Sometimes it seems that Gram Parsons is remembered for everything other than what he was really all about. Whether it’s as the guy who introduced country music and Nudie suits to The Byrds, or being Keith Richards coke-addled buddy hanging out in the South of France or his infamous death and fiery funeral pyre at Joshua Tree National Monument, it seems to me that Gram Parsons the musician has gotten the short end of the stick in the memories department. Gram Parsons was passionate about country music but lived in a rock ‘n’ roll world. “Hickory Wind : The Life and Times of Graham Parsons” by Ben Fong-Torres is an attempt to portray Gram as something other than a rock and roll trivia question and for the most part it succeeds. Perhaps dwelling a bit too much on the dramatic parts of Parsons life, “Hickory Wind” is written by a man who obviously admires Parsons work and the best thing to do in my opinion would be to read a couple of chapters then pop Gp/Grievous Angel on the CD player to get a better understanding of where Parsons was coming from musically. While greatly admired by critics, I would often ask people who Gram Parsons was and the answer would inevitably have something to do with his death, covered in detail in The Strange Death of Gram Parsons: 1973 from the excellent Byrds fan site Byrd Watcher. When I would ask them if they knew of any of Parsons’ solo work and I would often be met by blank stares. This book is for them. I don’t think there is another musician in rock and roll that has had such an influence on the genre referred to as “Country Rock” or “Alt-Country” and yet is as widely unknown as Gram Parsons. Pick up this book either in the bargain bin like I did or at a place like Amazon in the new expanded edition (which has new details on his death of course) and prepare to read the tale of a country boy gone rock and roll who could never seem to rise above those around him to take his rightful place in rock and roll history. A true rock and roll tragedy. Thank God we still have his music since after all, that is the most important and lasting legacy that Gram Parsons could have possibly bequeathed to this world. A true pioneer of Cosmic American Music, he is sadly missed.
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Barbara Flaska over at Flaskaland sent me a hilarious link that might just keep those rock and roll dreams alive for some of us. Called Rock Starter, this website allows to you start your own rock and roll band! That’s right. Check it out and get ready for the big time. And a 1, and a 2, and a 1, 2, 3, 4….
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USA Today has a really cool article on the evolution of Magnatune and their take on using the Internet to sell records. I like their statement that they want to be the “Linux of the music world.” Very cool. Magnatune is actually featured in the latest issue of Linux Journal for all you geeks out there.
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Looking to have access to your iTunes from anywhere in the house? Check out the Allegro Media Server, which will stream your iTunes to audio devices located around the house. Time to dump the 8 track!
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Looking to have access to your iTunes from anywhere in the house? Check out the Allegro Media Server, which will stream your iTunes to audio devices located around the house. Time to dump the 8 track!
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I picked up “Uncut presents 60s” which is Uncut magazine’s compendium of original clippings from the New Music Express during the ‘60s and it is well worth a read. Now I’m not the kind of guy to wallow in ‘60s nostalgia but it is absolutely fascinating to watch the evolution of rock and roll that takes place from 1963, where the magazine starts, to 1969. The music was vibrant, experimental and for the most parts great but sometimes people tend to forget that the ‘60s did produce it’s fair share of crap. The fun thing about rock and roll circa 2004 is that musicians can take and process 4 decades of rock and roll for their influences so that bands like the Creation and the Wailers can get equal time with the Ramones and the Buzzcocks in that great mixed tape rolling in one’s internal rock and roll jukebox. Reading the magazine does bring one thing clearly into focus though. There was a lot of exciting, happening rock and roll during those fascinating, groundbreaking years but don’t think for a minute that rock and roll died at the stroke of midnight December 31st, 1969. Great rock and roll has been made during every decade since the ‘60s and is still being made today. Check out the Audities list that I just posted for some proof of that. Yah, the ‘60s were cool but don’t limit yourself to only one decade. If you do, you will be missing out on some great rock ‘n’ roll bands playing today, bands that you can actually go out and see which after all is the real essence of the true rock and roll experience. Pick it up and read it. You’ll like it. Then go check out who is playing in town this weekend and go. If you have to, just close your eyes and pretend that you’re in the UFO Club circa 1967. On second thought, you won’t have to. The experience will be just as powerful. Try and prove me wrong.
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Audities, the home of “Insanely Great Pop” has finished compiling their 2003 poll results and here they are for your reading (and hopefully record buying) pleasure. Without further ado I present to you the unedited, straight off the Audities List compiled by Mike Bennett the:

