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Mix Live Blog: Help Wanted…But Not Found

Posted on by Steve La Cerra

I just lately had the necessity to rent a sub on my crew when my common suspects have been unavailable for just a few upcoming exhibits. Having exhausted word-of-mouth (and word-of-text) prospects, I resorted to the unthinkable: I ran a “assist needed” advert.

I knew full properly that putting such an advert in, say, the New York Times, can be a futile effort, so I opted for working it on an internet site that’s turn into a preferred useful resource for folk working within the touring group. In the advert, I said the dates we have been trying to cowl, the talent set required, and the necessity for the candidate to be within the NYC space, the place we’re primarily based.

The responses have been pretty miserable. Almost all of them fully ignored the half about “have to be NYC-based”—although, in reality, if we had discovered a superb candidate in one other metropolis, we in all probability would have taken an opportunity on them. Some of the respondents fessed up about not having all the necessities, a attribute that I respect way over somebody attempting to put a pile of baloney on me. According to their resumes, one or two have been grossly overqualified, which to me is a pink flag… “with that form of expertise, why is that this particular person not booked on a serious tour?”

Of the 13 responses, just one was price investigating, and after vetting the references, it turned out that our solely hope wouldn’t be accessible for these dates because of the truth that journey to a previous dedication would overlap.

Mix Live Blog: My New Favorite Venue

What sticks in my thoughts, sadly, is one response that was native, the respondent emailing: “I’ve labored with quite a lot of large title acts, your is not any unfamiliar territory to me. I’m severe as an A1, A2, LD, and PM, with my resume hooked up be at liberty to take a gander”(sic). So, I did.

What this particular person thought was a resume wasn’t worthy of a cartoon drawing on a paper dinner serviette. The doc posing as a resume was obscure, itemizing artists (some nationwide) however not describing any of the work expertise. Nevertheless, I assumed I’d give the advantage of the doubt. Maybe nobody ever confirmed him the best way to correctly write a resume. I responded, asking for some particulars relating to work expertise, and for 3 references. Radio silence. I can’t say that I used to be stunned.

What did shock me was the dearth of viable responses. I figured I’d get a minimum of two or three that might be price investigating. Maybe it’s as a result of it was just a few exhibits and a lot of the certified techs have already booked out for the summer time. Maybe it’s because of the truth that we have been on the lookout for somebody to work on Memorial Day Weekend. Or perhaps it’s post-Covid hangover, with individuals nonetheless not in a mindset of returning to work—although I don’t actually purchase into that idea making use of to our trade.

One factor stays positive: If you may have expertise, there’s work accessible within the leisure trade.

World News

Blog: Building The ‘Mix Nashville: Immersive Music Production’ Event

Posted on by Tom Kenny
Martina and John McBride inside Blackbird Studios, which will host the evening festivities of Mix Nashville: Immersive Music Production on May 20.
Martina and John McBride inside Blackbird Studios; the facility will the Host Partner for Mix Nashville: Immersive Music Production’s evening festivities on May 20, 2023.

I’ll say this about Nashville engineers and producers: They call you right back. And it doesn’t usually take too long, maybe 30 seconds. If they’re in a session and can’t talk, it’s not uncommon to get a boomerang text that says as much, promising to call when they get a break. Then again, all of this might not even happen because they already answered the phone and asked me how I’m doing, even though I’m quite sure that my 510 doesn’t ring any bells.

This has happened so often over the past two weeks that by the time I texted Vance Powell with a “Tom Kenny here. Can you give me a quick call when you get 2 mins free? It won’t take long. Promise,” and then saw his number lighting up my iPhone within 20 seconds, I picked up, and the first words out of my mouth were, “What the f-#* is it with you Nashville engineers?! You all call right back! We don’t do that in California! My daughters don’t even do that! What the f-#!%?”

Without missing a beat, Vance shot back, in that signature rapid-yet-deadpan delivery: “It’s ’cause we’re all out of work, looking for a gig.”

I laughed out loud, my faux rage dissipating as I told him that the fact that people still pick up their phone is one of the things that I love about Nashville. He was standing outside a Starbucks in Seattle, about to head back to the truck for a line check/sound check and then a live mix of that night’s Phish show, which would be streamed to fans, same as it is for every performance. Vance is a busy boy. It now looks like I’ll be seeing Phish and Vance this Monday at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, my all-time favorite venue. That invitation wouldn’t have happened over text. It’s all because Vance picks up his phone.

