Recreating the sound of rock and roll from day’s past

As I am learning about how to podcast using all of these amazing electronic gizmos and software, it is easy to loose sight of why you want to podcast while you struggle with the issue of how to podcast. Much the same can be the said of musicians who have such a wide variety of home recording gear and software that it is so easy to get caught up in the virtual trees that they tend to lose sight of the musical forest. I just read an article from almost a year ago about musician Kelley Stoltz who is attempting to recreate the analog sound of rock and roll in the privacy of his apartment and it struck a chord with me.

Until the widespread use of digital technology in the late ‘90s most home recording was done on either a portastudio cassette-based unit or on analog ¼ inch tape with 8-track being the norm. Obviously it wasn’t as flexible as today’s 128 virtual-track software products but it forced bands to really pay attention to the craft of recording their music without getting side-tracked by the endless options that digital technology provided. The key to recording on analog 8-track was to ensure that you had the proper placement of your microphones and that you really thought out what instruments would go where and how you would record them on which tracks. This element of pre-production was not an option, it was a necessity based on the limited options you had available but it forced bands to really think out what they wanted to do and how.

Kelley Stoltz knew that some of his favourite rock and roll from the likes of the Beatles and Pink Floyd were recorded analog and he wanted to recapture that for his record Below the Branches so he enlisted the trusty aid of the venerable Tascam 388. I myself have had some great experiences with this beast which is essentially a giant portastudio marrying an 8 input mixer with a ¼ inch reel-to-reel recorder and dbx noise reduction. Why did he essentially go retro, with the sometimes added headaches that analog entails? According to the article:

“I just enjoy the ritual of the tape machine: cleaning the heads, waiting for the tape to rewind. A lot of the music I love — the Beatles, Pink Floyd — they were using 2-inch rather than ¼-inch, but they still had to wait for tape to rewind. It just feels more like it used to be. I feel as though I’m partaking in the same process.”

This to me is very important these days because the ease of recording music in 2007 sometimes takes away from the art of creating music which is a very important difference in my rock and roll book. While not everyone will pine for the days of editing tape with razor blades, I think that the craftsmanship of recording music is getting a bit lost these days. Do I advocate going back to analog tape? Well that all depends on the musician but it is nice to hear a rock and roller interested in the process of making a record and not just in the end result of burning a CD. It gives me hope that the soul of rock and roll lives on in the sound of people like Kelley Stoltz and that is pretty cool.

You can listen to Kelley’s music on his website at http://www.electriccity.org/ or on his MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/kelleystoltz. See, he isn’t completely retro!

Later.

Mark

Cover Story - IOMMI - “FUSED” cover art by Hugh Gilmour

By Michael Goldstein

Subject – Fused – a 2005 recording by “Iommi” (Tony Iommi & Glenn Hughes), released on Sanctuary Records and featuring a cover image by artist Hugh Gilmour.

Main personnel – Tony Iommi – Guitars; Glenn Hughes - Vocals, Bass; Kenny Aronoff – Drums; Bob Marlette - Keyboards, Bass

Having first worked together on the 1986 Black Sabbath album Seventh Star, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes reunited in 1996 to work on new songs but, as Tony was “side-tracked” by constant touring with Sabbath for the next 8 years, they weren’t able to get together again to work on this music until 2004 (note - you can listen to their 1996 efforts as they were compiled on an album released in 2004 titled DEP Sessions: 1996). After the release of the DEP Sessions record, the pair formed a power trio with crack session/John Mellencamp drummer Kenny Aronoff and with producer Bob Marlette also adding his keyboard talents, the group released Fused in 2005.

Looking to return to their harder, riff-centric pasts (Iommi’s riffs set the stage for all metal bands to come, and Hughes’ vocal and bass work with Deep Purple filled in the gaping holes left by Ian Gillian and Roger Glover in 1973), the band left no doubt of their blues/rock/metal pedigrees and musical prowess with riff-filled tunes such as “Face Your Fear”, “Dopamine”, and the epic “Insane”.

