They got access via phishing scams.

Dopes are no match for nerds. And guns are no match for computers.

That’s right, 1’s and 0’s, computer networks revolutionized the music business and the wankers are still screaming… As for the politicians, they had no idea what happened to them.

Every day we get spam. Every day we get e-mails from our banks, our service providers, all kinds of entities that touch our lives…BUT WE KNOW NOT TO CLICK ON THEM!

Scary to think that those who want to run the world are clueless.

There’s a great divide in our culture akin to the one in the sixties. A generation gap. But this is one between those who know how to use computers, mobile phones, the internet, and those who don’t. Eventually we’ll get to the point where computers are secure, but we’re far from that point today. But baby boomers and Gen-X’ers think since they can touch the screen of their mobile phone they’re tech-savvy.

They’re not.

Want evidence?

Ask an oldster how to use Snapchat. Even better, ask them if they have a Snapchat account. Or you can even ask them if they use Twitter, the world’s breaking news service. They don’t because they think it’s too complicated, they’re too busy trying to impress each other on Facebook, being left behind all the while online.

Shawn Fanning was public enemy number one. Until he was replaced by a bunch of forgotten personages and now musicians blame Daniel Ek, as if he single-handedly stole their lunch. No, that is not true, by trying to live in the past they got left behind. When you hear someone wax rhapsodic about physical formats, when they talk about record company advances and sales, you know they’re clueless. Kind of like the mainstream media trumpeting first week sales. It’s all about constant streams, everybody under thirty knows that, but the old farts need that number one for their bio, not knowing that identities are fluid in the twenty first century and it’s not what you’ve done in the past but what you are continuing to do now, keep playing, keep evolving. You bought that sports car and your friends bought Priuses, then Teslas, and soon they won’t own any cars at all.

But at least you can see automobiles. You can’t see what’s going on behind the screen. Not unless you want to, not unless you’re savvy. Not unless you know how to do your own tech support. Isn’t it amazing, there’s no help left. Unless you want to overpay Apple, but even they can’t answer every question. But frequently the answer is as simple as PLUG IT IN!

Or reboot.

And I’m not saying a gun won’t kill you, but I am saying it won’t help you stand up to the government, the rationalization of these right wing blowhards. You’d be better off enlisting the fifteen year old with glasses. He or she can bring a corporation to its knees, turn off the power grid, all with the stroke of a few keys.

How could these politicians be so CLUELESS!

So busy puffing themselves up, they don’t live in the real world, they’ve got no idea what’s going on, they need to see themselves in the papers no one reads, it’s a club I tell you, meanwhile they’re missing out on real life all together.

I’d like to tell you the Russians were geniuses, educated sleuths who make your jaw drop. But the truth is they employed rudimentary techniques to crack the DNC and the rest of our government. Because the people manning those networks, using those networks, were so dumb and inexperienced they not only did not see what was happening, they essentially fed the enemy the information.

So, if you don’t know how to sync music for offline listening on Spotify…

You’re two steps behind.

Educate yourself. It’s your only hope to stay relevant.

Or you can bitch to your contemporaries as you’re wiped off the map.

Will this happen to the USA?

I certainly hope not.

But it could.

Because despite different parties, despite different viewpoints, the government is run by people who think they know but don’t.

Because something is happening here

And you don’t know what it is.

Do you, Mister Jones?

P.S. This is all laid out in this “New York Times” article “The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S.” It’s long, and in truth you don’t have to read all of it, but give it a start, to see how rudimentary the Russians’ techniques were. Someone’s got to speak the truth, someone’s got to do the investigation, and I applaud the “Times” here, but that does not mean anyone will read it. Want to know what’s going on? Then turn off your TV and read. The problem isn’t fake news, but the fact that people aren’t reading any news at all. (If you’re still getting your news from television, you’re old, you’re out of the loop. News happens online, where even the papers live. The “Times” may be boosting bookstores, but the people reading paper are the same people who are coughing up passwords via phishing scams. Stop holding on to the past, being holier-than-thou, shoot me for my position, but I’m right. At least I’m telling you, the younger generation is just ignoring you.)

The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S.

