Monday, November 17, 2014

Steve Albini: Then and Now...

Steve Albini: the internet has solved the problem with music | Music | The Guardian: "We’ve published the entire address (with a few edits; I removed a throwaway jibe at Prince in case his highness’s lawyers come knocking) and it’s worth reading as a follow-up to his essay written 21 years ago. Albini explains in detail how major labels would carelessly spend money on promotion, thereby propping up record stores, radio stations and PR companies, safe in the knowledge that this money would be recouped at the artists’ expense."

1993 - The Problem with Music - The Baffler: "Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end, holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed.

"Nobody can see what’s printed on the contract. It’s too far away, and besides, the shit stench is making everybody’s eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the shit. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there’s only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says, 'Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim it again, please. Backstroke.'

"And he does, of course."


2014Steve Albini on the surprisingly sturdy state of the music industry – in full | Music | The Guardian: "The music producer, Shellac frontman and author of seminal 1993 essay, The Problem with Music, spoke in Melbourne about the advantages of the internet, the death of the major label system, copyright law and that ‘purple dwarf in assless chaps’"


Sunday, November 2, 2014

Rubble: Best Concert Films Ever?

Rubble: Best Concert Films Ever?: "I am currently in the process of editing a couple of small concert films and I thought I’d see what was out there, what others think are great concert films… One of my favorites, Big Time by Tom Waits, didn’t show up anywhere.  Bummer. Looking at the these lists, it’s clear that there is a lot of consensus out there on which concert films are clearly the best…"

'via Blog this'

Friday, October 3, 2014

David J, Living Room Show

A. F. Litt: Concert Photography &emdash; David J, Portland, 2014

David J, Portland, 2014
Living Room Show. Portland, Oregon. September 9, 2014
Copyright © 2014 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day by A. F. Litt: October 3, 2014

This was an amazing show taking place in a house up in the West Hills.  Those windows behind David offer one of the most spectacular views of the Portland skyline around.  This is a pretty rough photo shot with my iPhone (all that was allowed) and I couldn’t get the skyline because I was sitting on the floor, in front, right at his feet.  Bad for photography, great for a fan (which I am…  David’s my favorite out of that old crew and Urban Urbane, to me, is one of the best albums of the 1990s)…

Been too busy recently and the photo of the day is working more like a photo of the week, but I press on anyway.  Tons of work going into getting Illuminated Imaging launched and we’ve had a pretty serious health issue in the family (don’t worry, everyone is doing well), so time has been at a premium here recently.  Hopefully things will settle out a bit next week and I can get a few more posts in.

 

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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Strangled Darlings

I've been getting notifications about these folks playing shows for awhile, but it's been a long time since I'd heard them at all, so I thought I'd spend some time today listening and deciding whether or not to check them out live.

I'm in!

HOWEVER, their next show is the evening my Seachickens are playing the Broncos in the freakin' SUPERB OWL (thanks, Colbert, for the trademark infringement workaround).

So, it will probably be next time...

Until then, here's the show info and some videos...

SUN FEB 2, 2014 - 8:00 PM

Strangled Darlings
Mississippi Studios
3939 N Mississippi Ave
Portland, OR