the album.

i miss them.

not only do i miss the large, vivid artwork, i miss the process of putting on an album on the first track, doin' your thang and loving damn near everything until it ceases in spinning. it seems that we're getting back to the days of the single.... yet artists still rushing up a full albums worth of material to meet some deadline set by the business to make goal for the quarter.... possibly not allowing the artist do the damn thing their way, at their speed, with the quality that they're happy with. so you get some good tracks with a lot of filler before, after and in between. maybe its that some people only have one or two great tunes... and thats cool. the past is full of some classic one-hit-wonders. but it seems like theres not much depth to what we've got out right now. a song here or there... a follow up that might rock.... but not much to identify this time with music.

this brings me to the new metallica album coming out. i've heard the live version of cyanide and the day that never comes was released yesterday. everyone knows i'm a metallica lifer, and i'll find the good in most of the tracks they lay down. they're working with rick on this one and i'm psyched to see how it is. yesterday i had a frightening observation, that i think i'm going to keep to myself until i hear the album as a whole, but i'm excited, curious, and skeptical at the same time.

another thing i'm excited for... WADAPLU by the mudkids.

so... start to finish... complete albums.
what can your recommend for people to check out?

-k.
be great and create.

music is good

most enjoyable six shows of all time?
a. prince
b. metallica
c. poison
d. neil diamond
e. james brown
f. beastie boys

last local show you caught?
pretty sure it was a mudkids at spin

best place to see a local show in your town?
i dont see many... i like spin and radio radio is kinda snazzed.

first concert tshirt you bought?
billy joel - stormfront

favorite concert-goin' buddy?
depends what city im in. jesse, deb, erin...

general admission or seated gig?
love ga shows, but my tolerance for fights and crowd surfing is thinning. if im seeing a show more than once, i ga it the first show and seat it the rest

worst band you've seen live?
karma to burn. people actually threw their cds back at them

band you'd hop in the car and drive hours to see?
several. if its good, i'll drive. secret resistance in nyc was the last one i believe

do you listen to the radio still?
i do. hoping there will be something amazing on.... stiiiiilll hoping.

do you still make (for lack of better word) mixedtapes?
maaan i miss the cassette player in the truck! ive got all sorts of jumbled up cds that get tossed in now of older stuff and rusty radio.

what about vinyl - still spinnin' it?
oh hecky yeah.

do you hit up the merch table in the back of the room?
rarely. not since echobrain at the galaxy a few years back

favorite place ever to catch a live show?
the intersection in grand rapids

who do you wish you would have caught live that isnt still touring?
ooo long list. queen, alice in chains, coltrane, dangerman, lionel hampton, max roach, boomtown rats...

what makes you say "that was a great show!" ?
too many factors... presence, venue, sound...

in the car - radio? mp3? cds? 8track?
short trip - radio
long trip - ipod
in a mood - cds

all-day festival show or regular show?
it takes a lot to drag me to a festival show now. by the end of the day, i can't deal with the heat-exhausted buffoons and trashed teenagers unless its a gig i reaaaally want to see

most you've spent on tickets? for what show?
metallica millennium show and woodstock '99 were both up there

in today's world - whats your ideal price for a concert ticket?
i like it simple. i just want to experience music. i can do with out all the flare and who-ha. i get that the crew gets paid. hm... shot in the dark - lets go forty. not the 80/90/over 100 that they are now for the big guns. .

guilty pleasure live show?
poison for sure.

are you that guy?
ha! gutter is a tool.

what shows have you seen over and over and over?
metallica, rob zombie, pfunk, godsmack, g.love, poison, bob seger

favorite music quotes?
a. "where words fail, music speaks" Hans Christian Andersen

b. "I always tell the girls, never take it seriously. If you never take it seriously, you never get hurt. You never get hurt, you always have fun. And if you ever get lonely, you just go to the record store and visit your friends." penny lane; almost famous

c. "A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence." Leopold Stokowski

two random not-so-well known songs you dig?
HA!
a. the hoodooin' of miss fannie deberry - kenny rogers
b. my boomerang won't come back - charlie drake

musicians with skills.

the music business sucks.  

okay, so i can't say that from personal experience, but i can tell you that i'm frustrated seeing extremely talented musicians working a day job, sometimes a night job too, to live.  they live that way because they love music and will do what they need to in order to do what they love.  mad respect for that.  my issue: the non-talented, everyone-sounds-the-same, i'm-blowing-my-cash, no-hearted, i've-got-a-record-deal 'talent' that have gotten record deals or "made it big" (hate that phrase) for whatever reason.  

now with the way things are, anyone can get their stuff on a cd and distributed.  thats do-able change.  but touring, promo and merch... thats a lot of pocket lint.  and a lot of times, you cant give up that day (and night) job to do all that yourself no matter how much you try.  how does it change? can it change without a money-grubbing-untrustworthy-deeppocket label?   so what do you do to get noticed sans label? why are some of the most talented individuals i've met in a long time not getting picked up?  its not for lack of effort.  its not for lack of talent.  its not for lack of contacts.  is it because they don't have a 'niche?'  

it frustrates me because i listen to the radio and nothing stands out.  its beginning to sound like the teacher off the peanuts cartoons.  whahwhamwhaaaaaaaawhah. it frustrates me because i know that cats like dave borla and chris scianni (dangerman / the secret resistance) and rusty redenbacher (mudkids / lazarus)  have talent everyone should get an earful of.  thats just to name a few.  the music.  the vocals.  the heart.  the loyalty. the everything.   maybe i'm biassed.  i dont know.  and sure its all in opinion.... but i believe in these guys.  

music business as a whole has been whack for a while, then the internet happened, and the whole thing is a struggle and combuzle.  radio is no different.  more music - less talk.  yes, theres more music, but they just have more rotation of the songs that i didnt want to hear in the first place.  do that - you may say iPod.  i do use it - when i work out or when i travel, sometimes at work.  thats how i can listen to talent - that honest to god talent.  in my car, its usually radio just in anticipation of hearing something that stands out above the rest.

im sure there is no answer, and not being a musician, i'm not sure why it frustrates me so much. i've covered states to pay that $5 cover to see talent i enjoy.  to support.  it kills me not to be able to do it for everyone at every show.  if you've got something you believe in - something you love to listen to... let me know.  send me a link... send me a file... always love to listen to new stuff.  any genera.