Whipping Post – Chris Stapleton

I’ve been run down
I’ve been lied to

I know this guy Kenny Greenberg. He’s married to Ashley Cleveland. We met when he was flown to L.A. for a session twenty years ago. He’s gone on to further success with the likes of Luke Bryan. And a month ago he told me about this new series he’s involved with called “Skyville Live.” No one’s ever heard of it. Because it’s paid for by Hearst and distributed on Verizon’s go90 and something called Rated Red and it might as well have been made on Mars. But Kenny just e-mailed me some links and my mind is BLOWN!

Who’s the hottest guy in country music?

CHRIS STAPLETON!

He’s fronting this band. All the rockers have now gone country, and Chris has got more credibility than any act on Active Rock and is much more listenable to boot, because instead of keeping the roots at arm’s length, he’s EMBRACING THEM!

Now, covers have become de rigueur. Something we see on YouTube, almost a cheap shot, somewhere you go when you’ve got nothing left to give.

But this version of “Whipping Post”…

The modern Allmans laid down in the groove and stayed there, they chugged along, whereas this is closer to the Atlanta Rhythm Section, in that the band is powering down the track like a freight train, building energy all the while, carrying you along whether you like it or not.

That’s the power of talent, that’s the power of MUSIC!

Sometimes I feel
Sometimes I feel

Like I can’t be reached, like I’ve seen it all, and then I hear this guy picking out the bass intro to “Whipping Post” and it’s like he’s channeling Berry Oakley, he may be sitting in a chair, but he’s got the music in him.

And then that guitar starts boomeranging and another one comes in and the horns start to blow and then…

Chris starts to sing like he means it. This is not the “Voice,” he’s not overblowing, trying to impress a phantom audience, rather he’s digging down deep and revealing his pain…and we can RELATE!

And the magic of the original Allmans was the twin guitars, and that’s what’ll get you going here, the way they lock in together and then separately solo and wail. When Kenny is working out all you can do is HOLD ON!

My friends tell me
That I’ve been such a fool
And I have to stand down and take it babe
All for lovin’ you

For loving classic rock. A format built on playing. You paid your dues, Duane Allman wouldn’t have known how to social network if Facebook existed, all he knew was when he strapped on his axe, you were closed.

The original version of “Whipping Post” is a marvel, on a Capricorn LP that was almost a complete stiff. But it’s still my favorite. With “Trouble No More” and “Dreams” too.

But I didn’t start there.

I became a fan listening to “Idlewild South” in Dave McCormick’s room on floor two of Hepburn Hall at Middlebury College during the far below freezing days of January. Who wasn’t infected by “Midnight Rider”?

The band was under control on that album, but they let loose on “Fillmore East.”

Overnight the Allman Brothers became the biggest in the land, that’s the power of playing.

And it was all about the side-long “Whipping Post.” They took the original and extended it, added the passion of a live performance, they blew everybody away with the music!

And at this point in time the band is no more. Duane and Berry have been gone for nearly half a century. You’d think you missed it.

But not when you see this “Skyville Live” amalgamation wail.

This is better than any Grammy performance, better than almost all of the Kennedy Center Honors. You get the feeling you’re at a rehearsal of people who did not get the memo, who did not hear that all the money is in banking and tech, who think pushing limits based on their talents is everything in life.

Screw those Grammy moments, faux greatness that leaves us with the blahs. Rather on “Skyville Live” it’s all about focusing on playing as opposed to image, after all music is something you HEAR first and foremost. It’s about a great tune, with great musicians locking on to it, all in service to the song.

If you’re not jumping up and thrusting your arm in the air when this track climaxes, you’ve never been to the rock show, you’ve never known how to let go, you’ve never known the power of music.

But you do now.

P.S. Meanwhile, if you let the Vimeo video play, and why does Vimeo even exist, everything should be on YouTube, especially these cuts, you’ll be exposed to a better take of “Copperhead Road” than the Steve Earle original. He’s now skinny, his hair is thinning, his beard is long, but his voice has deepened and if this makes you go back and listen to “Guitar Town” you’ll be exposed to one of the best country rock albums of all time!

