We’re Back!!!

Review & Liner Notes Tantric at The Token 7/24/21

ODP took a road trip Saturday morning to our place of origin to hang out and support live music in one of the venues we used to frequent back in the old days. It’s been 22 years since we’d been in the venue and there were a few changes inside but they were more cosmetic then anything. The original entry door is now the site of the smoking patio, the venue is mostly painted black on the inside and the dance floor and DJ booth are gone but the feel (and smell) hasn’t changed in the 50 years The Token has been there and it felt good to be home.

First up was Side Effects, an old school punk band from Detroit (you can sample them here: (https://youtu.be/7fkHvj7vw50). 3 piece punk complete with Mohawk and all the required fury. Solid, loud, brutal and completely enjoyable to behold, it helped foster memories of the old days in Detroit and helped trigger another memory of another club, the original Blondie’s just a few miles away once the storms hit and the 70mph winds hit causing a portion of the roof to lift up and a steady trickle of water began dripping onto the floor in front of the stage. This in turn triggered a photo and some good natured social media posting to Ruz (Current owner of Harpo’s and original owner of Blondie’s) for a trip down memory lane and some parallels being mentioned. All in all, a great old school punk set and well worth catching the next time they are on the roster at a club near you.

Next up was Alien Carnival from Toledo Ohio, (http://www.aliencarnivalband.com) Modern rock, played tight, vocals deeper and older than the appearance of the young man singing it would lead you to expect and another great set of original material that easily catches and holds the ear.

7 Past Sunset from MI & Ohio was the third act on the bill (http://www.sevenpastsunset.com) and opened with an amazing blend of rap/rock that gave way to an energetic hard rock set of tight hooks, stellar vocals, and infectious groove.

Graves Crossing (http://www.gravescrossing.net) from Bellaire MI is a band that has done numerous shows for ODP over the past few years and this was the debut of their newly added vocalist/rhythm guitarist and drummer. Unfortunately the set was off to a shaky start due to technical issues but the new members saved the day by dropping into “acoustic mode” and dropped a cover that got the entire crowd singing with them.

Most Wanted is a Detroit based act and another solid original band with great stage presence and material. You can check them out at (http://www.mostwantedrocks.com)

All of the support acts were beyond amazing and all are definitely MUST SEES if you see them on the bill at a venue near you. Support live music and your local and touring regionals wherever and whenever you can.

Tantric took the stage and the crowd right from the curtain drop and blistered through an awesome set of old favorites and new material off their new album “The Sum of All Things” that was just released the night before. As with the previous 2 albums, this was recorded here in Michigan at the legendary Pearl Sound Studios and produced by Chuck Alkazian (who was also hanging at the show.). This lineup is beyond stellar: Sebastian LeBar on guitar/backing vocals, Jon Lorree on drums, and Jaron Gulino on bass/backing vocals are the perfect machine to carry Hugo’s voice. A great set that had the house all the way up to the front from beginning to the last notes of the encore. I’m pretty sure a second encore could have been pulled but for some reason, no one chants for bands anymore. If they don’t immediately turn the house lights up, and the band exits the stage in different directions, they are giving YOU, the audience, the signal that they will come back out if you want more. Anyway, it was a killer night of live music in a legendary venue and if your weren’t there, you missed a great show.

You, however, NEED to check out the new Tantric album “The Sum of All Things” on Spotify or wherever you source your music from and go buy a physical copy. Go NOW.

Now, if I may, (and I will, because it’s my blog space), I’d like to put forth a couple pieces of advice for touring bands that are playing far from home, and locals. Make your set up bulletproof, as simple and SELF SUFFICIENT as possible, and have a Plan B at all times for anything that could fail. Being back at The Token for the first time in 22 years had me waxing nostalgic and remembering what happened the first time I played there in the mid 80’s. We got booked, showed up for load-in, got set up, and then the issues started. Missing elements like ohmage keys on the Marshall heads, picks, whammy bars, instruments with bad wiring, drum keys, etc are the dumbest issues to deal with but it happens all the time. I learned that even though I was playing with people a decade or more older than me (that have been playing out), I’m still basically hanging out with other toddlers. I made a gig box that contained all my stuff, tuner, plus all the picks that are used by the band, extra drum sticks that the drummer uses, spare drum keys, fuses, strings, tape, extra whammy arms, ohm keys, an effects pedal and DI box that will allow me to perform without my rig. Solder and 2 soldering irons, one wired and one butane. At one time I used to carry 2 complete Bass rigs. Now that I’m older my set up is simpler, and I have a Plan B (and C and D) to cover any emergency or failure.

