Post by "The Freq" on Oct 7, 2012 8:58:11 GMT -5
Yes, it's been a while since I've posted on the Music Planet but I've been busy with numberous projects, none of which are near being finished yet but close. Material from my latest project "The Morning Glory" is coming together nicely, "Flat Stanley" is still recording singers for our debut CD, Wishbone has started recording our 3rd album, and I'm also doing a duo project with Flat Stanley guitarist Tony Kajnar in the vibe of the Civil Wars just for something different. Mike Cliffe and I have talked about doing another song together too.
I've also had numerous musicians asking about my photography and the bottom line on that is that it's just a hobby these days and I will not venture into being hired out. I was into photography in a huge way in my youth and made a lot of money at it but began to hate it because I just wasn't doing it for myself anymore. Now that I have gotten back into it, the process is strictly for my love of it and not for hire. Sorry. I appreciate those of you who are enjoying my photos on Facebook. I've been approached to put out a book on my photos but I have yet to consider it. Right now, it's just enjoyable to take photos and I want to keep it that way. Sorry to all the musicians asking to be photographed but it's not in the cards.
Yes, I am still dealing with an illness and why I'm trying to get as much music, graphics and photograpy done. While I'm able I'm going to keep plugging at my work and enjoying life and yes, continue to post on here when I can. :-)
Rumours for my favourite time of the year...Hallowe'en.
1. The band "Fusion" seems to have changed drummers with Ric Datson taking over the drum seat. Does this mean Cheesie Murphy Johnny has been shown the door in yet another band? (insert big laugh here). Did I not predict this a while back? (insert "I told ya so" here). All I can say is Johnny Ego, the drumming legend (in his own mind) is on his way to stardom. Awe, am I being to hard on this poor sap? NOTTA! It's called being "freqishly honest".
2. I heard a sour rumour that the Murfs were reuniting. My response..."why bother"? Cheesie Smurfy helped kill the local music scene with their attitude and greed so it's now up to the rest of us to rebuild it and get the stench out. haha
3. Yes, I've been buying a lot of local band CD's lately. I bought the Garden of Bedlam CD a while back. I enjoyed the CD and the band plays great on the album but I have the same complaint about their CD as I have with my bands Wishbone and Huckster albums and that is, the drum cymbals are buried in the mix. There are times I can't hear clearly what the drummer is playing on the cymbals. This is not the fault of the band but the engineer. My whole take on recording is that you should be able to hear everything first and foremost without having to fight to hear it. Other than that, the album design and photos on the Garden CD are very cool.
4. You won't believe it but it's true..... we have yet another music store in the Sault. I'm shaking my head because we now have 5,,,, yes FIVE music stores all within a few block area and I still can't buy what I want.. |O| Has anyone else experienced that? The new store is Colosimos I believe which is based from the Thunder Bay store of the same name. I've been in the Thunder Bay store a few times while touring with my band. They are located in the old Case's Music on Spring string while Case's Music has now moved to Queen Street near the Windsor Park. Ok.. so we have all these stores, most teaching lessons and no where to play in this city. What a sad situation.
4. Local band Haggith have a new album out apparently. I have yet to buy it but hope they release hard copies of it as I will snag one.
5. Docks Bar.... hmmm What can I say about this place. It started off like gang busters and pretty much made a killing for years over the other local bars except for say, Lop Lops, but lately it has taken the big fall. Why you ask? Well, in my opinion, booking the same bands for 2 years over and over was the start of it. Variety is always better than repetition. I also think they should have left the stage where it was as corner stages SUCK. If you're a drummer and you have to play on a corner stage, you'll know what I'm talking about. Drumsets vee outwards from the bass drum to the back walls. When you take that and stick it in a corner facing out, you have one thing... lack of room for a drummer. I've always hated corner stages because you're crammed into a stupid small area. Bar owners should ask a musician about stage locations.. ;-) It would save a lot of grief. ;-) Anyways... rumours were flying that Docks was getting out of the band thing but low and behold, this Saturday, they booked a band. Single night apparently so who knows what this place is up to. I've heard it was for sale, then I heard it was sold, then I heard it was sold but under knew management then I heard it wasn't sold and still under the original ownership but now under new management.... Like what the hell is it?
? :-)
6. "Rock Music is DEAD". There, I said it. Is it true?? You tell me. I don't want to believe it but if you look at the Billboard charts, your stomach will turn over. Rock music is now a totally underground style of music. Let's face it, new and old rock bands are fighting for recognition on underground college radio stations and internet sites because mainstream has no interest in them. I'm glad I lived most of my life with rock music in the charts but these days, rock music has taken a huge plunge in popularity. How did this happen you say? You can blame a number of causes. I don't think it was just one thing but a combo of multiple things. Yes, there are still fans of rock music but unfortunately they aren't ones running record companies or radio stations. ;-) Rock bands are still doing great business on tours but album sales have fallen. I blame pirating, illegal downloading of music for part of the problem. You can say whatever you want but just check out sales of bands albums over the past decade on the internet fact sites. Check out the time frames of when certain bands were selling millions of albums and then compare it to when the entire Napster thing took off. You will be shocked at the sales drops. I also blame corporate radio for absorbing all these small radio stations and turning them all into one giant coporate barf sack of programmed crap catering to 200 artists only and force feeding this lard to the masses. Remember the days of creative mainstream radio or even pirate radio??? It was a beautiful thing let me tell ya. Internet radio is ok but to be honest, it's swamped with far too many stations. You just can't make a decision. And Sirrus radio has also killed the tradition of conventional radio. Everything positive seems to have died with the digital age. What's the old saying.... "1000's of stations of choice with nothing on".
