Something’s wrong here.  Because this guy is good!

I got this e-mail:

From: Ben Sheehan
Subject: RE: Billy Joel On Howard Stern

I saw Todd Alsup last week, and I’ve never felt this way about a triple threat since Billy Joel. Read between the lines on this one — it could be this generation’s political anthem.

How I’m Made

That’s worth a click through, don’t you think?

This is a very easy process, the music never lives up to the hype, someone is friends with the performer or took a hot date to the show and listening at home it just doesn’t work.

But this does.

Maybe he’s a bit too Bruce Roberts.  Maybe it’s unclear what his sexuality is and who the target audience is.  But if you think this guy has no talent you know nothing.

But he’s got absolutely no traction.  No label.  Hell, you can listen to the music on his site but you can’t even buy it.  Huh?

He’s hyping some "Billboard" thing.  Guess that must not mean much, because he’s nowhere.  Hell, his site hasn’t even been updated recently, the news is from earlier this year.  But he does have a gig on December 1st at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA, wherever that is.

But I’d figure this guy would kill at colleges.  Especially those out of the way, far from the metropolis, starved for quality live entertainment.

Ellen champions Greyson Chance when there are people like Todd Alsup out there?

Are we truly more interested in people who are good for their age than those who’ve grown up and learned how to do it themselves?

What’s wrong here?

I can find out hardly anything.  I’ve never heard of the manager.  Maybe Todd’s just got the wrong team.

Or maybe he just doesn’t care enough himself.

This guy is close.  Clive Davis could easily make him a star.  If he had a team behind him, he’d have a career overnight, there’s always room for someone who can write and sing catchy songs with melody.

I’m not saying his lyrics are as insightful as Billy Joel’s…  Then again, this is just the beginning.  Maybe with time Todd Alsup could develop.  Then again, maybe he couldn’t.

All I know is if this record came out when I was in college everybody would know who Todd Alsup was and if he played a gig he’d be the biggest act on campus.

Either Todd’s got to hook up with a booking agent who gets him 250 gigs a year or he’s got to find a whole new team, committed to breaking him, because right now he’s nowhere.

But he made an impression on Ben Sheehan and now he’s made an impression on me.  Then again, he’s not as good as Gabe Dixon, but he’s younger.

Are we so trend-centric, are we so beat-oriented that we can’t give regular music a chance?

I’ve been playing Todd’s tunes for the past hour.  I’ve gotten stuck on a couple of tracks.  Like "The Way It Goes" and the last one on the page, "The Good Fight".

Todd, fire everybody you’re working with, they’ve got it wrong.  Or you just don’t want it bad enough.  Because you’re close.  If you just hang in there, you’re gonna make it.  I can hear it.

Click on the titles and the songs will play: Todd Alsup