Today in Music History 05/31

TiMH May 31

In 1948, legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham is born.

In 1969, The Rolling Stones recorded “Honky Tonk Women.”

In 1969, The Plastic Ono Band recorded “Give Peace A Chance” during a ‘bed-in’ at the Hotel La Reine in Montreal, Canada.

In 1975, the Eagles released the “One Of These Nights” single.

In 1982, R.E.M. signed a five-album deal with I.R.S. Records, an independent label based in California.

Volume and intensity do not necessarily equal value and intelligence.

©2008 Tom Leu

Today in Music History 05/30

TiMH May 30

In 1964, Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello is born.

In 1964, The Beatles’ single “Love Me Do” hit #1 in the United States.

In 1968, The Beatles began recording sessions for the White album.

In 1975, Paul McCartney & Wings release the Venus and Mars album.

In 1992, The Black Crowes’ second album, The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion, went to No.1 on the US album chart.

People often ask the question “Why?” when fearing they know the answer already, but want a different one.

©2008 Tom Leu

how to get traffic for your blog

Here is a very informative post from best-selling author Seth Godin on how to attract traffic and keep people coming back to your blog again and again. I refer to it often. Click HERE to read the entire 56-point post! Web-hounds everywhere will be glad you did.

©2008 Tom Leu

“Simplicity”

Simplicity by Mark Salomon

A very interesting book written by the lead singer from the rock band Stavesacre, whose music career had been spent primarily in the evangelical Christian market.  Mark discusses his life and journey to and through his faith, his music, and his resolve today to resist labels and categorization.  Finally someone who really tells it like it is without sugar-coating.  An insiders looks at the intersection of music and faith. A great read for musicians and spiritual seekers alike.  BUY it here.

©2008 Tom Leu

lost and found

Many religious adherents applaud those who claim to have been “lost” but are now “found” - this is viewed as good. 

Their system is set up to save the lost and free the found. The lost are herded into the confines of the flock where they are shown the way… the right way; the only way, some say. They join the team and begin to identify with the like-minded, previously lost, but now-found-fellowship. Their new-found conviction now requires the recruitment of new converts. And on and on it goes…

But what about those who claim no need for some brand of spiritual group identification or belonging? There are many well-adjusted people who have no need to be affiliated with some group to know who they are - and no need to be told and sold what to believe in. This is viewed as bad because these folks (according to fellowship), are still lost – blindly believing they aren’t. See how it works? The only true way is their way… those who “believe the good stuff” as I’ve heard it said. You cannot win otherwise. And “winning” of course means an eternal spiritual victory and everlasting life because you chose the right team.

This is self-serving, circular reasoning that initially appears very compelling, but is hardly true. One’s identity need not be produced from some group ideology. As soon as one has to belong to a group to really belong, the purpose of the group is now defeated and its value diminished.

Here’s a thought:

Instead of “lost” → “found”

How about ”learning” → “growing” → ”fulfilled”

Works for me…

Photo – July 17^th, 1963: A collection of bibles at a lost and found area at a Jehovah’s Witness convention. (Photo by Reg Lancaster/Express/Getty Images)

©2008 Tom Leu

“What God Wants”

What God Wants by Neale Donald Walsch

Easily the most impactful book of spiritual reflections that I have ever read.  The questions, the current and historical references, and the logic behind the book’s premise are profoundly simple, but startling.  Reading this book urges me to further explore other great spiritual texts of the world besides only those common to the western culture.  If you’re unwilling to even consider the concepts presented here, you’re in danger of missing out on universal truths that have impacted world cultures throughout history and across centuries.  BUY it here.

©2008 Tom Leu

Why is it…? #4

…that some assume enthusiasm equals evidence?

…that so often feelings get confused with facts?

…that some adhere to religion at the expense of reason?

…that so many attempt to make science out of that which is only speculation?

©2008 Tom Leu

Today in Music History 05/23

TiMH May 23

In 1934, inventor of the synthesiser Robert Moog is born. 

In 1970, Paul McCartney’s debut solo album, McCartney, started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart.

In 1974, singer/songwriter Jewel Kilcher is born.

In 1979, due to a record company dispute, Tom Petty was forced to file for bankruptcy.

In 1979, The Who’s documentary “The Kids Are Alright” debuted in theaters.

It’s our convictions, not our circumstances that most affect our outcomes.

©2008 Tom Leu

25 Worst Hair Metal Bands?

My recent “25 Best Hair Metal Bands” post got enough attention that I decided to post Part 2. Again, this list was authored by Rob O’Connor (List of the Day) and originally published on Yahoo.com. Again, I definitely don’t agree with all the following choices, nor their particular ranking, but wanted your thoughts on this issue nonetheless. Enjoy… I guess.

