hill in a handbag

11 O'Clock...tick...tock...

You know how lots of blog posts start with a question and then they give you all of the steps they took to find the answer and then...the answer!  Yeah, that's not at all what's going to happen in this blog post.

How the crap do you promote a local band?

Maybe I should have asked myself this before I volunteered to do so.  Years ago, Jenny and I started up 11 O'Clock PR.  I believe Jenny actually did PR stuff but I just kinda liked the name.  I mean, Jenny, Amanda and I are also in an imaginary band called The Garden Tarts but I ain't booking gigs.  Hmmm, I bet 11 O'Clock PR would rock marketing The Garden Tarts.  Wait...

My friends' (yes, that's possessive plural and I don't get to use that on my blog often) old band Big Idea are having a reunion concert here in Newport News next month and 11 O'Clock PR was asked to promote.  I suspect that our Virginia office (my MacBook and my couch with Mad Men in the background) was asked to take on this task because of our catchy name and not because of our impressive resume...I guess also because we're cheap (pro bono...hee hee.)

So I've managed to get the event listed on every single event calendar I can possibly think of.  I thought that was a good idea but I didn't realize how everything is connected.  There are so many mentions when you Google Big Idea Reunited that eBay thinks there are tickets to be sold and gives you a link to search.  That's good, right?  Yes.  I've sent emails to every single local media outlet I can imagine and still awaiting replies.  But what I really want is a little tiny write up in our local paper The Daily Press and I'm not at all sure how to go at that.  I sent an email and a tweet to the paper's music guy but I haven't heard anything back.  You know my theory on cats, two year olds and singers in bands...how the less attention you pay them, the more attention they pay you?  I'm kinda discovering that the same theory may apply to me too.  I don't like being ignored so I may have to take further action until I hear something back from him.  Cats knock stuff off tables, two year olds throw fits and singers shine lights in your face...what do I do?

I feel like the Underwear Gnomes from South Park:

Step 1:  Collect underpants.

Step 2: ??

Step 3:  Profit.

I actually think I'm not doing a bad job at this but I'm going to keep trying and am definitely open to suggestion if you have any sort.  Any tips on how to promote a little local concert?  If you do, hurry it up because this show is June 1st.

If only I had some sort of outlet of my very own where I was in control of all of the content and up to seven whole people a year read it...

 

For the love of money, money, money...

Check out this pic...U2 averaged the same amount for every ten seats at 360.  If my math is correct they made about $257,040 the entire October tour (102 shows) and $736,421,586 twenty-eight years later for 360 (110 shows.)  I'm not entirely sure how inflation works but I suspect that's above par. Right?

PS  This was my baby bro Jeremy's 2nd birthday.  Not that he's reading this...right?

Totally irrelevant!

Dear Rock Star,

    I'm pretty sure the first signs of becoming irrelevant in music world is worrying about becoming irrelevant.  At this stage in the game getting radio play, a song in a club or getting the kids to turn out does not matter.  Give it up...it's a bullshit excuse.

    What matters, you ask?  Making a great friggin' album that you can stand by and that can stand by you.  Give up on concept albums, give up on time tested combos.  Just go with your gut and your heart because that's how it worked out so well when you were young.  The whole point of this conversation is to discuss an album you made 20 years ago...an album you boast about playing seven straight songs from live back on it's tour.  You STILL play like five of those songs straight through.  RELEVANT?  How many can ya play of your newest album?  Huh?

    The times the are a changin' and you should be worried.  But not about the radio.  Worry about staying in good grace with iTunes.  And PLEASE don't even mention file sharing.  Maybe you gotta pay the bills but people aren't going to stop file sharing and the bottom line is that you're artists.  Unless...it's not about art anymore and then please let me know now so I can retire.  I'm still here because I believe in the art.

    Wake up old man!  You just finished the best (quality) tour of my professional career and the companion album kinda sucked.  Imagine what you can do with a solid album filled with life and soul instead of antidotes and ambiance.  The world is still your oyster if you want it.  You have no competition...definitely not Lady Gaga.  Come on, that's who we're talking about here, right?

    I kinda do appreciate the humility you show on this subject...but more-so it shows how out of touch you are with your audience.  Just like your songs, we'll stick by you but you gotta stick by us too.  We'll make you relevant if you don't make us irrelevant.