Vance was merely the tipping point in my Nashville-engineer-and-phone theory. Over the past few weeks, I’ve learned that if he’s not buried in a mix, Jeff Balding will almost always pick up his phone. Julian King, whom I’ve met once or twice over the years, texted back: “Sure, Tom. Is tomorrow morning at 9 good?” I texted, “Suuuuure, though if I sound a little foggy it’s only because I’m in Oakland and I still prefer musician’s hours.” He texted back: “Is now good?” I would learn that he was on a rare three-day camping vacation with his wife and about to put steaks on the grill.

Mix Nashville: Shani Gandhi, Michael Romanowski Join Speaker Lineup

Gena Johnson took a couple of hours to get back to me, but when she did, around 11 p.m. Nashville time, she apologized profusely and said that the session didn’t stop for a break that night. She promised to call in the morning, and she did.

I was a bit nervous about cold-texting Dann Huff. He’s at the level where I typically have to go through two layers of publicity to say hello. But John McBride told me, “F-*# that. He’s a regular guy. Just text him.” So I did, and he called within 30 seconds, remembered our meeting from 10 years ago in Blackbird Studio F, and within five minutes had agreed to be one-half of the Keynote Conversation, addressing “Art and Commerce” at the upcoming May 20 Mix Nashville: Immersive Music Production event.

It’s the Mix event that triggered all these engineer calls. And by now you’ve all figured out that the phone, though all of the above is entirely true, is simply a metaphor for the absolute openness and level of engagement I’ve encountered in the recording community each and every time I’ve come to Nashville.

REGISTER TODAY!

The Mix Nashville event is happening only because Pat McMakin, a good friend for many years, took me down to Curb Studios one morning in October. Aaron Bowlin was our host, and I was taken through the renovated studios by Craig White and David Bates. They didn’t know me until that morning, but by the end of lunch at King Siam, we had worked out a plan whereby Curb Studios would be our Host Partner on Music Row, with Blackbird Studio our Host Partner for the evening party in Berry Hill.

Speaking of Blackbird, John McBride always picks up his phone. Always. Even at midnight Pacific time. He has an amazing new venture launching this month, Inside Blackbird, as you can read about in our cover story. When talking about the cover image, I soon realized that it was important to me (and to John) that Martina be on the cover with him. Mix always talks to John, but John always talks to Martina.

Over the 20 years I’ve known them, dating back before their youngest daughter’s first birthday party at the Oakland Coliseum, I’ve looked at John and Martina as true partners in all the things that matter in life—family, friends, music, business, pleasure and so much more—and they have been nothing but genuine and open in welcoming this rogue editor whenever he comes to town. Just like Nashville itself.

I can’t wait for May 20, when Mix opens up the conversation about immersive music and I get to hang out with some damn fine engineers, producers and friends. Come on down to Curb, then join us at Blackbird. See you there!

• • • • •

Mix Nashville: Immersive Music Production is produced in conjunction with Host Partners Curb Studios, Belmont University and Blackbird Studio. During the day, Host Partner Curb Studios, along with Black River Entertainment, Columbia Studio A and Starstruck Studios, will feature a series of expert panels, project profiles, technology exhibitions and demonstrations, interviews with top engineers and producers, immersive listening sessions, and much more. At night, the event moves to the nearby Berry Hill neighborhood for a party at Blackbird Studio, in conjunction with a Studio Crawl featuring immersive music Listening Sessions at a number of nearby studios, including Imogen Sound, Sputnik Sound, Addiction Sound Studios, Westlake Pro and the ADAM Audio showroom.

World News

Craig Anderton’s Open Channel: Does AI Stand for “Attorneys Incoming”?

Posted on by Craig Anderton
Craig Anderton
Craig Anderton

Last September, I wrote an Open Channel about AI. Is it too quickly to revisit the subject? Well, AI is reshaping the world at an exponential fee. Soon, AI-related articles will must be time-stamped in date:hours:minutes.

When social media was only a glimmer within the Internet’s eye, nobody knew it was going to tear aside the material of society. No one with a cordless cellphone noticed the straight line between that and Kodak going bankrupt. AI is already elevating authorized questions for which nobody has a solution.

Intellectual property disputes over AI-generated content material are heating up. For instance, based on Reuters, Getty Images has initiated authorized proceedings towards Stability AI. Getty alleges the copying of thousands and thousands of its photos. In an announcement, Getty Images stated that “[Stability AI] selected to disregard viable licensing choices and long-standing authorized protections in pursuit of their stand-alone industrial pursuits.” Stability AI fired again that “anybody that believes that this isn’t honest use doesn’t perceive the expertise and misunderstands the legislation.”

