).  I remember it–great track, but
    I never would have sought out the LP.

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  29. Comment by G. Jones | 2005/07/21 at 11:15:59

    I will now have to listen to Ah Leah ALL DAY!!!!!

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  31. Comment by Tom Cartwright | 2005/07/21 at 11:16:15

    Older Material – Oh, the labels care, but retail doesn’t. Perhaps that’s
    fodder for a new blog – how shelf space at retail Is drying up because the big
    labels wanted to sleep with Best Buy and Wal Mart so bad, they let them pimp out
    music as a loss leader just to drive traffic into the stores so folks could
    buy plastic buckets and plasma TVs.

    Eventually, they decided to cut back on the amount of "catalog" titles. But
    by then, the damage had been done to Tower and the other chains. They alone
    couldn’t deliver the numbers to pay for the artwork in producing reissues. Then
    again, the entire production process at labels is so complex, it’s no wonder
    why they need projects to ship hundreds of thousands.

    Thus, when a label wants to reissue say, the entire Lambert, Hendricks, and
    Ross  catalog, the it discovers there is no "market", because Wal Mart
    ain’;t gonna carry it.

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  33. Comment by Jason Gibson | 2005/07/21 at 11:16:34

    So i just took your lead, as i am sure many did, and listened to "Ah! Leah".
    I fired up my Rhapsody and found the 20th Century Masters version… … at
    first i had to jog my brain (only within the first couple of seconds) back into
    time to get in that musically frame of reference …but as the song went on i
    found that i was putting to much thought into it and soon realized the "the
    wall of sound" you described and found the song on a level of not time but
    music. Whilst listening to it i had the thought in my mind ….this is a live
    song…and was thankful that you put the link up to appease the voice in my
    head…..and not have to listen to the studio version through the "live filter" of my
    brain..
      
    The 3:09 mark on the studio version where the synth and the repeat guitar
    lick come in…. has something more to it…than what it is….  also with that
    vibrato…he had working he may have been able to try out for one of Zappa’s
    band singing …."Sharleena"…

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  35. Comment by Fred Goldring | 2005/07/21 at 11:16:54

    This is why we need to create a system to monetize P2P – to make everything available to everyone all the time legally without restriction. So fans can find obscure stuff and artists can create new fans from the shared community. More importantly, Village Books is my favorite local bookstore – so much so that I had to go out of town the day before Harry Potter went on sale and I’m waiting until I get back to buy it from Katie and give her the business. Got to keep local stores like that around. People will pay more for better customized service. Maybe I’ll see you in the Palisades sometime!

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  37. Comment by Mike Belkin | 2005/07/21 at 11:17:17

    I certainly had no idea what a great fan you are of Donnie Iris and the
    Cruisers. Thank you for your support.Donnie still sings as good as always. Still
    screams his ass off!

    I have been managing Donnie for the past 30 years. He is still playing out,
    primarily in the Pennsylvania and Ohio area. He  owns a mortgage company which
    is quite successful.

    Please send me your address and I will send you the new documentary.

    Thanks again for being a fan.

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  39. Comment by Garrett Shelton | 2005/07/21 at 11:28:12

    you forgot one thing – donnie’s daughters! good god!

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  41. Comment by Mark Avsec | 2005/11/14 at 19:05:25

    OK, I’ve had the right amount of wine tonight, so I’ll reply.  A few weeks (months?) ago, you did a nice little piece on a song I wrote and produced  . . . "Ah! Leah!" recorded by Donnie Iris.  Donnie and I are still best friends and I’m recording a new album with him now.  I’m also a lawyer now, as the result of that song (bullshit copyright infringement suit . . . fucking plaintiff’s lawyer . . . but as the result I went to law school.)

    Now I also play with James Gang/Joe Walsh . . . did a couple of shows in Cleveland this past summer.

    Also, I teach "Law Of the Music Industry" at Case Western University Law School.  You will notice a minor bump in your subscriptions in January because reading Lefsetz Letter will be required. 

    I know you’re a lawyer, or at least were trained like a lawyer.  I know that you’re like Socrates.  I know that I’m always surprised who is reading your column. 