Copperhead Road – Steve Earle

P.P.S. And Robert Hazard may be six feet under, but his anthem “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” lives on. Somehow the assembled multitude makes this overplayed classic live and breathe. And Cyndi Lauper gets help from the younger generation in this clip, but instead of doing it for the exposure, everybody seems to be having so much FUN!
And fun is the one thing that money can’t buy, remember that. It’s something you have to manufacture yourself, and we used to do it by picking up our instruments and strumming and singing and this is a direct link to what once was, but it doesn’t feel dated at ALL!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper

P.P.P.S. Distribution is king, never forget that. Content is what flows through the pipes, and if the pipes are clogged what you’ve made is never gonna reach its destination. The original era of the internet is toast, instant virality is history, everything needs a campaign, everything needs to be worked. And you cannot break immutable laws, you’ve got to go where the people are, you can’t be exclusive to Tidal and you can’t only be on Vimeo. You’ve got to play with the winners, you’ve got to go where the people are!

P.P.P.P.S. And everybody says you’ve got to go to England to see stuff like this. That everybody in America is in it for the cash, and what ultimately is revealed is too slick, too corporate, made for machines, not humans. But then you watch these “Skyville” clips and you think if this just got a push, if people were exposed not only would they be wowed, they’d want to join in and play too!

P.P.P.P.P.S. Listen to Orianthi wail on ZZ Top’s “La Grange.” Music is a big tent, short ones, small ones, big ones, tall ones, girls, boys, we all can play, all you’ve got to do is practice, get off the internet and pay your dues. As for the rest of us, we’re looking for your music to complete us, to turn this life of drudgery into one of excitement, as the assembled multitude does in these clips.

Billy Gibbons – La Grange

Why isn’t this a hit in America?

The Rag’n’Bone Man track  is #1 in eight countries right now, it’s been to number 1 on iTunes in 25 countries, it’s #2 on the European Airplay chart and is even #4 on worldwide Shazam (thanks ROTD for the stats!), but in the States it’s like it doesn’t even exist.

It’s a two listen get. First time you’re interested, the second time you’re hooked, and then with every hearing thereafter you get deeper into it.

Start with the Spotify version, because music really should be heard not seen, even though we keep hearing we live in a visual society, the truth is music when done right goes straight into your brain, bypasses your vision, which might be why Stevie Wonder is such a great artist.

Human – Spotify

But then pull up the video on YouTube, because it’s got its own gravitas, separate from the sound, the images make you believe this is important and that young people have their finger on the zeitgeist and musicians speak for society, when they shoot for that, when they see their art as primarily being about expression as opposed to money.

Human – YouTube

Then click on the live version from Jools Holland. We want to believe you can do it without the trappings, without the studio wizardry/trickery, that you’ve got the essence in you.

And at first Rag’n’Bone Man is underwhelming, he’s quiet and then his power builds and you’re convinced.

This is the way it’s always been, we can’t get enough, we want more, every version.

Human – Live

Some people got the real problems
Some people out of luck

Ain’t that the truth. Remember when musicians channeled our pain instead of boasting?

What a refreshing revelation.

Don’t ask my opinion, don’t ask me to lie
Then beg for forgiveness for making you cry, making you cry

We don’t know. We’ve got more questions than answers. We’re all struggling to get along, to get through. But if you push us we’ll say something, something untrue, something you don’t want to hear, but there will be consequences, there are always consequences.

“Human” was released on July 21st, by Sony Music, it’s been hiding in plain sight, this is not some indie track bubbling in the backwater, why hasn’t this song gotten a chance in the United States, especially now, in an era where the country is divided, it’s hurting and we need healing.

We live in a global village, but with so many marketing messages even the good ones can get lost, they need a push.

Who is failing to push the button in America?

Did Sony drop the ball? Is it waiting for the right time? Waiting is passe, set-up is history, when you’ve got lightning in a bottle, you go for it.

Or it is radio? Stations could own this track, they could play it immediately, the phones would light up, people would need to hear it again. And again. And AGAIN!

Or maybe Spotify could put “Human” on the homepage, seed it in playlists, make it a hit all by its lonesome, but the streaming service is afraid to piss off the labels.

“Human” has got 46+ million streams on Spotify.

It’s got 44+ million on YouTube.

Which means “Human” is getting more spins on paid streaming services, especially once you mix in Apple, Deezer, Tidal, Napster, et al… Is YouTube really the problem? People seem to be gravitating to other services because they’re most user-friendly, with their playlists, mobile utility…

I’m no prophet or messiah
You should go looking somewhere higher

None of us know, none of us is better than anybody else. But we keep hearing people tell us they have the answers.

But they’re only human.

P.S. And now listen to the acoustic version on Spotify, whew!

Human – Acoustic

P.P.S. “Human” is gonna be a monster hit in America, it’s just a matter of when. You heard it here first.

