Reviving Rock, Part Two...

OK, so the current music scene kinda sucks. Now, I admit, back in the day we had our own versions of the Jonas Brothers that we'd all rather forget, but certainly there are some good creative musicians out there who might benefit from a little nudge in the right direction.

In my previous blog entry, I talked about reviving Rock by getting the greats of days past to set aside their egos and form new bands. I see no reason that these seasoned, talented people can't take the best of the new crop of musicians under their wing for a little on-the-job training. I mean, what twenty-something dude wouldn't want to jam with, oh, say, legends Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, and Robby Krieger of the Doors? I bet he'd be bragging about it, and using what he learned, 40 years from now.

Isn't this how most skilled trades are passed down from generation to generation? Note too, that this is how it's done in the classical and jazz fields.

It seems like the first skill to go bad in Rock is the ability to vocalize; bringing in fresh young pipes helps keep Rock fresh and young as well. Look for no better evidence of this than Brian Wilson's recent work. The harmonies will just kill you -- but you're not listening to the Beach Boys. Wilson's found some incredible young people to put their own spin on Brian's lyrics, and I guarantee you won't care who is singing.

Let his former band mates waste their breath fighting each other in court; Brian Wilson still knows how to write and arrange, and his recruitment of skilled young people helps lay the groundwork for the decades ahead. My bet is that it's helping keep Brian fresh creatively as well -- so there's benefit for both the young and old; the master and the apprentice.

How To Revive Rock Music

OK, so now that the IPod, downloads, the crappy economy et al have sunk the record business we used to know and love, I have an idea that just might draw a few of us back to the few remaining music stores that still exist....

In one word: collaboration.

Think of all the singers, writers, and bands we used to love. There's no "top 40" radio to speak of any more, so all we get are their classics endlessly played on oldies stations, 20, 30, 40 years after they first caught our attention. Somehow, the songs still sound great, even occasionally relevant despite they being a generation old. Yet, except for a rare few, we haven't heard from these people lately. Perhaps it's too costly to tour; perhaps they don't have a label -- who does these days? Maybe it's time for these talented people to revert back to (for lack of a better phrase) business model that once promised success for the best players:

Forming a new band.

Take Steven Stills, for example. 99 out of 100 people these days identify him with CSN (and sometimes Y) but look at the bands and the people he played with before that group.

From Wikipedia:

Stills dropped out of the University of Florida to pursue a music career in the early 1960s. He played in a series of unsuccessful bands including The Continentals, which featured future Eagles guitarist Don Felder. Stills could also be seen singing solo in Gerde's Folk City, a well-known coffee house in Greenwich Village. Stills eventually ended up in a nine-member vocal harmony group, the house act at the famous Cafe Au Go Go in NYC, called the Au Go Go Singers (Rick Geiger, Roy Michaels, Michael Scott, Jean Gurney, Kathy King, Nels Gustafson, Bob Harmelink, Richie Furay & Stills) where and when he met Richie Furay. This group also did some touring in the Catskills, and in the South, released one album in 1964, then broke up in 1965. Afterwards, Stills, along with four other former members of the Au Go Go Singers: Geiger, Michaels, Gurney & Scott, formed The Company, a folk/rock group. The Company embarked on a 6-week tour of Canada where Stills met a young guitarist named Neil Young. The Company broke up in New York within four months, opening up the way for Geiger to join a light opera company in Los Angeles; Michaels to link up with Jimi Hendrix, Gurney to go on to college while doing TV commercials, and Scott to tour with a retro-Highwaymen. Stills did session work and went to various auditions (including an unsuccessful one for The Monkees). In 1966 he convinced a reluctant former Au Go Go Singer, Richie Furay, then living in Massachusetts, to move with him to California.

Stills, Furay, and Young reunited in Los Angeles and formed the core of Buffalo Springfield. Legend has it that Stills and Furay recognized Young's converted hearse on the streets of LA and flagged him down, a meeting described in the recent solo track "Round the Bend". The band would release three albums (Buffalo Springfield, Buffalo Springfield Again, and Last Time Around) and one hit single (Stills' "For What It's Worth") before breaking up.

During the disintegration of Buffalo Springfield, Stills joined up with ex-Byrd David Crosby and ex-Hollie Graham Nash to form the supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash. Cass Elliot invited Graham Nash over to meet Stills and David Crosby at the home of well known folk artist and painter Joni Mitchell, who painted several artworks of the three. Mitchell also contributed the artwork seen on the cover of the CSNY collection album "So Far", released in 1974.

Not to pick on Stills, but once CSNY hit it big, changing bands or changing up the lineup became a thing of the past. Yet his collaboration in other bands led him to the personal and musical connections that created CSNY.

So here's my point (and I do have one). What if all these great, well known individuals we heard on the radio dumped their egos at the door, quit trying to make a buck on the oldies county fair circuit, and sat down with other talented well known musicians and WROTE SOME NEW SONGS? Formed some NEW BANDS? Tried a new groove?

I, for one, want to hear Bob Seger team up with Linda Ronstadt and sing lyrics by Jackson Browne. Hell, at the very least, even an album of them doing covers of each others hits would be cool. (Think Seger singing "The Pretender." Sweet, huh?) Throw in a couple of killer guitarists from back in the day, and you've got a record people will pay for.

