Not Again!

Well, here we go again. It appears that keeping The Room going is not really viable and it is time to move on. But this time, it is a bit different. Rather than just stop blogging, I am shifting to a new venue to try my hand at blogging a bit more expansively and a bit more personally.

Ultimately, trying to write intelligently about music, as was the goal here, simply took too much time. As Wobs pointed out when I talked to him about this "if I could just get to posting before each day's work was done, I might have the energy." But ultimatley I think that had to do with the ideal we were aiming for here at The Room. So, I hope you will put up with another shift and stay with me over at the new place. I will leave it to Wobs to tell you where you can follow him and his many thoughts.

Thanks everyone for staying with us for the last year and a half or so.

Missing Essentials: The Basic Idea

As I noted a couple posts back when I was talking about working to get more jazz into my life and into this here blog (note to self: go back and see what I am supposed to be doing), I mentinoed that I was developing a strategy (okay it is more of a hook really) for writing about "not new" music. After all, there is a ton of great music that isn't new that deserves some attention, right? So here is the approach.

We are going to start up a new series of occasional posts called "Missing Essentials" in which we look at a particular artist or band, albums and songs we love and currently own, and wonder out loud if there are other albums by said artist or band that others would consider essential.

This idea comes from the fact that when I was younger, I often set out to own "everything" by certain groups which inevitably led me to buy less than stellar albums and then inevitably led to the realization that I didn't need to own everything by a particular artist or band. As I have grown older those realizations have morphed into a certain sense that, in fact, once I have a few albums by a particular artist or band, I feel as if I perhaps "have enough" and don't worry too much about getting more by that group.

In fact, as I thought about this idea, I wondered if I thought there was an artist or band that I did think one would want to have every album they produced. And, really the only band that came immediately to mind, and that might not be coincidence given what was released today, was The Beatles (okay, minus the Yellow Sub soundtrack which I never really think of as one of their core albums). This is not to say that there aren't others--in fact, I hope to hear from some of you on that point.

This line of thinking though, leads to the real possibility that I am missing really important, historic, well, essential albums by an artist or band. Of course I am not thinking about new bands that have just released their first or second great album, but rather bands that have been around a bit or have broken up that have a catalog of albums to consider.

So that is what we intend to get your input on in the future, but until then, let's hear what artists/bands you think deserve to have their entire oeuvre collected.

Trying to Keep Tempo with Jazz

One thing I have always wish I did better here in The Room is offer up a bit more discussion of different musical genres, particularly jazz. Sure, there have been the occasional post, but as I look back over the posts, this blog is definitely heavy in the indie-rock-folk-pop-etc. vein which does not necessarily reflect the balancing of listening that goes on here in the homefront. I think that is in part due to, at least, three things.

One, I haven't found a good way to write about music that I have listened to for a long time and have been more focused on new music. That is related to the second item which is that I don't buy as much new jazz as those other categories (or classical for that matter) which leads to the third reason, which is that I tend to think of jazz albums as having more staying power and therefore I am willing to listen to them more often over time and feel less need to search out more or new albums.

Now I believe I have a solution to the first problem which I will be trying my hand at soon. As for the third reason, while the staying power of certain jazz albums is accurate I think, it is also a mistake to assume there is not more and different efforts coming out that deserve a listen (which means I am just being lazy, right?). Which leads back to the second issue of searching out and checking out (literally) more jazz. So over the last few days, here and there, I have been trying to track down different resources for finding new jazz. Here are a few that I have found interesting and will be checking in with in one form or another.

In the obvious category, Downbeat is still the staple and serious consideration to renewing a subscription is occurring. Actually, I just need to do it, in part, because their website is, well, not really all that helpful, which I find curious.

The Checkout is an NPR a show by Josh Jackson about new jazz music which appears on the big jazz station WBGO streaming out of Newark, but The Checkout also has a great website where you can keep up with new music and hear live studio sessions like this nice interview and session last week with Gretchen Parlato whose new album is on the to get list. WBGO also has a fine blog for keeping up with the jazz goings-ons. And, of course NPR also has it's own blog devoted to jazz, A Blog Supreme, which is worth following.

Another interesting effort, which we recently tweeted about is Nextbop which is a site by two young guys trying to offer up jazz catalogs on line for folks to check out--although they have been running into a few hiccups that will be familiar to all of us who have been discussing post take downs, recording companies, and the ethics of what we try to do with music blogs.