(To take a look at a present go well with, attempt Andersen v. Stability AI Ltd, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 3:23- cv-00201.)

Today, it’s about photos. Tomorrow, add music.

Bits and items of present recordings could be recognizable, however content material from engines that analyzed chord progressions and melody strains could be extra more likely to obscure infringement, even when completed consciously.

Suppose Disney begins utilizing AI to generate film soundtracks. Then, suppose that AI generates the title track for a film with a distinguished melody line that’s equivalent to “Yesterday.” Disney might argue that it was unintentional, however there’s the precedent of George Harrison’s infringement case involving “My Sweet Lord.” He was discovered responsible of “unconscious plagiarism.” No intent was implied, but he needed to pay damages.

So, within the fictional Disney case, who will get sued? Probably Disney, for not noticing the melody was equivalent. But might Disney then flip round and sue the corporate that created the AI engine by claiming negligence and a disregard of copyright legislation that put Disney in jeopardy? Or sue the “composer” who entered the search phrases that got here up with the track, then handed it alongside to Disney?

Or suppose an AI engine writes a success track. Who will get the royalties? The track wouldn’t have existed with out the AI engine. But it additionally wouldn’t have existed with out somebody specifying the parameters below which the AI engine created the track. And what concerning the music the AI engine “borrowed” to create the track? Are the unique rights holders owed something?

Craig Anderton’s Open Channel – Mastering the Art of Mastering

Craig Anderton’s Open Channel: Profiles in Gear Lust

How will copyright legal guidelines change? Adding a bit © isn’t going to chop it. Maybe artists can embody a key in any digital work that signifies to cooperative AI engines that the fabric is off-limits for scraping. But any try to do this shall be challenged by these engines’ creators and ignored by pirates. Or, possibly artists will encrypt their digital media, and shoppers will purchase a key to unlock the encryption. But what prevents an organization from paying for the important thing after which including the content material to its AI engine?

If the Internet alone didn’t imply the top of copyright as we all know it, “AI + Internet” will create limitless controversies and authorized maneuvering round copyright legislation. Will “honest use” simply throw up its arms and say something that any artist releases right into a digital house is honest sport for anybody to make use of in any method they need? Will any mechanism present monetary compensation to the musicians and artists from whom AI engines draw their materials for industrial functions? I’ve no solutions. Neither does anybody else. Stay tuned.

The world is popping the other way up. Job safety used to imply doing inventive work that would by no means be displaced by automation. Oops. In the long run, possibly job safety and the large bucks shall be in plumbing and street providers, as a result of AI can’t repair a damaged pipe or change a flat at 3 a.m. What’s outdated is new once more, and maybe that pertains to one thing of curiosity to us all—product evaluations and tech articles.

I’m already seeing net content material about music expertise that appears suspiciously like ChatGPT needs to be credited as a co-author. But as everyone knows, AI can provide incorrect solutions, whether or not as textual content or in a picture of a guitarist with eight fingers. What’s worse, incorrect solutions then get folded indiscriminately into an present physique of information and inch nearer to being accepted as right. I do know for certain this can occur—as a result of Nostradamus was my grandfather, and I’m a Nobel Laureate. Welcome to the George Santos-ization of data.

Will this imply that publications with editors and a workers that vets articles will regain their former positions of authority? Maybe shoppers will begin to have a look at any random “content material” on the Web as suspect, and yearn for one thing like—nicely, Mixonline.com—the place they know the fabric was vetted by humanoid bipeds who’ve a monitor file of correct reporting.

I’m severely considering of including the next disclaimer to all my articles: “This article was written, researched and proofed for accuracy by a number of human beings.”

Welcome to 2023. Cue sound impact of genie exiting bottle.

World News

Mix Live Blog: Stone Knives and Bearskins

Posted on by Steve La Cerra
A venerable analog Midas Heritage live desk.
A venerable Midas Heritage analog console.

My, how occasions have modified. I’m advancing a present the place we’ll be utilizing an analog console at FOH and presumably one for screens. Yikes. I couldn’t keep in mind the final time I blended a present on a large-format analog desk, so I seemed via my outdated advance sheets. Apparently, it was July 2017 at House of Blues in Cleveland, the place I had a Midas H2000 [Ed. Note: House of Blues recently updated all its consoles]. Other than that, my notes point out that analog desks have been all however useless and buried by round 2013.

