tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.comments2021-02-03T12:47:08.435-07:00Prescription Bluegrass Editorials and AdviceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-20396686354730051292016-07-18T05:13:43.455-07:002016-07-18T05:13:43.455-07:00Matt, while I appreciate your opinion, as the Lovi...Matt, while I appreciate your opinion, as the Lovin' Spoonful once sang, there are 1352 guitar pickers in Nashville....and they are ALL pretty good. The difference between a good guitar player and a great one is always defined by those who educate themselves by studying the styles of others and those who do not. For those who want a career in music (and something more than playing local clubs and VFWs), it is their responsibility to dive in and understand their craft--it isn't a fans' responsibility to teach them. There is far too much competition in this town to come unarmed without this knowledge. If you want a lucrative career, you better bring your best tools for the job and not rely on someone else to "bring you a hammer.". EZlikeSunAMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08882838502891580336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-24413814033940865302016-01-06T17:10:53.606-07:002016-01-06T17:10:53.606-07:00The unfortunate fact is that people with cameras (...The unfortunate fact is that people with cameras (but no training or idea of what their camera is about) have put the learned photographers either out of business or in the position of having to explain why they charge more than the point and shoot amateurs who are giving away their services. The average person has seen so many phone photos, selfies, and bad images from so called "professional" photographers, they honestly don't know what excellence looks like any more. The bar is on the ground, it hasn't simply lowered. <br /><br /> There isn't much we can do about the cell phone videos/photos from fans, other than play a great show and hope that people understand that it isn't a professional recording. I've watched videos of my favorite groups on Youtube and shook my head, having my hopes dashed after watching a bad recording, getting dizzy from camera movement, or seeing someone's head blocking the band throughout the video. All the time thinking what a fantastic thing it would have been if there had been professional photographer/videographer there to capture it all. <br /><br /> The more famous bands like Willie Nelson and others of that caliber, do not allow cameras or videos at their shows, but even they can't stop anyone from using their cell phones to record or take photos. Rather silly to make a fan take their camera back to the car before they can enter, as some of the new phones have amazing quality and with the right editing programs, can produce a better than normal end result. Of course, people could pirate the video, but the only way to stop that is to make people leave their phones home and I can't imagine how they could police that. Unfortunately, society has changed. People are out for themselves and honestly will take advantage of any situation where they can get something for nothing. It makes it hard for a band or a professional photographer to make an honest living. I'm not sure if they just don't understand what they're doing or if they do and just don't give a hoot. I've had moms follow right behind with their i-pads, shooting every pose that I was taking. Granted, their photos aren't going to be great, but it goes right back to the bottom line, the bar is low and people are satisfied with low quality, as long as it's free. For some reason they just don't understand that you don't do things like that. They think it's cool to record the band so they don't have to buy their cd or video. How sad is that? <br /><br /> So, to answer your question, you can put a disclaimer on the ticket, but some people just don't care and because we are so afraid of bad comments on social media or google or threats of a lawsuit, we keep our mouths shut. It's sad. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14253511967943569165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-90079417256320438182015-05-11T12:31:04.045-07:002015-05-11T12:31:04.045-07:00I don't get too wrapped up in labels. Bluegra...I don't get too wrapped up in labels. Bluegrass, Americana, Roots or just plain Music Festival doesn't matter at all. Check out the lineup to see if its an event you want to attend. If all I were to go by was the name of the event, I would only have myself to blame if I depart unsatisfied.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-9270640917070528222015-05-04T09:16:51.724-07:002015-05-04T09:16:51.724-07:00With all due respect, as much as we publicists wou...With all due respect, as much as we publicists would love to be able to include personal notes to all the journalists we work with, it would be exceedingly difficult to do so for most of us. We have to allocate our resources wisely, and most of us simply don't have the time to devote to a task such as that, as much as we might like to. This isn't indicative of a lack of caring, or a desire to engage personally with journalists and editors: it's simply a reality of our work schedules, which require us to do more with less help, and less time. I hope you understand that we care very deeply about the journalists who support the artists we represent, and we are grateful for all that you do.Regina Joskow, Rounder Recordshttp://rounder.