MAB Q&A

November 17, 2015

#3800

John,

Just my two cents, but it seems like the purpose of a Rampbash would be:

#1. provide an affordable area for members to gather, participate in their reunion, guitar pulls, or random activities.

#2. Options on activities regarding music. The fact that many shows would be availible are what made me suggest a thing.

And there would be no requirement on any of it. In Nashville, it is always overpopulated and lodging transportation and other nessesities are always at a premium.
The purpose of FRANK BROWN (not the FLORABAMA, that is just one venue, like the BLUEBIRD) would be that it recreates TIN PAN SOUTH as closely as it is done anywhere. 15-20 venues, with 2 shows a night, open mic shows, where the Rampers could participate, and continuous networking with professional songwriters, publishers and industry people, would be avaliable.

#3. It has sugar white sandy beaches and temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees during the day, so it is very much like summer for most of the time.

#4. Location, location, location. While it sounds like all the places are congested, they are actually spread out quite evenly. There are many locations, for instance, the Regatta, condominiums, where you would not even know a festival is going on. It has very private rooms. It is a three story condo complex with around 50 units. People from all over stay there and the noise is nearly non-existent. Yet, almost any venue you would want to visit is within 10-15-20 minutes away. It is directly on the beach, five feet from the coast. Yet, it is bordered by resturants and bars all around it, souvineir shops, are across the street.
In my 21 years down there, it is the most centrally located place I have ever stayed. So it could allow for minimal congestion and walking access for members to shop, eat, lay on the beach, and they could have their own guitar pulls. Grocery stores are five minutes away and there are many places offering fresh caught seafood, crabs, oysters, clams, shrimp, that members could purchase and bring back to their fully stocked condos, and could cook themselves. Each condo has between 2-3 bedrooms, some have lofts. The one I am usually in could sleep between 8-10 people easily.
Therefore, just a few cars could get everyone around easily.
It is located 25 minutes from the PENSACOLA, Florida AIRPORT, and around 50 minutes from the MOBILE ALABAMA airport.

#4. Plenty of resturants bars, fresh seafood and an area most have never visited before. There are many other activities, swimming, fishing, golf, tourist shopping, museums, and all the things you would get in an Ocean tourist area.

#5. Being OFF SEASON for businesses, (the main summer season ends in Labor Day in Sept. and picks up at the end of November, when "SNOWBIRDS" (people from Northern states) come in. It is a "lull" in the activities, so prices are at an all year low. It would be a boom for the local tourism and an area very unspoiled compared to the rest of the Florida Alabama coast.

So that was the reason I suggested it. Having been involved in many of the Ramp bashes before, understanding some of the comments both positive and negative, I thought it might make an interesting thing to consider. Going on what I have always heard from most of the members as to what they wanted out of a Rampbash, it seemed to make as much sense as any other suggestions I have heard.

MAB

Eddie Rhoades

November 17, 2015

#3801

Eddie, QUOTE:

That is not going to happen. Not how the Frank Brown festival works.

MAB,
If you will re-read my post you will see that I am talking about the Ramp Bash. Nowhere do I mention the Frank Brown Songwriter Festival. I would not want to have a Ramp Bash at the same time as the Festival.
Eddie R

Ott Lukk

November 18, 2015

#3802

Hey Peggy, congrats on your win! Always nice when there is an actual prize attached. I actually did some demos with Beaird Music Group back in 2007-8. Larry Beaird would call me on the phone to discuss options on different tracks, and was always the consummate professional. They put out some excellent tracks for me.

You should be aware that their home page has a tab for "samples". You can go and listen to their demo singers -- currently 14 males and 15 females, and pick the one whose style and voice you like the most. This is a very nice option that you should take advantage of. Years later, I still love the voices of the two vocalists I chose.

Look forward to hearing the end result!

Ott

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John Westwood

November 18, 2015

#3803

Eddie Rhoades.
Do you want to get a "show of hands" and see how many members are interested?

Eddie has a lot of stuff going on at the moment and it would be cool if a (relatively ) local could get something rolling like a date and location and a show of hands .

john

Phillip (phil g.) Grigg

November 18, 2015

#3804

Yes John. First, a show of hands of everyone who would want to have the bash in or near Gulf Shores, AL, and when. Then we can talk about possible options for extra activities. I will be at the Frank Brown Festival, usually starting the Sunday before the festival, leaving the last Sunday of the festival. So, if a majority would like to have the bash near there and around the time of the Frank Brown Festival, I'm in.