It only made sense then when the band approached Sanctuary Record’s former Head of Design (a well-known “metal head” and now independent graphic designer) Hugh Gilmour to create the packaging for this new release. According to Hugh, it was Black Sabbath’s fault that he got a job in the music industry in the first place. Let him explain in today’s Cover Story…

In the words of the artist, Hugh Gilmour (interviewed in July 2007) –

“I was at University in Kingston in UK, and saw that Castle Communications had a vacancy for a Mac Operator. I’d switched an Apple Macintosh on and off at University, so I figured I was qualified. Castle Communications had the rights to the Sabbath catalogue in the U.K., and I knew that one day they would have to reissue and remaster them, and I wanted to be the one to do it, so I applied for the job and got it.

After I’d been there a couple of years they began a campaign of reissuing the Black Sabbath catalogue (everything from 1970-1987), and I was the obvious person to do it, as I was the resident metal freak. Back then (in 1995) you didn’t automatically get sleeve notes, additional pics, memorabilia or additional material, in CD reissues. At the time, only Ryko was making the effort to give value for money with the packaging etc. but this was something I really pushed for. When I was told there was no budget to have sleeve notes written I went ahead and wrote ’em myself, all of which was approved by the Sabbath camp. I still have the faxes (this was before email!) from Sharon Osbourne praising my liner notes.

I worked on something like twenty Sabbath releases, mainly reissues and compilations. I did one Sabbath compilation called Between Heaven And Hell that I wanted to look like a Joy Division album cover, something akin to 1980’s Closer LP, and all of a sudden old Sabbath stuff is being compared favourably to Joy Division. Coincidence? Maybe. I also made sure we included tracks like ‘Wicked World’ (which was unavailable on CD in Europe) included as well. I genuinely created those from the perspective of being a fan first and foremost. They sold so well, and at a time when interest in Sabbath wasn’t that great, that it set the standard for all of the catalogue releases. I was told that certain record chains had complained that the booklets had been stolen, not the CDs! So I knew I’d done something right. And if you disagree with my opinions in the notes? Too bad. It was a long time ago, anyway. I also designed Geezer’s first solo record Plastic Planet for Gloria Butler, and like Sharon, I found Gloria and Geezer very easy to work with, and I’m still very proud of that album. These were all labours of love for me, but I also got to put my opinions and ideas in print.

To provide inspiration for the image and the theme of the packaging overall, I was given a brief by Tony’s management. They said that although it was an IOMMI album and that it was produced very much as a collaboration with Glenn Hughes. I wasn’t given a lot of specific imagery or instructions about the design, other than they wanted a sense that it was a collaborative effort, of ’something fused together’, and to hopefully give an impression of brotherhood.

Another reference point I was given was a Rammstein album which consisted of an orange background and a single white strip. Whether you feel that’s a good or challenging design, or not I had to agree that something that was that simple and graphic does jump off of a CD rack. It was important to depict the IOMMI logo clearly, but to also find a way to balance Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes’s names too. Tony wanted some colour in the artwork too, as most of the albums he has been associated with have tended to be a bit dark, tonally. Some of the early ideas for Fused had a sense of heat, of something fusing through being melted then forged together. The finished design is quite cold in comparison. I quickly developed a number of ideas, and variations on those. I designed about 100 different ideas before the one used was settled upon. Tony and Tony’s management were involved very closely from the outset, which is a far cry from the early days of Sabbath when the band would see the artwork for the first time when it was in the record stores.

I trained as a traditional artist and technical illustrator (examples are on www.myspace.com/hughgilmour), but this sleeve was made up from a number of different images and photos put together in Photoshop. I still paint and draw as and when required, but Photoshop is now my primary tool for design. I couldn’t say exactly, but the time it took to develop the image, from the initial brief to the finished sleeve, was probably a month or so, which is quite generous as record labels do tend to work to very tight deadlines.