AUDITIES 2003 TOP 20 POLL RESULTS

Well, I’m certainly not surprised as to who landed on top. I am surprised that it was such an utter landslide. Fountains Of Wayne appeared on 120 of the 173 ballots cast. And, as the high point total indicates, more often than not, in the top 10, with loads of number one votes. It was my impression that by releasing a third consecutive high quality album that Fountains Of Wayne had cemented a place amongst the all-time power pop greats. I think a lot of you would agree with that sentiment.

Yet, insanely great pop can be found in all sorts of places. This list has a nice mix of pop styles, with major label and indie rock artists fighting it out with each other - if you count V2 (The White Stripes’ label) as an indie, 11 of the top 20 were independent label artists. And, for the first time in seven years, hip hop not only made the top 50, it broke into the Top 20, with Outkast making a big impression on many Auditeers.

I really like this list. Thanks again to everyone who voted. This was the second highest vote total ever, which makes for, in my opinion, a stronger list overall. - Mike Bennett

1. Fountains Of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers (2039 points)
2. Pernice Brothers - Yours, Mine & Ours (815)
3. Rooney - Rooney (648)
4. The New Pornographers - The Electric Version (627)
5. The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music (603)
6. Bleu - Redhead (539)
7. Splitsville - Incorporated (477)
8. The Thrills - So Much For The City (463)
9. The Thorns - The Thorns (448)
10. Matthew Sweet - Kimi Ga Suki * Rafu (446)
11. Jet - Get Born (418)
12. The White Stripes - Elephant (362)
13. IKE - Parallel Universe (352)
14. Outkast - The Love Below/Speakerboxx (333)
15. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (329)
16. Chris Von Sneidern - The Wild Horse (324)
17. Josh Rouse - 1972 (314)
18. Grandaddy - Sumday (306)
19. Mark Bacino - The Million Dollar Milkshake (298)
Michael Carpenter & Kings Rd. - Kingsrdworks (tie)

THE REST OF THE TOP 50
21. Belle & Sebastian (292)
22. Owsley (262)
23. Ted Leo/Pharmacists (261)
24. The Singles (250)
25. The Bangles (242)
26. The Waking Hours (239)
27. Nada Surf (232)
28. Guster (230)
29. Maple Mars (220)
30. Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings (210)
31. Postal Service (207)
32. Supergrass (198)
Rufus Wainwright (tie)
34. The Minus 5 (189)
35. The High Dials (183)
36. The Tyde (180)
37. Sparks (178)
38. The Richies (176)
39. Guided By Voices (170)
40. Ryan Adams (166)
41. Myracle Brah (161)
True Love (tie)
43. Super Furry Animals (158)
44. Steve Wynn (157)
45. Sloan (152)
46. Tiny Volcano (144)
Warren Zevon (tie)
48. Beulah (142)
49. The Darkness (141)
50. The Pillbugs (140)

