Damn Glad I Went To Gluek's

It's about 10:30pm on a Wednesday, I'm dressed in a suit after a long night of work.  My buddy Matt calls me after he got off work and says, "Hey you wanna go check out this band I saw last Wednesday?"  Now, I'm dog tired and have a killer headache but something made me commit and agree to go down there.  Part of it was I told myself I'd start going to more shows downtown again, but then again I sort of just got up and got in his car.

He told me the band is called The Root City Band but didn't say too much more about it and just said I'd enjoy it.  We were headed to Gluek's bar in downtown Minneapolis.  Let me just say, a $3 cover wasn't nearly enough after what I saw and we made sure to grab a CD to make up for it.  I get there and there is this funky, bluesy, rock, alternative, some-kind-of-soul music blastin.  Wow.  They were so solid tight but fluid enough to make the performance special and rock with whatever itched them.  I could see the sax and horn player working out rhythm stabs in the background; the bass was rockin silky smooth bass lines all night; the drummer was on point and driving the group; the keyboard player was watching everyone and running those fingers over the keys in a way you think should be illegal;  and what can I say about Alex Rossi.  The man has a voice that makes you shiver.  It's full and soulful with a touch of blues rock to it.  Oh the guitar riffs too, good god.  I loved every song and every song you couldn't help to move to.  I don't think there was one person in that bar that could've ignored what was being played.

I talked with every member that night and they are a great group of guys to boot.  They've been doing this for a solid 5 years now playing anywhere from The Nomad to Famous Dave's in Uptown.  Apparently there is this guy named Heatbox too that joins them who does vocal percussion and loops it into the songs.  Unfortunate I missed him, but I'm sure I'll be seeing him next time I go to check them out because you better believe where I'm going to be most Wednesday nights regardless of being exhausted and nursing a spliting headache.  As soon as you get to Glueks on a Wednesday night it all gets lost in the mix.  They are managed by MJG Productions who also have Heatbox, Nathan Miller, and The Big Wu.  Here are some good videos and tracks of  Alex Rossi and the Root City Band who are on Spotify as well.  Enjoy, and get to Glueks Wednesday nights starts at 9:45pm 21+.  Think about it.

Rest in Peace Rivers Edge

 NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!  I refuse to believe this is true:

Why River's Edge Music Festival is Never Coming Back

So, to me, the biggest reason Live Nation pulled the plug was, and I quote, "We weren't getting enough people out of Fargo and Green Bay."  Wait come again?  Your blaming Fargo and Green Bay for your lack of promotion?  Yes, that makes perfect sense I'm less pissed off now.  I'm sure I can speak for the 45,000 people who showed up last year in saying son...of....a....bitch.

Live Nation had a 5 year contract signed to invest in building a national audience for the festival and from the looks of it, canceling this year is a legal tactic to buy their lawyers time figure out how to get out of the contract with minimal hurt.  Here's the thing though, I'm willing to bet that there is a cost for backing out of that contract.  Live Nation will take a hit there.

After stating they would do another festival next summer now they pull the plug.  That instills a certain amount of anger toward the company that already has enough negative attention.  Live Nation takes a hit there.

Another thing that LN said was the cost of staging has skyrocketed.  Who's to say those costs won't go down by waiting another year?  If anything it's going to be worse and now you've lost ground with an audience that was looking forward to it this summer.  Live Nation takes a hit there.

Now, I'm sure there are other factors here that the average Joe doesn't know (although that'd be a nice change), but it doesn't negate the fact that this company promised to bring the festival back in 2013.  Where I come from if you're not true to your word, good luck getting people excited about anything your trying to do.  There were absolutely no problems during last years festival.  The weather was fantastic and all the people who didn't get a ticket sure heard about it afterwards about how they missed out on something special.  I would bet that more than half of those people who didn't show, would buy tickets this year, at least for one of the days.  Harriet Island has so much potential to house a hell of a party.  There is a whole other island (Rasberry Island) that could be better utilized as an additional stage.  They were talking about adding another weekend just for country.  Are you kidding me?!?!? Do they have any idea on how many people who would draw in?  They wouldn't even mind the $12 beers.  The beer was my only complaint.  Just meant had to make the walk there worth our while.

The Twin Cities are dying for a festival to call their own.  Being there last year was certainly something special.  Everyone was having a good time and when the Mayor of St. Paul spoke before Dave Matthews Band, you could really feel a sense of community in the audience.  We were proud to have all the artists there.  Your right Live Nation, it was a "backyard event" but what the hell is wrong with our backyard?    It was said that they were prepared to take a financial hit for a few years to invest in this festival being an annual thing.  Well, looks like that was a load of crap.  I hope I'm wrong and I hope there is a next time, but for now, rest in peace River's Edge you will be remembered.