The images inside the Fused booklet are meant to be partly abstract, but at the same time, hopefully illustrate the lyrics in some way. There’s even a self portrait (of me) in there, somewhere…”

About the Illustrator/Designer, Hugh Gilmour –

Although little is known about what led Mr. Gilmour down the path he took to graphic design stardom, here’s what I can tell you. He was born on 20 June, 1969 and began his career in design doing freelance work in the early 1990s. From 1993-97, he was a Senior Designer at Castle Communications in Surrey, moving in 1997 to the position of Art Director at Diablo Design Ltd, Fox Studios, in London where he was responsible for the Design and Art Direction for a variety of clients including Castle Music, EMI Records, Sanctuary Music anagement, Snapper Music, Inferno Records, Eagle Rock Records, Iron Maiden Holdings Ltd., Music For Nations, Cleopatra Records (US), JVC (Japan) and Pony Canyon (Japan).

In 1998, he took on the job of Head of Design at the Sanctuary Records Group, UK, managing a team of 5 designers and a number of freelancers on a wide range of products and services for a busy music and multi-media company, reporting to the company COO. He provided the Design and Art Direction for CDs, DVDs, cassettes, videos, T-shirts, posters, advertisements, salesheets, POS and other associated promotional material. Clients have included Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Phil Collins, Alice Cooper, The Who, Bruce Dickinson, Motörhead, Marillion, Status Quo, David Bowie, the Kinks, ELP, Fleetwood Mac, Bobby Womack, Barbara Dickson, Elkie Brooks, Small Faces, Humble Pie and the Sex Pistols. Additionally, he was responsible for packaging design for the Isle Of Wight Festival OST, Get Carter OST, Dune DVD, Conan The Destroyer DVD and Blue Velvet DVD.

With that experience under his belt, in September 2001 he launched his own Graphic Design & Art Direction firm - Gilmour Design, in London, UK. His clients include Capitol, EMI, Sanctuary Records, Sony/Columbia, JVC, Eagle Rock, Demon Vision, 2Entertain Ltd. and the BBC.

In addition to the packaging and print work he’s done for the music industry, he has written many sleeve notes for the same clients, and has published a number of articles on design and packaging in the popular music press. He has also lectured on packaging and graphic design for Moscow University, and he received his Master of Arts (with Commendation) in 2005 from the Communication Design School at London’s Kingston University.

Recently, he’s worked with Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson on a logo for his new airline - Bruce Air - and he’s also been working closely with David Coverdale (who he calls “a true gent”) and Whitesnake, as well as on an Anthology project for Glenn Hughes (beginning with his work on Trapeze’s Medusa record, through his time with Deep Purple and up to his current solo material).

When he’s not incredibly busy working on designs for his clients, he also does the designs and artwork for his own metal band Pig Iron (www.myspace.com/soundsofcaligula or www.pigironmc.com)

You can see more of Mr. Gilmour’s work as Hugh Gilmour Design at http:www.gilmourdesign.co.uk and on mySpace at http://www.myspace.com/hughgilmour

About “Cover Stories” - Our weekly series will give you, the music and art fan, a look at “the making of” the illustrations, photographs and designs of many of the most-recognized and influential images that have served to package and promote your all-time-favorite recordings.

Every Friday, we’ll meet the artists, designers and photographers who produced these works of art and learn what motivated them, what processes they used, how they collaborated (or fought) with the musical acts, their management, their labels, etc. - all of the things that influenced the final product you saw then and still see today.

We hope that you enjoy these looks behind the scenes of the music-related art business and that you’ll share your stories with us and fellow fans about what role these works of art - and the music they covered - played in your lives.

Copyright 2007 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery - All rights reserved.