Lastly is Jazz.com which has got a great aggregator page of perpetually updated links to all the jazz news that is breaking at other sites--just point and click. They also have a fine blog.

That is a start. Obviously there are a lot more out there and I would love to hear about resources you follow for jazz, whether they be print, web, Twitter or somewhere else. And hopefully, this will all lead to a bit more jazz talk here in The Room.

9/14/09 Update: A Blog Supreme just launched Jazz Now designed to introduce jazz artists of the present--great idea!

Hosapple and Stamey: Memories and Ambivalence

So here is an ongoing internal question I have. Since this blog is intended to be about the love of music and sharing that music, should we include reviews of albums with which we are, let's say, less than impressed. My first reaction is to stay focused on the positive, but then I realized that that might make me write reviews that were a bit misleadingly positive (this one comes to mind) in my effort to be supportive. And then, I keep imaging this discussion between me and a good friend.

GF: So I just picked up the new album by "random artist" and boy was that a let down.
Me: Yeah, I know.
GF: What?!
Me: I mean I thought it was pretty unimpressive too.
GF: You have that album?
Me: Yeah, I got it a couple weeks ago.
GF: What the hell?
Me: Huh?
GF: You didn't write anything about that on the blog--you could have saved me the trouble!
Me: Sorry, didn't know that was my responsibility.
GF: You stink!
Me: YOU stink.
Me: Like poop.
GF: I am never reading your stupid blog again.
Me: Fine.
GF: Fine.

Okay, so that is a bit of an exaggeration (other than the fact that I do now argue like my children) but it does strike me that perhaps it would be fair to at least mention albums that have met with my ambivalence in case that might matter to anyone. But I will try to keep such posts short rather than long Pitchfork-like tear-ups.

So, a while back I read that Peter Hosapple and Chris Stamey, formally of the dBs were about to release a new album. This news caught my attention because I had such fine memories of their last effort Mavericks from way back in 1990. I hadn't heard that album in forever as I had it on a long-gone cassette. So I ordered up the recently re-released disc version which includes a few extra tracks as well as the new album Here and Now.

You can see what is coming right? Disappointment.

Now these guys still know how to craft a pop song and they still have really solid harmonies, but the problem (for me) is that most of the songs are, well, corny. Now you have to realize that "Mavericks" was basically a whole set of love songs (true and broken), so nothing all that fancy. On H&N they take on a variety of topics including one of my favorite these days--growing older--but they end up coming across as more silly than reflective. So we get songs about "just wanting to hang out with you" and how it's okay that now they "get up early in the morning."

Then there is seeming obsession with self-refernce to the reunion itself which is the text of the title track. As PopMatters notes in their review:

Indeed, Holsapple and Stamey reference their new connection so often that even songs on a different subject begin to feel like more steps along the same path. For example, once you’ve heard “Here and Now” and “Broken Record”, “Begin Again” (Holsapple’s ode to his fragile New Orleans home) seems like a reunion reference. And after hearing “Long Time Coming” and “Tape Op Blues” (a tune about being in the studio), it’s hard to wonder if even “Santa Monica”, with its chorus of “I want to hang around with you… until my life is through”, should be interpreted not as an ode to a lover, but to a treasured bandmate.

There are some great sounding pop tunes more reminiscent of the dBs, which are wonderfully boppy background music, but lyrically just don't make it for me. Then there is some odd use of saxophone on a couple tracks which I joked was probably added in because they had some friend who plays sax that they wanted to give a shot. Turns out it is Branford--oops!

Of course, once I started deciding to write through my disappointment in the album, I kept listening and started to feel like perhaps I was being too hard, but I don't think so.

Now that said, if you don't have Mavericks, I would still recommend grabbing a copy of that. It still holds together well despite the 80's sounding production and the somewhat heavy use of reverb or chorus (or whatever you call that somewhat echo-y sound with techno sounding drums). So let me serve up a couple tunes from that album as well as the opening track from H&N, a cover of My Friend the Sun, which had me hopeful the first time I listened to it. And if you want to hear more from the new album--they have much of it streaming over at their site.