The job of an artist is to speak truth to power.

Where have all the artists gone?

They’re hiding. Afraid of losing their living, just like the rest of America, especially those who voted for Trump.

America is a nation of ideas. A country where everybody is created equal, where everybody gets a fair chance, but not only are those precepts teetering, our entire democracy is being challenged, by the Russians.

And if you don’t trust the CIA, who are you going to trust?

Certainly not Fox News or Breitbart, who refused to report this story.

Fake news from outside agitators? It’s much worse than that, the established news outlets are now untrustworthy. Except for the “Washington Post,” reignited by Jeff Bezos. Because when you’re a billionaire, you’re unafraid.

Now when you’re an artist, you’re just plain scared.

It’s not like we didn’t live through this before, fifty-odd years ago. The Russians were the enemy, but JFK stood up to them, ended the Cuban Missile Crisis, now we’ve got a half-cocked doofus with no experience pointing out Putin’s advantages. If that doesn’t make your head spin, your spine is fused.

So the responsibility is upon us. You and me, the rank and file.

And we’re going to be inspired by the artists, they’re gonna lead, just like they did back then.

But it requires all of us to come together, to stand up to this insanity. Record labels, concert promoters, agents, RADIO! We cannot see a repeat of the Dixie Chicks situation, where media bowed down to the naysayers most vocal. No, media has to push back.

HBO. CBS. Netflix. That’s right, we’re going to harness the power of television, the same enterprise that put this bozo in office, and we’re gonna put him on notice, we’re mad as hell and we’re not gonna take it anymore! Jimmy Iovine, this is time for you to organize, like you did after 9/11, we need a concert on all these outlets, to speak the truth!

It’s already started folks, just look at the cabinet appointments. The majority of this country did not vote for this. And we’re gonna push back. Starting now.

Max Martin, you’re the only one who can save us, along with a bunch of other expats, foreigners like DJ Snake and Mark Ronson, the people who make the hits, you’re under the spotlight, you’ve got to write the track.

All you wannabes looking for publicity, we don’t need you. Unless you’re gonna do cover versions of the hit track. We need the people who make the Spotify Top 50, because they’ve got the greatest reach, they’re the ones people are truly listening to.

Drake, Beyonce, Jay Z, even Kanye. You’ve got to step up to the mic! Of course Drake is Canadian, but so is Neil Young, and he wrote “Ohio”!

And the words are gonna be written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. There’s more truth in “Hamilton” than there is in a passel of hip-hop tracks. As for rock, they haven’t had that spirit there since 1969. But we will give Don Henley and Bob Dylan a crack. We don’t want to exclude winners, we just want a hit song everybody wants to listen to.

Which is broken on Spotify, because that’s where all the hits begin. Daniel Ek has to give this track real estate, homepage status. Apple too, this is a unified effort. This is artists against insanity, and if you support Trump…we don’t need you, unless you suddenly realize you’re in support of truth, justice and the American Way.

The truth is the Russians hacked. Justice means there must be responsibility. And the American Way is democracy, where everyone gets a voice and the majority rules.

Assuming everything’s on the up and up, assuming everything’s fair and square.

This is where we’ve gotten to folks, where facts are irrelevant. And it’s only gonna get worse. The problem isn’t fake news, it’s the newsmakers themselves, they’ve hijacked our country and are telling us to trust them.

No way.

P.S. Didn’t you learn in school that if everybody takes responsibility no one pays the penalty? Or if everyone is penalized the joke is on those enforcing the policy? Have a backbone, all of us must become unafraid. Our country is at stake, truly.

P.P.S. This is not about a re-election but a realignment. We’re gonna hold Trump and his cronies responsible. And push back if they want to cut abortion rights and Social Security and Medicare…because the majority want them!

P.P.P.S. The youth stopped the Vietnam War. And they were fueled by music. Never underestimate the power of art. One person can make a difference. One hit song can turn things around. And it’s our duty to make it and break it.

P.P.P.P.S. Send me hate mail, unsubscribe. I can take it, it’s no time to be afraid. I’m sick of the right pushing back, it’s time for the left to thrust. And, once again, this isn’t about changing the election results, this is about changing America, holding the government accountable to us, the people. This is the biggest crisis in your lifetime. We’re looking for leaders. We’re ready to fall in behind them. A politician is no match for a musician, no way.