Nerf Herder - Nerf Herder IV (Oglio Records)

Taking their name from an epithet hurled at Han Solo by Princess Leia in the Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back, this band of nerd rockers (made up of singer/guitarist Parry Gripp, drummer Steve “The Cougar” Sherlock, and bassist Charlie Dennis) is now entering it’s second decade with all members intact, no small feat in its’ own right considering popular bands today go through more members than your typical McDonald’s in a six-month timespan. Read more

The Live Rock and Roll Experience

I have made the case in the past how it is important, if you REALLY love rock and roll to experience it live as often as possible. No, I am not talking about U2 or Springsteen at the local Enormodome but about seeing the hundreds (probably thousands) of bands that ply their trade from one rock and roll dive bar to another.

Let me use a recent experience to illustrate. A few weeks ago I caught one of my current faves The Brown Hornets at a local bar here in Montreal. Now granted the bar itself was nothing special in the interior decor department and the lighting onstage was suspect but the place certainly has character and that counts for maximum points in my book. There was no cover charge, the bar held maybe 50-75 people max and yet when I walked out of there on the shady side of 1:00 AM I was positively vibrating with excitement.

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Patti Smith on the Power of Rock and Roll: “It’s an idea of common expression”

Patti Smith is one of the keynote speakers and performers at Pop Montreal, a huge music festival/conference that kicked off here yesterday. When questioned about what rock and roll meant to her and what she felt rock and roll represented she said that “It’s an idea of common expression.” She elaborated by saying that wherever she tours around the world, rock and roll acts as a common expression, a form of universal language. From people wearing their CBGB’s T shirts on the floors of a club in Munich to crowds of strangers singing along to her songs by heart in Montreal, rock and roll is truly a universal form of expression.

How many times have you encountered a stranger and when you learn that the music that inspires them is the same that floats your boat? It’s like you know that person despite the fact that you have never met them before. Rock and Roll can forge a common bond amongst disparate groups of people; it is one of the amazing things about this particular form of music. Just think of all those weddings you attended where the songs that really got people out of their seats, and I mean everybody were old classics like the Beatles where everyone knows the lyrics to the songs regardless of their personal listening habits. You might hate “Twist and Shout” but dammit you will probably sing along to it whether you want to or not.

I don’t want to get all clichéd about this but you know that buzz you get when you are at a show and hundreds or thousands of people are passionately singing along to the music coming from the stage? In this day and age of death and destruction, it truly is a wonderful place to be. Rock and Roll might not be able to save lives but it certainly makes living the life you are leading worthwhile. Pretty cool huh?

Later.

Mark

The Second Coming of Metal?

So says Brian Slagel, the man behind Metal Blade Records which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. In an interview with the Ventura County Star Slagel states that “What’s happening now reminds me so much of the early ’80s,” he said. “I think there will be a second big wave of heavy metal.”

One thing that is fascinating is his take on running an indie label and the one thing that makes it such a challenge:

If metal gets big again, Slagel concedes that Metal Blade might face the same issue it did in the ’80s — losing bands to major labels. Back then, about 15 bands defected (although some would later crawl back). Slagel admitted that sometimes that hurts, after doing “all the dirty work” to help bands grow. But part of it, he added, is natural career progression.

That is the unfortunate situation of a lot of indie labels. They are like the minor leagues of rock and roll in some ways and tend to do all the work only to be usurped by someone bigger. Such is life in the rock and roll jungle. It doesn’t sound like Brian Slagel is complaining too much.

Later.

Mark

So the Guy Who Owned CBGBs Was Really Loaded. Thanks for Nothing Buddy!

So it appears that Hilly Kristal was really loaded when he closed down the famed CBGB club last fall due he said to an increase in rent. Not really sure what to make of this since CBGB was really a hole if you ever had the pleasure of visiting, rock and roll history be damned.

On other CBGB-related news, MVD will be releasing a series of live recordings from the club recorded from the ’80s to the ’00s. The initial offerings will come from Mooney Suzuki, The Queers, and H2O. More are expected to be announced in the fourth quarter of 2007, including some limited edition vinyl releases.

