Start your week with one (or all!) of these cool indie CDs from the CD Baby store
Monday, September 11th, 2006
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Archive for September, 2006
Start your week with one (or all!) of these cool indie rock CDs from the CD Baby store
Monday, September 11th, 2006
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The MySpace Music Store
Friday, September 8th, 2006The recent announcement that MySpace is opening a music store for unsigned musicians is, to me a very cool development. What MySpace will offer unsigned musicians is a place to upload their music into the vast MySpace ecosystem so that they may gain visibility amongst the gazillion people who maintain a presence on the site. Depending on the popularity of the band, a download may or may not cost money but one thing that is for sure is that the MP3 will be unencumbered by DRM copy management. While this is a "good thing" the trick for any unsigned band is to figure out how to make themselves visible in the already over-crowded social networking site. I can’t keep up with the music already there so I wonder how I will be able to stay on top of all the unsigned bands that I may be interested in for my site and radio show.
Other than that though this may well prove to be yet another positive development for unsigned bands. It will allow them to broaden their reach beyond where they can tour and hopefully it will gain them exposure and just as importantly, cash to keep the rock and roll machine rolling. Let’s hope it all works out.
Later.
Future of Music Policy Summit coming to Montreal
Thursday, September 7th, 2006
The Future of Music Policy Summit is coming to Montreal October 5-7, 2006. Now in its 6th year, the organisers claim that:
the Future of Music Policy Summit promises to bring together a spectacular international mixture of technologists, attorneys, musicians, managers and industry leaders for discussions about the issues that are emerging as music distribution moves to a global, digital platform.
Over the course of three days, we’ll be exploring such issues as international copyright reform, digital music licensing, DRM/interoperability, the effect of government funding on artists’ careers, how orchestras are navigating change, and the Quebecois music industry.
Full details can be found at their website at www.futureofmusic.org.
Later.
What me worry? Mad Magazine’s historic take on rock and roll
Thursday, September 7th, 2006
In the early sixties, Mad Magazine put out two quite interesting records with their take on rock and roll. Featured on the excellent PCL Link Dump site, these two records are quite an interesting listen, from "When My Pimples Turn to Dimples" to "Don’t Put Onions on your Hamburger" these two records are an interesting bit of rock and roll history. Go to the PCL Link Dump site and download away!
Later.
The Minus 5 – “The Gun Album” (Yep Roc Records)
Wednesday, September 6th, 2006
I always look forward to a new Minus 5 record because I know that I will get an impressive rock and roll education in every song. The brain child of prolific songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Scott McCaughey, The Gun Album, or properly “The Trials Posthumous of The Minus 5 containing The Epistle Dedicatory” sounds like the perfect bunch of tunes to be played at the old Red Dog Saloon. The great thing about Minus 5 records is that you kind of know where McCaughey’s band of merry rock and rollers will be going (the band consists of everybody from R.E.M.’s Peter Buck to Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy to John Wesley Harding and Posies bandmate Ken Stringfellow) but you are never quite sure how they will get there. From the Beatles-flavoured pop of opener Rifle Called Goodbye to straight-ahead rocker Aw Shit Man, the band turns in two completely different takes on rock and roll and those are just the first two songs! Add the wonderful With a Gun and the long-lost Byrds track that never was in Twilight Distillery (click to listen) and the Neil Young-sounding Original Luke and you have a meandering yet somehow cohesive rock and roll statement that gets better with each listening. Scott and his crew have yet to disappoint.
For an added treat check out this podcast featuring Scott and Robin Hitchcock on Cnet.
Later.
Playlist for The Rock and Roll Report on the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT FM for September 4, 2006
Tuesday, September 5th, 2006Here is my playlist for my set last night on the Drastic Plastic program on CKUT FM. A lot of power pop, some home grown garage and alt-country. A nice mix IMHO. You can always listen to the archives here.
Song/Band/Album
- The Radio’s Mine- The Lackloves - The Beat and the Time
- This is Where We Belong - Myracle Brah - Treblemaker
- She Said to Me - The Cowsills - Global
- Louder - The Piper Downs - Varying Degrees of Failure and Tunelessness
- Don’t Want a Girl Who’s Been with Jack - The Condors - Tales of Drunkenness and Cruelty
- Can You Hear Me? - The Sails - S/T (NEW!)
- What God Wants - Jeremy - Find the Way to Be Happy
- Summer Holiday - The Jessica Fletchers - Less Sophistication
- Suzi Quatro - The Blondes - Swedish Heat
- Having it Large - The Shys - Astoria (NEW!)
- Aw Shit Man - Minus 5 - The Gun Album (NEW!)
- Guillotine - Milky Ways - S/T (NEW!)
- If You Say Please - Radio Birdman - Zeno Beach (NEW!)
- Lucifer Sam - The Sadies - In Concert (NEW!)
- Soul Stirrer - The Daylight Titans - S/T (NEW!)
- Darkness is Gone - The Dreadful Yawns - S/T
- At Least for A While - The Piper Downs - Varying Degrees of Failure and Tunelessness
I’ll be back on the air October 9, 2006 so tune in and have a listen!
Later.
Snakes on a Plane with Cobra Starship Podcast
Tuesday, September 5th, 2006The Internet hype for the film "Snakes on a Plane" was unprecedented but the flick was exactly what it was billed as and people have enjoyed it at the local Bijou in droves. What they have also been enjoying is the music from the movie, especially that by Cobra Starship. Have a listen to what all the fuss is about in this Snakes on a Plane featuring Cobra Starship podcast .
Download snakes_on_a_podcast_1_final.mp3
Later.
WOXY.COM is shutting down
Tuesday, September 5th, 2006It is sad news indeed that Cincinnati’s WOXY.COM, the "future of rock ‘n’ roll" internet only radio station is shutting down after 26 months on the ‘Net. Originally created as a result of the sale of WOXY FM in 2004, WOXY.COM was created to continue the mission of producing vibrant rock and roll programming that played a multitude of independant and "alternative" bands and record labels. The quote that got to me was the following from station manager Bryan Jay Miller:
"Internet radio is very cool, but you’re still tethered to a computer for the most part. That impacted our advertising growth."
It seems that Internet radio still has a way to go to reach its potential and it looks like WOXY.COM is an unfortunate casualty. More info can be found here.
September 18th, 2006 is Band Week!
Monday, September 4th, 2006Since the CDs are piling up here at Rock and Roll Report Central and I am falling behind (again!), the week of Spetember 18th, 2006 will be Band Week. What is Band Week you ask? All record reviews and band features, every day for five days. Should be cool.
Later.
September 18th, 2006 is Band Week!
Monday, September 4th, 2006Since the CDs are piling up here at Rock and Roll Report Central and I am falling behind (again!), the week of September 18th, 2006 will be Band Week. What is Band Week you ask? All record reviews and band features, every day for five days. Should be cool.
Later.
The Rock and Roll Report is back on the Radio September 4th, 2006!
Monday, September 4th, 2006The Rock and Roll Report will be back on the radio September 4, 2006 as a perfect way to end your long weekend. Tune in to CKUT 90.3 FM from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST over the airwaves in Montreal or over the ‘Net everywhere else for an hour of great rock and roll you may not have heard before. As always , the playlist for the Drastic Plastic Program will be posted here at The Rock and Roll Report the next day. And for those of you planning ahead, my next shift will be October 9th, 2006. Thanks for listening!
Later.