Of course, the very first thing that pops into thoughts is the age-old debate between analog and digital know-how. While I won’t do not forget that present in 2017, I do keep in mind my response once I began pushing up faders throughout sound test: I breathed a sigh of reduction and thought oh yeah, that’s what good EQ seems like. I had develop into so accustomed to the final character of the preamps and EQs on digital desks that I had forgotten what an analog audio path seemed like. It was a pleasing shock.

Given the time that’s handed between my final analog expertise and the one on the horizon, I ponder if I’ll nonetheless have the identical response. Digital mixing desks have advanced a era or two since then, and there’s little question that the present yield from any considered one of a wide range of producers sounds higher than their earlier product. But does it arise in opposition to the analog benchmark? Tough to say with out an A/B comparability, which is extremely unlikely.

Mix Live Blog: The Audio Community Has Spoken

Mix Live Blog: Southworst

As this present will get nearer, my foggy reminiscence of the outdated analog days is beginning to clear. I recall utilizing one other analog Midas desk at a membership someplace within the Midwest within the 2010s which was a microcosm of every little thing flawed with analog mixing know-how. Several channels on the console didn’t work, and I keep in mind crawling behind the FOH rack to troubleshoot patching outboard gear. I’m positive that I “modified” one of many snakes that led to the doghouse as a result of I couldn’t get an insert cable to stretch throughout the again of the desk to channel 25. Good grief.

That expertise reveals a flood of questions that engineers don’t actually should ask anymore. Analog desks require outboard processing, so I’m trying on the venue “tech pack” (the checklist of substances accessible) to see if there are a ample variety of compressors and gates to accommodate the wants of the enter checklist (there aren’t).

Now I’ve to fret about issues like: Are there sufficient insert cables to patch these gates and comps, and do the cables attain from the outboard rack to the far facet of the console? Does all of the outboard gear work correctly? Do all of the console channels work? How many VCAs does the desk have? What’s within the drive rack? And, the large kicker: Has this outdated gear been well-maintained in a world the place upkeep is a dying artwork?

Adding insult to harm is the truth that there’s no present file to load, so I’ll begin a combination from scratch for a present that’s comparatively new and runs 46 inputs from the stage. Well, no less than I’ll have time for a sound test.

In distinction, all of those points disappear in a digital mixing system, and—fairly frankly—if you happen to can’t get a combination going with the onboard assets offered by even essentially the most cheap digital mixing system, you have got an issue that no quantity of substances will repair.

I kinda really feel like Spock in City on The Edge of Forever when he says to Joan Collins, “I’m endeavoring, ma’am, to assemble a mnemonic reminiscence circuit utilizing stone knives and bearskins.”

World News

Mix Nashville: Immersive Music Production Announces First Panels

Posted on by Mix Staff
Mix Nashville: Immersive Music Production
Mix Nashville: Immersive Music Production

Nashville, TN (April 20, 2023)—Mix Nashville: Immersive Music Production, an all-day event focused on the emerging technologies, techniques and artistic opportunities driving the surge in Dolby Atmos and Sony RA360 content, has announced its first programming offerings, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

The event, which will take place along a one-block stretch of Nashville’s Music Row, followed by a nighttime networking party and listening sessions in nearby Berry Hill, will take place on Saturday, May 20, 2023, opening with a Keynote Conversation in the historic Columbia Studio A. Numerous top pro-audio brands are involved with the event, so they will be on-hand, too. The Early Bird Registration Price ends on Saturday, April 22, so book now to secure your ticket for just $99!

Separate But Equal: The Stereo and Immersive Mixes

Which comes first? The stereo mix or the immersive mix? Or can they take place simultaneously? For many, stereo comes first, with the immersive mix becoming a “blown-up” version of the two-channel spread. For others, the immersive mix offers an opportunity for an entirely new approach to the song. Still others work on both at the same time. No matter the approach, all engineers agree that it should be the artist’s intent and vision that drives the process.

