Townes Far Cry from Dead?
Someone on eBay is offering an advance promo "of Townes Van Zandt's new CD 'Far Cry from Dead'." They're selling it with a press kit with bio and photo, so it sure sounds like there's a new TVZ on the horizon. So, industry weasels, what's the word? Is this the stuff he was recording with Two Dollar Guitar shortly before his death, some kind of best-of, yet another live album, or what? When's it coming out? Larry
Cartwrights
I've pitched the digests from a couple weekends ago when there was a little discussion here about the Cartwrights. Would the people who went/were asking about their show (or otherwise have an interest in the band) drop me a note offlist? Thanks! Larry [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Better Live?
Since the general consensus seems to be that, at least for some acts, live music *is* better, let me tell about these killer tapes that I have. . . g Larry
Re: boot me baby, but don't sell it
Reading today's digest, looks like this topic has pretty much blown by, but as a digester, I reserve the right to flog the dead horse a little. g Joe Gracey (and I) wrote: What's got me about this discussion is the doublethink. I'm not supposed to have this live music that I didn't "pay" the artist for-- This was not my, at least, point. Whether a live tape is free or not is not the issue with me. All I ask is the courtesy of a veto over a bad show, or for that matter for any reason whatsoever, since I insist on my right as an artist to control what happens with my art. Pretty simple concept. Simple? Yes and no. If we're talking about some session you recorded and never released, I'd agree--yes, simple, you should have the only say in whether that music gets circulated beyond the confines of your studio. If we're talking about that show you played in public last night, I'd say no, it's not that simple. Let's say you think last night's show wasn't one of your finer performances and that you wouldn't want someone to hear it on tape. Did you give everyone at the show their money back, or announce for the stage, "Oh jeez, people, forget everything you heard up here tonight. Come back for free tomorrow night and we'll try to give you a better show." (I know from talking to musicians that there are nights that they may feel that way, but no one's ever offered a refund at any show I attended. And yeah, I've heard a few that to describe them as "off nights" would be very kind.) So what makes that performance good enough for those people in the venue, but not good enough for me to listen to at home? No one listening to a live tape is expecting to hear hundred-take in-studio perfection. We couldn't go to the show, you didn't come to us, but we'd like to hear you perform a show anyway. You presented this music to those people at the club, so what's so different about presenting it to me in my living room (via a tape deck)? While I don't have any passionate feeling about tapes floating around out there and consider them mostly harmless in practical terms, I do have an uneasiness about them insofar as they may violate my right to control how my art is exposed to the public. But Joe, weren't you exposing your art to the public in that show that my hypothetical buddy recorded? Last fall, Richard Thompson toured and played a number of new songs that will presumably be coming up on this spring's new album. He was very much against these shows being taped, because he wanted the songs "to be new to everyone" when the album appears. Okay, so playing those songs to maybe 10,000 people on the tour is somehow going to keep the music "new," but having 200 or so fanatics hear them via the tapes will not? Maybe I'm just a simpleton, but if Thompson didn't want people to hear those songs until the album came out, then what was he doing playing them in public performance? It seems to me that it's pretty easy for industry weasels g who enjoy lots of free music to cast stones at a music exchange medium that they don't participate in. I don't really see how promo music relates to tape trading. Promos fall entirely within the confines of what I am talking about, the artist's right to control how his music is presented. You must have more artistic control than many performers. I hear about bands that have no say in what songs get released on promos or the full- length releases, have the promos charged against royalties, and then have industry-connected weasels sell them off to used CD stores or collectors. I don't see a lot of difference between the industry weasel selling a promo CD and the bootleg weasel selling a live CD-R, except that one's selling music performed for public consumption via a recording studo, and the other's selling something performed for public consumption via a club. They're both weasels. But I see another similarity between a promo CD and a live tape-- in a best case scenario, both can increase the exposure of an artist and lead to someone buying a commercial release or attending a show. Worst case, the tape collector doesn't like the tape or the band and doesn't buy a CD. . . but the promo CD gets sold to a used CD shop, who sells it to a customer *in place* of a commercial release that the customer might otherwise have purchased. Does the first case represent a loss to the musician? Only if the tape collector would have purchased the CD if he hadn't heard the tape. The second case surely does. (And I'll join the musicians in their everyone-should-pay-for-every- note-they-hear argument if they join me in my campaign, as a writer, to close down every library, used book store store, copying machine, scanner, and the like, so that every person who reads my work has to pay for it. It's only fair.) I have often wrestled with this similarity. How is a used book store any different than a used CD store? It seems to me that to
Re: Change in ListProc digest format (fwd)
The change will affect only a few people; possibly none of your list subscribers. Only individual subscribers who have their "mail mode" set to "digest" will see any change in what they receive. "A few people; possibly none. . . " in this case is what, several dozen? Subscribers using modern email client programs will probably be thankful for the change to MIME digests. "Modern email clients. . . " Gee, can they be any more condescending? Must be Unix programmers. . . My mailer handles the new digests okay-- not better-- but I liked the old format better. I'll be investigating that set command. Thanks for passing it along!