Mavericks (Buy Album)

My Friend the Sun

Here and Now (Buy Album)

I Know You Will

I Want to Break Your Heart

Re-Start Me Up

Lately this blog has been calling me back. Why? Possible reasons:

• The desire to share thoughts about the stack of music I have listened to since I left?
• The need to express my dissappointment that Nick over at Indie Muse was right that the Decemberists went over the edge with Hazards of Love?
• The worry that the world won't be complete if another blogger doesn't mark the release of the new Wilco album (oops, too late)?
• It's summer?
• The fact that writing the blog made me more attentive to other music bloggers and I miss that?
• I don't want to dissappoint my two--count them two--followers?
• Where else will I get to write about my daily check-ins with the Regeneration Tour?
• The same silly assumptions I had when I started in the first place?
• The even sillier assumption that I have enough time?

Who knows. But either I am or I am not. If not, then this is just a little snarky distraction on a random Tuesday. If I am, then we need to establish some new guidelines damnit, because the old ones just weren't working! Who established those previous guidelines anyway? And does anybody but me even know what they were? Okay, here are the new ones just in case I re-start.

• While most of the posts will still be about music, I am not going to limit myself just to music . . . afterall, I have a life, you know.
• I will not be obsessed about trying to stay current--I am too damn far behind as it is. (I have also apparently decided the new version of the blog will be cussier.)
• Neither will I be obsessed about regularity (in posting that is)--we post when we feel like it at the Tuning Room 2.o (and don't test me with you plantive emails!).
• There will be no scoring of discs, only reflections.
• I am giving up on the idea that someone is going to join me and turn this blog into a group blog . . . and you call yourself friends!
• Okay, I am sorry for that. Anyone who wants to start up a new group blog dedicated to music simply has to ask and I will be there like an excitable cocker spaniel.
• And one final note to say that all guidelines are subject to random changes without notice.

And now I return to much self-reflection and questioning about me and this here blog.

Bloggers and the Big Boys

Lately I have been reading a bit about bloggers and others looking to share and promote music who have run into various dilemmas around copyright issues and threatened legal action by large recording companies (and the RIAA).  I wanted to bring those to light here at the TR not only because I find the changing ways and media through which music is shared to be interesting, but also to spread around a few stories about folks out there doing some really fine work who have found themselves in a bit of David and Goliath situation.

First there was the whole dust-up between Muxtape (which allowed users to upload their music in “mix tapes” to share with other online listeners) and the RIAA.  David reported on that earlier this year and you can read the whole saga from Muxtape-creator Justin Ouellette. Not to ruin the ending, but the outcome was a pretty unsatisfying compromise in my mind given where MT started.  That is not Justin's fault.  His efforts and commitments through the process are highly commendable and ultimately I bet there will still be a lot of great music coming from MT in its new band-oriented portal format--but the bottom line is that the platform is lost to everyday users.

The question that whole situation brings up is the question of sharing and “fair use” vs. the intellectual property rights of the musicians and record companies (although I haven't heard of musicians really being the issue here) and that is the question that Paul over at Setting the Woods on Fire has been struggling with as he receives “take-down” notices.  If you haven’t visited STOF before, it won’t take you long to realize that this is a serious and informative music blog (with a very particular attitude about music) and that having it shut down would be a loss for musicians and listeners alike, but that appears to be where Paul is headed.  And to that end, he asks an important (perhaps the fundamental) question as he attempts to submit his blogging to the “fair use” doctrine. 

Less clear is “the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.” Will posting an mp3 cause readers to seek out and buy the full album of an artist they might never have heard otherwise (in which case there will be a positive effect on the market)? Or will it stop potential customers from paying to download the same song (in which case the effect would be negative)? That question has been the subject of some research, but no conventional wisdom exists. I think the fact that so many artists openly encourage music blogs to post mp3s of their songs strongly suggests that responsible mp3 blogs are helpful to the industry, at least on a case by case basis.

I can only answer this from my own experience although I suspect it is not entirely unique.  I have always been a fan of music and a collector of music, but my pursuit of new music slowed for a couple of reasons.

First there is this thing called life including families, work, etc. and that just speeds up as we get older—so time was an issue.  But connected to that was the sorting—sorting through all the myriad of musical offerings out there and trying to make sense of the and select well rather than just increasing consumption to keep up with supply.  And that is where music blogs have become key for me.  

Sure I still read the rags (just about all of which now come with a sampler CD, hmmmm) and talk with friends some about music, but it is the community of music blogs that I read that are the real source of a lot of what I listen to and experiment with.