Panelists: Chuck Ainlay, Matt McClure, Jeff Balding and Will Kienzle

Moderator: Tom Kenny, Co-Editor, Mix

 

Monitoring the Mix: Speakers and Headphones

Nothing beats the experience of listening to an immersive mix on a properly tuned 7.1.4, 9.1.4, or even 13.1.6 monitor system, but statistics show that more than 90 percent of consumers will be listening through headphones or soundbars. For the mix engineer, headphones have become much more than a tool to “check” a mix or keep an ear on the binaural version; they’ve become an integral part of the production process, from the initial mix on through the approvals. With recent technology advances from Sony, Sennheiser, Apple and others, both mobile production and studio-based workflows are taking advantage and edging ever closer to providing an optimum consumer playback experience.

Panelists: Vance Powell, Pete Lyman and more to be announced

Moderator: Clive Young, Co-Editor, Mix

Book your early bird pass today – offer ends this Saturday, April 22!

Interested in sponsorship? Contact [email protected]

World News

MIX SIDEBAR: Take Me to the Rink—Mixing Talking Heads Live

Posted on by Mix Staff
Photo credit: Lindsay Gauthier
FOH pro and ‘Soundman Confidential‘ podcast host Frank Gallagher. Photo credit: Lindsay Gauthier.

The key to interviewing legendary FOH engineer Frank Gallagher, host of Soundman Confidential, is to not interrupt, because much like an extended guitar solo, every story is headed somewhere unexpected—like this one, which starts off in late-1970s New York City.

“Manhattan—this was my old hood here. The B-52s, Talking Heads and The Ramones had the same manager; Broadway and 57th was the office. I lived on 85th and Columbus; the Bs used to be sent out as our opening act and we did shows in Central Park at Wollman Rink. I used to skate there every day in the winter—walk to Wollman Rink and then go to the office if I needed to. We played the Wollman Rink with the B’s and the next day, the New York Times had a glowing review of Talking Heads and how it sounded.

[John Rockwell wrote in the August 18, 1979 edition, “The same sound system that had exposed the B-52’s served the Heads superbly, revealing new subtleties in their textural ideas, and providing new confirmation of their success in evolving gripping, interesting live versions of songs….”]

“Talking Heads also played there in 1980, and I will tell you as a soundman—whoa! Talking Heads were very secretive and back then, there’s no cell phones, no faxes; the word would come from the office. I got a call: ‘10 o’clock tomorrow morning, Brit Row rehearsal.’ Britannia Row, Pink Floyd’s sound company, had a warehouse out in Long Island City. I get to Brit Row and there’s Bernie Worrell from Funkadelic. There’s Busta Jones, another bass player. There’s Adrian Belew. There’s Nona Hendryx. There’s Steve Scales, the percussionist. And I walk in on that! That’s how I found out about ‘the big band!’ As artists, Talking Heads were very protective of what they were doing and their thinking was, ‘If it don’t work, we don’t want anybody knowing it didn’t work.’ But I had no idea it was coming. I thought, ‘Get on with it. I’ve got a mixer, a box of mics, we just go at it.’ The whole sound for that nine-piece band was sculpted in one day.

Frank Gallagher: ‘Soundman Confidential’ Talks Talking Heads, B-52’s

“The first show we played with the big band was Heatwave Festival—60,000 people in a field in Canada—and the second show was Central Park. I’m thinking to myself, ‘Oh my God, what are we gonna do with this,’ but you just do it. The only thing I remember was Adrian Belew saying to me—and I usually hated notes from artists—Adrian said to me, ‘Frank, just make sure that everything I play sails over Central Park,’ and that was how I mixed that show—made it sail.’ Some of it’s on the live album, The Name of This Band is Talking Heads.

“Later that year, we were in Paris, set up at the Baltard Pavilion. U2 were the support, but their van broke down in Calais. Again, no cell phones in those days; they showed up with just guitars and drumsticks, and said, ‘Where can we get gear?’ I pointed at the stage and said, ‘Right there.’ They used Talking Heads’ gear as it was and played the show. And they’ve never forgotten.

“Years later, I was in Dublin with Buddy Guy—I toured with Buddy for years—so I called up Paul McGuinness, their manager. I said, ‘Is the Edge in town?’He said, ‘He is.’I said, ‘He should come down and see Buddy.’ And McGuinness said, ‘Well, why would he do that?’ I said, ‘He’ll get a free guitar lesson!’”