    Keep it up. 

    Seek truth.

    Best,
    Mark Avsec


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Trackbacks & Pingbacks »»

  1. Comment by Lon Levin | 2005/07/21 at 11:11:46

    As I have told my 12 year old harry potter crazed daughter, J. K. Rowling is the beatles of her generation.

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    1. Comment by Krista Mettler | 2005/07/21 at 11:12:01

      As an owner of "King of Cool" on vinyl, this post made me smile.  I lived in
      Pittsburgh at the time, and since he was a local boy, Iris was the shit there.
       All over the radio…. as a matter of fact songs like "Ah! Leah!," "Sweet
      Merilee," and "Love Is Like A Rock" all give me this wonderful nostalgia for my
      high school years and the simpler time they are the aural equivalent to in my
      mind.

      Thanks for the little trip down memory lane.  I think it’s time to break out
      some Donnie Iris!

    2. comment_type == "trackback" || $comment->comment_type == "pingback" || ereg("", $comment->comment_content) || ereg("", $comment->comment_content)) { ?>

      Trackbacks & Pingbacks »»

      1. Comment by Monica Ice | 2005/07/21 at 11:12:16

        Personally, I dropped Harry Potter at Book 4, but I never stopped listening
        to "Ah! Leah!"  What gets me isn’t the chorus; it’s *everything else*.  In the
        lyrics of the song, you can HEAR the spirit-hunger he has for Leah and her
        reciprocity.  You know that hunger.  Dried out and burning on the inside.  So
        many songs on major labels today AND in the past say things like "I want you",
        but you don’t feel a thing; they’re just mouthing words.  Donnie’s keeling over
        from it.  If you’re in tune with it, you are, too, because you’ve been there. 
        You know what he’s feeling, and you’re sharing it (with your mouth open). 
        That’s the way it should be.  Of course, we always say that, but how to go
        beyond "saying"?  "Leah, Leah, Leaaah!"    How do we do it?  Put the 3rd dimension
        back into music?

        P.S.  If anything such as an album is out of print, it should be perfectly
        legal to download, especially if you already paid for it once.

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        1. Comment by Christian Martin | 2005/07/21 at 11:12:32

          What a great site on Donnie. That interview is incredible. And the
          guy released that wonderful song in 1980. He was 37/38! (Born in 43.)

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          1. Comment by Al M | 2005/07/21 at 11:12:58

            hmm. cool stuff. sounds kinda like a catchier Huey Lewis, more hook-heavy,
            with some reaching for Robert Plant squeals via David Lee Roth.

            endearing and neat, but in places the synth sounds make it a bit dated. past
            that it’s solid.

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            1. Comment by Michael Witthaus | 2005/07/21 at 11:13:14

              You’ve got to be shitting me!   Twenty-four years ago, on the day after April
              Fool’s Day, I had my first date in an amped-up Boston club with the woman who
              later become, and still is, my wife.  I knew it was an omen when, a few weeks
              later, a package from my MCA rep arrived in the station mail.  In it was the
              promo-only "Donnie Iris Live at the Paradise".  I mean, how many first dates
              have been committed to vinyl?  Every year, we listen to it and remember, and it
              remains my "In Case of Fire, Break" excuse for having a turntable.

              Now that you’ve unearthed a site with digital copies of the show, maybe I can
              finally unload the old thing.  No, wait – "The Rapper" is left off of the
              download list, guess that’s karma, eh?

              The song still kicks ass.  Here’s something I haven’t even told my wife: "The
              Rapper" was the favorite tune of the first girl I ever kissed, in 1968.  Will
              the cirle be unbroken, indeed!

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              1. Comment by Jane Tattersall | 2005/07/21 at 11:13:38

                Re-Harry Potter

                screw the kids – I picked mine up at midnight friday at the bookstore by my
                house – they had an event that was for big people…..and it was packed…..and
                they gave away tons of prizes, including starbucks gift bags, etc…..

                went home and read the first three hundred pages….finished it late saturday
                night/sunday am….best one yet.