    Sorry to be harsh but I've never kissed your ass and I'm not gonna start now.  I'm quite confident that you still got it even if you think you've misplaced it.  Hint:  It's in the songs.

    Love,

    Me

    P.S.  Thanks for explaining Even Better Than The Real Thing.  If you had said it was a piece of Pop Art back in 1991, I wouldn't have spent the past 20 years saying it was the only piece of crap on the album.  Maybe it would have been a better fit on Pop.  Oh.

 

(No clue what I'm talking about?  Click here.)

Behind the Boathouse...

 

I loved this song back when it came out.  But after going many many years without hearing it...I now think it's pretty lame.  So many songs circa 1994-98 sound very similar to me with perspective.  I hate that I feel that way because that was my era of music  and I have such great memories but it's so true.  In terms of original art...that sucked.  In terms of (good) cover bands...that rocked.  That was a very good time to have five or so cover bands in your heavy rotation.  Recently I have noticed such bands on the rise again locally.  I like that.  So to recap:  Possum Kingdom = Lame.  Memories of Possum Kingdom = Quite fond.  

*I reserve the right to change my mind tomorrow.

Freaks & Geeks...

"Hey, I believe in God, man.  I've seen him, I've felt his power.  He plays drums for Led Zeppelin and his name is John Bonham, baby!" 

- Nick Andopolis (Pilot Episode)

King Of Trash!

The new Gavin Friday single Able is available as a free download.  It's off of his forthcoming album Catholic.  I like this song a lot.  I've missed his mysterious and sexy voice.  It's been 16 years since his last album Shag Tobacco.  Can't wait to hear the album in it's entirety!  Yay Gavin!

Question O' The Day: Cover Me

A conversation last month made me ponder the quality of songs U2 have covered over the years.  The general consensus is that they suck as a cover band. Which leads me to the question o' the day...

What's your favorite cover song U2 have recorded?

What's your least favorite?

Use this link for list of all U2 songs.

 

Bad

U2 circa 1978.  Street Mission.  Those lil' U2's are adorable.  But, oh Lord...this is bad.  So glad they squeaked by on stage presence and a fab guitar.  What would my life have been like if they remained in this incarnation?  [Dream sequence...] Bad dream sequence!  Apparently, I would have been addicted to heroin and the IRA and pro-Aparthide and anti-civil rights and generally unaware of social issues.  I never would have gone to the Enchanted Under The Sea dance and fallen in love with George McFly!  Wait.  I'm confused.  Just watch...

Wake Up!

 I do like Arcade Fire...don't get me wrong.  Wake Up  And My Body Is A Cage are in frequent rotation on my iPhone.  So when many of my dearest friends mentioned that they absolutely adore their new album, The Suburbs, I figured that of course I would love it too.  But I don't love it y'all.  I've tried and tried but it's not working.  For me, I would love to play it in the background at a dinner party but I can't seem to just sit down and listen to it.  I am absolutely aware that it is a very well made album and I can see why people like it so much...it just kinda bores me.  This is quite unusual because generally these said friends who love it usually share in my music taste.  Maybe I'm crazy...I don't know.  This condition will now be known as The Morrissey Effect...because I don't like Morrissey either but like 99% of my friends love him.

New U2

So last Friday in Turin U2 performed two brand new songs.  The first one...North Star, Bono says is not finished.  Whooda thunk?  I think the chorus has great potential but the rest of the song is less than fab.  But who knows...those Achtung Baby demos were total crap and the album turned out pretty dang good.  This chorus sounds like something from the Achtung Baby demos.  Not going back to check though because listening to those now is pretty painful.  Really, I love this chorus.  The second song called Glastonbury was apparently written for the Glastonbury music festival that U2 had to back out of when Bono hurt his back.  This song is definitely more polished than North Star but I don't think I like it.  Maybe I'll change my mind but right now it sounds like a theme park jingle.  A flowering rose of Water Country USA, yeah!  Guessing that any hope I had for liking that song, or for you liking that song are now dashed, right?  Sorry.  You know it's true.  Now I feel guilty because you shouldn't make fun of people who just had back surgery.  Please note that I did not mention anything about bad hair.  Nothing at all.  Crap!  I did it again!  Must stop typing.  What do you think of the two new songs?