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-25867737696000148462014-12-22T08:44:55.105-07:002014-12-22T08:44:55.105-07:00Way to go guys. Nice to see a band that cares abou...Way to go guys. Nice to see a band that cares about how they look on stage. And you guys do sound as good as you look!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-61082019902704288822014-11-03T16:58:25.061-07:002014-11-03T16:58:25.061-07:00What you wrote is very good, but what is your sugg...What you wrote is very good, but what is your suggestion to getting the gigs, attendees, and cd sales? Playing in a band I have tried all those social media things, but found it to be a waste of time so I cancelled all except Facebook. We have a very small fan base (less than 200) on Facebook compared to other bands.Bluegrass Grannyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901957358676031540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-8843117293248192592014-10-15T08:13:39.941-07:002014-10-15T08:13:39.941-07:00I have listened to his music on youtube, he has m...I have listened to his music on youtube, he has morphed into someone and something that i would not go see at a festival and would leave during his performance................So sad................He has a great talent that is now being used to put down God......and show no morals...this is not what bluegrass is about.....he has crossed the line...........................Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-17535827710041604322014-06-16T09:37:54.722-07:002014-06-16T09:37:54.722-07:00You do have a choice!
I love web browser advertisi...You do have a choice!<br />I love web browser advertising blockers. They leave a lot of empty white space on pages viewed but, for the most part, they work well. My clothes are logo free (except for my own company!) and, like your dad, I removed the dealer decal from my car when I got it home. It wasn't rivited on so came off clean. WD-40 is great for removing them. I did leave the Fox Ford logo on my Explorer but, it looked just like the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival leaping fox logo and it didn't have any text -- just the fox. I rid myself of commercial radio and TV over a decade ago because I could no longer handle the lies, propaganda, brainwashing, loud volume and such. I don't miss it at all. Ads in my life are noise. Nothing more. <br />I want a higher "signal to noise" ratio and to achieve that, one must eliminate the noise. Here's a link to a piece I wrote on that subject a while back... http://tinyurl.com/kh9mcgzBobhttp://www.cybergrass.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-62065943317134989152014-05-19T17:26:56.241-07:002014-05-19T17:26:56.241-07:00I agree totally with your editorial. Some bands o...I agree totally with your editorial. Some bands out there need to take note of the way Bill Monroe and other bands dressed. You would never see them on stage in ripped jeans and shirts hanging out. Very unprofessional..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-53826672994807448352014-04-29T08:07:28.043-07:002014-04-29T08:07:28.043-07:00I think this is the best of all the CFR production...I think this is the best of all the CFR productions to date. Simply marvelous.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-82749119204219816712014-04-15T11:18:09.598-07:002014-04-15T11:18:09.598-07:00Great Blog!Great Blog!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14178681562994325205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-45677147854186985752014-03-27T07:59:40.254-07:002014-03-27T07:59:40.254-07:00Does a person who is driving a car HAVE to know wh...Does a person who is driving a car HAVE to know who Henry Ford is? Does a person screwing in a light bulb HAVE to know who Thomas Edison is? How did this girl play so well yet not know who Bob Wills is? Perhaps it's because she is really good at what she does. I apologize, but shame on you for chastising her for her lack of knowledge. The fault of ignorance is not because of the student, but because of the teacher and society. Her teachers (be it video, book, recordings, or human) had the opportunity to provide her that information but did not. She still accomplished her task of being a great fiddle player. Instead of chastising, perhaps providing the suggestion of researching on Wills. That is like handing a person a board, a nail, but no hammer, and telling him/her to pound the nail in. He/she may stand there in ignorance, or may be creative and pick up a rock and use it to pound the nail. Either way, to chastise that person is wrong just because he/she is not aware of a hammer.<br /><br />That is the problem I have seen with too many traditionalists in bluegrass. They are critical instead of being educating.<br /><br />Matt Mertahttp://www.mattmerta.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-36394046458218835962014-02-11T03:50:59.984-07:002014-02-11T03:50:59.984-07:00As an owner of a listener supported internet stati...As an owner of a listener supported internet station, expenses are at the top of my list, more times than not donations do not cover the expenses so out of pocket it comes. I wholeheartedly agree that writers and performers both should get paid, but when it comes down to it the internet broadcasters will be paying a much larger share for the same amount of music played. The biggest reason is it's easy to know how many listeners there are for a particular song and thru all of the fancy cyphering it ends up being that songwriters royalties and performance rights end up being almost double my other expenses each month.