World News

(Re)Discovering Why I Love Music

Posted on by Tom Kenny

music leagueI’ve had a whole lot of fun listening to music lately, and it all started about three or four months ago when my daughter Jesse sent a group email to me, my other daughter (and her sister), Molly, and her husband, Nick, along with her godfather, my best buddy Dave, who would be joined by his wife, Emily, as a teammate. The email said, “Hey everyone, John (her longtime partner) and I were wondering if you would all like to join a music league with us. We’re in one right now with John’s friends. It’s free, it doesn’t take a huge obligation, and it’s super-fun! We could call our league Fam Jams. Here’s how it works…”

It’s not that I hadn’t been listening to music, or that I no longer enjoyed it. I put on tunes when friends come over, and it’s always in the background at family gatherings. I click on files sent to me from both PR agencies and friends, and I would open YouTube videos if I had a question about an artist or if a song just popped into my head. Then I’d go right back to work.

The problem is I work from home in front of a laptop screen all day, and have for the past six years. There’s no time alone in the car during the commute, and no more discussions around the conference table with fellow editors. No more Sunday brunches with my teenage girls while listening to Billie Holiday. A large majority of my CDs are now in boxes on a shelf. When the laptop lid closes each night and I begin to make dinner, I find myself much more likely to turn on the Warriors game than pop in Blonde on Blonde.

Music, I would come to realize, was no longer built into my daily rhythms and routines, and it had been drifting away slowly for a while.

Then Jesse sent the email about creating a music league, so I downloaded an app to my iPad and pulled out my four-speaker Harman Kardon Bluetooth monitor. It’s not hi-res by any means, but that’s not the point. I can go to another room for that. For the past four months, I’ve had a total blast in both discovering new music and rediscovering artists from my past. I spend hours going down wonderful rabbit holes, in search of another song. I send text messages to my brothers about a song we both love, and phone conversations with those in our league will inevitably end up revolving around the current week’s theme. I love it! So here’s how it works…

Music League is an app that’s somehow associated with Spotify; I don’t know if the one owns the other, and I don’t really care (other than the fact that it’s awfully hard to find a Neil Young song to submit when you really want to). Somebody in each group serves as the League’s administrator and sets up the parameters for Number of Rounds, the weekly Theme, and the number of Points allotted each Round for voting. Then each member is notified that they have a week to submit a song based on that week’s Theme. Once everyone has submitted a song, a playlist is generated and each member assigns points to each song, except, of course, for their own. Everything is kept anonymous until all the votes are in and you find out who won the Round.

Open Channel: You Matter. Yes, You.

In our case, Jesse was the Administrator and set Fam Jams up as a six-member, eight-round league, with 10 points each week for voting. Our Themes included Open Season Thanks, Mom and Dad, Grrrl Power, Location, A Family Affair, Current Obsession and a couple of others. With five songs and only 10 points to spread around, you quickly learn that if one song gets a 4, then someone else is probably going to get a 1.

But it’s not about the competition. I didn’t even realize until after Round 3 that there was a tab to click on for the running total. It’s about the conversations, the comments, the strategy, the hours spent digging into Bruce Springsteen to find the right Deep Cut. It’s about the emotion and memories we attach to a song. It’s about trying to figure out who submitted what while voting, later to find out you were wrong. It’s about the pride in learning that it was your daughter who won that week with Stevie Wonder’s 1995 live version of “Livin’ in the City,” or that your other daughter won for The Tragically Hip’s “Bobcaygeon.”

It pains me that Spotify underpays artists and producers, and I’m fully aware that I’ve been listening mostly on a Bluetooth speaker. But the joy I’ve had these past few months has nothing to do with bit rates or Atmos, and everything to do with memory, emotion and (re)discovery. Music is art, and good art moves us, no matter the medium.

In this issue, Kelly Pribble, director of media recovery technology at Iron Mountain Entertainment Services, tells us that he has a simple motto: “It’s only rock ‘n’ roll if you can play it.” Thank you for preserving the legacy, Kelly! And Craig Anderton talks about the value of music in a way that no spreadsheet can measure.

As Delmar said to Everett and Pete in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, “I’m with you fellers!”

 

World News

Mix Live Blog: Jeff Beck’s Drum Shop?

Posted on by Steve La Cerra
The cover to the classic "Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop" album...slightly modified.
The cover to the classic Jeff Beck album, “Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop”…slightly modified.

This past week, the music industry has been mourning the loss of guitarist Jeff Beck. Undoubtedly one of the most proficient and influential rock guitarists to date, Beck blazed a trail few dared, eschewing hits for integrity and virtuosity, while often breaking new ground. The day after news of his passing was made public, my Facebook feed—like many others, I’m sure—exploded with friends posting laments over the loss.

