S.A. Weekly music news and updates
San Antonio Music Business Expo – P.O. Box 201090 – San Antonio, Texas 78220 Ph: 210-227-4821 – Fax: 210-226-5009 – E-mail:Editor@sambe.org – Web-site: http://www.sambe.org copyright 2007
Music business information services [ San Antonio, Tx. Musicians Guide ] and [ San Antonio, Tx. Club and Bar Guide ( Expanded) ] are published quarterly and the S.A. weekly music news and updates published every Thursday, provide FREE calendar listings for bands, live music clubs, concerts and music related events. copyright 2007
Registering with SXSW (Badge Pick-up) Friday Night – Good! NOT STAYING! IN AUSTIN – BAD!3/10/07 12:00PM
<><><><><><><><><><>
Sat-3/10
First off, at 5:30am I thought I was driving in the Twilight Zone the fog was so thick.
Lucky to get an early check in at the Marriott Courtyard after a little confusion with the Marriott Residence in the same building. Unlucky I switched from what used to be the Capitol Plaza.
It has been a long time since I have stayed in a Motel 6. 04/1/06
Make your apps people friendly. WTF?
Grids are a good thing
More changes coming to sambe.org. 3/10/07 8:30PM For a tasty chewy treat head to the Hideout on Congress and get the Cinnamon bun, with icing. They are lovingly handmade in limited quantities so the supply does not last long. 3/10/07 11:30PM
If you haven’t heard Alan Haynes then you are missing ear candy beyond discription. 3/10/07 11:30pm
<><><><><><><><><><>
Sun-3/11
Correction on the 2 hotel size bars of soap at the Marriott Courtyard. You only get ONE (1) and any of the left overs from the day before. 3/11/07 – 6:06pm
SXSW Adventures: Perspectives on Designing!
Create a timeless message.
Flash designers tend to be egocentric!
AJAX & Flash!
There is not any difference between Flash and SLUDGE!
Before you create, Measure your bandwidth!
Ten Ways To Run?
The methods of Genghis Khans ruthlessness apply only if you are willing to use them to succeed, dependent on the dedication too a goal NOT (OR) a process.
Efficiency = KISS
Uniting The Trinity?
COOL ideas are not necessarily SUCCESSFUL ideas!
Food
Katz Deli has Great Food!
The Hideout has Great Scones!
Music If the phobejeebes are playing anywhere, BE THERE!
Throw away the Blues harp, Phoebes violin is in town!
Smokin’ vocals and personality will move your soul.
Jazz, Blues, Folk, nah! Just Great music. 3/11/07 –10:22pm
More Hotel Griping!
Just noted a GREAT Joke on the room door. Marriott wants $499.00/night for a walk-in closet. 3/11/07 –11:39pm
<><><><><><><><><><>
Mon-3/12 AJAX Kung Fu
AJAX is not a cleanser! It can be an OPTIMIZER! 3/12/07 –1:03pm
Dan Rather Interview.
Do we still believe a journalist is the watchdog protecting society from an over reaching government?
Not under the present way corporate media is structured. 3/12/07 –11:51pm
Caught Pride & Joy at Friends.
A must see for any Blues/Jazz/Funk lover.
If this 3 piece doesn’t move you, you’re DEAD! They will be at Antone’s Wed-3/14 12:00pm(NOON) - 1:00pm 3/12/07 –11:51pm
<><><><><><><><><><>
Tue-3/13
You can start a web based business for less than $100.00 and Bruce Sterling is "traditional"!?!03/14/07 11:50am
<><><><><><><><><><>
Wed-3/14
More bad news about the Marriott Coutyard. Check your bed linens! I found hidden blood stains that have been there for a VERY long time.
If you are staying at the Marriott, check your bed linens for ‘accidents’!!! 03/14/07 11:50am
Indie Labels: Are indie labels still relevant? According to the panel they are, but only in a limited capacity and scope. Is there a future for independent labels? That depends on the business model and how willing they are to accept and embrace ‘digital’ distribution verses ‘traditional’ product, discs, etc. Revenue streams for independent labels can be as varied as the colors in a rainbow. It takes the sum of ALL of those streams to make a label viable. The disc is dead Long Live Touring and Merch!03/14/07 1:45pm
Working The Web: If there has been any one panel at SXSW of insightful and informative panelists, this was the one. Collectively they each understood the power of the internet, the methods of digital distribution and the future direction of the music industry, which for all intents and purposes, is dead as a physically distributed product.
This is not an endorsement of or for any specfic site. Check out: tunecore, Eventful and Fuzz03/14/07 4:50pm
Pete Townshend Townshend is still an “angry creative Human Being”. Making music is more of an art form than a craft.