Armitage Shanks Drastic Plastic playlist for July 23, 2007 on CKUT FM

Sorry for the delay in posting Armitage Shanks’ playlist from last Monday but I have been on vacation. Anyhow, here it is:

Artist - Album - Song

Editors - An End Has A Beginning - Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors
Jamie T Panic - Prevention - Salvador
Maccabees - Colour It In - X-Ray
Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures - Books From Boxes
The Twang - Love It When I Feel Like - This Wide Awake
The Rakes - Ten New Messages - Suspicious Eyes
Jack Penate - Spit At Stars - Spit At Stars
The Aliens - Astronomy For Dogs - Robot Man
Mumm-Ra - These Things Move In Three’s - Out Of The Question
Ash - Twilight Of The Innocents - You Can’t Have It All
The Hedrons - One More Won’t Kill Us - I Need You
Art Brut - It’s A Bit Complicated - Nag Nag Nag Nag
Good Shoes - Think Before You Speak - The Photos On My Wall

And just a reminder that I will be joining Mr. Shanks and Doug Ford for our monthly 3 Amigos show Monday, July 30, 2007 from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST on CKUT FM so by all means drop by and have a listen!

Later.

Mark

Radio Dio is on the ropes!

For those of you that enjoy The Rock and Roll Report’s regular feature “Rock and Roll Postcard from France” written by Gérard Girard you may or may not know that he is also a DJ at France’s Radio Dio. Unfortunately, Radio Dio is undergoing a severe cash crisis. I post here Gérard’s comment on the subject:

Dear music devotee,

As you may already know, Radio Dio, the FM station which has been hosting my weekly sweet pop programme is in great financial trouble. After having suffered many financial bankruptcies, mainly due to the fact that Radio Dio is fiercely ad-free and independent from all forms of commercial bound, the station is now facing a major turning point of its history. In the next six months we’ll all be waiting for a sort of miracle to happen – an unexpected and extraordinary financial support from our local politicians, a wonderful and reliable sponsor, a major public upheaval that would lead to a positive riot, a magic wizard offering us three wishes…

I will definitely keep you informed as to what will be happening in the next few months but I already would like to thank all of you who expressed their total support via e-mail. I also encourage the others to pass on their comments and/or thoughts to me. These messages will really be useful to show to all those concerned that Dio is an important voice and a much followed reference throughout the world.

Vacation Time!

I am taking a few days off for some R&R but I will be back next Monday for some more great rock and roll being played right now possibly right around your corner. Go find it and report back to me on what you heard. You will be amazed at what you have been missing!

And tune into CKUT 90.3 FM (or on the Net at www.ckut.ca) in Montreal Monday night from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST for the return of the 3 Amigos! Woo hoo!

Later.

Mark

Rock and Roll Report Blitz: KLIK

KLIK for whatever reason reminds me a lot of the band Garbage with that ultra-modern sheen that wraps up their rock and roll in so many styles and flavours. From the very cool rocking out on “Bang Bang” and “We are Saints” to the more atmospheric “Sleeping With a Ghost” KLIK covers a lot of territory on their 2007 release We Are Saints. I was lucky enough to listen to the whole album and it really is one of those records that seems to change after each listen. Sometimes the moodier stuff pulls you in and and other times the harder-edged stuff is what you zero in on.

Voted “Americas #1 Unsigned Band” by Rolling Stone magazine, I am once again shocked at how a band like this is not played like crazy on Alternative Rock Radio or picked up by some major label somewhere. It just makes me shake my head. I can guarantee you that you will hear KLIK on Rock and Roll Report Radio in the near future. Yes, I think they are that good. Check out their MySpace page and have a listen at http://www.myspace.com/klik

Here is a video featuring highlights from their current We Are Saints 2007 tour:

Later.

Mark

Cover Story - The Ramones - “Too Tough To Die” cover by George DuBose

By Michael Goldstein of RockPop Gallery

Subject – “Too Tough To Die” – a 1985 recording by The Ramones on Sire Records featuring a cover photograph by George DuBose.