I certainly don’t deny CBGBs and Mr. Kristal their due but I don’t buy the reason why it was closed and then magically an announcement comes that they will re-open in Las Vegas. It’s just another rock and roll asset to be exploited, just like the famed “Fillmore” name which is now gracing a whole bunch of venues with no relation to the Fillmore’s East or West. More power to them I suppose but let’s not forget what made those clubs the institutions that they became. It was all about the music baby…

Later.

Mark

Rock and Roll’s Past Will Always Help Shape Rock and Roll’s Future or Why I don’t Hate Classic Rock Radio as Much as I Thought I Did

If you have listened to Rock and Roll Report Radio or read The Rock and Roll Report for any length of time you will know that the whole purpose behind them (as well as the upcoming podcast) is to shine a light on unsigned and indie artists who represent to me the spirit and sound of what rock and roll is and should be. As such I tend not to listen to too much commercial rock radio but that does not mean that I have abandoned it completely. Let me tell you a story to illustrate why.

About a week ago I was driving around on a Saturday running errands and generally dumping more CO2 into the atmosphere as I attempted to get done all those things I needed doing. Normally when I am in the car I listen to CDs sent to me for review by various artists or a Rock and Roll Report Radio CD-R that I always make for the show. If I do listen to the radio and nothing is on CKUT I will either listen to the local classic rock radio station CHOM FM or the nearby “alternative rock” station The Buzz. I tend to constantly flip back and forth between the two since listening to the same song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is just as bad as listening to the same song by the Eagles hence my frustration with commercial radio.

As I flipped over to CHOM they were playing The Ocean by Led Zeppelin and I cranked it as I have always loved that song. After that was an oldie by April Wine and then something from Fleetwood Mac and finally an AC/DC track. The thing is, I was loving all of it and the reason is quite simple. Despite the fact that I grew up with this stuff, I don’t listen to it much anymore mainly because there is too much great new stuff to listen to but I will never deny (and you’d be insane not to) that rock and roll today is shaped as much by what has come in the past as to the technology and influences of today. And the thing of it is, when it is not constantly shoved down your throat it’s a blast to listen to! “Classic” rock and roll (for want of a better word) is still great music, it is just the unfortunate fact that having been played to death, the sheer joy of listening to it has been lost. I recently pulled out Exile on Main Street and listened to that thing like it was my first time, precisely because I have not had it foisted on me by annoying rock jocks who are more concerned with selling stereos and trips to the Dominican Republic than rock and roll and man was that a blast!

The moral of this long winded, poorly constructed story? Classic rock is not “bad” in the way that French fries are not bad. Constant exposure to both will lead to problems down the road but indulging every once in a while is not only a lot of fun but your enjoyment level will be that much higher. When I hear some indie rock dude complain about the Beatles or boast how they don’t own a record by the Doors I have to laugh because they are denying themselves an important part of rock and roll history. Yes classic rock radio has sucked the life out of rock and roll by not supporting emerging artists that I know will appeal to fans of Queen and David Bowie but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. The future is well taken care of and there are more than enough bands and artists to satisfy my rock and roll urge but taking a look back at all the great rock and roll that has come before is not an act of nostalgia in my books. It is simply acknowledging that rock and roll is a living, breathing creature with a past, a present and one hell of a future.

Too much of a good thing is no good but abstinence is just denying you some great music to listen to. So pull out that old CCR album and have a listen. You will be surprised at what you are missing. Then crank it up and enjoy.

Later.

Mark

Are iPods and MP3s Ruining Music?

I just read an interesting article over at the Wall Street Journal (ahem! Much adjusting of expensive tie…) by Lee Gomes who asks the question of whether the huge popularity of iPods and MP3 files is leading to a lower quality in the way music is recorded.