Of course that doesn’t answer the question of why not just swipe mp3s, load them into the old iPod and save some dough.  Well, that might have to do with age.  While I am old enough to remember (and covet) my brother's 45 rack or those groovy plastic 45 record carriers, I grew up with albums.  Even more so, I grew up in a time when bands that had single hits on an otherwise sucky LP were derided as lucky.  The album is the unit of measure for me—it matters how it opens, how it holds together, whether it is too short or too long, or my worst case scenario is a great album with one horrible song right in the middle.  Samples are just an introduction, not a replacement for the album.

So for me, the advent of music blogs has meant more purchases not less.  I could list of a dozen albums I have bought this year because of a review I have read and a sample I have listened to on other sites—albums that would most likely have never been purchased by me otherwise. In part, that is how I try to share samples with those of you who are kind enough to stop by here at the Room.  I could just play you my favorite song, but that would be just me saying I like this. Instead, I have been trying in my short time running this blog to give some representation of the album or band being discussed as means of encouraging readers to support that particular artist.

I suppose it is a bit reductionist to argue that it is just about sales, but I am pretty confident that is the issue.  Of course even when you try to work within the legal framework as Justin did, you find out that even when you are willing to ensure the record companies get their fair share, they are going to keep asking for more, so I suspect we are in for a long and bumpy ride.  

Fables of the (Re)Construction

Dear Readers (all six or seven of you):

Forgive this self-indulgence, but I have been thinking about this post since about a week after I started The Tuning Room, which really should be entitled: "What Was I Thinking?!" Truth be told, I started this blog before I should have and then tried to turn it into something I am probably incapable of achieving--a resource on music (albeit a resource from a limited and personal perspective). So I find myself in a bit of a conundrum--one which might end this here adventure or, at a minimum, will alter the approach.

This really isn't a whine--I mean it! I am just thinking through this little (and I mean little) dilemma. Here are pieces of the puzzle--all problems with the mental construction of this blog and I am fully aware that the solutions might just be delusional answers that will allow me to reconstruct (the same) blog. (BTW--I learned this cool technique of inserting random self-reflective commentary via the use of parenthetical qualifiers in graduate school--isn't it the smartest thing you have ever seen?)

Problem #1: So I have this bad habit of building things as I go--but hey it has worked so far! The problem here is that I had this funny idea that if I started this blog about music and got friends and fam to check it out, people would naturally ask if they could join in and post their thoughts on music. I, being raised like a Garrison Keillor character, didn't see any reason to ask anyone directly if they wanted to actually start a group blog on music--that would be presumptuous now wouldn't it? Needless to say, that was I had in mind in the first place.

Problem #2: Too many blogs. Is it possible? Well, yeah, but don't just mean the number of great music blogs out there already, I mean for me personally. There is the work blog--luckily a good colleague maintains the other or it would be two work blogs. And then there is the Brothers K blog (by invitation) about The Artist, The Engineer, and Little Boss which we try to write on frequently to keep friends and family up to date on the boys. So the point is that there is a lot of blogging in this life already. And because of blogging for work (not to mention friends who maintain great sites) I have a tendency to think of blogs as needing to be interesting and have fresh content and therefore I create some self-imposed obligation to keep this site filled with new stuff as if folks are looking for new features each day.

Problem #3: I can't. I love music, but I just don't listen to that much music, have time to explore it as much as I want, AND write about it. Right now there are about a dozen new albums/artists that I want to check out and that doesn't even include jazz and classical. And as I recently noted, I feel like I am just too behind the times to catch up with most of you who would read this. I never meant to be cutting edge, but I am feeling a bit more than behind the curve. As a result, I feel like I am just throwing something up for the sake of posting.

Problem #4: I can't believe that I have reached this point in my life, but I feel like I don't quite have a handle on the technology and so I end up spending time trying to right things that seem wrong on the blog (I am sure you have all noticed) or trying to figure out to get something to work rather than posting about tunes--or god forbid, listening to tunes!

Okay so that sounded like a whine even though I promised it wasn't going to be one and perhaps I should just check into some Blogs Anonymous group, get over it, crank up some tunes and hang. . . . oh please!

Here are the considerations for going forward:

1. Add Players? I am going to let this sit here on the blog for a bit and see if any of you all who read this are, in fact, interested in joining on as "A Player" and writing your thoughts about music here at the TR--or creating something else all together with a music angle. I know most of you have blogs already and doubt you want to sacrifice those--but if you think there might be something to work on along these lines, you know where to find me.