John, has anyone set up a new thread yet, dedicated to the next Ramp Bash?

phil g.

Marc-Alan Barnette

November 18, 2015

#3805

Eddie,

I thought you were talking about Frank Brown. Outside of that, I would not see much reason to have a Ramp Bash down there. It would be too expensive during the regular season. The only reason I suggested it would be during Frank Brown. Would make no sense to have it there any other time. Never mind.

MAB

John Westwood

November 18, 2015

#3806

Phillip (phil g.) Grigg said...

John, has anyone set up a new thread yet, dedicated to the next Ramp Bash?

phil g.

PhilG,

If you check the list of forums ( as I hope everyone does ) you will see a thread for 2016 Bash was started October 25 .
If you are proposing an additional Bash in 2016 then I suggest you simply contact like minded folk privately rather than muddy the waters of the proposed 2016 thread.

If you are thinking 2017 then wait until the 2016 bash is out of the way. There is no set formula for a Bash other than a date and central point.

I repeat you need to decide what kind of bash you are thinking of and float the idea and get some kind of response to get an idea of possible numbers.
Maybe start here right in this forum via PMs with a location, possible venue, tentative date and format and see how it goes then work from there. If there is a good response then the idea can be floated wider.

If you are the only person who would attend from this forum then I suggest that the response is not going to be much better from the wider community.
I will take a look and see if I can pull out members who reside in those states that are close to the location you propose and they could be surveyed to see how much interest there is locally.

If you simply ask " who wants to go to a bash in Al , you are going to get loads of what, when, where, why, who, how much ,can I book a separate room etc etc etc " questions in addition to folk who say "I would come if this or that was part of it ".

There needs to be some ground work done first to support your proposal or the questions will drive you crazy and even if you provide a well thought out explanatory proposal you will still get loads of questions that are answered already in your proposal . )

It goes with the territory.:)
Go to it Phil :)

NB: In the case of Nashville there is plenty of history of previous bashes to be drawn upon and plenty of locals and folk who travel fairly regularly into town from interstate. Any other location will starting from the ground up.

John Westwood

November 19, 2015

#3807

@ Eddie Rhoades. I took a look in the back end but the way it is set up I cant pull out all the "local members' in Al .Mississippi Fla , Ga, for example , to see sowe could email them and find out how many locals might want to attend .

When Ed is back on deck maybe he can tweak things in God mode.

But if folk dont put in their home then there is nothing we can do to narrow the list down but only send out a blanket enquiry.

Y'know, just cos there is a Nashville Bash this doesnt mean that there cant be another at another time elsewhere .
Not everyone who would attend one in Nashvile would want to or could go to one in Alabama or other state. but equally there might be folk to whom a bash in another state might more attractive simply on the basis of geography and relevant cost. Speaking personally , if there was a bash in say Montana or Colorado I would do my best to go to those and ifit meant I missed out on Nashville.. well "been there done that and got scars to prove it"

john

another 1:5c worth at current exchange rates

Phillip (phil g.) Grigg

November 19, 2015

#3808

John, found the RampBash 2016 thread. And no, I'm afraid I'm pretty bad about checking other forums. Guess I need to get better at that. Anyway, the last entries were talking about May 8-15 in Nashville, so I'll stop talking about doing anything at Flora-Bama. Maybe talk about that in June-July next year, or discuss it at the 2016 bash. HOWEVER, I'm not sure right now, that April or May anything will work for me. May not have enough $$ saved by then. My FBISF trip took most of my savings. I'll follow the planning and chime in on the RambBash 2016 thread when/if I think I can find the $$. I really enjoyed the last bash, and enjoyed meeting everyone. Really would like to attend next year also.

phil g.

John Westwood

November 19, 2015

#3809

Phillip (phil g.) Grigg said...

phil g.

I am in a similar situation. Id like to attend the bash each year and whether its in Nashville or North Pole Alaska its gonna cost   ( for 1 person) the best part of $2500 in travel alone. Maybe a little less if its in LA or close to Dallas Ft Worth and more if its a 3 plane trip.

Yes folks .In case you didnt know there is a place called North Pole, Alaska.   *grin* .

Trivia and not so trivia.