<br />As James mentioned, most artists I feel want to get their music out there to be heard, because that equates to CD sales at the table or in the store, the internet has the largest capability to reach a larger and broader group of listeners and in such I feel has the ability to fuel the incomes of writers/performers alike. If they keep tacking more fees onto the backs of the stations, more and more will shut down, therefore stopping that flow of royalty income. I have already decided to trim back a server connection to cut back the total listener hours that we have to get into a lower royalty bracket. In doing so we at least are able to reach some listeners.I would venture to say that the performing rights organizations themselves are making much more money off of all of this than they they really should be, anytime politics is involved it seems that the ones who supposedly are represented are the ones who ultimately lose...<br />Roger Randolphhttp://www.bluegrassmix.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-34042845307242466442014-02-10T17:39:14.268-07:002014-02-10T17:39:14.268-07:00At work (public library where I am right where the...At work (public library where I am right where the patron is) I have had the auto play start up. I did once email someone about it and they did turn it off, but like you said they had probably lost many people. I find that people who have ReverbNation accounts do this more in order to gain more listens, which means better stats.Bluegrass Grannyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901957358676031540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-64428413992291147722014-02-10T12:12:01.451-07:002014-02-10T12:12:01.451-07:00I have to agree with Michele Epps, This will be in...I have to agree with Michele Epps, This will be interesting to follow. As a co-host of a radio show that broadcasts on two different public channels, and like many others, I already supply my own music, volunteer my time, and try to get listeners to contribute to the stations a couple of times a year in order to make music available for the listeners to hear and use as a gauge to determine if they want to purchase CD's or see groups in concert. While one of the stations could survive, the other would have to shut down. Hopefully, this doesn't come to pass. I am curious to know what some artists/songwriters think about this idea.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09818068019886847557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-71718315926327049222014-02-10T10:33:08.745-07:002014-02-10T10:33:08.745-07:00I'm an internet broadcaster in a group deal th...I'm an internet broadcaster in a group deal through Live 365 that gives me a break on my royalties. If I were paying outright it would cost me considerably more for less storage and more limit to listener slots. I've had my station over 6 years and hope I can continue.<br />Also Sound Exchange is cracking down as evidenced by the shut down of Loud City for non payment.busgalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01647678603963047016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-75272461754454746832014-02-10T08:54:29.220-07:002014-02-10T08:54:29.220-07:00Most of the music and concert tickets I purchase c...Most of the music and concert tickets I purchase come from hearing a song on the radio. If more fees would cause radio stations to change formats or shut down altogether I can't see how the performer or consumer would benefit. Musicians should be properly compensated for their work but I just don't think this is the answer. Good radio stations are dying off fast enough as it is.Michele Eppshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09690387574255276937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-20016174232930206952013-11-25T10:28:15.056-07:002013-11-25T10:28:15.056-07:00"I'll Whip You With an Old Bicycle Chain&..."I'll Whip You With an Old Bicycle Chain" may be suitable to the crowd tho frequent redneck bars and KKK meetings, his decision to include it in the set list for his performance at family-oriented Lowell Folk Festival only goes to reinforce he is callous and unenlightened. I called the song and performance out in my blog 8/7/13, read "The Lowell Folk Festival is no Place for a Song Making Light of Domestic Violence." Read http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-lowell-folk-festival-is-no-place.htmlJeff Boudreauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12664481414678271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-39746031879877431052013-11-25T06:59:18.446-07:002013-11-25T06:59:18.446-07:00Hi Brian,