2. Reorient the Room? The other alternative would be to change the orientation of the blog to not just be focused on music--goodness knows I have lots of thoughts about other stuff (really!) and perhaps I should just get out of this genre specific gig.

3. Bone Up on the Techno? Also want to take a little time to figure out some stuff about the back end, putting up music files, and creating a site that is less cluttered and easier to read without all these extraneous components (that I put up rather than taking the time to actually write). So while I might not post very frequently for the next bit, you might see design changes.

4. Get a Life? Finally, while this blog is about as old as a Mayfly, it might just be that we should let it fade into the background and focus on other things (doubtful, but in the mix).

So there you have it--an honest assessment of my current perspective on The Tuning Room. I truly, truly do not share this thoughts as some fishing expedition for reassurance that I must keep this all-important blog up and running (I have enough experience with blogs to know different). Rather, I thought I would put it out there and see if you all had some suggestions--no one would be better to weigh in on this that the few of you friends who stop by. Would love to hear from anyone interested in a joint effort or any advice on good resources for getting more up to speed on the technology side.

Update: Okay I am over this thanks to a little help from my friends--new and old. Thanks to Lisa B. from HighTouchMegastore for the support, advice and offer. To Wobs from OrganizingGrievances for making a comparison that was more motivation than any positive re-enforcement ever could be. Thanks to the good dr over at The Bellman for some tech advice, and a special shout out to Payton from This Mornin' for help on the music files and player piece. Needless to say I am back at it with a bit less ambition and hopefully a bit more focus. And now enough with the navel gazing.

Heh, heh, heh . . . .hey!

Just yesterday I asked someone what kind of music they like to listen to (just for the record, it was very telling) and of course I am over 20 and I did start this blog. So I am feeling duly chastised. Of course you shouldn’t be laughing either.

(hat tip to IndieMuse)

What a Long and Uninspired Trip

Finally back from the Chicago trip. I am sure you have all been desperate for some new content here in the TR--ha! Of course if one of you good friends would come out of the comment section and become a "player" there wouldn't be these long stretches without any musical thoughts!

So despite insisting that I was going to get out and take in some music while in Chicago, it never happened. The closest musical experience I had was lunch with Wobs while taking in these funky high-rise buildings across the river that appeared on a Wilco cover. In fact, as I thought about it, traveling often is a music-less adventure for me with the exception being traveling by train where I love watching the scene pass by while listening to the iPod which has the effect of watching a music video of sorts. But planes and hotel rooms seem to kill the spirit to listen in me and I am not sure why. I think it is primarily because traveling (for work I mean here which I do far too much for my liking) is a pretty joyless activity all around and I generally spend most of my time unproductively wishing I were home which makes it hard to enjoy music--or anything for that matter . . . whoa, best get off the couch here.

Luckily, College Roomy sent a rescue package that arrived today including goodies including the new Joe Jackson, an oldie but goodie from the late GW McLennan and the new solo effort from Gary Louris. So I will get to dip into those for the next few days which I imagine will get me back in the saddle--not to mention working on returning the favor.

The Right Profile

Just a little more navel-gazing here as we get the site started up while I have a few people checking in (I think?). Here is my question: Where do you get your musical news/info/insights? Of course, the very premise of this blog is that one primary way is by sharing with friends. But, I also surmise that most of us check out some publication here or there, or read a blog, or are lucky enough to have a decent local paper that reviews music . . . in short, we have our particular sources.

So what are they? I am looking to build up the resources over there on the right-hand side of this blog, but I would like to be deliberate about that. I don’t want those lists to be nothing more than some long list of links that is so overwhelming that no one finds them helpful (remember, the idea here is to be a kind of friend’s clearinghouse of musical ideas).

For instance, David Byrne’s Journal which is the only one listed just now in that category (another h/t to College Roommate) is simply a really interesting blog on music and many other things. I know lots of artist have promo-sites, but I am looking for more than that. I am looking for sites that help inform the conversation and that you would think others would appreciate.

Similarly, I have added some mainstream music pubs, but there are a whole mess of them out there—what do you consult?

Finally, I am looking for music specific sites. There are lots of folks who post occasionally on music, but the goal is quality, not quantity. So for instance I have added Jazz & Blues Music Reviews (who, by the way beat me to weighing in on Vijay Iyer's new album) to the list of other bloggers writing about music because of that blog's focus on, well, jazz and blues.

So tell me where you go, and if there should be a whole new category over there on the right side, let me know that as well.