The only reason I know they’re happening is I’m on Chet Flippo’s e-mail list.\u00c2\u00a0 But I wasn’t planning to tune in, even though another punter e-mailed me they were being broadcast on XM.<\/p>\n
But I’m driving home from Will Rogers Park, pushing the buttons on my radio, and after sampling the 60s, 70s and 80s, I ended up on Highway 16, where James McMurtry was just finishing up a number.<\/p>\n
Then the host started rambling, killing time before the next act set up.\u00c2\u00a0 He was telling the audience to thank the accounting firm that had tabulated the ballots, the company that made the awards, the person that designed them.\u00c2\u00a0 Then he finally introduced the musical host for the evening, Buddy Miller.<\/p>\n
I’ve come to love Buddy.\u00c2\u00a0 Check out his number with his wife Julie "You Make My Heart Beat Too Fast", or, in the alternative, "Dirty Water".\u00c2\u00a0 But I didn’t expect much.\u00c2\u00a0 Then the band started up and it was like flipping a switch, inflaming every bulb in your house.\u00c2\u00a0 They went from zero to 60 instantly.\u00c2\u00a0 I’m in the groove, carried away.<\/p>\n
Then…<\/p>\n
Buddy had said it was an honor to tour this summer with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.\u00c2\u00a0 That backstage during the tour they’d written a number, all I remember is it had "Leroy" in the title, and it was going to come out on his next album.<\/p>\n
Why bother.<\/p>\n
Then again, I guess if your audience is that small, you want something for them to remember you by.\u00c2\u00a0 If you just release a single, there’s nothing to hold on to.\u00c2\u00a0 So, even though word will never spread, you’re satisfying the core.<\/p>\n
And I want the song to be good, but when Buddy starts to sing, I’m thinking it’s average.\u00c2\u00a0 And then, through my speakers comes the mellifluous voice of ROBERT PLANT!<\/p>\n
Yes, mellifluous.\u00c2\u00a0 This isn’t the howler from Led Zeppelin, this is a crooner closer to Elvis than Screaming Lord Sutch.\u00c2\u00a0 But Robert’s not just adding some fills, he’s not just window dressing, he’s singing the whole verse!\u00c2\u00a0 To say I was mesmerized would be a disservice.\u00c2\u00a0 It was magic!\u00c2\u00a0 I melded with the sound coming out of the speakers.\u00c2\u00a0 I remembered all the great acts I saw in theatres before they hit the big time, before they hit arenas, if they ever did.\u00c2\u00a0 It was only about the music.\u00c2\u00a0 It was for the performers and the audience, that’s it.<\/p>\n
And that’s where we are again today.\u00c2\u00a0 If you’re playing for the press, you’re missing the point.\u00c2\u00a0 The "New York Times" had a story wherein a seasoned strategist said that TV campaign advertising was a waste of money.<\/p>\n
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