DId you know we have a member, Mick Adams aka denali Mick, who lives in Denali Alaska, brother of the late Porkbelli who got a tv or movie cut ? There is mention of this on Songramp if you want to check it out. Both attended at least   one bash.

jw

John Westwood

November 19, 2015

#3810

From the ramp bash forum and thread . The Bash game is afoot.. go here for more info

https://www.songramp.net/forum/thread/1244/mixed-reviews/post_20506/

Phillip (phil g.) Grigg

November 20, 2015

#3811

O.K. John. I'm officially confused. In the "RampBash 2016 FORUM, there are 2 "Threads". On is, "Bash 2016 - Date", the other is, "Mixed Reviews". Within both of them, there is discussion about the 2016 bash. Which one is the "Official" THREAD for the 2016 bash?

BTW, your link takes me to the "RampBash 2016" FORUM, THRED, "Mixed Reviews".

phil g.

John Westwood

November 20, 2015

#3812

Phillip (phil g.) Grigg said...

BTW, your link takes me to the "RampBash 2016" FORUM, THRED, "Mixed Reviews".

phil g.

Mixed reviews was a review of Bash 2015 and the preamble to Bash 2016 and . Follow Bash 2016 > Ill close the other thread

Phillip (phil g.) Grigg

November 20, 2015

#3813

Thanks John. Will follow "Bash 2016-Date".

phil g.

Phillip (phil g.) Grigg

November 27, 2015

#3814

Good day after thanksgiving day!! Hope everyone had a good day yesterday. I did. Wife's brother and sister came over and we all just seriously overate!

So, when I sent an e-mail to our lost brother, OD, he sent me some interesting history of thanksgiving, and I would like to share it with y'all now.

From OD;

Philboy, I'm happy you had the opportunity to over eat and feel like crap. I watched a documentary the other night about the Pilgrims and the hardships they faced before leaving England; where they were forced to practice the King's religion and had to pay a fine if they didn't. No outside religious meetings were allowed by the King and imprisonment could be a penalty (the pilgrims were a hard core religious order that preferred a more strict Puritan belief). A small group of Puritans actually fled England to practice their belief's and Bible interpretation to Holland several years before heading out to the new America's to join up with the John Smith colony at Jamestown. A fact mostly overlooked by history but the Jamestown colony had arrived in America several years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth rock (mostly because the Jamestown colony mysteriously vanished after some time). In fact the Pilgrims set sail in the late spring of 1620 but had to turn around due to the larger ship leaking and falling apart. It took them months to find another ship but when they did; it was much smaller and they had to leave some of their group behind, and sell off most of their possessions to afford another voyage attempt. The smaller ship was a former cargo ship called the Mayflower.

The Mayflower was not as big and had very little head room in the storage deck below the main deck. The passengers were cramped and many became ill and some died from the stench of buckets that held their waste and vomit. They were off course when they approached the dangers waters and rocky shoreline of the Cap Cod area; but navigated a little North to enter the head waters of the bay area. The captain of the Mayflower wanted them off his boat and refused to sail them South toward the Jamestown settlement, so they had just a short time to explore the shores for suitable shelter.

It was now late in the year (December) and they began building a community building but didn't get it finished before the harsh New England winter set in. Many more died and the survivors were left to work in frigid temperatures while running out of food and supplies, so they sent out groups to survey the area. They talked about the exploration party coming across deserted Indian villages and finding their corn crops buried in the ground. They also mentioned how many of the Indian villages were wiped out by disease Portuguese sailors had brought along the Eastern coastline when they arrived a few years earlier. S.O.B. How did anyone survive??? I know I would not have been tough enough to live through that.

So the story we know about Thanksgiving is partially true. The Pilgrims were saved by the local Indian tribes that survived a plague brought on by the Portuguese. Why the local Indians bothered to help the Pilgrims after so many of them were wiped out from disease brought on by earlier visitors is beyond me. The story of Thanksgiving comes from the Pilgrims showing their Indian friends some gratitude by inviting them for a feast at the end of a harvest season the Indians helped them plant and care for.

phi g.

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Eddie Rhoades

November 28, 2015

#3815

OD, I remember you sayingyou once owned a 1951 Hudson. When I got out of the Army in 1961 I went to Salt Lake City, Utah where I bought a 1952 Hudson Hornet. I loved that car and drove it back to Georgia and finally traded it in on a new car. Wish I had kept that Hudson. I don't even have any pictures of it.
Eddie R.

Phillip (phil g.) Grigg

November 28, 2015

#3816

All right Eddie R.! I feel like the younger brother now. I didn't even get out of high school until 1963. BUT, I guess I'm still the older brother and or dad to several of our ramper family. LOL

phil g.