Sit down and think of how many rock artists were on the charts just a few years ago and then overnight, they were replaced by techno souless crap. All you have to do is look at back logs of the Billboard 200 to get a feel for the death of rock music. I also blame MTV for abandoning rock musicians who ironically made MTV a household name. Funny how your friends turn on you isn't it? MTV sucks ass. I love my rock music but it's getting harder to find good quality music these days. The mass produced garbage is annoying and it takes hours to weed through that garbage to find one good song or band to sink one's ears into. Good rock music is out there but it's no longer in your face or easy to shop for thanks to the fall of radio. The entire music arena needs a gigantic enema and a rebirth. We need to save rock before it dies a miserable death like Jazz did. :-( I love jazz too and it makes me sad to see 2 of my favourite music genres failing in my lifetime.
7. Local band "That's Chester" have thrown in the towel after
a 100 years together. I was never really a fan of the band but
they were very popular locally. What do I know? :-)
For me, I've always had a problem
with any band that just does cover material and recycles it over and
over. I'm not finger pointing at just this band. It's actually quite
common. I just think that after 8 years together or so, you'd have
time to release a CD of original creative works. Some bands do, some
bands don't. For me and my tastes, original music should always be
part of any music venture. Sad to say that bands like "That's Chester and Rumours/ Obsession played Docks for years in constant repetition creating a situation commonly known as "over played". This happened with Gsis Murphy too at the Canadian. Really, it's the bars that fall into this mistake and sadly they milk it for what it's worth until there is no gas left in the tank for the bands or the bar. Remember... you can't beat variety. R.I.P. That's Chester
8. Rumour that the local music scene sucks lately are true. What the hell happened??? h
9. I am happy to report that there were no local musicians arrested for DUI or shoplifting these past few months so that is a very good stat!!!!
Now, if we can only get certain musicians to stop using drugs!! Remember, the Freq is anti drug and booze and proud of it! Try doing the same folks.
10. Have a great Hallowe'en folks, and for bands playing shows for this fun day, dress up ok... Don't be a square and think it's not cool to dress up for Hallowe'en. Show some ghostly spirit and enjoy it!! This is my favourite day of the year. :-)
Freq Out!
I've also had numerous musicians asking about my photography and the bottom line on that is that it's just a hobby these days and I will not venture into being hired out. I was into photography in a huge way in my youth and made a lot of money at it but began to hate it because I just wasn't doing it for myself anymore. Now that I have gotten back into it, the process is strictly for my love of it and not for hire. Sorry. I appreciate those of you who are enjoying my photos on Facebook. I've been approached to put out a book on my photos but I have yet to consider it. Right now, it's just enjoyable to take photos and I want to keep it that way. Sorry to all the musicians asking to be photographed but it's not in the cards.
Yes, I am still dealing with an illness and why I'm trying to get as much music, graphics and photograpy done. While I'm able I'm going to keep plugging at my work and enjoying life and yes, continue to post on here when I can. :-)
Rumours for my favourite time of the year...Hallowe'en.
1. The band "Fusion" seems to have changed drummers with Ric Datson taking over the drum seat. Does this mean Cheesie Murphy Johnny has been shown the door in yet another band? (insert big laugh here). Did I not predict this a while back? (insert "I told ya so" here). All I can say is Johnny Ego, the drumming legend (in his own mind) is on his way to stardom. Awe, am I being to hard on this poor sap? NOTTA! It's called being "freqishly honest".
2. I heard a sour rumour that the Murfs were reuniting. My response..."why bother"? Cheesie Smurfy helped kill the local music scene with their attitude and greed so it's now up to the rest of us to rebuild it and get the stench out. haha
3. Yes, I've been buying a lot of local band CD's lately. I bought the Garden of Bedlam CD a while back. I enjoyed the CD and the band plays great on the album but I have the same complaint about their CD as I have with my bands Wishbone and Huckster albums and that is, the drum cymbals are buried in the mix. There are times I can't hear clearly what the drummer is playing on the cymbals. This is not the fault of the band but the engineer. My whole take on recording is that you should be able to hear everything first and foremost without having to fight to hear it. Other than that, the album design and photos on the Garden CD are very cool.