Check out my pictures from last year under the concert photos tab.  Tell me it doesn't look like a blast!

Roulette Never Looked This Good

A massive game of roulette to determine the next song played are you kidding me?  That is AWESOME.

It truly makes the live experience one of a kind and adds a touch of interactivity that can't be faked from just looking at a computer screen.  I get the goosebumps knowing I'll be seeing this show in March.  March 7th to be exact.  I'm going to get a ton of pictures from that one.  Wish it could be video but my phone has that uber distortion feature that makes all video audio sound like garbage.

Live music has and always be the way we are suppose to enjoy music.  No wonder these guys were named "Best Act in the World Today" by Q Magazine last month.

Should There Really be an App For That

Click for How to Geek's tips on organizing a music library

Remember that movie “Click” with Adam Sandler?  He wanted everything in life to be condensed into one universal remote to help control his life and then it blows up in his face in the long run.  The concept is the same as what this article, “Industry Opinion: The Future-Proof Music Library”, is talking about.  Only it’s talking about people’s music libraries.

The snapshot of the article is somehow pulling all your music from all the different formats you have it in (CD’s, Vinyl, digital, streaming, etc.) and compiling it into one universal library via an app or online platform.

It’s an interesting thought in regards to storing music in the future but for the most part it just takes a little elbow grease to convert CD’s or Vinyl into digital files to be stored in one place.  Personally I wouldn’t insult the Vinyl format and dumb it down to a digital track.  It’s almost like ordering a gourmet meal at a nice restaurant but asking them to prepare it in the microwave.  So now we're just talking about those easy to lose, easy to throw CD's.

The thing is, you already can have all your music in one place.  Just obtain it legally and put the effort into organizing it.  I think the real issue is just the organization process of the whole thing.  CD’s are lying around the house, Vinyl’s are dusty, and digital files may not work and it’s logical to want it all in one place and to make that process easy.  But is it realistic?  Regardless of the way you do it, the CD or Vinyl, would need to be converted to a digital format, if we’re talking about a universal digital library, so you’re spending time doing that anyway.

The biggest thing that sparked my attention however, was taking playlists off of streaming sites, like Spotify, and putting them into this universal library in hopes to keep it forever.  I couldn’t help to think that sounds a little too hopeful.  The business model that makes a streaming service a streaming service is paying a monthly fee for access to their music catalog and you license the use of their music for as long as you’re paying for it.  When you stopping paying, you lose the playlists you’ve created.  That’s just how it works.

Without actually downloading the track from the streaming service you’re simply borrowing it for an undetermined amount of time.  You can’t just take that music, throw it in another library, and expect to keep it even after you’ve terminated your subscription to the streaming service.
Formats come and go with the years and some people are really dedicated to having hard copies of music instead of throwing it all into a digital format of sorts.  Being able to scan CD’s and put it into Spotify, like Covify for example, is great technology but it’s not too much easier than just looking it up, highlight it all, drag and drop into a playlist.  It’s essentially just another method to burn a CD into your computer.

People who love Vinyl, or CD’s for that matter, tend to take care of their albums and organize them because they are proud of their collection.  If the real worry is being able to take music from streaming services to another platform, then the question is do streaming services offer a clause to make that happen?  Maybe that’s in the form of an exit fee to obtain the rights of your playlists or it’s an understanding between streaming services to allow that to happen.

I think the cure is to watch a few episodes of hoarders and get the bug to organize the music you have without causing more of a mess and downloading more apps to help with a simple organizational problem.  Think about it.

Pull Up Spotify PULL UP

Apparently good accounting makes a world of difference, who knew.  This article “Accounting Explains How Spotify’s Business Model Can Succeed” I found on Billboard.biz, points out some interesting facts.  Spotify’s current business model shows that almost every dollar brought in by the users exits the company immediately to rights holders leaving Spotify near empty handed.  The current model will run the company into the ground.  If by adding new members to your business ultimately means the company loses money there’s something wrong.  On top of that, the cost of employee salaries grew quicker than revenue sales.

This article mentioned that the heaviest Spotify users will end up having to pay more for a higher tiered subscription to help their profit margin.  I’m a very heavy Spotify user and I personally don’t like having to pay more for a company’s inability, for whatever reason, to maintain a sustainable business model.