When my role requires me to be the guitarist, I have only a couple of necessary effects pedals, BUT, if there is any issue with patch cords or effects units, plug straight into the amp and play the set. If need be, there is a small practice amp in my load out at all times. It will get me through a set.

No matter what instrument load out I have, I bring my own power strip and extension cords. Always. I never depend on the venue to have front line power. As a support act, I never assume the venue can mic & mix all my gear. I keep my feeds simple and my footprint small. If you have a shit ton of peripheral gear, keyboards, etc, feed and premix your multiple things into a small mixer and give the house a stereo pair. Invest in the best instrument and speaker cords you can and test and inspect them constantly. Repair or replace as needed. Make sure all your inputs, outputs, & knobs are tight and clean and functioning. ALWAYS bring 2 guitars/basses. Change your strings a few days before the show and everyone tune on the same tuner. If you have a failure on stage, have a filler jam that can cover some set time while the “broken” issue is resolved. THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

As a support act, you have restrictions on set up / tear down times, stage space, monitor feeds, stage time, etc. Being proud of your sound is a necessity, loading $36,000 worth of gear isn’t. If you’re headlining, you can roll the impressive stacks with all the bells and whistles if you need to, it’s your stage and your sound check takes precedence. If you’re the support act, you may or may not have a sound check, your monitor mix may or may not exist. You may only have 3 feet of stage space. You’re on the clock to get in place, play your set, and clear your gear to keep the show running on time. Prep your stage time by being able to be set up in 5 minutes, already in tune, and ready to go. Take the same amount of time to immediately clear your gear from the stage. You can break it all down afterwards. Bands that can promote shows, minimize their load-in and out, and give maximum show, in tune and on time, get more opportunities. Perfecting that show and audience participation get you moved up from a support act to a headliner. Being able to seamlessly facilitate YOUR in venue time benefits you, the sound guy, the audience, and the whole show. Not to mention it’s a lot easier to impress people when you have your shit together and you can roll with the punches.

I also can’t impress enough the importance of practicing your set to the point of hatred. When you absolutely never want to hear your material ever again, it’s ready to be played out. That way, you can get through a song perfectly, even if you have no monitors or can’t hear the other side of the stage. If your band (gods forbid) died on the way to the gig, your corpses should have the ingrained muscle memory and drive to zombie stomp to the stage and perform flawlessly. It’s just that simple. There are going to be great nights and bad ones. Keeping your head up, having a plan, and keeping your attitude in check will get you through all of them with equal success.

Ok. I’m putting the soapbox away. Get off your ass and jam, whether it’s on stage, or in front of it.

Uncle Doom

We interrupt your regularly scheduled program for this special announcement…

Last night (November 1, 2014, for those who don’t read this immediately), we celebrated music, family, and the return of our good friends FAMOUS LAST WORDS at the ODP PRESENTS: The Night THEY Came Home All Age Concert Event & Costume Party. We celebrated Halloween, ODP staff member Kennedy Flory’s 16th birthday, our first show back after a 2 1/2 month break, and our 28th anniversary. But mostly, we celebrated because there was a group of people who came together and shared a REAL moment enjoying live music and supporting the bands. More and more new people coming out and spreading the word about putting down a phone and LIVING, not vicariously through their computers, but actually standing shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, and being moved by an actual live band playing actual real live music. Much better memory than watching 30 second clip on YouTube, don’t ya think? Last night, over 100 people entered a room and shared an experience that was only 4 hours long from beginning to end… But that memory will last a lifetime. And after 28 years of helping to create those memories with, and for others, we look forward to helping create those memories for another 28 years. Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the show last night and support the bands, and to FAMOUS LAST WORDS, CHANGE IS, AZURE, & SERAPHIM for sharing killer sets with us.