4. You won't believe it but it's true..... we have yet another music store in the Sault. I'm shaking my head because we now have 5,,,, yes FIVE music stores all within a few block area and I still can't buy what I want.. |O| Has anyone else experienced that? The new store is Colosimos I believe which is based from the Thunder Bay store of the same name. I've been in the Thunder Bay store a few times while touring with my band. They are located in the old Case's Music on Spring string while Case's Music has now moved to Queen Street near the Windsor Park. Ok.. so we have all these stores, most teaching lessons and no where to play in this city. What a sad situation.
4. Local band Haggith have a new album out apparently. I have yet to buy it but hope they release hard copies of it as I will snag one.
5. Docks Bar.... hmmm What can I say about this place. It started off like gang busters and pretty much made a killing for years over the other local bars except for say, Lop Lops, but lately it has taken the big fall. Why you ask? Well, in my opinion, booking the same bands for 2 years over and over was the start of it. Variety is always better than repetition. I also think they should have left the stage where it was as corner stages SUCK. If you're a drummer and you have to play on a corner stage, you'll know what I'm talking about. Drumsets vee outwards from the bass drum to the back walls. When you take that and stick it in a corner facing out, you have one thing... lack of room for a drummer. I've always hated corner stages because you're crammed into a stupid small area. Bar owners should ask a musician about stage locations.. ;-) It would save a lot of grief. ;-) Anyways... rumours were flying that Docks was getting out of the band thing but low and behold, this Saturday, they booked a band. Single night apparently so who knows what this place is up to. I've heard it was for sale, then I heard it was sold, then I heard it was sold but under knew management then I heard it wasn't sold and still under the original ownership but now under new management.... Like what the hell is it?
? :-) 6. "Rock Music is DEAD". There, I said it. Is it true?? You tell me. I don't want to believe it but if you look at the Billboard charts, your stomach will turn over. Rock music is now a totally underground style of music. Let's face it, new and old rock bands are fighting for recognition on underground college radio stations and internet sites because mainstream has no interest in them. I'm glad I lived most of my life with rock music in the charts but these days, rock music has taken a huge plunge in popularity. How did this happen you say? You can blame a number of causes. I don't think it was just one thing but a combo of multiple things. Yes, there are still fans of rock music but unfortunately they aren't ones running record companies or radio stations. ;-) Rock bands are still doing great business on tours but album sales have fallen. I blame pirating, illegal downloading of music for part of the problem. You can say whatever you want but just check out sales of bands albums over the past decade on the internet fact sites. Check out the time frames of when certain bands were selling millions of albums and then compare it to when the entire Napster thing took off. You will be shocked at the sales drops. I also blame corporate radio for absorbing all these small radio stations and turning them all into one giant coporate barf sack of programmed crap catering to 200 artists only and force feeding this lard to the masses. Remember the days of creative mainstream radio or even pirate radio??? It was a beautiful thing let me tell ya. Internet radio is ok but to be honest, it's swamped with far too many stations. You just can't make a decision. And Sirrus radio has also killed the tradition of conventional radio. Everything positive seems to have died with the digital age. What's the old saying.... "1000's of stations of choice with nothing on".
Sit down and think of how many rock artists were on the charts just a few years ago and then overnight, they were replaced by techno souless crap. All you have to do is look at back logs of the Billboard 200 to get a feel for the death of rock music. I also blame MTV for abandoning rock musicians who ironically made MTV a household name. Funny how your friends turn on you isn't it? MTV sucks ass. I love my rock music but it's getting harder to find good quality music these days. The mass produced garbage is annoying and it takes hours to weed through that garbage to find one good song or band to sink one's ears into. Good rock music is out there but it's no longer in your face or easy to shop for thanks to the fall of radio. The entire music arena needs a gigantic enema and a rebirth. We need to save rock before it dies a miserable death like Jazz did. :-( I love jazz too and it makes me sad to see 2 of my favourite music genres failing in my lifetime.
7. Local band "That's Chester" have thrown in the towel after
a 100 years together. I was never really a fan of the band but
they were very popular locally. What do I know? :-)
For me, I've always had a problem
with any band that just does cover material and recycles it over and
over. I'm not finger pointing at just this band. It's actually quite
common. I just think that after 8 years together or so, you'd have
time to release a CD of original creative works. Some bands do, some
bands don't. For me and my tastes, original music should always be
part of any music venture. Sad to say that bands like "That's Chester and Rumours/ Obsession played Docks for years in constant repetition creating a situation commonly known as "over played". This happened with Gsis Murphy too at the Canadian. Really, it's the bars that fall into this mistake and sadly they milk it for what it's worth until there is no gas left in the tank for the bands or the bar. Remember... you can't beat variety. R.I.P. That's Chester
8. Rumour that the local music scene sucks lately are true. What the hell happened??? h
9. I am happy to report that there were no local musicians arrested for DUI or shoplifting these past few months so that is a very good stat!!!!
Now, if we can only get certain musicians to stop using drugs!! Remember, the Freq is anti drug and booze and proud of it! Try doing the same folks.
10. Have a great Hallowe'en folks, and for bands playing shows for this fun day, dress up ok... Don't be a square and think it's not cool to dress up for Hallowe'en. Show some ghostly spirit and enjoy it!! This is my favourite day of the year. :-)
Freq Out!
