JW, appreciate it very much, have only had 4 GB of bandwidth each month (mobile only, no home broadband) but changed over to Optus and they were offering 10 GB for $40 pm allowing a bit more freedom, oh and stopped working 12 – 13 hour days!
MAB, thank you for your kind offer expect the first 150 lyrics in an email soon LOL.
As for artists down here in Melbourne there are some interesting developing phenomena, firstly most Open Mics are pre booked (I refuse to partake of this practice) and the performers come in like stars before they are about to play and leave soon after, SAGO’s (Sing And GO’s) so it is not uncommon to have a full list every night and yet only 3 to 4 people watching at any one time. Truly there are performers who I have seen play nearly every week and they are yet to see me play once! I am a believer in start to finish even though I start at 7.00 each morning.
I am still fooled by performers who do not give credit to the songs origins, could almost make a man cynical, if they don’t say they wrote it, they didn’t. This said the debate at such nights to not profess I only play originals could work against the hopeful writer as well.
The other phenomena I have noticed is put on a show and if it is in the least bit interesting all of a sudden the mobile phones come out and they start filming – as I noted although mostly it has been about getting the song right so deliberately playing the song only with no introduction or performance aspect etc. but Wednesday night, two young girls barely 18 came up and asked me what time I was going on and if I would play “Born Again Virgin” – this is a song that worked out of the box so to speak and last played it at this place at least a month ago so had basically put it away, it works – got them up to do the hand actions for the chorus, along with four others in my Brotherly Love Gospel Choir, and voila a wall of mobile phones pointing at the stage.
This is pretty much the same for most performances I have seen, if the performer is doing something different or there is a visual aspect to the performance, out come the phones, make it humorous and bingo, the phone camera wall.
How this translate to the industry is of course the issue, as you noted no one from the industry comes around to these nights hoping to see and find “talent”, they have TV shows for that…
Further the song writing groups I have been to over the last year all revel in the fact they are ALT Country – I loathe this term – basically they are folk singers who take shortcuts in attempting to make rhyme and rely on hopefully the listeners are imbibing of some illegal substance to get worth or understanding from the lyric, but the COUNTRY terminology carries great creditability as to song writing etc. hmmm interesting conundrums.
This may sound as if I am a little jaded or disparaging of the situation down here in Melbourne, but as my son now understands, it could not be further from the truth. I don’t accept the situation as such and constantly talk to punters re songwriting and they GET IT, just not willing to put in any hard yards…. Seems they are believers in the X Factor / xxx Got Talent / The Voice will scoop them up and make stars of them.
So the formation of a writers group charged with helping talent rise with better songs although surely a bit of hard work, is a great idea and one worth the effort. Maybe a Peninsula Group and a City Central group eh JW with get a together for cross pollination?
The other phenomena is music establishments almost demand you have a full card if you want to play, they don’t want to fill spots / gaps, so with enough Talent it would be easy to fill a night which would help promote the group as the night would listed under the groups name…… hmmmm neural activity happening.
As for KISS, it is interesting with 3 chord theory (very funny about the sleepy 12 bars by the way) every second Saturday I go to an Old Timey session, for guitars we are either playing GDC or GAD but two songs with Em LOL But the variety of the tunes and differential is amazing, so for this reason I am not concerned, do use a lot of inversions and in some songs play three variations of the same chord.
There are much better players who will be charged with embellishing my song with their talent and for the Holey Soles I am seeking motown melodic bass, with blues lead and mostly brushes on the drums against the vocals and words with occasional guest star on the Dobro. Waiting confirmation on a texas swing piano player, can only hope!
Arty
I know what you mean but I still hate Mustang Sally it has always been like fingers down a blackboard to me!!
MAB, thank you for your kind offer expect the first 150 lyrics in an email soon LOL.
As for artists down here in Melbourne there are some interesting developing phenomena, firstly most Open Mics are pre booked (I refuse to partake of this practice) and the performers come in like stars before they are about to play and leave soon after, SAGO’s (Sing And GO’s) so it is not uncommon to have a full list every night and yet only 3 to 4 people watching at any one time. Truly there are performers who I have seen play nearly every week and they are yet to see me play once! I am a believer in start to finish even though I start at 7.00 each morning.
I am still fooled by performers who do not give credit to the songs origins, could almost make a man cynical, if they don’t say they wrote it, they didn’t. This said the debate at such nights to not profess I only play originals could work against the hopeful writer as well.
The other phenomena I have noticed is put on a show and if it is in the least bit interesting all of a sudden the mobile phones come out and they start filming – as I noted although mostly it has been about getting the song right so deliberately playing the song only with no introduction or performance aspect etc. but Wednesday night, two young girls barely 18 came up and asked me what time I was going on and if I would play “Born Again Virgin” – this is a song that worked out of the box so to speak and last played it at this place at least a month ago so had basically put it away, it works – got them up to do the hand actions for the chorus, along with four others in my Brotherly Love Gospel Choir, and voila a wall of mobile phones pointing at the stage.
This is pretty much the same for most performances I have seen, if the performer is doing something different or there is a visual aspect to the performance, out come the phones, make it humorous and bingo, the phone camera wall.
How this translate to the industry is of course the issue, as you noted no one from the industry comes around to these nights hoping to see and find “talent”, they have TV shows for that…
Further the song writing groups I have been to over the last year all revel in the fact they are ALT Country – I loathe this term – basically they are folk singers who take shortcuts in attempting to make rhyme and rely on hopefully the listeners are imbibing of some illegal substance to get worth or understanding from the lyric, but the COUNTRY terminology carries great creditability as to song writing etc. hmmm interesting conundrums.
This may sound as if I am a little jaded or disparaging of the situation down here in Melbourne, but as my son now understands, it could not be further from the truth. I don’t accept the situation as such and constantly talk to punters re songwriting and they GET IT, just not willing to put in any hard yards…. Seems they are believers in the X Factor / xxx Got Talent / The Voice will scoop them up and make stars of them.
So the formation of a writers group charged with helping talent rise with better songs although surely a bit of hard work, is a great idea and one worth the effort. Maybe a Peninsula Group and a City Central group eh JW with get a together for cross pollination?
The other phenomena is music establishments almost demand you have a full card if you want to play, they don’t want to fill spots / gaps, so with enough Talent it would be easy to fill a night which would help promote the group as the night would listed under the groups name…… hmmmm neural activity happening.
As for KISS, it is interesting with 3 chord theory (very funny about the sleepy 12 bars by the way) every second Saturday I go to an Old Timey session, for guitars we are either playing GDC or GAD but two songs with Em LOL But the variety of the tunes and differential is amazing, so for this reason I am not concerned, do use a lot of inversions and in some songs play three variations of the same chord.
There are much better players who will be charged with embellishing my song with their talent and for the Holey Soles I am seeking motown melodic bass, with blues lead and mostly brushes on the drums against the vocals and words with occasional guest star on the Dobro. Waiting confirmation on a texas swing piano player, can only hope!
Arty
I know what you mean but I still hate Mustang Sally it has always been like fingers down a blackboard to me!!
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