This guy, let me see, his name is Dana Collins, he e-mailed me a CD.

I’m gonna tell you a secret.  I don’t play CDs.

No, not never ever.  But just about.  Especially if they’re of unsigned acts,
those priorities you’re always inundating me with.

I’m gonna give you a clue.  Anybody listening to your music on a CD is
hopelessly out of date.  Unless your goal is to sign a deal with Warner Music and
have David Foster produce your record, e-mail people tracks.  It’s not only much
more convenient, they’re much harder to ignore.  I can ignore any CD that
comes in the mail.  But a file in my inbox, I feel an obligation.  Assuming, of
course, you don’t abuse the privilege.  Which I thought this Dana Collins was
doing.  By e-mailing me tracks after I’d just written about Cinematic.  I’m not
part of your promotion machine.  I’m not a train, I don’t take you from here
to there.  Please don’t EVER send me ANYTHING unless for a very specific
reason you’ll think I’ll like it.  The fact that YOU like it and/or are working
it/own it is irrelevant to me.  And because I thought this woman was abusing the
privilege, jumping on me right after I’d done a solid for somebody else, based
purely on liking the music, I played the MP3s she sent, just so I could tell
her that they were terrible, and what kind of pushy person whom I don’t even
know forces bad music upon me for no good reason other than to try and fatten
her wallet.

Only one problem.  The music wasn’t bad.  It was kind of good.  And then,
there was this one piano interlude that bugged my eyes out, it sounded like it
was straight off of "11/17/70".  With maybe the swinging feel of a Steely Dan
record.  Kind of like Ben Folds, but without the humorous excesses, without ANY
of the excesses Mr. Folds employs.

And, as I was downloading the second track, it occurred to me, I HAD a CD of
this act, Dana had ALREADY SENT IT!  So I fired off the angry note anyway.  I
mean isn’t this overkill?  And I told Dana NOBODY sends CDs anymore.  And that
he shouldn’t bother to e-mail me the rest of the tracks, I’d now rip them
(yes, that’s all CDs are good for in my book…ripping).  And on this CD, after
ripping it, I found the best cover of "Hey Joe" since the one on "Are You
Experienced".

I was shocked.  The Dead used to cover this tune all the time.  But the Dead
were untogether stoners, best when the groove coalesced, it wasn’t about
nailing it, but FEELING IT!  And I’m down with that.  But when someone nails it and
I DO feel it, it’s transcendent.  I was just reading the newspaper thinking
that my life was all wrong, that I should be in high school again, when my life
wasn’t about writing about life, but living it.  When I didn’t listen to
music to evaluate it but when I bought records like they were food, and devoured
each and every one, in my bedroom, in my secret world.  And then I turn off the
XM, saunter over to my computer, rip the CD and hear this.  On the hottest
night of the year let’s put the top down and drive out to the cemetery, or some
field in the middle of nowhere, and lie down and just stare at the sky, saying
nothing.  THAT’S what this feels like.  And it’s LIVE!

I’d like to tell you this "Live At The World Cafe" EP by the Gabe Dixon Band
is the new Coldplay, better yet, the new Beatles.  It’s not.  But I can’t
quite stop playing it.  Maybe because everybody else isn’t playing it, and it’s
intimate, it’s absent the sheen, the shine.  I’d like you to hear it.

But you can’t.

It’s not like Gabe Dixon is doing well.  He’s out on the road playing
keyboards with Loggins & Messina.  It’s almost as if his solo career is a sideshow. 
Oh, but he’s a big swinging dick, you can buy the EP at the iTunes Music
Store.  But why WOULD YOU??  Please don’t do so at my insistence.  Maybe "Hey Joe", but the rest are not that good, you’ll feel ripped off.  But if you could
listen to them, be exposed to them, bask in them as opposed to worrying about a
financial transaction, you might get hooked.

But you can’t hear the music on Gabe’s Website.  He’s going for the big money
at iTunes.  What a laugh.  This ENTIRE EP should be freely downloadable on
his Website.  On the very first page.  But no, he can’t undercut his economic
future.  Huh?

Oh, Gabe’s got a few MP3s on his site.  Just none of these.  Actually,
there’s a demo of the song with the great piano part.  But the piano part misses. 
He’s so busy getting it right, that it’s got no soul.  Whereas live, it kills. 
But you can’t hear it.  Unless you want to buy it.  Do you feel like buying
it?

Still, go to http://www.gabedixonband.com/

Shitty looking Website, don’t you think?  What’s up with that red background,
you can’t decipher a word.

But then click on "Discography".  Or just go to:
http://www.gabedixonband.com/discography.htm

Play the very first track, the demo of "Ever After You".  (Once again, to
download on a Mac, hold down the control key when you click and then, in the
resulting pop-up menu, click on "Download Linked File".)  The piano part starts at
1:19.  Works, but you should hear the live take…

Which you would if you could just read this and download it on Gabe Dixon’s
Website.