Music is more a reflection of the fan than the artist because it is the fan that encourages the creative artist. 03/14/07 7:50pm
owkmj @ The Hideout Space / Beat Jazz. The trust that is exhibited between these 5 musicians allows them to sonically explore where no oe has gone before. Ethinically Japanese but unviversally musical. They leap beyond the boundries of spoken language with each performance.
Buttercup @ Co-op Bar Buttercup never fails to impress. If there is such a thing as a San Antonio Sound, it is not coming from Buttercup. They make their own music that reaches into your mind then rips out your soul.
Tally Hall at Habana Calle 6 proves that white shirts and ties are not only worn by the suits.
Illinois! No, not the state, The BAND. It was one of those freaky moments when the sound wafting through the air is something totally unexpected.
In a tent, in an alley, on the Beauty Bar Patio! 03/15/07 1:50am
<><><><><><><><><><>
Thu-3/15
Who Needs Them? Traditional record companies for all intents and purpose are DEAD or dying and in serious need of major restructuring. DRM must die! NEVER sign away your publishing unless you really need the money. Your publishing rights are like a gold mine waiting to be exploited. You should be the beneficiary of that exploitation. You may be able to record your entire project in your bedroom on an ELECTRONIC DEVICE, but that will never take the place of the give and take in a well staffed studio environment. Your music may never be #1 on any Billboard Chart and that should never be your goal. Your goal? Be as creative and genuine with your music as possible and speak truthfully. Remember, every beach starts with one grain of sand and every fan club starts with its first member. 03/15/07 3:00pm
Idiots Unite! See All of the Above
Reinventing Pavements!
What is Section 114 and Section 115
Monetization of music is INCREASING! Is the SHARING of that monetization? 03/15/07 6:19pm
Lords (UK) @ Bourbon Rocks – 8:00pm Everything in their SX discription is true! As a matter of fact it does not even come close to describing the raw energy just wanting to explode in a cacaphony of sound. No bass, just 2 quitars and a 3 piece drum kit. Who would of thunk it. These guys not only make music they make SOUND. If you love metal, jazz, the blues, punk, rock and in a bizzare way, Folk, you will absolutely CRAVE the Lords (UK) 03/15/07 8:57pm
The Craze, from Palmdale, Calif. performed at one of those NOT-SXSW showcases. It was one of those magical moments when a melody floats through the air, attaches itself to your ear and sucks you in. Oh Yeah, they were in a Heart Beat of Texas Showcase on Trinity in a vacant lot next to Fuel.
Exiled Okay, this is not a band, but then SXSW is NOT just a music festival. On a whim I caught this film directed by Johnnie To at the Alamo Drafthouse. Wow. Subtitles and all. The language and background may have been Chinese but the music had definite western “Jazz / Blues” influences. Bloody but not gory, thrilling but not frightening, humourous but not comical, just one hell of a great movie. Makes me want to learn Chinese.
Hot Puppies @ BD Rileys – 1:00am If there was ever a band that had a non discriptive name these guys are giving them a run for their money. The band it self holds its own but the real power is in the frontwomans performance. A mix of Christina, Gwenn and did I say Barbara. If you missed them at BDs find out where they are or get their CD. 03/16/07 2:45am
<><><><><><><><><><>
Fri-3/16
Art Can Survive Google!
Can the Consumer Survive the Lawyers?
Will the Artist be relegated to an archive, only to be found by someone willing to pay for something they don’t even know that they are looking for?
or Should the Artist take the RISK of letting their music be freely exposed / exchanged in the hopes that they may, in time, profit from that exposure. 03/16/07 5:31pm
Latin Music! UPDATE: Pleasing and surprising information can make an appearance when you least expect it.A delightful young lady was kind enough to inform me that Latin, Afro-Cuban music is available FROM Australia! Check Out San Lazaro at Web-site: http://www.sanlazaro.com.au 03/17/07 2:05am
Distribution must be creative! The pélon becomes just as important as the product.
Should the Artist focus on the music or the language? Reaching a bilingual audience requires flexability in performance. Currently, Ozomatli comes to mind immediately along with Tito and Desi! 03/16/07 5:55pm
What Do You Want! At my first SXSW, there were hundreds of young people looking for guidance and direction. 20 years later, there are still young people, in the thousands, looking for guidance and direction. The difference, some of these young people have grey hair.
Maximize your revenue streams. Labels tend to minimize them!
The RIAA is essentially an ongoing criminal enterprise that uses EXTORTION as a business model.
Labels, in the beginning, were that little paper disc glued to the center of a larger acetate or vinyl disc. LABELS ARE DEAD! Digital distribution and delivery platforms are and should be the business model in the ever expanding digital world.
How that model evolves is dependent on the honesty of the Digital Gate Keepers.
Don’t be afraid to confront challenges! It should not matter from whom or where they come!
“You don’t arrive at your destination by stopping halfway down the road!” …Matthew Hales – Aqualung 03/16/07 6:30pm
Navigating Publishing! So much discussed encapsulation is beyond me.