Of course there are a lot more variables to this situation than I’m getting into, but I hope the company can figure out how to balance out their financials.  Really makes me wonder what all was involved in that Facebook deal with Spotify and who’s benefiting more.  It’s a good thing Spotify still has room to grow and has the users to support it so they can fix the situation hopefully without upsetting the heavy users, like this guy.

Genre Lock

Ok so I’m curious.  When a band first starts out.  First starts rockin out in someone’s basement or garage, are they really locked into one genre or style?  You hear it all the time how bands don’t sound the same and fans disappear.

Linkin Park comes to mind obviously.  They started out so ruthless with their rap rock and they evolved into more of a mainstream alternative act.  Course they still include elements of their former selves but nothing quite as special as Hybrid Theory and Meteora.

There is a pretty similar process bands go through over the years where the music changes and warps into something they didn’t start out playing.  Is that really a bad thing?  I used to think so.  I would get so heated when the style changed for a new record.  I wanted what they've established themselves to be, not this new image and style they are trying out.  I remember thinking, “Great, now I have to wait til the next album to really get what I wanted to hear.”

The process they go through is following all the fleeting influences in a musician’s life and slowly narrowing in on a style that incorporates all the parts they want it to.  It’s a painful process and drives you mad sometimes.  There would be times where I’m sitting in my drummer’s basement just frustrated as hell because I can’t get the song to sound like it does in my head.

Bands are going to change.  If they are meant to survive throughout time they have to change.  Everything else changes so why should creating music be any different?  Influences come and go, so those elements come in and out of the music throughout the years.  I actually enjoy being surprised with new styles now.  I just reviewed the new Muse album and that was what sort of sparked this post.  Lots of people don’t like the way it sounds because they changed.  If it’s a good band that have proved themselves throughout their careers, why not trust the tangents their music travels?  At what point is it selling out to make the same music you have been making simply because it does well in the market?  If the artist isn’t fully behind what they do, and just do it for others, it loses the warmth and passion.  Those things come through in the recordings, they really do.  I can tell you numerous times where I had to redo a recording because the energy wasn’t there.

Don’t get me wrong.  I hate to see things I liked about a band disappear in following albums, but here’s a good way to look at it.  Yeah you might not like that album so much, but it’s only one album.  It’s the same if you just don’t like a certain part of a book or a movie.  Same concept.  The overall picture of what the artist does and has done is still there.  Who knows, maybe somewhere down the line you’ll go back to that album and actually develop a liking of it.  I recently did this with Foo Fighters Colour and Shape.  A problem arises if they lose their style completely.  Even then, the artist is being true to what they feel like.  If they don’t they are crucified, if they just make music to please others and to do well in the marketplace, they are “sellouts”.  Not too much room for a win-win here.  I’d prefer the artist to stay true to what they feel like creating.  I may drop out of their fan base if they lose their original style that I liked but I still respect them and there will always be the songs that I do enjoy.

The real question is what kind of follower are you?  Do you more just like certain songs by an artist?  Or do you thoroughly enjoy the artist and all that they do and represent?  Neither is right or wrong.  Think about it.

Album Review: Muse The 2nd Law

Impressive is probably the best word I could use to describe the new Muse album entitled The 2^nd Law.  It is set to be release October 1^st in the UK and October 2^nd in the U.S.  October 2^nd. The 2^nd Law. October 2^nd.  The 2^nd Law.  See what I’m doing here.  Could’ve been a promotional thing because the album has been pushed back a couple of times.  Another probable reason is so they don’t clash with the release of the The Killers new album  Battle Born.  Both were supposed to come out September 17^th but Muse changed their date.

This is the bands 6^th studio album and there are definite signs of maturity and evolution from where they started.  The production is superb.  There are a lot of digital elements to the songs.  Then again, Muse has always had that sort of electronic twist and effects in their music so that’s not really a surprise to me.  Plus, they mentioned there were dubstep influences in the album before it was released free to stream on iTunes.  Oh what a happy night it has been finding out I’m able to listen to it tonight.  What homework?

The production and composition that was put into this album is what’s impressive about it.  The instruments are clear and have their place in the mix.  The bass tone is nice and fat with a touch of distortion to it where needed.  It really fills up the space and drives most of the songs.  It seems like they were very conscious of making a full sound and covering all frequencies.