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                1. Comment by John Brodey | 2005/07/21 at 11:13:54

                  Harry Potter is just the literary version of Rocky Horror Picture Show.

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                  1. Comment by Jeff Rogers | 2005/07/21 at 11:14:13

                    Did you ever hear the cover of The Rapper by "Santers"? The leader of Santers later joined Triumph for a short stint when Rik Emmett left. Santers consisting of two brothers and a friend had a record deal in Canada with Ready records and maybe made three records back in the 80s. They never made it past the tight pants, long hair bar band scene but the cover they did of The Rapper was great.

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                    1. Comment by Richard Pachter | 2005/07/21 at 11:14:28

                      I found that site a while back. Dig the Ah Leah video with Donnie’s bad rug
                      (and bad teeth). It is SO rock and roll….

                      Donnie’s a fuckin’ MORTGAGE BROKER right now!

                      Priceless.

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                      1. Comment by Chris Misutka | 2005/07/21 at 11:14:53

                        There is a good chance I DO know who Donnie Iris is…just didn’t think that
                        anybody outside of Pittsburgh did.  I grew up in Pittsburgh, and Donnie Iris
                        is a household name.  Granted, half in jest as serious, but a household name
                        nonetheless.  WDVE’s morning show does parodies on him regularly, every one
                        inevitably saying at some point "Donnie Iris is’a big rock star," in a heavy
                        Pittsburgh accent.

                        Yes, Donnie still plays, and hopefully one of these days I will be visiting
                        the ‘Burgh when he is playing.  I was a little too young during Donnie’s
                        heyday, but can remember hearing "Love Is Like A Rock" all the time on the radio
                        growing up.  When I hit college, every time I would drive home I’d hear "Ah Leah"
                        on the radio within 24 hours of entering Pittsburgh.  Another song to check
                        out, "That’s The Way Love Ought To Be."  Again, huge hooks, huge chorus…they
                        don’t write ’em like that anymore.

                        Thanks for the link.  DONNIE IRIS VIDEO?  Who knew???

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                        1. Comment by Joshua Freni | 2005/07/21 at 11:15:10

                          I got my copy of Potter on Sunday after my Softball league game (yes, I’m
                          addicted to Potter and Softball).  As I was riding the A train home I noticed no
                          less than 5 people in my one subway car reading the book.  All over the age of
                          18 I’d say.

                          Gotta luv ‘arry.

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                          1. Comment by Denny Young | 2005/07/21 at 11:15:27

                            What a great read.  I live in Cleveland and grew up listening to Donnie Iris
                            and The Cruisers and the Michael Stanley Band.  They both played the area
                            every year — together — and the concerts were big events.  Multiple sold-out
                            nights at the Richfield Coliseum and Blossom Music Center.

                            Today, as you mentioned, Donnie and the band still play.  In fact, I saw them
                            Memorial Day weekend in Cleveland.  Donnie still sounds magnificent and yes
                            he is actually 60+.

                            The chief creative guy/songwriter in the band, Mark Avsec, is now a very
                            successful lawyer in Cleveland.  He does all kinds of IP work…So yes, this is a
                            band that does understand something about royalties.  In fact, a dispute on
                            the matter is the main thing that drove Mark to law school.  He is still the
                            keyboard player in the band and joined the James Gang (Joe Walsh included) as
                            keyboard player for their recent string of three sold-out nights in Cleveland.

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                            1. Comment by Doug Mark | 2005/07/21 at 11:15:44

                              Re-Ah! Leah!

                              Played it on Rhapsody (an amazing service).  I remember it–great track, but
                              I never would have sought out the LP.

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                              1. Comment by G. Jones | 2005/07/21 at 11:15:59

                                I will now have to listen to Ah Leah ALL DAY!!!!!

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                                1. Comment by Tom Cartwright | 2005/07/21 at 11:16:15

                                  Older Material – Oh, the labels care, but retail doesn’t. Perhaps that’s
                                  fodder for a new blog – how shelf space at retail Is drying up because the big
                                  labels wanted to sleep with Best Buy and Wal Mart so bad, they let them pimp out
                                  music as a loss leader just to drive traffic into the stores so folks could
                                  buy plastic buckets and plasma TVs.