According to Are Technology Limits in MP3s and iPods Ruining Pop Music? he argues that a lot of producers are using MP3s as the reference standard for recording pop music which results in listener fatigue since the ear can only tolerate this radically compressed music for so long. According to LA engineer Jack Joseph Puig who is quoted in the article:

“Ten years ago, music was warmer; it was rich and thick, with more tones and more ‘real power.’ But newer records are more brittle and bright. They have what I call ‘implied power.’ It’s all done with delays and reverbs and compression to fool your brain.”

I know that this also relates to the whole argument that CDs are recorded too loud these days because “loud sells” and it is a trend that I find a bit frightening. I am getting firsthand experience with compressing audio files for an iPod as I prepare the podcast and it is true that a lot of the nuiances of music is being lost as we compress the hell out of sound files but I still wonder how much of this we actually notice.

The article does have some listening tests that you can do which I will try out and we will see how that all plays out with these ears but it is a fascinating, perhaps unforeseen dilemma that the huge popularity of MP3 players has created. Has the convenience of MP3s ruined the quality of the music we hear? What do you think?

UPDATE! Podcasting News is talking about the same article and brought up a good point when they say:

“The WSJ seems to have forgotten that for half the history of modern pop music, it was engineered to sound good relatively primitive stereos and car radios. Today’s portable media players deliver sound that’s a leap ahead of the AM car radios, transistor radios and Walkmans of the past.”

This is a valid point, I just hope that an MP3 will not become the reference point for recording engineers believing that the sound quality will be “good enough.” I want high quality recording and mastering on my rock and roll! I listen to it on an iPod as well as my kick ass stereo at home and I can tell the difference.

Later.

Mark

Is Indie a genre or a philosophy?

Coolfer posted a link to an interesting article over at The Guardian Online called Smells Like Indie Spirit where writer Jude Rogers argues that there appears to be a resurgence in indie music in the UK but what does he consider to be indie? It is certainly not a musical genre in my opinion and should never be used to identify a style of music.

Indie is short for independent but independent of what? To me, indie is a philosophy, not a type of music. It is maintaining control of your art and ensuring that it is only presented the way you want it to be presented. That is why you will rarely hear me purposely trumpet the fact that I play and write about indie and unsigned bands since I don’t want people to mistakenly think I play something vaguely referred to as indie music. The Rock and Roll Report is about rock and roll, pure and simple. How it is distributed is something that is a side issue to the music. I tend to focus on music not on major labels only because I have found that some of the best rock and roll can be found there. It is an unfortunate fact that it is those bands and artists that to me best signify what rock and roll are all about that are often side-lined from commercial radio due to their indie status and it is for this reason that I champion their cause.

I refuse to classify my music by mode of distribution. It is not indie or alternative. It is rock and roll, nothing more, nothing less.

Check out the excellent documentary What is Indie? which I think best answers this whole question.

Later.

Mark

Answering the Call. My take on Live Earth

I hate to be a cynic because cynicism is the natural enemy of optimism and I have always considered myself to be somewhat of an optimist but it is hard for me not be just a little cynical about Saturday’s Live Earth concerts.

First of all, let’s not fool ourselves, the majority of the people at these concerts were there to see Madonna or the Black Eyed Peas or The Police and if you asked them what a carbon footprint was they would probably knock you over on their way to the beer tent after telling you that they must have missed that band. That’s not to say I don’t agree with the idea behind Live Earth. Global warming is not a fallacy, it is a real problem and we need to collectively get our heads out of our asses and deal with the problem now but a series of rock concerts? I mean really, that is so ‘80s. On top of that, as both the Arctic Monkeys (who didn’t participate) and Snow Patrol (who did) pointed out, touring musicians are one of the greatest contributors of CO2 emissions out there although admittedly that is something that is changing due to the work of such organizations as Reverb. Still, watching the various concerts and those huge lighting trusses and banks of amplifiers or thinking of those idling broadcast trucks in all the venues parking lots bringing the images into our homes couldn’t make you but shake your head and wonder if somehow the point could have been made in a bit more of an environmentally benign way.