Beck was a guitar player’s guitarist, and the title of his first studio album, Truth, could be viewed as a template for much of his career, as well as for what would later be termed heavy metal music, the missteps of some poorly chosen cover songs on his second release, Beck-Ola, notwithstanding. Beck’s playing could tug at your heartstrings, loosen your fillings and make you shake your head—sometimes all simultaneously.

As I contemplated his contributions, I felt a little bit sad that someone like Jeff Beck, who has influenced countless musicians worldwide, never achieved the commercial success approaching that of some of his contemporaries like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page or Rod Stewart. He appeared on the Billboard 200 every decade until his passing but never had a “hit,” though Blow By Blow came close, reaching Number 4 on the Billboard 200 in 1975. And—in spite of the fact that he earned numerous Grammy Awards for Best Rock Instrumental Performance—you’d be hard-pressed to hear his fretwork on a classic rock station unless it was The Yardbirds’ version of “Shapes Of Things.”

During the course of his career, Beck surrounded himself live and in the studio with great players, like Ron Wood, Nicky Hopkins, Jan Hammer, Narada Michael Walden, Tony Hymas, Pino Palladino, Vinnie Colaiuta and Tal Wilkenfeld. Encircling himself with great players was not only a smart move, it was probably the only move, because lesser musicians would find it hard to keep up.

Mix Live Blog: New Year’s Eve Live…Or Is It?

As I look back on Beck’s body of work, it becomes apparent to me that (though I never realized it at the time), it formed a strong influence on my drumming. Whether it was the slithering, heavy groove of Cozy Powell on “Going Down,” Richard Bailey’s unstoppable shuffle on “Freeway Jam,” the mind-boggling footwork of Simon Phillips on “Space Boogie” (just try to play that!), or the frenzy of Terry Bozzio on “Sling Shot,” Beck’s music opened my ears to some incredible musicianship, raising the benchmark for what I thought a drummer could do in support of a great musician.

Guitar “shredders” have come and gone, but in my opinion, none of them has spoken with their instrument as uniquely and as eloquently as Jeff Beck. Godspeed, Mr. Beck. Guitar players are not the only ones who will miss you.

 

World News

Mix Live Blog: Jeff Beck’s Drum Shop?

Posted on by Steve La Cerra
The cover to the classic "Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop" album...slightly modified.
The cover to the classic Jeff Beck album, “Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop”…slightly modified.

This past week, the music industry has been mourning the loss of guitarist Jeff Beck. Undoubtedly one of the most proficient and influential rock guitarists to date, Beck blazed a trail few dared, eschewing hits for integrity and virtuosity, while often breaking new ground. The day after news of his passing was made public, my Facebook feed—like many others, I’m sure—exploded with friends posting laments over the loss.

Beck was a guitar player’s guitarist, and the title of his first studio album, Truth, could be viewed as a template for much of his career, as well as for what would later be termed heavy metal music, the missteps of some poorly chosen cover songs on his second release, Beck-Ola, notwithstanding. Beck’s playing could tug at your heartstrings, loosen your fillings and make you shake your head—sometimes all simultaneously.

As I contemplated his contributions, I felt a little bit sad that someone like Jeff Beck, who has influenced countless musicians worldwide, never achieved the commercial success approaching that of some of his contemporaries like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page or Rod Stewart. He appeared on the Billboard 200 every decade until his passing but never had a “hit,” though Blow By Blow came close, reaching Number 4 on the Billboard 200 in 1975. And—in spite of the fact that he earned numerous Grammy Awards for Best Rock Instrumental Performance—you’d be hard-pressed to hear his fretwork on a classic rock station unless it was The Yardbirds’ version of “Shapes Of Things.”

During the course of his career, Beck surrounded himself live and in the studio with great players, like Ron Wood, Nicky Hopkins, Jan Hammer, Narada Michael Walden, Tony Hymas, Pino Palladino, Vinnie Colaiuta and Tal Wilkenfeld. Encircling himself with great players was not only a smart move, it was probably the only move, because lesser musicians would find it hard to keep up.

Mix Live Blog: New Year’s Eve Live…Or Is It?

As I look back on Beck’s body of work, it becomes apparent to me that (though I never realized it at the time), it formed a strong influence on my drumming. Whether it was the slithering, heavy groove of Cozy Powell on “Going Down,” Richard Bailey’s unstoppable shuffle on “Freeway Jam,” the mind-boggling footwork of Simon Phillips on “Space Boogie” (just try to play that!), or the frenzy of Terry Bozzio on “Sling Shot,” Beck’s music opened my ears to some incredible musicianship, raising the benchmark for what I thought a drummer could do in support of a great musician.