                                  Eventually, they decided to cut back on the amount of "catalog" titles. But
                                  by then, the damage had been done to Tower and the other chains. They alone
                                  couldn’t deliver the numbers to pay for the artwork in producing reissues. Then
                                  again, the entire production process at labels is so complex, it’s no wonder
                                  why they need projects to ship hundreds of thousands.

                                  Thus, when a label wants to reissue say, the entire Lambert, Hendricks, and
                                  Ross  catalog, the it discovers there is no "market", because Wal Mart
                                  ain’;t gonna carry it.

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                                  1. Comment by Jason Gibson | 2005/07/21 at 11:16:34

                                    So i just took your lead, as i am sure many did, and listened to "Ah! Leah".
                                    I fired up my Rhapsody and found the 20th Century Masters version… … at
                                    first i had to jog my brain (only within the first couple of seconds) back into
                                    time to get in that musically frame of reference …but as the song went on i
                                    found that i was putting to much thought into it and soon realized the "the
                                    wall of sound" you described and found the song on a level of not time but
                                    music. Whilst listening to it i had the thought in my mind ….this is a live
                                    song…and was thankful that you put the link up to appease the voice in my
                                    head…..and not have to listen to the studio version through the "live filter" of my
                                    brain..
                                      
                                    The 3:09 mark on the studio version where the synth and the repeat guitar
                                    lick come in…. has something more to it…than what it is….  also with that
                                    vibrato…he had working he may have been able to try out for one of Zappa’s
                                    band singing …."Sharleena"…

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                                    1. Comment by Fred Goldring | 2005/07/21 at 11:16:54

                                      This is why we need to create a system to monetize P2P – to make everything available to everyone all the time legally without restriction. So fans can find obscure stuff and artists can create new fans from the shared community. More importantly, Village Books is my favorite local bookstore – so much so that I had to go out of town the day before Harry Potter went on sale and I’m waiting until I get back to buy it from Katie and give her the business. Got to keep local stores like that around. People will pay more for better customized service. Maybe I’ll see you in the Palisades sometime!

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                                      1. Comment by Mike Belkin | 2005/07/21 at 11:17:17

                                        I certainly had no idea what a great fan you are of Donnie Iris and the
                                        Cruisers. Thank you for your support.Donnie still sings as good as always. Still
                                        screams his ass off!

                                        I have been managing Donnie for the past 30 years. He is still playing out,
                                        primarily in the Pennsylvania and Ohio area. He  owns a mortgage company which
                                        is quite successful.

                                        Please send me your address and I will send you the new documentary.

                                        Thanks again for being a fan.

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                                        1. Comment by Garrett Shelton | 2005/07/21 at 11:28:12

                                          you forgot one thing – donnie’s daughters! good god!

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                                          1. Comment by Mark Avsec | 2005/11/14 at 19:05:25

                                            OK, I’ve had the right amount of wine tonight, so I’ll reply.  A few weeks (months?) ago, you did a nice little piece on a song I wrote and produced  . . . "Ah! Leah!" recorded by Donnie Iris.  Donnie and I are still best friends and I’m recording a new album with him now.  I’m also a lawyer now, as the result of that song (bullshit copyright infringement suit . . . fucking plaintiff’s lawyer . . . but as the result I went to law school.)

                                            Now I also play with James Gang/Joe Walsh . . . did a couple of shows in Cleveland this past summer.

                                            Also, I teach "Law Of the Music Industry" at Case Western University Law School.  You will notice a minor bump in your subscriptions in January because reading Lefsetz Letter will be required. 

                                            I know you’re a lawyer, or at least were trained like a lawyer.  I know that you’re like Socrates.  I know that I’m always surprised who is reading your column. 

                                            Keep it up. 

                                            Seek truth.

                                            Best,
                                            Mark Avsec

                                          This is a read-only blog. E-mail comments directly to Bob.