25) Mr. Big: One of the hard truths about a band is that no matter how many “stars” or “players” it has, it still has to deliver beyond an individual’s reputation. Billy Sheehan and Paul Gilbert are two admirable musicians, experts on their instruments. But in order to be a commercial success, despite all their shredding, they had to strike–and you’ll see this sad trend play out often in this genre–with an acoustic tune, “To Be With You,” and that’s plain wrong.

24) Y&T: These guys were around forever, putting out their debut album in the 1970s and somehow finding their groove during the ’80s metal years. Granted, they named an album Ten, a full two years before Pearl Jam, so I guess we could call them influential. But staring at their oeuvre, the word “forgettable” seems to more easily apply.

23) Bang Tango: They tried. But L.A. had a lot of bands to choose from and while I could’ve advised the band not to sign to MCA, who even Lynyrd Skynyrd managed to write a song against, these earnest, eager, hungry boys gave it a shot with albums such as Psycho Caf� and Dancin’ On Coals. They just couldn’t get their hairspray to stick out of the crowd.

22) Shotgun Messiah: From Sweden, so maybe some things get lost in translation. Their singer sure could scream. I remember that. But they could never settle on a line-up or an identity, sounding like an imitation of RATT one album and then Guns n’ Roses the next. Tim Skold turned the band towards industrial music before joining up with KMFDM and MDFMK and–tired of all the initials–then began playing bass for Marilyn Manson.

21) Lizzy Borden: In retrospect, these guys weren’t so much bad as indistinguishable from the many other talents of their era. They didn’t overplay any more than usual and they never had a singer who made you want to jump out of a moving vehicle. And that’s what’s really wrong here. Lizzy Borden evoke no reaction whatsoever. You might as well be listening to air.

20) Trixter: The glam metal band from New Jersey who weren’t related to Bon Jovi. It might have helped. Word is they’re coming back in 2008. I guess the Puppet Show at Six Flags is in need of an opening act this year. What Trixter lacked in originality–they had tunes named “Surrender” (not a Cheap Trick cover) and “One In A Million” (not the Guns n’ Roses tune)–they made up for with, well, their lack of originality.

19) Danger Danger: While it’s admirable that these hard rockers from Queens had a concept, I’m not sure that repeating everything twice is a good concept. But sure enough, songs like “Naughty Naughty” and “Bang Bang” do what they set out to do and fulfill the “legacy” of the band’s name. They’re another band threatening a comeback. To which we say “No No,” “Stop Stop.”

18) Autograph: One of the earlier L.A. hair metal bands, Autograph had their hit “Turn Up The Radio” featured in an episode of Miami Vice and the band made a cameo in a Dudley Moore-Kirk Cameron film called Like Father Like Son, which did about as well as it should have. Sometimes there is justice in the universe. Just not that often.

17) Dokken: Formed in the 1970s, these heavy metal lifers, after a few years of false starts, finally got to consistently make records in the 1980s just in time to be too late. Or is that too old? Youth culture can be cruel if you’re not Ozzy Osbourne–then you’re just grandpa. As for Don Dokken, no matter how many hits he has–and he’s had quite a few–he still ends up being everyone else’s opening act. And that tells us something.

16) Bulletboys: This Naples, Florida ensemble (crap, they originated in, what, a retirement village?) got compared to Van Halen because they used the same producer and their singer liked to whoop and holler like prime-time David Lee. So, great–why not just form a Van Halen tribute band and rake in some real money?
15) Lita Ford: The Runaways provided some great trashy rock ‘n’ roll, but Ford’s ’80s output just smacks of over-processed cheese. And why is it that when these hard rockers finally team up with other hard rockers, in Lita’s case Ozzy Osbourne, it’s for a freakin’ ballad? (That would be “Close My Eyes Forever.”) If you’re going to duet on a ballad, call Barry Manilow!

14) Stryper: Christian Metal is just wrong, and quite possibly an oxymoron. I suppose you could say it’s more rebellious since it rebels against the traditional concept of rebellion. But then that would make activities such as mowing the lawn, doing the dishes and getting a haircut all part of a Satanic plot. I go with that King Of The Hill show that, when confronted with a Christian rock band, laid it out straight with something like this: you’re not making Christianity better, you’re making rock n’ roll worse.

13) Great White: Even before the great fire in that small Rhode Island club that stained whatever legacy they’d aimed for, Great White were responsible for bland, routine glam metal that screwed up a perfectly good Ian Hunter song in “Once Bitten, Twice Shy.” The band has also suffered enough line-up changes that even their founder Jack Russell has taken to calling different line-ups “Fake White.”