I will give the organizers their due in that they have tried to lessen the environmental impact as much as possible as a quick glance at their Green Event Guidelines point out but when somebody like Madonna has parked in her garage a Mercedes Maybach, two Range Rovers, an Audi A8 and a Mini Cooper S (according to the Guardian) you have to wonder if the performers are taking this whole thing to heart. A big thumbs up to Simon LeBon of Duran Duran who sarcastically asked the question “who did not show up at Wembley in a private jet?” A good point to be sure.

As for the entertainment value of the whole thing, I was impressed at watching Madonna strut around with a Gibson LesPaul slung low and those Pussycat Dolls are, ahem mighty impressive but I think I am pretty much Stinged out although it was interesting to see James Hetfield’s Talibanesque beard. Personally the highlights for me were Spinal Tap and those part-time scientist-musicians in Antarctica so that pretty much shows where I stand on all of this.

At the end of the day I suppose if it convinces a good number (how many?) of people to buy those new low-wattage fluorescent light bulbs and to change their day-to-day way of living to at least make some relatively simple changes to their routine then the whole exercise will have been somewhat of a success. My big question is how many people out there are tired of being preached to by rock stars and pop tarts and by extension refuse to listen to anything they have to say, no matter how right it may be? I am not sure I would do anything that James Blunt asked me to do but if Shakira asked I suppose I might change my tune…

Cynical? Maybe just a little bit.

If you are looking for some ways you can lessen your impact on the environment and reign in your contribution to global warming the Live earth site does have some good suggestions and tools and Greenpeace has published the handy How to Save the Climate so you can start there.

Every little bit helps.

Later

Mark

Is Live Rock and Roll Dead?

Is live rock and roll dead? You might think I’m nuts in asking the question but from where I sit (or stand primarily) the attendance at shows in clubs holding less than 500 people has been disappointing to say the least and I am hearing similar rumblings from others.

The mega shows like the Stones, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and Nickleback for that matter will do fine but where rock and roll really lives and breaths is in the small clubs around the world, the dives where the up and comers ply their trade. To me there is nothing better than going to a small club and listening to rock and roll for a number of reasons. First off, its affordable. In these days of $300.00 “Gold Circle” seating I am in no mood to go to a show when for the same price I could fly to a freaking beach and enjoy a few days R& R.

Second, the whole experience is more personal. You’re up close. When the band takes a break you can chat with them at the bar or more likely while you’re taking a pee in the bathroom. The experience is more “real” for want of a better word and for that reason much more enjoyable, at least to me.

Seeing bands at small clubs also kindles a sense of rock and roll adventure. If you are only going to drop 10 or 20 bucks to go in and see a band (with 20 bucks being the high end of the scale) you are more willing to take a chance on the unknown, that band whose name sounds cool but who you have no idea what they are about. Sometimes it works out and you love them, sometimes less so but it is always an experience, which is what rock and roll should be.

Unfortunately, at some recent shows that I have been at, the attendance has been meager at best. This to me is quite depressing as rock and roll has always been a live medium and the only true way to experience the power of the music is to experience it at ear-splitting volume with a beer in one hand and your buddies and/or girlfriend crowded around dancing, yelling and otherwise making complete idiots of themselves. It is a way to lift you out of the here and now and bring you to a better, fun place, if only for the night.

In the rock and roll ecosystem, touring puts the butter on the bread for most bands and is the primary way for them to generate interest in their music, sell some CDs and merchandise and generally move up the popularity ladder. Lack of fans means lack of opportunities, lack of money and that could quite possibly spell the end for many a band. My challenge to you is this: Go see some live shows this summer at some of the medium to smaller clubs in your area. Haven’t heard of the band? Who cares! Give it a shot, you may very well be surprised at what you hear.

There is tons of great rock and roll being played on stages throughout the land. Go experience it, encourage the artists to create more and make live rock and roll a part of your life. How can you possibly regret that?

Am I right or am I wrong?

UPDATED! I just read the news that Sparkelfest, one of the best powerpop/rock music festivals around has called it quits due to a lack of advertising support and attendance figures that should be better than what they have been. We’re not doing ourselves any favours people….

Later.

Mark

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