Matt’s voice is as impressive as ever.  The upward bend in his voice for the chorus in “Supremacy” is classic Muse and is what hooks me on that song.  His control over his falsetto is on point.  It reminds me of “Supermassive Black Holes” in that aspect.  It also sounded like it should be in a James Bond movie.  Just a side note.  The tremolo and wobble in the bass on “Madness” is freaking awesome!  It’s incredibly thick and swells perfectly.  It’s a nice solid round sound that makes your head throb.
Songs like “Madness” and “Survival” open up so beautifully.  You can really feel the song take a breath and mature on its own.  They cover a full spectrum of lows and highs, and along with orchestral elements, it’s what makes these songs peak and sound so pristine.  The amount of emotion they captured in this album grips you by the gut and forces you to listen.  I’m sure there are some really cool hidden gems in the mix I haven’t picked out yet, but I always love running into those.  It’s like a mini Christmas for my ears.

It’s not as sappy and love influenced as I was preparing for.  There is still the classic world is ending the system screwed us feeling.  The love element that the band was talking about prior to the release is still in it but not as present as I was expecting.  I won’t lie, I’m happy about this.  They are good at writing those songs (despite Matt saying he hasn’t really wrote about relationships before because he has) but Muse has a world is ending brand and it gives them the style they have.  In my opinion at least.

Man are there some bangers in this album though.  Songs like “Follow Me”, “Animals”, and “The 2^nd Law: Unsustainable” stand out to me.  Holy crap “Follow Me” is cool.  The surging bass sound just like a surge of electricity.  It’s something you’d hear from some energy-photon-futuristic-whatever in a sci-fi movie.  The snare really pierces the mix.  In a good way.  The kit sounds distant in the mix and wet with some reverb and other effects.  Not to mention “The 2^nd Law: Unsustainable”.  Are you kidding me?  This is such a ridiculous song!  The news caster verse is great and something different.  When the break hits you really feel it.  I think they took the idea of the drop from dubstep and used it in this album.  Thing is, Muse has always had “drops” in their songs.  The bridges have really gotten heavy; “Stockholm Syndrome” comes to mind.  “Unsustainable” is really unique and definitely one of my top picks of the album.

I really like how they ended the album with a two-part composition again.  The last song "The 2nd Law: Isolated System" wrapped up the album nicely.  I think it could become something Muse continues to do with their albums.  They should at least.

Dom really gets into some good grooves too.  I like his beats in “Animals”.  Mixed with Matt’s beautiful guitar lick early in the song makes for a unique sound.  Dom used more effected kits and such this time around but it fits with what they were going for.  I like the variety.

I am a raving Muse fan, BUT there are some things I don’t personally like about the album.  I really wish Matt would have joined in with Chris on his two songs “Save Me” and “Liquid State”.  Chris has a good voice but I think blended with Matt’s voice could’ve sounded better.  I wonder if they tried that and decided against it or anything.  I know Muse likes to do lullaby type songs but “Explorers” really just about put me to sleep.  It’s a slow song and the melody the dreamy keys plays is a little cliché and sappy for me.  I think that slot of the album could’ve been used for something else.  The album is borderline too electronic for me too.  There is a touch of 80’s early 90’s in melodies and tones of the kit and keys.  They made it work for this album but it’s a fine line they walked.  Muse has some pretty raunchy natural guitar tones I would hate to see disappear completely into the digital realm.

Ok so obviously Chris is singing solo on a couple of songs.  This is new.  His voice is really pure and smooth.  I am curious how much it was fixed in the mix though and what was added to it.  Not to say it’s bad but it just sounds really pure.  The songs are solid though.  “Save Me” has a little Pink Floyd to it and plenty of spacey guitar echoes.  I’ll say it again.  I REALLY wish Matt would have backed up Chris in these songs.  Matt’s voice is signature to Muse; it’s just how it is.  I think it really would’ve filled up the mix.  I’ll be honest, I keep listening to them and I can’t quite tell if Matt is really low in the mix or blended in really well, but I don’t think he is.  My point is I think his voice should have been on the tracks for the sake of the albums cohesiveness.  Props to Chris though completely.  I’m glad they were put on the album.  Muse is not shy of trying things out.  The bass line in “Liquid State” is classic Chris.

Releasing the album free on iTunes was a smart idea and I personally thoroughly liked being surprised with the news that I could listen to it tonight.  It’s definitely a journey listening to it from start to finish and I like how they did that as well.  Not separating it into tracks enforces the idea that it’s put together like this for a reason.  I will be buying this CD.  Progression is growth and growth is how you survive in today’s music industry.  I love how they bring something different and unique to the table every album.  Especially the last two.  They really went out on a limb with a couple of aspects but because it’s from Muse its ok.  I think they did a damn good job of branding themselves if they have the flexibility to wander and touch other genres and still stay true to their image.  Very impressive album.  I’ll be curious to see how it grows on me.