If these kinds of bands interest you then subscribe to the Audities list as they were voted on by Audities members, a group that have unusually high standards when it comes to quality rock and roll.
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Well Scott Woods is at it again. He was created yet another fantastic blog called Rock Critics Books that promises to be a great resource for all you rock and roll literary mavens. Check it out and keep him up to date on what’s coming out.
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So it’s official, Alan White has been booted from Oasis. Do the Gallagher brothers have any other brothers or sisters because if they do, they might want to consider using them in the band since nobody else can seem to hack it. I mean how long are these other guys going to last? Is Oasis the modern day version of the Kinks? On top of all of this I still love the band dammit.
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I could never understand the debate as to whether “women could rock.” As if gender had anything to do with the rock and roll attitude. Never the less, some young women might feel that there is no place in rock and roll for them and they couldn’t be further from the truth. If you or someone you know is looking for a bit of inspiration, I came across some interesting sites just for women who want to rock.
The first is ROCKRGRL magazine, a print magazine that describes itself as “an important, independent and alternative voice reflecting female musicians’ diverse points of view.” One point that they make and that I completely agree with is “Women playing music is neither a “trend” nor “genre” and ROCKRGRL proves this in every issue.” Well said.
The next is the website GRRLYROCK, a resource laden site that, according to their introduction “is the internet’s largest search database for the support and promotion of women in rock.” Full of news, articles and inspiration from all types of rock and roll, GRRLYROCK is an impressive destination for women rockers on the web.
Next is Pussycat Magazine’s Rock and Roll section with everything from interviews with women rock and rollers to an article on how to start your own record label. Tons of stuff guaranteed to inspire anybody who feels the need to rock and roll.
Finally, I came across this article on Blue Jean Online called Rocker Girls Start Their Own Bands which is both inspiring and realistic and well worth a read.
There you have it. A couple of sites that I hope will inspire someone to pick up a guitar or set of drum sticks and hit the rock and roll trail. As I always say, it’s all about attitude.
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There is a movement afoot, if you are not already aware of it, called open source. Open source is essentially a method of developing software where the underlying code is free for all to view and modify. The idea is that the more people involved in writing and reviewing and modifying the software, the higher quality the software will be. This is a complete change to how companies such as Microsoft and Apple operate. Essentially these companies develop their software as a proprietary product that they own and only they can modify, although Apple has been using more and more open source software in their products recently. This open source vision extends to audio, where a bunch of open source developers decided to develop a free and open source audio codec to compete with, and surpass in quality, the MP3 standard. The result is a format called Ogg Vorbis. If you are interested in experimenting with a completely free, non-proprietary and extremely good sounding audio format for your computer, check out the Ogg Vorbis site, download some software and rip a couple of tracks to your computer. Then do the same thing with MP3 and compare the results. The test might surprise you. If you are in anyway interested in helping out, by all means get involved as open source software depends on both the quantity and quality of the developers. Check it out, you might just ruin Bill Gates’ day!
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So Johnny Rotten is to appear in a reality series in England and all the old punks are up in arms according to Punk Rocker Rotten on Reality Show. You know, if you’re going to get into rock and roll, do it with a massive sense of irony as you will need it when you get old. Just ask Roger Daltrey (”Hope I die before I get old”) and Sir Mick (”I can’t get no satisfaction”).
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If you were ever wondering how you could retrofit your stereo so that you could play all those hundreds of MP3s stored on your PC, Netgear might have the solution for you according to Netgear plugs Wi-Fi into hifis. The MP101Wireless Digital Music Player connects to your stereo and allows for wireless access to your computer and all the audio files loaded in it. Looks pretty cool.
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So you’re looking to start some recording at home but you don’t know your mic from your MIDI? Can’t figure out why their is no phantom power to your XLR jacks? And what the hell does THAT knob do? Rest easy my rock and roll home recording newbie because the Home Recording Connection will turn you into the next Mutt Lange before you can say “pass the boom stand.” The Home Recording Collection is a treasure trove of free how-to articles and hints and tips to make your home recording project go as smoothly as possible. In addition, the multitude of equipment and software reviews will make putting together your home studio as painless as possible. On top of all that, the HRC Pro Program is a paid program which provides you with online storage space, special forums, a personal blog and a bunch of other benefits that might be worth investigating. With resources like these, there is no reason why you shouldn’t sound like that rock and roll band you know that you are. Good luck.
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The history of rock and roll is inextricably linked with Marshall amps. From Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page, to Randy Rhoads and Eddy Van Halen and on to Slash and the dudes in Jet, Marshall amps have been the yardstick used to measure all other rock and roll amplification. Quite simply, Marshall Amps in my opinion helped build the sound of rock and roll. If you are at all interested in their history, Marshall Arts has an excellent history section featuring an interview with Jim Marshall himself as well as info on rare Marshall amps and their history. My ears are ringing already!
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If you’re looking for an incredible variety of rock and roll radio you should definitely check out Audiorealm. Much like Live 365 or Shoutcast, Audiorealm host hundreds of webcasters and rock and roll is extremely well represented. Feel like getting into the rock and roll radio act? Then go to Audiorealm’s sister company Spacial Audio and check out their incredible selection of webcasting software and services that could get you on the air is a matter of hours. And if you’re really serious, do not forget to participate in their webcasting forums where Spacial Audio is requesting input from all webcasters with respect to the new webcasting royalty rates currently under discussion. If you want to begin webcasting yourself or just want to get involved in a debate that will determine the future of small webcasters (at least in the United States) then educate yourself on the issues and contribute if you can to the debate. After all, with radio like that found on Audiorealm, we should all do what we can to prevent yet another avenue of radio diversity disappearing from the airwaves (or Internet).
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I saw this quote in the weekly mailing from Rock’s Backpages (a review to follow soon) and I thought it appropriate to put things into a bit of perspective:

