( 1:50 AM )
Red Hot
There's been some discussion about bands sending their demos to 2Walls for reviews. Frankly, most of the CDs/demos I've received suck. Rarely does a band have that thing that can make a disc stand out - originality, an excellent vocalist, a unique sound, unbelievable chops, or some kind of combination of those things. Then, if the band found a way to display their talent, you realize they have no memorable songs. So that's just the way it is - 99% of bands suck, and so do their recordings.
But I'm not opposed to bands sending in their demos. I'm an unbelievable optimist, and I just know that someday I'm going to open a package, slip the disc in, and get that spine tingling feeling that makes me freak out. I'm also a musician, and I know what it's like to put your heart and soul into making music and hoping that someone out there gets it and appreciates it. Being in a band for me was like us against the world. It was our little club, and fuck you because you can't be a member. And I really loved my band and thought that we were great. Not good, but great. When we came off stage, I was always sure that we had just rocked the friggin' house, and that "my band is red hot, your band ain't didly squat." So I didn't need you to pat me on the back and tell me that we were smoking.
But in the 5+ years since Spitball broke up, I've listened to our tapes and came to realize that there were good things about us, and there were bad things about us. Our lead vocalist wrote penetrating guitar hooks, and had a very unique sound and style that were all his own. Unfortunately his influences included Bob Dylan, Joe Strummer, Lou Reed, and Leonard Cohen - all great artists, all not so amazing singers. And while our guy got the benefit of their brilliance, he also got the off-key, heavy on the clams vocal stylings when he opened his mouth. Not so bad when he did that talk thing like Lou, but pretty awful when he was trying to hit notes. Not that there weren't other things about Spitball that sucked, but since the drummer and bass player were on par with Moon & Entwistle, we won't delve into their deficiencies here.
So I guess the point is, if you're sending a demo into 2Walls, make sure you're proud as hell of it. There will be problems - botched notes, tempo changes, horrible mixes, etc. But in your heart, you should KNOW that it was the best you could do at that moment for that amount of mula. Already, though, I can tell you that your band probably sucks. But likewise, you'll know you're sending your music to a guy who has his head up his ass.
( 11:18 PM )
It’s My Party
Alright - the elections are over, and I’m finally catching up on some rest. It’s been all work the last 2 months of my life, and I’m very glad it’s over. My candidate won, and I’m happy because her opponent was a rich, spoiled brat who ran a nasty, negative campaign against us, and because Liz is such an inspiring person. So I managed to do some good.
In the mean time, a couple of thoughts:
Bush sucks……I’m happy a woman will be the highest ranking Democrat in the House……I spoke with Lesley Gore (“It’s My Party” and “You Don’t Own Me”), and I thought that was cool because she was nice, and her voice is whiskey-worn, and cigarette scratched……How in the hell can the SF Giants let Dusty Baker leave? I understand Dusty wanting to manage the Cubbies, but c’mon, this guy is a keeper……My Steelers are looking good. Look for an all Pennsylvania Super Bowl this year…….Larry King sucks……I gotta go online and find that Nirvana song……Trev Alberts of ESPN keeps saying the Ohio State Buckeyes are not the best team in the Big Ten, but there’s a reason for the ‘defense wins championships’ cliché, and the Bucks D is awesome……My boss is a complete, fucking moron. Look for one of us to be out of a job soon!....
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