As a life-long educator I observed the ...Hi Brian,<br /><br />As a life-long educator I observed the highs and lows of pedagogy. I predicted the type of children that my students, as adult parents, might have. Later, teaching the children of my students, I found my predictions had pretty much come true. Today our society pretty much has inherited the shortcomings in attitude that are a result of not knowing and raising our children with acceptable morality and social responsibility. It also is unfortunately apparent that those who do the least demand the most, and expend their energy in criticism of what they've helped create, mostly by not getting involved. In the case of young artists who get attention by assaulting our sensibilities to gain recognition, most do not know where the line to be drawn, lies. The fact that, in parenting, the time and effort needed to guide children is too much effort for them to undertake, and they raise offspring that later are as more trouble than their apparent worth to the family. It's easier, at that point, to immerse themselves into their own pleasures, and give the kids a pocketful of bucks to spend at the local mall, their new foster parent. This gives each generation less for guideposts and boundaries than the one before them, and leads to generational separation and isolation. The picture isn't pretty, and there's not much that's going to change the amorality of society on immorality. Anything then, such as media, should use all the effort at their disposal to combat the breakdown of public decency. Again, unfortunately, capitalism rears its ugly head, and fortune reigns supreme over taste and morality. Since the arts and artists exhibit little knowledge of where the line for public exposure and consumption lies, the first and last line of defense lies with media. This is where courage and decency takes its toll, on the stalwart few who will refuse to participate in letting material that lies clearly in the offensive boundaries, be broadcast. However, they should be, and mostly are, aware of the personal costs that ensue, and usually are no longer in a position to make those decisions. Their replacement will not follow in suit, but will abide by the philosophy of the organization that promotes such trash. Therein lies the conundrum: what to leave in, what to leave alone! I wish the picture were brighter but it does not look as if it will change. It will, in one respect, it'll continue to steadily progress in the direction of "shock and awe." Stay the course as best as you can without losing the ship.<br /><br />Regards, <br />Alton "Bear" AckerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-85488026734882595292013-10-08T19:32:01.433-07:002013-10-08T19:32:01.433-07:00Bravo! It is good to see someone speaking out. One...Bravo! It is good to see someone speaking out. One of the bands on the program would have been right at home at a hard rock festival. I sat through the last ten minutes of their show while waiting for the following act. If this is the new "bluegrass", then the Lord help us.J. W. Moorenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-10220296984885502602013-10-07T19:13:47.578-07:002013-10-07T19:13:47.578-07:00Bravo! It is refreshing to see someone speaking up...Bravo! It is refreshing to see someone speaking up. There was one band in particuoar that would have been right at home at a hard rock festival. Thankfully I only saw about ten mimutes ot their show while waiting for the next act. If that is the new "bluegrass", Lord have mercy on us.Wilson Moorenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-11760090086224867832013-10-07T10:32:05.471-07:002013-10-07T10:32:05.471-07:00“It’s time to stop being politically correct and s...“It’s time to stop being politically correct and start being morally right before we lose every semblance of the civilized society we fought so hard to create.”<br /> - Judge Jeanine PirroAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-38823757749343832062013-10-07T07:14:06.305-07:002013-10-07T07:14:06.305-07:00Satire-the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or r...Satire-the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. I think the definition of satire describes the song perfectly. Personally, I never thought of the song as anything but satire, making fun of someone that stoops to this level. I don''t think it is a great song but it does bring to light a very serious subject in a very satirical manner. I applaud Jr. for trying to appease those offended with an apology and removing it from his set lists.vannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-42742880424611602292013-10-07T06:37:04.126-07:002013-10-07T06:37:04.126-07:00Sorry, But I will keep playing this song on my Blu...Sorry, But I will keep playing this song on my Bluegrass Show. If I started cutting out all the songs about controversal stuff i wouldn't have no show.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589017635578542067.post-13207651833840388002013-10-07T03:26:57.944-07:002013-10-07T03:26:57.944-07:00As a woman, I commend Junior for being sensitive a...As a woman, I commend Junior for being sensitive about women's issues. That being said, as a bluegrass lover, some of my favorite bluegrass classics deal with the darker side of human existence. "Banks of the Ohio"., "Pretty Polly". and on and on. There are several current songs that speak of love gone wrong and someone being buried in the garden or up on the mountain ...the songs are good songs, the content might be raw, but bluegrass has always been about life...the good,the bad, the awful, and the blessed. Jannoreply@blogger.com