We, ahem, white people are all supposedly into country music these days, so why not unite some of the best country rock people from the 70's and turn them loose on some new tunes. Where are the boys from Marshall Tucker these days?

And, damnit, think about all the great soul acts out of Motown? Get those geezers out of the casino lounges and fire up a Hammond organ, for chrissakes. Think of the harmony! Stir that pot, mix in 40 years of real world experience, and gimme some new sounds that will rock this house. And put it out as an LP, too, just so I can smell some fresh vinyl again.

Procter and Gamble's Reply

Looks like what I was expecting; a form letter, and not a very good one at that. Gotta love the P.S... I guess the opinion of dads isn't important, as if I didn't already know that.

Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.If this issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may reopen it within the next 28 days.Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.Subject---------------------------------------------------------------Just what compells P&G to screw with well-established brands like Head & Shou...Discussion Thread---------------------------------------------------------------Response (RightNow Administrator) - 01/26/2009 10:45 AM Thank you for sharing your disappointment with our product. Our goal is to produce high quality products that consistently delight our consumers and I'm sorry this wasn't your experience. Please be assured I'm sharing your comments with the rest of our team.

Since your satisfaction means a great deal to us, I'm following up with you by postal mail. You should receive my letter within the next 2-3 weeks. Thanks again for writing.P&G Team

P.S. If you're a mom who likes learning about new products and sharing your opinions about them, we'd love to hear from you! Join Vocalpoint to preview and influence new products and services, as well as receive coupons and samples you can share with friends or family. Membership is free, always voluntary, and your privacy is guaranteed. To join or to find out more about Vocalpoint, just click on http://site.vocalpoint.com/guest/screener.html?targetid=351

Dear Procter and Gamble...

Here's a nastygram I just fired off to Procter and Gamble. I think you'll find it self-explanatory.

Just what compels P&G to screw with well-established brands like Head & Shoulders every couple of years? I'm not seeking innovation and I doubt seriously if anyone using H&S for years/decades is, either. I've watched you mess with the scent, the viscosity, the packaging over and over again. What? You draft a new product manager with a fresh marketing degree and say "here - try and make this more attractive"? Jeez... Do you guys ever shove your focus groups into a shower and say "see if you can open this bottle, one handed, with your face full of water?" Obviously not, or you'd not have burdened your "new and improved" H&S with such a crappy package. But then, I guess this gives you an opportunity next year to reduce the ounces and proclaim it's got a "easier to use" container. Right???? And as for the smell...yuck!

Let's see if I get more than an automated response. Somehow, I doubt it. If I'm wrong, I'll post it here.

The Inaugural, et al

Well, today was the day. It's hard to believe I've watched, what, ten Presidents sworn in for the first time in my lifetime, and none more of consequence than Obama.

Observations:

Damn, it's nice to have a President who can make a speech without looking like an idiot. (It's also nice to have a President who isn't an idiot.) I'm glad our new President didn't revert too much to the "hopes and dreams" message he delivered on the campaign trail, focusing ahead on the challenges we face, and looking at them with steely-eyed determination. Wifey detected more than a hint of Obama's penchant for preaching, but then, inaugural addresses have a way of being that way anyway, no matter who delivers them.

Dear old George Bush. He's looked a lot like a deer in the headlights for a long time now; today he looked like a deer that's already been run over and looking at what hit him. He's a damaged man. If you saw his last press conference, you could surmise that he's on the verge of collapse. I hope they remembered to take the nuke codes away from him.

George The First looked to be in shockingly bad shape; shuffling along with a cane. Wife Barbara looked good, considering she recently had health issues.

Carter looks more like Mickey Rooney than the man we knew as President. Clinton looked wistful, as if he somehow felt he should be re-upped for a third term. Hillary looked genuinely relaxed and happy. Somehow I don't think she'll feel that way much longer, once she gets on the job as Secretary of State, and finds out it's all work and no glory. Ask Condi Rice about that one.

I think Obama's got the balls for the job; I certainly wouldn't have gotten out of the bomb-proof limo and walked, even briefly, down the parade route. Note to Michelle: see if you can order better fitting body armor. It doesn't do much for your figure, no matter how nice the dress.

Read "NOT The Los Angeles Times"

If you're a fan of parody and have ever enjoyed reading "The Onion" there's an even better choice for us SoCal residents, who have watched Sam Zell and the Tribune Company take the L.A. Times down the 'ol shitter.

Google "Not the Los Angeles Times" and read what some disenchanted staffers have dreamed up... it's not to be missed. Make sure you click on the different "sections" highlighted on the left of the page; you'll be ROFLAO without a doubt. I'd add the link myself but that ability evades me right now.

New Year's Resolutions 2009

I looked back at my list from 2008 and I can see that I kept a few and forgot about most. Let's see what I can cook up for the new year ahead:

I resolve to give President Obama a chance at doing something, anything positive. Let's face it, he's got a lot on his plate, so I'm not expecting miracles; though you'd think from some circles he could walk on water just because he's black and a Democrat.

I resolve to complete the list of home improvement projects I wrote out Christmas week, thinking I could bang them all out in a few days. Yeah, right...

I resolve, again, to continue writing this blog although nobody reads the stuff.

I resolve to wash the cars on a regular basis. You'd think that would be an easy one; it isn't.

That's about it. See you in January 2010 for an update on how I did.