Main personnel – The Ramones - Joey (vocals), Johnny (guitar), Dee Dee (bass), Richie (drums)

After “suffering” through three albums of music that was more slickly-produced hard pop than the straight-ahead punk rock, Ramones fans were rewarded with a return-to-form production titled “Too Tough To Die”. After firing drummer Marky (due to his diminished abilities brought about by alcoholism) and replacing him with the newly-christened Richie Ramone, original drummer and now producer Tommy (Erdelyi) headed the band into the studio and, with the help of Dave Stewart, brought the band back to playing what they played best – short, fast, and smart punk tunes, with 9 of them written or co-written by bassist Dee Dee.

Critics have said that the was the “last great Ramones” recording, and it certainly showed that the band was ready and able to hold its own in the emerging early-mid 1980’s hardcore punk scene. The album features two classic Ramones tracks - “Wart Hog” and “Endless Vacation” (sung by Dee Dee), as well as the Stewart-produced “Howling at the Moon”.

The cover for “Too Tough To Die” was one of nine covers George shot for the Ramones. The song “Durango 95″ bears the same name of the car driven by Alex in the Kubrick film “A Clockwork Orange”. Why is that important? Read on…

In the words of the photographer, George DuBose –

“I met the Ramones when Tony Wright asked me to shoot the cover for ‘Subterranean Jungle’. A year later, a call came from His Rockin’ Royal Highness, Johnny Ramone himself. He told me that he definitely wanted me to shoot another cover for them, but he asked me if I knew any other art directors, as they were not happy about the way the cover of ‘Subterranean Jungle’ looked.

‘What was wrong with Tony Wright?’ I asked. ‘The graffiti on the cover he did for ‘Subterranean Jungle’ really looked fake – we didn’t like it,’ Johnny said. Having worked with Tony on many projects by this point, I knew the range of his talents and capabilities. ‘Don’t write Tony off so quickly. Tony is extremely versatile. He will design the cover any wan you want – you just have to be clear and tell him what you like and what you want.’ I felt an allegiance to Tony. After all, I would never have shot ‘Subterranean Jungle’ - or probably even met the Ramones – if Tony had used another photographer.

At the following creative meeting with Johnny and Joey about the upcoming cover session for “Too Tough To Die”, Johnny asked me if I had ever seen “A Clockwork Orange”, the Stanley Kubrick film. ‘Not completely’, I said, not elaborating that I found the film kind of boring and didn’t appreciate the excessive sadism that the film projected. Johnny told me that, in the film, there was a scene of a mugging in a tunnel in London and that the band wanted to recreate that scene – or at least the feeling of it.

I asked my now ex-boss and mentor, professional fashion photographer Lane Pederson, where in NYC could a small pedestrian tunnel be found. Lane told me that there were lots of tunnels in Central Park and suggested one near the Children’s Zoo. I checked that tunnel - as well as a dozen other tunnels in Manhattan - but Lane was right; the small diameter of the tunnel at the zoo lent a scale to the shot that would be perfect. The tunnel was small and would make the guys in the band look bigger in relation…and more imposing.

As this was a job for Warner Bros. Records and the budget was quite substantial, we rented a Winnebago to use as a dressing room. I asked the band what they wanted in way of refreshments and they said ‘pizza and beer!’ This time, I felt like I was in charge of quite a big production. I had two assistants, a valid location permit, and the Winnebago we rented had an on-board electric generator to supply us with electricity for the lighting. We sealed of one end of the tunnel with clear plastic sheeting to control the smoke that would come from the smoke machines. We had several powerful studio strobe lights with blue-colored filters or gels outside the far end of the tunnel to backlight the blue smoke background and white light from the front of the tunnel to illuminate the group.

After shooting a couple of Polaroids to test the exposure, then several roles of 2-1/4 slide film, all the while listening to Johnny complaining about why the Polaroid pictures took so long (one minute!), I changed the Polaroid film pack from color to B&W for quicker developing time (30 seconds). Johnny was now looking at a B&W Polaroid and asked me ‘I thought we were shooting this in color!?’ I then let the band take a pause and asked them if they wanted to eat some pizza and beer. They ate the pizza, but I noticed that the full case of beer was untouched. After the pizza break, we resumed the session and I took another color Polaroid, but this time the white front lights didn’t flash for some reason…and wow!

