According to this article on the BBC website “Global future for Beatles’ club” the company that runs the Cavern Club in Liverpool wants to turn it into a worldwide chain. My only problem with all of this was that the Cavern Club was torn down in the early eighties! What we have here in Liverpool is a replica my friends. What they should have done was preserve the original Cavern Club and promoted that as a Beatles’ shrine but instead they paved the club over and turned it into a parking lot. Morons. I think any “Cavern Club” experienced out of its unique geographic locale will just be a poor man’s Hard Rock Cafe without the memorabilia. Stupid idea in my book.
Correction. Far be it from be to perpetuate a rock and roll myth but according to the official Cavern Club web site the original Cavern Club was filled in in the early ’70s which should have been obvious since it is a basement club. According to the site, the current Cavern Club occupies 75% of the space that the original occupied. Oh well. I’m keeping the title of the post as is but adding a question mark. The idea of expanding globally still seems silly to me though.
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This article on CNET News “Indie labels lure Net music stores” is exactly what the indies need to do if these online services want to attract, shock, horror, “fervent music fans.” Damn straight.
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This article on CNET News "Indie labels lure Net music stores" is exactly what the indies need to do if these online services want to attract, shock, horror, “fervent music fans.” Damn straight.
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This article “A Mighty Wind by Frank Kogan” from the Village Voice is an interesting attempt to define the term “Garage Rock.” Some cool bands to check out.
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By way of Rock Critics Daily comes this sad news that music journalist Ian Macdonald has passed away. A sad end to a brilliant writer.
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There are a ton of “how to” sites on the ‘Net for aspiring musicians. Music Biz Academy is but one, but a damn fine one at that. Check it out, learn all that you can, especially the legal aspects of running your band’s career so that you don’t end up piss poor at the end of what had promised to be a rock and roll success story.
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I have just discovered the world of Fufkin and I can tell you right off the bat that it is a breath of fresh air. With the tag line “Great Music Then….and Now” I just knew that this was a music magazine that I would want to read. With a design that is simple and direct, Fufkin is put together by true music fans writing about the music that they love and the result is a well written, informative and fun music magazine that you will be reading regularly. I know that I will. The emphasis is quite simply on good music without worrying about what “genre” it’s supposed to belong in, an approach that I for one have allways advocated.
And no, there is apparently no relation between David Fufkin and promo man extraordinaire Artie Fufkin. Good thing.
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Speaking of Kelly Osbourne….Okay, now this “Kelly Osbourne Eats Fish With Elton John, Vomits” is another one of those classic headlines that are just too funny to ignore. Sorry Kel, but if it’s any consolation, my son loves “Shut Up” (not bad guitar in that song actually!). Have a good weekend everybody!
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I have allways liked Los Lobos. Great music, dignified and honest, these guys are great. This article (Los Lobos still going strong) is a perfect example of what happens to bands that refuse to play along with industry games and just be honest with who they are (like Wilco). Contrast Los Lobos and their attitude with somebody like Kelly Osbourne! Sheesh.
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If you want to know what some rock stars do in their spare time then read “Wellwater Conspiracy: Up From The Daybed” for some info on a great band. It amazes me that a guy like Matt Cameron, who is a fantastic drummer, has played with Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Temple of the Dog while doing garage/psychelic on the side and guesting on Geddy Lee’s solo record “My Favourite Headache!” Another example of a guy that you can’t pin down to any one particular style. Now that’s my definition of a rock and roller.
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Are you a big fan of The Jesus and Mary Chain? Do you like to chew on your Psycho Candy? If so, April Skies is a great site that features tons of info that will satisfy even the most seasoned fans. Check it out before Darkness!
Thanks to Scott at House Hunting Stepdad for the heads up.
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File swapper fights RIAA subpoena | CNET News.comRemember when drugs used to be the problem? You go girl!
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The second annual Pop Montreal Festival is on from September 25th to the 28th. Featuring a slew of bands like Sloan, The Dears, Queens of the Stone Age and hometown heroes The High Dials, this is sure to be a great event. Come and visit my home base and soak up the sights, sounds and food of a great city. It’s like France without the attitude.
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Geez I’m not doing too well in the “festival recommendation” department! First, The Wilderbeat festival ended in chaos and now comes word that Ben & Jerry’s is canceling their “One World One Heart Festival” that was set for next weekend in Bethel, New York at the site of Woodstock ’69. First the mods, then the hippies, who’s next?
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I can’t say that I agree with this article “MTV.com: The Argument: The Album Is Played Out” but it’s food for thought. Think about it.