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

”Rock music is no longer about being a rebel. It is a product being sold by huge companies. If you want to be a rebel, don’t be a rock musician -be a human rights campaigner or something.”

JEAN-BENOIT DUNCKEL, Air

Now, despite the fact that The Rock and Roll Report concentrates on the type of rock and roll that is anything but product put out by record labels that are anything but big business, it’s a good quote to think about don’t you agree?
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Home to The Von Zippers, The Cherry Valence, The Diplomats of Solid Sound and my personal favourite name for a band The Fatal Flying Guilloteens, Estrus Records puts out some genuinely demented rock and roll. If you are looking to sample a few of their rock and roll delights you can download some MP3s and videos from their downloads page. Don’t forget to crank up the volume of those little girly-man computer speakers!
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I caught the link to this Splendid Magazine article over at Coolfer and I really enjoyed it because it actually encourages people to listen to some music that they might have previously dismissed as crap. Granted I have never been a fan of King Crimson but hey, what better time is there to try them out again than now? Prog is as much a part of rock and roll as Punk and to deny it it’s place is to live in rock and roll denial.
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If you are looking to legally download your fix of Quebec francophone rock then check out Quebec musical retail giant Archambault and their new legal download site. Bravo.
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Remember when you were a kid and you’d get up in the morning, stagger into the kitchen, plop yourself down and dig into a big bowl of Count Chocula? What, you did that just yesterday? Well even so, you may want to take a trip down memory lane at the Cereal Box Archive. They’re all here. Booberry, Kix, Apple Jacks, Corn Chex, Dinky Donuts. Enough cereal boxes that just make you want to run down to the grocery store and pick up a box of Lucky Charms. Just remember, it always tastes better when you’re still in your pajamas!
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I am literally freezing my ass off here in Montreal as all week we have been hit with arctic temperatures in the region of –40 degrees Celsius. If I hear the terms “bitter cold” or “extreme temperatures” one more time I think I am going to punch someone so naturally my thoughts have turned to visions of a tropical paradise, someplace like Hawaii. A quick Google search on Hawaiian rock ‘n’ roll brought me to the Hawaii Radio and TV Archive and more specifically, some rock and roll radio history, Hawaiian style. First off is the KPOI Top 300 Marathon of Hits of 1973. The Partridge Family, Led Zeppelin and Don Ho all on the same list. Cool. The second was some info on the legendary (if you lived in Hawaii) Poi Boys. All in all a great source of info on Hawaiian rock and roll radio history and the perfect thing to get your mind off the fact that the wind outside is howling at about 500 miles an hour. Aloha.
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Top 10 Links has a section that they label the Top 10 Rock Sites. Check it out. Problem is half the links don’t work so suggest that they add something like Rock Critics or Glorious Noise and show ‘em who’s boss!
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I was watching The Screensavers Wednesday night on Tech TV (hey I’m a closet geek) and they had a quick interview with Richard Branson of Virgin discussing how he was planning on revamping his Virgin Megastores to combat sites like iTunes. Not terribly informative and I still prefer a local indie record shop but the complete unedited interview can be found here. I still think that Branson is pretty cool though.
UPDATE: Well Branson has decided that he can out iTunes iTunes with the announcment that Virgin will be inaugurating a new digital download service to compete with Apple and Napster 2.0. If anybody can put the heat to Apple it will be Virgin. Can’t wait to see how this all plays out!
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On this day in 1964 “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles went to number 1 in the U.S. charts. According to Beatlology Magazine’s “This Day in Beatles History” by mid-January “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was selling 10,000 copies an hour in New York City alone! Absolutely incredible.
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