It was clear from the image on the Polaroid that the silhouette of the band in the tunnel against the blue and smoky backlights was really powerful. Tony asked me to shoot a whole roll with no front lights. I then called a ‘wrap’, although I wasn’t quite convinced about the potential masterpiece that had just been created. The band quickly disappeared into the dark night without so much as a ‘good bye’.

After my assistant broke down all of the lighting and camera equipment and loaded everything into the Winnebago, I wanted to offer my hard-working crew their well-deserved first beer of the evening. When I looked into the Winnebago’s icebox, the whole case of beer had disappeared.

The following evening, I showed the developed film to Tony. It was clear that the backlit shots were by far ‘the bomb’ and since this was the seventh LP for the band – most of which had their faces on the cover – we thought that it would be easy to convince the group to use the silhouette shot. A couple of days later, when we met with the band to show them a mock-up of the cover, the band immediately agreed upon our choice. Tony added some simple block white type to the cover design which read ‘RAMONES’ and ‘TOO TOUGH TO DIE’ and one of the most powerful and classic rock’n’roll LP covers of all time was created.”

About the photographer, George DuBose -

Originally apprenticed to commercial and fashion photographers, George DuBose first became associated with New Wave music after he began speculative work with the fledgling B52s from Athens, Georgia. He has photographed and designed over 300 album covers, collecting 18 gold and platinum albums for groups as diverse as the REM, The Go-Gos, Melissa Etheridge, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Biz Markie and Big Daddy Kane. The Ramones have commissioned him to photograph or design their last nine covers and it is his shot for their only gold record (”Ramonesmania”) that he treasures most. He continues to provide creative guidance, art direction, computer graphic design, photography, manufacturing assistance for major record companies and up-and coming artists that want to produce their own albums.

Du Bose’s professional experience includes staff positions as art director and photographer for Island Records and Cold Chillin’ Records, the first photo editor for SPIN magazine and The Image Bankbook division and staff photographer for the original Interview magazine. His company, PopEye Designs International lists Island Trading Company, The New Music Seminar, PolyGram, Warner Bros, Island Records (since 1978), Sony, MCA, Playboy Enterprises, Thirteen/WNET and others among its clients.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

ART DIRECTOR/PHOTOGRAPHER

FREELANCE 1991-PRESENT

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR/PHOTOGRAPHER

ISLAND RECORDS, N.Y.C. 1988-1991

PHOTO EDITOR

IMAGE BANK 1987-1988

PHOTO EDITOR

SPIN MAGAZINE 1984-1987

PHOTOGRAPHER/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

1978-1984

ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER

WESTSHORE PUBLISHING CO. 1975-1978

Read George’s new book, titled “I Speak Music – Ramones” - This book is 104 pages of text and colorful photos (many unpublished) that document the 10 year relationship between the Ramones and their “official” photographer, George DuBose. Stories about how the various concepts came about and how these remarkable photos were executed. This book is a “must have” for any serious fan, old or new.

http://www.lulu.com/content/877509

To see examples of Mr. DuBose’s work in the RockPoP Gallery collection, please click on the following link:

http://rockpopgallery.easystorecreator.com/items/george-dubose/list.htm?1=1

About “Cover Stories” - Our weekly series will give you, the music and art fan, a look at “the making of” the illustrations, photographs and designs of many of the most-recognized and influential images that have served to package and promote your all-time-favorite recordings.

Every Friday and syndicated the following Monday on The Rock and Roll Report, we’ll meet the artists, designers and photographers who produced these works of art and learn what motivated them, what processes they used, how they collaborated (or fought) with the musical acts, their management, their labels, etc. - all of the things that influenced the final product you saw then and still see today.

We hope that you enjoy these looks behind the scenes of the music-related art business and that you’ll share your stories with us and fellow fans about what role these works of art - and the music they covered - played in your lives.