12) Slaughter: Never trust bands that form after so many other bands have already succeeded with the same formula. You can’t blame Mark Slaughter for starting his own band. Everyone knows that being the singer in a band means you’re as important as the guitar player–even if that guitar player is Vinnie Vincent and you’re part of his “Invasion”–and you should capitalize on it by maintaining ultimate lead singer dominance at all costs.

11) Giuffria: ’70s goofy glam boys Angel were a sight to behold and if someone had to guess who from that band would succeed on their own, chances are the smart money would’ve been on Punky Meadows and not keyboardist Greg Giuffria. Yet, it was Greg who put together this unrocking set of dudes and a tune called “Call To The Heart” that was their only real hit. They stopped soon after. Merci!

10) White Lion: So this is what it sounds like “When the Children Cry.” Their first label rejected their debut album. And now singer Mike Tramp is planning on a new record and tour with a completely new version of the band. I suppose somebody will notice this. Who does he think he is, Axl Rose?

9) Damn Yankees: Gee, Tommy Shaw of Styx and Ted Nugent of Ted Nugent form a band and it’s not very good? How could that possibly happen? Who screwed this up? I mean, according to Ted Nugent, he’s great. And who wouldn’t believe Ted Nugent? After all, he had a hit in 1977, so he’s right up there with Debby Boone and Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band. Actually “High Enough” was a huge hit. Enough to make your head hurt. Where’d I put the Head-On?

Warrant: How many forms of wretched can one band deliver? Well, if “Heaven” isn’t enough for you, there’s always a little “Cherry Pie” to go along with it on the side. Power ballads! Crappy stadium anthems! And guest spots from the guys in Danger Danger and Poison! It’s like a recipe straight from Rachael Ray.

7) Bad English: A “supergroup” with guys from Journey and John Waite! And a hit song–”When I See You Smile”–written by the ultimate “professional” songwriter Diane “Un-break My Heart” Warren. Well, then, who needs rock n’ roll when you have true media professionals providing the entertainment? Even Waite admitted to not enjoying his time in this corporate rock monolith! Not really music, but an incredible simulation!

6) Europe: What does it tell you about a band when their most successful album, in Europe’s case The Final Countdown, inspires its guitar player to leave? Millions buy the album. Radio and TV play the song and video and the people who create it question what the hell they’re doing. The guitarist in question did eventually return–but only years later, when I guess he ran out of other things to do.

5) Whitesnake: Whitesnake were around for so long that we’re ignoring their decade as a blues band to focus on their decade as a vehicle for the dissemination of once-upon-a-wife Tawny Kitaen videos. Singer David Coverdale got so tired of being compared to Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant that he signed up with Zep’s Jimmy Page and formed the imaginatively titled Coverdale-Page. When that didn’t go so well, Page re-found Robert Plant and Coverdale re-found Whitesnake. Reality TV re-found Tawny. This is starting to sound Biblical.

4) W.A.S.P.: “We Are Sexual Perverts”? “We Are So Perfect”? “We Ain’t Sure, Pal”? “We Are (expletive deleted) Performers”? Coming from the same scene as Motley Crue, RATT and Quiet Riot, W.A.S.P. excelled at being the “least good” of the batch. For their efforts, they were razzed by the Parents Music Resource Center, a group of Washington Wives who would’ve made an even worse band had they picked up instruments. Tipper Gore, contrary to speculation, was no Tawny Kitaen.

3) Extreme: “More Than Words” may be the dullest song in the English language. And it’s had plenty of competition. How uninspired a singer is Extreme vocalist Gary Cherone? Well, he joined Van Halen and made people miss Sammy Hagar.

2) Skid Row: The only advantage of listening to Sebastian Bach sing is that it means he isn’t talking. If Ozzy wasn’t Ozzy, he’d be on this list, too, since anyone who has ever been considered a “celebrity” of any kind who agrees to be on a reality TV show is telling the world their career is in the toilet. I mean, look at the company you’re joining? Peter Brady? Dave Navarro? Emmanuel Lewis?

1) Poison: Why? Do you have to ask? For “Unskinny Bop.” For “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” For “Nothin’ But a Good Time.” For a cover of “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” already one of the worst songs of all time, even before Poison touched it. Have you ever heard Rikki Rockett or C.C. DeVille speak? Have you listened to these albums? They’ve sold over 25 million albums? And Bret Michaels still needs to do a reality TV show? Great, he’s no longer the singer of a band but an understudy for Flavor Flav.

Courtesy of www.yahoo.com

©2008 Tom Leu

new music screening

Unfortunately, too many artists and bands really don’t have a clue when it comes to realistically assessing the quality of their recorded music when submitting for airplay, gigs, or general promotion… the following article demystifies what those of us in the biz are really looking, and listening for.