Re: boot me baby, but don't sell it
I always find these debates interesting, as I've been a tape trader for about 17 years. And that's TRADER-- I've never bought a "bootleg" tape or CD, have never sold a tape, and won't trade with anyone who looks like they may sell tapes/CDs. Trading tapes has introduced me to a lot of music that I never would have heard otherwise-- translating into a lot of CDs that I never would have bought or shows I never would have gone to. I probably wouldn't have found this list two or three years ago had not a friend put some Uncle Tupelo/Wilco filler on the tape of a Jayhawks show he sent me. I hate bootleggers too, for a different reason than what Nancy and others have expressed-- by selling bootlegs of live performances, they're making me and every other live music collector look like scum, out to make a fast buck off the music we collect. CD burners have made it so easy for any spoiled frat boy to run some bootleg discs to sell for beer money that I'm afraid more and more artists who formerly encouraged or allowed taping to ban it. I love live music. I want to hear what an artist/band can do when it's just them and their instruments up there, with no Lanois twiddling the knobs or dozens of overdubs or pitch-perfecting software between me and the performance. I go to a lot of shows that come through the area, but Des Moines ain't no Chicago or Dallas or L.A. And until I hit the lottery, I can't road trip to even a fraction of the shows I'd like to see. So it boils down to a live tape or nothing. What's got me about this discussion is the doublethink. I'm not supposed to have this live music that I didn't "pay" the artist for-- even though I've bought the artists' commercial releases and gone to the shows, and though I didn't pay a bootlegger for this tape. . . yet am I to believe that the people so negative about taping-- some musicians and radio personalties, I note-- have paid for every piece of music they've experienced? I've got about 400 CDs strung around here, and I've paid for every one. Of the hundreds of concerts and shows I've been to, I've been on the guest list twice. So Nancy and Jon and Joe (nothing personal, you guys, I'm just wanting to make a point) don't have a single promo CD in their house, have never gotten in free to shows, don't have a few "live" tapes sitting around their house? It seems to me that it's pretty easy for industry weasels g who enjoy lots of free music to cast stones at a music exchange medium that they don't participate in. (And I'll join the musicians in their everyone-should-pay-for-every- note-they-hear argument if they join me in my campaign, as a writer, to close down every library, used book store store, copying machine, scanner, and the like, so that every person who reads my work has to pay for it. It's only fair.) Larry
Lyle Lovett in Des Moines
Tickets went on sale today for Lyle Lovett at this great old 1200-seat auditorium in Des Moines. The show's Friday, May 7, and would be well-worth driving in from several hours away. The hall has great sight lines and acoustics, and I've already mentioned how quiet we repressed Methodist Iowans are. g It would be a great place to make a tape. . . Drop me a line if you want more info. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
New Los Lobos list
From previous comments I know there are several Los Lobos fans on the list, so thought I'd pass along word that a new Los Lobos mailing list is getting started. It's probably not going to be a very high-volume list, but with the new CDs from Cesar Rosas, the Latin Playboys, and David Hildalgo/Houndog out, upcoming tours, a new Los Lobos disc in June, etc. there should be some things to talk about. To subscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with subscribe loslobos [EMAIL PROTECTED] in the body. Thanks!
Re: KC area McCoury!
KC folks, if you haven't seen it already, be aware that the McCoury / Earle show is coming to Roadhouse Ruby's in Olathe on Tuesday, March (Bill S and Jack C and I were talking about this last night at a great Big Sandy show here in town). Yeah, well, I hope you guys enjoy the show, as that date was originally penciled in for Des Moines at our beautiful old 1200 seat auditorium. Why they'd want to play some nightclub in front of a bunch of drunk Kansans instead of a group of quiet, appreciative Iowans is beyond me. g (Although I'm not kidding on the quiet part; so far this year I've heard Lucinda Williams, James McMurtry, and Hot Club of Cowtown all mention it from the stage. I think it's because we're all Methodists. . . or tapers.)
Re: Coming to Town: Prine
For those of you with a hankering to visit the Scruffy City... Concert tix for these shows in Knoxville go on sale this Saturday: John Prine ... April 16 Good to see John's doing shows again. I heard rumors some time ago that he was quite ill; was there anything to that?
