Band Updates
R.E.M.
I heard a good track off their new album on L.A.’s new terrestrial station, "The Sound", today. I still think the outlet’s branding sucks, "World Class Rock", "The Sound", what the fuck do they mean, but the playlist has improved. It’s good if you’re living in 2001, pre-iPod, when you had to sit through shit you didn’t want to listen to. Whatever came next was an instant tune-out, so I jumped to Sirius…and from there to XM. At least they tell me what track I’m listening to. I’d like to download that R.E.M. cut, but I’m waiting for a swath of time when I can research exactly what it was.
R.E.M. fucked up. They put out too much shitty new material. To the point I’m stunned a new track of theirs is actually good, doesn’t make me want to punch Michael Stipe in the face. Remember when you were into Michael, before he BUGGED YOU? Well, that’s what this track sounded like.
Now a bunch of the band’s fans are bitching that R.E.M. isn’t playing enough oldies on this tour. I’m with them. Play all of "Out Of Time" or "Automatic For The People" and I’m there (I know, you want to hear "Document", but this isn’t a test of my hipness…) But I don’t want to pay an exorbitant price to sit through your new album so you can try to convince me you’re not a has-been, that you still matter. I’LL make that decision…
And it all had me thinking… If you’re already a classic, how do you step forward, how do you prevent yourself from becoming nostalgia?
If you are truly new, you’re fucked. People might want the single, but they don’t want to see you live, not in prodigious numbers. But if you’re classic… Either put out a TON of new material, constantly, so the blogosphere can decipher what’s good, or only put out a track or two…
I really don’t get it, why these bands are still living in the nineties. They’re like bookstore owners, convinced electronic readers will never conquer print. Acts hole themselves up in studios for six months or a year, polish these turds, and think we want complete albums. WE DON’T! Certainly not R.E.M.’s overhyped new collection. They appeared everywhere, even SXSW, and they’ve only sold 275,000 copies… That’s piss poor. I think they were swinging for the fences so Warner Brothers would write them another big check, but that was a fallacious concept. Don’t they realize, money is now made on the ROAD?
R.E.M. lost our trust. First and foremost, they must regain it. Play what the fans want to hear, sneek in just a couple of killer new tracks. Shit, give these two new tracks away for free, on your site, certainly with the ticket, as downloads (they buy the tickets via the Net, why not give them the music via the Net?) Make it easier on us, know that we’re overwhelmed, we’re harried. We want to be fans, we want great new material, but if you keep fucking up, or like Madonna, fucking us in the ass, playing too much of the new stuff in concert, we’re going to desert you.
ZZ Top
What I love about Billy is he’s that guy. The image. But even smarter. What can he do to lift his act out of the oldies bin?
Did you catch the WWDC transmission? If everybody in the world was forced to watch it, the iPhone would kill not only RIM and Palm, the BlackBerry and Treo respectively, but Samsung and Sony and Motorola. But, it was kind of boring. Except when they brought out this developer that creates music apps for the iPhone. The one that creates blues numbers? FANTASTIC! Billy, can’t you tie in with this guy? Be the first act to give away an app/plug-in free via the iPhone? First gains you publicity, and if your track is good enough…
Just one good track Billy. You don’t have to wrap it all into one, the women, the cars and the groove… The music’s just got to be great. And then whore THIS out everywhere. Shit, you’ve played soft ticket dates. Make a deal with Budweiser while they’ve still got a budget, before they’re sold. Fuck the NFL, have the track be the music of the NCAA. Bring your joy to new markets, new media, but have it just be you, leave David Cook at home.
Did you catch all the classic acts testifying when Bo Diddley died? Seems like every act that can still sing for its supper was infatuated with him. There’s something about those blues licks. It’s what people want.
Aerosmith
Did you catch the "Guitar Hero" ad in "Rolling Stone"?
Yup, I get the magazine. Usually just turn the pages. But this was the best issue in years, even the Chris Martin interview was interesting. But read the Mark Zuckerberg story…that’ll raise the hair on your back. And Matt Taibbi on John McCain… Fuck the beltway, if you want to know which way the wind blows, you can’t listen to D.C. blowhards. And the acts whored out to the corporations that purvey this bullshit. Make a deal with CBS Records? I like Larry Jenkins, but if you trust Leslie Moonves…you must have won "Survivor". Network TV is reality, all the time…do you think your music will look good there?
Couple of links for you.
On the inside the beltway phenomenon:
Re-network TV:
Anyway, Aerosmith is smart enough to know no one wants a new album by them. They’re the first band to have their own "Guitar Hero".
But it’s not only them… You get Joan Jett, the Cult, the Clash, Cheap Trick and the KINKS! There’s a one page interview with the band in the ad that’s more interesting than all the music coverage in the magazine. Who wants to read about the evanescent idiots, give me some depth on classic rockers.
Fuck the system. Including radio and SoundScan. It’s antiquated, forget it. Hell, MTV finally won’t even play Aerosmith.
It’s not about the mainstream, it’s about the audience. And Aerosmith is going directly to a new audience here, young gamers… While not excluding old fans either! (Come on down, buy a console, move your fingers, play along with "Sweet Emotion"!)
This game, although overpriced and a bit of a sellout, is more clever, more cool, MORE ROCK AND ROLL than anything on Top Forty radio. It shows how a real band developed. From Boston, to Max’s…hell, it even includes the Dolls’ "Personality Crisis"!
Read the ad and tell me you’re not interested in checking the game out.
People don’t have a short attention span, they just don’t want to waste time on junk. They don’t care about one airbrushed photo, but give them some meat, give them some insight, and they’ll dedicate the time to read.
I’m just pissed that they don’t include "Lord Of The Thighs" and "No More No More"!
Meanwhile, Aerosmith’s arrangement of "Train Kept A Rollin’" is the hardest track we’ve played yet on "Rock Band". Felice wanted to give up, we failed and lost fans… But she played it great the second time through, and then at another gig on the continent, and now not only do we have 40,000 fans and a bus, BUT A JET! We can now play ALL OVER THE WORLD! I’m more excited about that than seeing your lame new band… The modern era is about PARTICIPATION!