I think many of us take the music we hear on the radio for granted.  We quickly assess whether we like a piece of music or not, giving little regard to amount of work “behind the scenes” that went into getting “the song” on the radio in the first place.  Rarely do songs just end up getting radio or television airplay by accident.  A tremendous amount of work writing, recording, and marketing the music takes place long before we hear it blasting through our speakers.  My experience as a musician, manager, and radio producer point to three things that get immediate attention when listening to or screening new music by an artist or group.  If you are submitting music for airplay consideration in any medium, pay close attention to these factors in order:

The first thing that anyone listening to music will notice is the production value.  This is the overall sonic quality of a recording.  This has everything to do with engineering, production, mixing and mastering.  You don’t have to be Mutt Lange or Quincy Jones to tell if a recording has been done well or not.  This factor is instantly recognizable within the first 20 seconds or so of listening to a track (more on this later).  With all of the technology available today for recording, there is really little excuse for poor audio or production quality.  While producing music has become much easier and affordable in recent years, most bands and artists are still better off leaving the engineering and production to a professional who really knows what they are doing.

The second thing that gets listened to is the lead vocal.  You simply have to have a very strong lead singer… period.  If the singer doesn’t connect with a listener right from the start, the whole song is in jeopardy, at least from the perspective of that listener.  “Great” singing is obviously a subjective concept that involves many variables and preferences.  Great singing isn’t necessarily limited to those with the best tonality, pitch, or vocal range.  It also refers to the emotion, passion, originality, and authenticity a singer brings to a vocal performance.  Think about it… have you ever heard a really good or great song that was sung, in your opinion, by a mediocre (or worse) lead singer?  How likely are you to return to or purchase that song again for future listening?  Very unlikely.  On the other hand, many average songs get recorded by great singers and become hits.  While it’s true that the song can help the artist; it’s even more true that an artist can hinder a song.  Be objective and insist on having great lead vocals. 

The third, and arguably the most important part to listen for when screening new music is the songwriting.  The reason this is third is only because most musical recordings introduce you to the production quality and lead vocal long before you can assess the actual songwriting merit.  This is why most A&R staff or radio program directors will usually listen to a song at least through the first verse and chorus.  This is just long enough to assess the production, vocals, and songwriting in that order.  If they like what they hear, they will let it play… and probably play the tune again and again.  Think about your own music listening habits.  When you hear a song you like, do you stop the song in the middle of it or do you play it over and over again?  While it’s true that some songs do “grow on you” after several listens, this is usually the exception, not the rule.  Psychologically speaking, the songs that have “grown on us” is simply due to the repetition factor wreaking havoc on our brains, and not necessarily due to a song’s overall quality. 

So will your music pass the “20 second test”?  Many industry pros will tell you that it only takes about 20 seconds or so of listening to most music to get a good idea if it’s gonna fly or not.  The production quality usually gives clues about the quality of the rest of the track.  If you can’t be objective and honest about the production of your music, chances are you haven’t been objective about the singing or songwriting either.  Real honesty and objectivity is missing with most indie music out there.  Sad but true.  Too many artists and bands get this stuff out of order.  For most groups, the focus is often on just existing first; quality and professionalism come later.  This is obviously a mistake…a big mistake.  Production value can be forgiven and more easily corrected than an average or poor lead vocal.  And fortunately, lead singers can be replaced easier than getting someone to write, not just a good, but a great song.

Another observation and comment… Yes it’s important and cool if the musicianship of a group is top notch.  You have to have musicians that can play, and can preferably play well.  It’s great if the guitar player really shreds and the drummer is out of this world, but these aspects of a band are more important in a live setting than on an actual recording.  The fact is that “bands” of musicians can be put together relatively easily at any time to perform live and put on a great show.  Those players with excellent chops and superior musicianship skills are capable of quickly replicating most music made.  Recording a great track of a great song is a little more difficult however.  Technique should never replace feel and emotion… play for the song first, the record second, and ego third.

You have to have a great song with a great and hopefully memorable lead vocalist, competent musicians, and then combine these elements into the creation of a sonically superb recording.  Analog or digital recording…?  It doesn’t really matter.  At the end of the day the question is – did it move you?  I believe most people could really care less whether music is recorded on Pro Tools or on two-inch analog tape.

The Bottom Line:  If you’re music is not ready to be “released,” then don’t release it… yet.  Seek out feedback from objective music fans AND music professionals at the same time.  The pros aren’t always the final authority anymore than your manager’s girlfriend is.  A healthy combination of both, mixed with honesty and objectivity will do you more good in the long run than folks simply telling you what you want to hear.  If you write great songs with strong lead vocals, and then give these songs professional production, you will be ahead of 95% of all other artists and bands out there.  So are you interested in standing out from your peers or being just another one of a million bands out there? If you want to be heard, you have to separate yourself from the herd…

www.NewBandTips.com

©2008 Tom Leu