Drink Up Buttercup

A little treat for all my readers: A video clip of Drink Up Buttercup! They have had quite a year and the New Year looks very bright. They have recently worked with Bill Moriarty the recording engineer for Dr. Dog and Man Man, and have shared some of the new tracks on their myspace site. Their site will make you dizzy or smile! Seeing them live is an experience! The show dates in NY and Philly are listed on their site.

Music Blogger, Year End Thoughts

Viva! The Blog
Years ago it took an eternity for any publication to write about a band or write a live review. There is a place for those magazine relics, but for current up to date coverage the online community is the destination. Bloggers are now a very relevant part of the mix giving exposure to varying genres that are neglected by the mainstream press. Google has taken note and is offering new ways to find Blog content. There are music Blogs that have established a level of trust and a point of view. Matt and Mike at Ear Farm come to mind as one of the standouts. Ear Farm is honest, personable, informative and very entertaining. So Viva the Blog!


Romance of the DIY Movement
Another thought I've been pondering is the romance of the DIY movement. Doing music for the love of it. I think that all musicians agree that music will be apart of their lives no matter what happens to their future plans. The romance is perpetrated by the young and kept alive in houses, garages and alternative venues all across the country.

Talented and spirited bands embrace the ethic of non-commercialism. I understand this is a point of view but here is where I part company. Things start to sour, when they get older and have to find viable financial alternatives to live. Someone at twenty-one has different concerns then at twenty-seven. As many of their peers graduate from college, they find themselves financially lost. There is nothing wrong with music being a life long endeavor, without monetary compensation. If music is a career choice, money should be an important factor.

Commercialism, Strange Bedfellows
It is a sad state of affairs when bands have to choose strange bedfellows like commercials and TV spots to gain exposure. I welcome it but it does leave me with a bad taste. I realize it now is a staple in exposing new music. I also understand the reasoning behind using new music for such spots. The music is good and has had no radio play.

I work with young people whose musical taste is driven by pop culture and whose only exposure to music is what they hear on the radio or TV commercials. So it was quite interesting when I played the Feist tune, "Mushaboom" from her 2004 release Let It Die and watched their ears suddenly stand at attention. The voice recognition was powerful. Last year I played it with very different results. So exposure obviously works. Unfortunately, they are not open to new things they have never heard.

A Declaration of Independence
Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned forwarded the Declaration of independence via a myspace bulletin. It is from a site called 001 Collective. It is a very impassioned document, one I feel was written with the utmost sincerity. My only complaint is their assumption that creating and performing and doing what you love is not work. I beg to differ. Bands work hard! Their life on the road is grueling and the tenuous nature of the music business is stressful as well. Yes they are doing what they love but at a cost. Many have other jobs they do between gigs. That is called dedication and hard work.

The 001 Collective premise of offering music for free will ultimately be good for some bands. The concept is one that is being explored by bands like Beat Radio and labels like Team Love. This is a collective concept with one person being the arbiter of whose music is included. I guess the success of this collective all depends on his taste in music. I wish them luck.

Wish List Rant: Independant Music

• I wish bands and musicians, old and new, who have monetary success or a large fan base, would share the stage and help musicians/bands who are not as fortunate. Two great examples; are David Bowie and Bright Eyes.
• I wish that Bookers would be bolder and create eclectic and diverse lineups that are not genre specific but sound great together.
• I wish more Bloggers would take a chance and try not to present the same buzzed-about playlist.
  
• I wish that audiences would commit to listening.
• I wish that there were better venues for solo acoustic performers.
• I wish that more people that get music for free would find it in their hearts and reach into their pockets and support the music they enjoy. Go to a show, buy a tee shirt, and pay for a recording. Support the music you love, or it will not survive
• I wish that a wider audience could hear great music. (That’s a pipe dream). It could change the culture in a good way.

Hop Along Queen Ansleis/ Great Cover Song

This is just too good! I had to share it! It's easy to spread around, so press the envelope and make someone happy!