HCoC was (Re: [twangfest] Fw: off-sxsw event page)
The Hot Club of Cowtown are doing Happy Hour at the Continental on wednesday at 6:30PM. I saw them last night and they were amazing. lots of new tunes and tight as a tick. I saw them a week ago, not knowing anything about them other than the bit of buzz they've gotten here, and was very impressed. Okay, I've had a fondness for Bob Wills-type stuff for years so I had a feeling I'd like them, but I was also skeptical about a three-piece carrying off the material. For the most part, I didn't miss all those extra musicians a bit-- well, there was a couple times I thought a little steel would be nice-- but if the show had been in a less-formal venue I'd have chomped a cigar and let loose with many an "Aahhh." My only regret was that I hadn't dragged a dozen people with me to the show; they deserved to play in front of more than the 60 folks who showed up.
Re: Lucinda to Gurf: Let's talk.
That's interesting, a plea from the stage in another state, etc. I've heard Gurf say some stuff about Lucinda from stages too, but it was generally humorous and less, um, "longing" in nature g. --junior npimh: "She Still Thinks I Care" This wasn't humorous and it wasn't "longing" in the nature that I think you intended-- you could see in Lucinda's face and hear in her voice that she was extremely frustrated and upset that Gurf still wouldn't speak to her, even in the wake of Donald Lindley's death. When she started the show by speaking about Donald's death and about Gurf, I really expected the next words out of her mouth were going to be ". . . so I'm really sorry but I can't play tonight." She seemed to be that upset. The bit about loving Gurf came later, in explaining to the mostly-clueless crowd who Gurf and Donald are and why this has been so upsetting--letting us know that despite the earlier vitriol, she doesn't hate him. Larry [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: I called Dylan Judas and created rock 'n' roll history
I called Dylan Judas and created rock 'n' roll history * 02/02/99 Birmingham Post Mirror Regional Newspapers (Copyright 1999) A former Midland student has been revealed as the heckler who experts believe changed the course of pop history when he cried "Judas!" during a Bob Dylan concert. Yeah, right. And I was the guy who yells "Whippin' Post!" in the Allman Brothers Band At Fillmore East. . .
Re: I called Dylan Judas and created rock 'n' roll history
A former Midland student has been revealed as the heckler who experts believe changed the course of pop history when he cried "Judas!" during a Bob Dylan concert. Yeah, right. And I was the guy who yells "Whippin' Post!" in the Allman Brothers Band At Fillmore East. . . And I'm the guy who yells "Freebird" at EVERY concert. It's Pavlovian, honest. Slim Man, and I thought I ran into Beatle Bob at a lot of shows-- Slim's got him beat by a mile! g Larry
Lucinda to Gurf: Let's talk.
At tonight's Lucinda Williams concert in Des Moines, Lucinda commented several times about someone putting this on the Internet, so here goes: Lucinda made a plea to Gurf to put aside all the hard feelings and talk to her. She said, "Be sure to say that I love Gurf, because I do, and that love conquers all." She said that she spent three hours today on the phone to Austin, trying to get through to Gurf, and that she was very stressed today because of Donald Lindley's death and not being able to talk to Gurf. So if any of you Austin or industry folks have contact with Gurf, would you pass that along? She seemed very serious-- and very sincere-- in wanting to get through to Gurf. (And it was a great show, too; just a couple minutes under two hours in a 1400-seat hall with great acoustics. There were fliers posted for upcoming shows by Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett-- if you want to see these guys in a great little hall, it would be well worth a long drive and/or overnight stay. . . ) Larry [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] "For once, maybe someone will call me 'Sir' without adding 'you're making a spectacle of yourself.'" -Homer Simpson, The Simpsons
Re: New Cesar Rosas, and some Los Lobos stuff
I've heard that David Hidalgo has a solo album coming out later this year (although I don't know when). Does anyone know if/when Los Lobos will be releasing their next album as a band? According to a fan website, www.mindspring.com/~krazyfish/loslobos/index.htm, the new David Hildalgo solo CD *AND* a new Latin Playboys CD are both due out March 2. David's CD is to be called "Houndog" and the Playboys' will be "Dose." It also states that the new Los Lobos CD is in the can, and that they are "finalizing things" with Hollywood Records. While I'll probably pass on the Playboys' disc, I'm excitedly awaiting the mailman leaving the new Rosas disc at my house, and I'll order the Hidalgo as well. I've been thinking for a while about starting a Los Lobos mailing list through onelist.com. Anyone have any better suggestions for a list host? Larry [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] "For once, maybe someone will call me 'Sir' without adding 'you're making a spectacle of yourself.'" -Homer Simpson, The Simpsons