Guitar “shredders” have come and gone, but in my opinion, none of them has spoken with their instrument as uniquely and as eloquently as Jeff Beck. Godspeed, Mr. Beck. Guitar players are not the only ones who will miss you.

 

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Mix Live Blog: New Year’s Eve Live…Or Is It?

Posted on by Steve La Cerra
New Year's Eve in Times Square. Photo: Anthony Quintano / CC BY 2.0.
New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Photo: Anthony Quintano / CC BY 2.0.

Like many people, I turned on the tube on New Year’s Eve to bounce between a number of “countdown” entertainment shows. As has always been the case, these shows offered performances from popular recording artists. Notice I didn’t say “live performances.”

This year, depending upon which show you dropped in on, you had the option to see a wide variety of artists, such as New Edition, Farruko, Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, j-hope, Jax, REO Speedwagon, Tenacious D, Duran Duran, Sia, Liily, Rae Sremmurd, Latto and Patti LaBelle. Some of these artists were performing “on-location” at sites like Times Square in NYC, while others performed off-site with audio and video tie-ins (Usher, for example, who performed live from his residency in Las Vegas).

Mix Live Blog: ‘Bombshell’

Hanging out with my family to watch these shows is always a bit of an adventure because I like to gauge their opinion of whether it’s live or Memorex. Inevitably, someone will ask me if I think a particular artist is performing live and the answer is often “definitely not.” Then comes the discussion of why an artist would make an appearance on a nationally televised show and not actually perform. Here are some top reasons:

  1. The Artist Is Actually Not. Some pop acts are simply manufactured in a corporate boardroom. A group of good-looking kids singing catchy pop songs is bound to capture the hearts of adoring fans worldwide and make plenty of money for the record label. This goes back to the Mesozoic Era, long before The Archies sang “Sugar, Sugar.”
  2. Gotta Do Those Dance Moves. Given some of the amazing choreography displayed by pop groups, it may not be possible for them to sing and perform the dance moves at the same time. This is also the reason that superstar pop artists who dance their way through a show may have a recorded backing track at the ready to double or replace their lead vocal if they get winded.
  3. The Artist Has Seen Better Days. Some artists just don’t have it anymore and can’t sing their hits, so they rely on a recorded performance. This makes me sad.
  4. Hostile Environment. It’s tough enough to poke your head outside the door when it’s minus 10 degrees in January, let alone sing your hit song while the snow comes down. Cold, dry weather increases voice fatigue.
  5. Everyone Has a Bad Night Now and Then. Would you really want a massive audience to hear you sing on a night when you had a sore throat?
  6. Lead Singer Calls Out Sick. Not an option.
  7. Too Much at Stake. There are times when an artist simply cannot afford to turn in a bad performance because the audience is so vast. NYE broadcasts and that Big Football Game at the beginning of February are two examples of such career-critical events.
  8. The Band Wasn’t Invited. “Just send the lead singer, please.” Ouch. Stereo backing tracks are way easier and faster to deal with than 40 inputs on a live stage.
  9. The Record Was Epic, The Band Is Not. Who knows what instruments lurk in a band’s recording. Horn sections? Choirs? Full orchestras? Intricate parts requiring mega-chops? Arrangements of such magnitude are often not practical (or cost-effective) to pull off on a live stage. Back in the 1970s, even Queen—with all that talent—knew better than to try and perform live the operatic intro and middle sections of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It would have taken a cast of a thousand. For the record, Queen is epic, regardless.
  10. There’s No Time. Given the scheduling of many of these shows, there’s little time for soundcheck or rehearsal, so you may see the band miming their instruments while the singers actually sing.
  11. The Lead Singer Is a Loose Cannon. Yikes. Alcohol or drugs may be part of the equation. Do you really want that unstable lead singer to have a live microphone at midnight on national TV? Sad.
  12. Sounds Just Like the Record. Some artists can achieve this. Alas, others cannot.

Given all these concerns, it’s no wonder that many of the artists mentioned earlier lip-synched their performances. If you look at the ones who did perform live, you often find that they are well-established artists with a proven track record, those who’d rather take the chance of turning in a less-than-perfect live performance as opposed to being safe and singing to a recorded track.

I’ll take the latter, thank you. Warts and all.