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I just found out that the first seaon of Rocky and Bullwinkle is coming out on DVD! Thank you Jay Ward, you and your gang were brilliant. What, another reference to a cartoon you moan. Hey, the name of the squirrel is Rocky, that’s kinda like rock, isn’t it? Just go and buy the thing, it was one of the best things on Tee Vee.
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Another great music magazine on the net that everyone should take a look at is Perfect Sound Forever. I mean, they have a page dedicated to Howlin’ Wolf so it’s gotta be good right? It is. I love their writing and perspective on music since it’s written by people who really, really like music. And one thing definitely caught my eye. If you are looking to submit an article, they give a rundown of what they are looking for. One thing they do not want is “No “Why Music Sucks Now” articles- it doesn’t and those kind of articles would take a whole book to fully discuss even if it were true.” Couldn’t agree more. Check it out. It’s really good. Trust me.
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Check out this link “LIVE: Brian Jonestown Massacre” for the lowdown on what happened at the Wilderbeat Festival that I talked about last week. Despite all the madness, rock and roll managed to stagger on.
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By rights I should hate progressive rock (prog rock). It’s often long winded, pretentious and boring. I mean, it inspired a bunch of kids to revolt against the whole genre and invent punk in response! But I don’t hate prog rock just like I don’t hate Toto or Loverboy. There are some songs that are great and some that truly suck, just like songs by The Ramones or Pearl Jam. And believe it or not, prog rock lives!
To begin our prog rock journey, start with Prog 4 You, billed as “Your doorway to progressive rock..” Filled with news, reviews and even offering their very own compilation CD “Progressive Rock for You” this site is loaded with great stuff and is great looking to boot. Continue on to Prog Rock, a really well done site with its own label run by a very prominent open source programmer. Really good stuff from up and coming bands are featured here. Finally, cap your trip off with a vist to Proglands, the Progressive Rock Encyclopedia. Wow, amazing site. And of course, each of these sites features a links section to even more sites. It’s enough to make you cry for joy (or weep in agony).
There you have it. Take it or leave it. The great thing about being a music fan in this day and age is that you can hop on the Internet and experience types of music that you normally would never consider. It’s cool, it’s fun and you just might be surprised at what you’ll find. Finally, you can show off that vintage “Brain Salad Surgery” album with pride.
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Read this excellent article “Who Killed Rock ‘n’ Roll?” by Gene Sculatti that I found on the WFMU FM web site. The debate rages on.
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According to this article VH1.com : News : Downloads, EPs, Singles Conspiring To Kill The Album Format the album is going the way of the dodo. Hmmm, could it be that 9 of 12 tracks by some of todays major label “artists” might be filler crap? Just wondering.
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The Hip, Blue Rodeo to Play On Gordon Lightfoot Tribute
The first record I remember getting as a kid was a Gordon Lightfoot compilation from K-Tel records that my dad wrapped up for Christmas with a toilet paper roll in the middle so I wouldn’t know it was a record. Gordon Lightfoot is not rock and roll but he is an incredible songwriter and this tribute should be amazing based on who is participating. Get a Lightfoot greatest hits and slap it on your CD player for a change of pace. Great stuff from somebody who can truly be called a “national treasure.”
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Always wanted to be a record label major domo or magazine publisher extrordinaire? Then check out this cool article “Independent music magazines extend niche appeal with record labels” for the skinny on who is doing it and why. The world could always use some more record labels and magazines in my book. Link via the excellent web site Music Journalist.
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I love Sundazed Records! What an incredible variety of cool stuff put together by truly loving music fans (woah, that sounds kinda sappy but it’s true!). From the “Psychedelic Microdots of the Sixties” series to rare stuff by The Byrds and Skip Spence, an hour spent on the Sundazed web site can stretch into a very long and very expensive habit. Spend some time with this label, I promise that you will not get sun burned.
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Rock and Roll may have been born in the United States and honed to a fine sheen in England but the power of rock and roll has always been that anybody, anywhere can do it. Rock and roll exists, in some form or another, in almost every corner of the earth. Opening our eyes to these local scenes leads to some interesting discoveries.
Today I start with a site from South Africa, The South African Rock Encyclopedia. This is an incredible site for those of us whose knowledge of South African rock and roll extends no further than the excellent Johnny Clegg. Fascinating stuff.
In the coming weeks and months, I want this to be a regular feature of The Rock and Roll Report. I am currently putting together info on the rock and roll scene in Thailand and an interesting web site on rock and roll in the Balkans. In the future I want to feature more sites from Latin America and Eastern Europe so if you have anything to share, contact me anytime because rock and roll lives where you do.
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