Rock and Roll Report Blitz: The Charms

I have been a huge fan of the Charms for a few years now and it is nice to see them announcing a slew of new tour dates for this year in support of their new DVD “Easy Trouble”, a film by Boston filmmaker Ben Oliver, based on their struggles and triumphs in an ever-changing climate for mid level bands.

Although no longer on Wicked Cool Records, the band has announced that they will have a digital only release coming this fall on Red Car Records and plan a new CD in 2008 on a yet to be determined label.

Their tour dates are as follows:

8/02 - Positively 4th Street Troy, NY
8/03 - 449 Room Trenton, NJ
8/04 - Asbury Lanes Asbury Park, NJ
8/05 - Steppin’ Out Virginia Beach, VA
8/07 - Milestones Charlotte, NC
8/08 - The Earl Atlanta, GA
8/09 - Bourbon Street New Port Richey, FL
8/10 - Martinis Ft. Myers, FL
8/11 - The Beta Bar Tallahassee, FL
8/14 - Tasty World Athens GA
8/15 - Springwater Nashville, TN
8/16 - JJ’s Bohemia Chattanooga, TN
8/17 - Hideaway Johnnson City TN
8/18 - The Corner Lounge Knoxville TN
8/19 - Buccaneer Lounge Memphis, TN
8/21 - Subterranean Chicago, IL
8/22 - The Lager HouseDetroit, MI
8/23 - White’s Bar Saginaw, MI
8/25 - 31st Street Pub Pittsburgh, PA

Check out the bands MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/charms and enjoy this fantastic band.

Later.

Mark

Independent Radio News of Note

As a big supporter of community/independent radio and a volunteer myself at CKUT FM, I like to encourage people to volunteer or at the very least listen to their local community radio stations as much as possible. Here are some stations with news that you will find interesting.

WXPN is asking for the Top 885 Music Moments. While 885 corresponds to this University of Pennsylvania’s FM frequency, it certainly gives us a lot of room to maneuver. Get in your moments now! You have until August 31, 2007 to submit your contributions. I always thought that the Grateful Dead playing at the pyramids in Egypt was a particularly cool musical moment.

WPRB on the other hand bills itself as the United States oldest college radio station (67 years and counting!) and since they get no money from Princeton they are finding the need to conduct their very first on-air membership drive. If you want to support independent radio in the U.S., this is a great way to do it.

Finally, WOXY ,which went from a broadcast FM operation to an Internet-only station and then was knocked off the air due to a serious lack of funds but was then rescued with the financial support of LaLa.com, are back on the airwaves! They have signed an agreement with Cincinnati Public radio station WVXU to broadcast over one of their High Definition multicast channels. Great news from a station that bills itself as the “future of rock and roll” and which seemed to be out for the count not too long ago.

Later.

Mark

Rock and Roll Report Blitz: Featured on Fridays

I have always loved Rush. That might sound strange if you are a listener to Rock and Roll Report Radio but I have made no secret of this on the site and I usually need a fix of Geddy and the boys every couple of months to set me on the straight and narrow. That being said I understand that Rush is not for everyone and certainly progressive rock has the tendency to self-inflate its importance from time to time but in my mind it is always a real pleasure to listen to pure musicianship in the progressive rock setting and Featured on Fridays, a very cool duo from Miami certainly fit the bill.

With songs like Laws of the Universe, Analog Trainwreck and The Flagraiser the band embarks on an amazing rock tour de force of syncopated rhythms, complex bass structures and wailing guitars with some very cool left turns and stops and starts that make listening an incredibly satisfying adventure.

Like I said, this stuff isn’t for everybody but you owe it to yourself as a fan of rock and roll to sample all colors of the rock and roll palette and Featured on Fridays bring quite a bit to the table. Have a listen on their MySpace page and start your sonic adventure today. http://www.myspace.com/featuredonfridays

Later.

Mark

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