Eddie Rhoades

November 28, 2015

#3817

Phil, If it wasn't for you there wouldn't be much said on this forum lately. I suppose it has to do with the Holidays, that or everyone is busy writing new songs.I'm working on one titled Its a not so merry Christmas here at the trailer park.
Just kidding MAB, put down that gun.
Eddie R

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Phillip (phil g.) Grigg

December 2, 2015

#3818

O.K. guys and gals. Here's a new topic for us. This is a link to a Sam Hunt video of his #2 COUNTRY song, "Breakup In A Small Town". Not only does it NOT "sound country", but it is almost 4 min. long! If you google the song and look at the chords and/or lyrics, the format is VCVCBC with the first verse being really long. In other words, it does not "get to the chorus". Around 53 seconds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOb4VUgRqo0

phil g.

Phillip (phil g.) Grigg

December 2, 2015

#3819

And this is the #1 country song; "I Could Die A Happy Man", by Thomas Rhett. Country, maybe? But again, it's almost 4 min. long, and from the (long) intro to the chorus is about 50 seconds. Kind of a catchy feel and melody, whether you think it "sounds country" or not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2CELiObPeQ

phil g.

Mary O'Brien-Sweeney

December 2, 2015

#3820

I love it,very catchy and a really clever bridge.Thanks for posting, I hadn't heard of him before.He's very easy on the eyes too, which doesn't hurt at all.Who cares how long the video is? lol

Marc-Alan Barnette

December 3, 2015

#3821

Phil,

Good posts. And as usual, there is much more BEYOND the song that you have to consider outside the time frame. There are always songs that are a little longer and some that are shorter than the average. Look at a couple things:

#1. Language in both songs. Is it it plain spoken and first person? That is what makes for country.

Do they both have concrete visual information as opposed to metaphors and poetic framework or are they poetic and metaphoric? Can you find either one easily relatible? Do they feel "REALITY BASED?"

#2. Do you find some resemblence in the two singers? Short brown hair and beard? Whenever one breaks fairly big, there will be multiple others that fit the physical profile for labels.

#3. GROOVE. Both are contemporary and work in the CURRENT COUNTRY MARKETPLACE.

(As a matter of fact, if you took the groove to either of them, especially "break up in a small town", you could actually apply it to the song, MISSING LINK, and it would make that more contemporary as well.)

#4. TRACK RECORD. What was the most recent record on either of these artists? Where did they chart last? What is their current media presence? Are they on awards shows? Are they on current touring schedules? Who are their management, their publicists, the machine of their record labels? How are they TRACKING WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC?

#5. IS IT COUNTRY?
Are country audiences buying it? Are country labels putting it out? Are country industry critics accepting it as country? Does it fit into the current contemporary country marketplace? If you answer "YES" to those questions, IT IS COUNTRY.

These are things you have to study along with the songs themselves. An artist who has created industry buzz, who has been embraced by the marketplace, is always going to be able to get away with things others cannot.
Mary said it herself, "Easy on the eyes, too."

There is your answer. Target audience, 70% female.
The first song, "Break Up in a Small Town" creates the "Awe poor thing", "How could anybody hurt HIM? and "I'll TAKE CARE OF HIM" Mothering instinct in women.

The second, filmed in Hawaii, with a beautiful woman, creates the "Awe doesn't he love his woman so much?" attitude.

Put a girl in it and you are on the right road.

MAB

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Matt Casey

December 3, 2015

#3822

You can hear both those songs on Pop/Top 40 Radio too, so its a double victory for the Industry. I don't think they care too much when people are debating "If it's country" cause they get the airplay on country and Top 40. Sam Hunt has been so successful at capturing both audiences that he actually won an overall award at the AMA's, even the biggest country stars usually win in country-specific categories and lose when they get nominated in overall stuff, but he won Breakthrough Artist of the Year against all genres. very rare. So they left all the way to the banks in Nashville, New York, LA etc while everyone else tries to figure out if its country.

Marc-Alan Barnette

December 3, 2015

#3823

All formats have gotten homogonized. So it is to be expected that there will be crossover.

Phillip (phil g.) Grigg

December 3, 2015

#3824

Well, well, well! MAB IS still here!! I knew if I posted the right kind of subject you wouldn't be able to resist responding. LOL

Anyway, Yes. "Missing Link", lyrically, just might work in todays market. It is pretty clever. And, I don't know if you remember or not, but I did "try" to "modernize" it in my rewrite. Didn't really change any lyrics. But I did attempt to change the rhythm (groove), and I modified the chord progression and melody. I didn't do a very good job though. I think this is where it would be nice to have a younger (20's) musician/writer to help with that. Maybe it could even be done in the studio?

phil g.