Labels Are Dead! Long Live Publishing!
Publishers “can” be your friend? Don’t trust the suits!
“Rights holders need to get paid. The question is, how much?” … Gram Henderson – CRIA 3/16/07 6:45pm
Brandi Carlile @ Austin Convention Center – 9:00pm Carlile will move your spirit and soul. This young lady has a voice as big as a 50 piece orchestra. Supported by “The Twins” and a lone cello player Carlile served up an amazing performance despite the crackling in the PA system. Hi-Freq distortion!
Airbourne @Friends – 10:00pm
Rock and Roll and dead! It’s Airbourne These guys only prove that hair bands have a life after 40. They may have been mere thoughts when AC/DC, Whitesnake amongst others were doing the stadium tours in the US let alone Australia. Hair bands, yeah! They may be coming back, in all their full mane and sweaty glory. 03/17/07 2:35am
Again one of those unexpected moments (11:35pm) when a note wafts through the smoke filled air and catches your attention. The Annuals @ Emo’s were the makers of that note as well as catchy well crafted lyrics.
You never know what is right in your own back yard until you look for greener grass somewhere else. The tuning of a mandolin caught my ear. Hmm! Sounds interesting and indeed it was. At the Aquarium On Sixth, Right inside the, Window. Web-site: http://www.window-music.com Label, 50 Watt Records, Web-site: http://www.50wattrecords.com 03/17/07 3:08am
Covering Music In NEW Media?
A common thread, confirm your sources. A strange twist on homogenization of music news. Same Artist, different discription saying the same thing. What a drag.
Another common thread, playing it safe by writing about known entities,, Seems the acceptable norm?
Who wants to risk writing about the unknown?
Selling Digitally!
The bottom line is still the bottom line. User friendliness is more important than content. Broadband free form radio is the answer.
Streaming, Subscription or Download, which one gives the unknown artist the best opportunity to succeed? The Answer, ALL THREE, but only if the obligatory promotion made by the Artist or the artists representative is consistant. Promotion DOES NOT have to be made by A LABEL in the digital world. Labels are dead and/or dying. Wake up! Smell the java. ANY label is only as honest as the people who run them. Major/indies are in the EXPLOITATION business. Know who you are doing business with.
Does Aggregation lead to Innovation?
On The Hunt! The magic of music spreads. Its 4:00pm and I am heading out to 6th. There is that damn wafting note again. What the hell is it. Follow the note to a vacant lot that is not so vacant. It is one of those ubiquitous NON-SXSW Showcases. This one sponsored by Verge. Back to that note from Houston band, Without A Face. Web-site: http://www.myspace.com/withoutaface. This bunch of kids are the true future of music. Yes they have take cues from the greyheads as well they should, and take the sound to another level while staying connected to the roots. Blues, Jazz, Rock, Pop, it is all in there and these ‘kids’ are still in their teens. Oh! (as in orgasmic), the future of music is so bright. Contact:Gina RotoloE-mail: pr@ginarotolo.com
Just In From An Impeccable Source!
Amy Winehose IS FOR REAL. Sometimes the hype chases people off. It did me. 03/17/07 6:15pm
Metalchicks@ Redrum – 8:00pm
Not wanting to branded (stamped) like a piece of cattle, I had to miss the show!
Brute Force @ Creekside EMC at Hilton Garden Inn – 9:00pm
Not your typical father / daughter duo. Boundries, Boundries, we ain’t got no stinkin’ boundries!
“All Hail the Fuc King” …Brute Force.
This was one of those shows/performances that you had to stay until the end. It continually morphed and you never knew what was coming up next. Entertainment at its maximum.
11:00pm at the Hi-Lo on W. 6th. The Bumps – Infectious grooves that made EVERYBODY move!
What a night! So much to hear, so much to do! Thank you SXSW for another great year!
Now, About that Softball Game that got rained out last year? 03/18/07 1:10am
<><><><><><><><><><>
Sun-3/18
Softball Game was OK. Kind of dragged on for whatever reasons.
Print Shuts Out Club/Talent Buyers 25 to Zip. Game Called After 4 innings. OUCH!
Even the emergency call up of the Great Michael Mordecai from a paying gig at The Lion King could not revive the NEVER spiraling score. 03/19/07 1:05am
<><><><><><><><><><>
Mon-3/19
<><><><><><><><><><>
Keep your Rolodex, PDA or cigar box up to date!
<><><><><>
As a policy S.A.M.B.E. provides an open forum for all musicians, fans, promoters etc. I may support the concept of MP3 downloads but feel it is just as important to support copyright protections afforded recording artists. Piracy may not seem an important issue to the unknown artist trying to gain recognition but it does hamper sales of recorded product. Have a safe week.