Have you heard? The king is dead! LONG LIVE THE KING!!!

So the other day, one of my early musical heroes, THE God Of Thunder himself, Gene Simmons of KISS, decided to decree that Rock is dead and then began a senseless diatribe on how it died and blah blah blah. You can read his statement HERE.

I’ve been involved in many aspects of music for 36 years now. I’ve been alive for 46. I’ve seen lots of trends come and go, and some come and go again.

Rock is NOT dead, Mr. Simmons. It cannot die. It cannot be killed. It can’t be stopped or quieted. It is a force of nature, created by the hearts of the young and perpetuated by the young at heart. It is born of the need to fly fast, hard, and free. To be the voice for the voiceless. The rallying cry of those attempting to find their way. The glue that binds the memories of our formative years and the soundtrack of our lives. Rock has always existed. There have always been composers who created the heavy, the ripping, the outside of the box. It didn’t need a label. It was always there.

Distortion, however, made it way cooler.

I think what you were trying to say, (but couldn’t) is that YOUR dreams are dead. That your heart, mind, and soul have aged along with your body. That creating a marketing juggernaut off 40 year old songs and licensed characters, charging insanely high prices for concert tickets, and branding everything from caskets to denture adhesive with the name of your band (especially after not creating NEW music for almost 2 decades) has killed your love of rock.

Because you have chosen “the music business” path, instead of being in the business of ROCKING. It’s all about the bottom dollar now. You cannot argue or debate this part away. Beyond top dollar ticket prices, your costuming of new band members as old band members, the lack of new original material, the ignoring of your fans wishes to see the original lineup at the Hall Of Fame induction, and the fact that your live show involves more production to hide the fact that neither you, or Paul, can rock n roll all night or party every day. Unless “partying” involves Velcro-ing on the latest jet black Chia Pets from Hair Club For Men and performing in a KISS tribute band with hidden vocalists backstage performing your parts. Much like before the make up came off, you have become a parody of yourselves again. What makes it unpardonable is the fact that your senses seemed to have taken leave along with your ROCK.

There are kids out there, now more than ever, creating new rock n roll. They are posting it on YouTube, SoundCloud, and FaceBook. They are paying to play shows, or playing for free in UAW halls. They are self recording and self producing. They are financing their own tour runs, getting fucked over by agents and venues. Yes there are pretenders, those that can only rely on computers and tricks to create generic crap, but for every one of them, there are 50 bands that have the skills and heart to ROCK. They don’t care about being millionaires. They don’t care about anything more than rocking out for the fans and tearing up ANY stage they can get on. They know what it’s about. They live to play and play to live. They hold on to the dream and blaze their own path. For each one that falls, 3 more take their place. The music reinvents itself constantly. But it hasn’t died. And it never will. As long as some one has an axe to shred or thump, drums to bash, and the ability to scream, growl, croon, and wail, rock can never die.

There are no rules in rock. It doesn’t exist to fit in a mold. It flips off “the man”. It crashes through boundaries. Each generation puts it’s own stamp and twist on it. It is the pulse of the youth and the young at heart. Even if you tried to bury it, it would be then “undead” and that is still NOT dead, it exists, crawling from the grave, to feast upon the living. There may not be another Zeppelin, or Metallica, or Beatles. The big record companies may fall, but rock can NEVER die.

You’ve based your argument on greed and the love of the almighty dollar, and that’s not rock n roll.

2014 ODP Music Awards Ballots

Alrighty Kids!

We are always about pushing the envelope of sanity, good taste, and music.  We have put in countless hours and days of putting together the best all age shows for you by bringing great new acts, old faves, and as many nationals as we can round up… NOW… YOU the FANS get to pick who you think is the best of the best.  You pick the bands, we give them the awards, and then on December 6th, you can come see them get their awards, play a few songs and hang out.  We will be announcing who will be headlining this show soon. This show will be held at the Kalkaska Civic Center, we are combining the ODP Awards Show with our annual Christmas Charity Concert and Lock In. More details coming soon.  RULES: NO BANDS CAN VOTE FOR THEMSELVES , NOR HAVE THEIR FRIENDS LIST SWAMP THE VOTE. ( THAT MEANS YOU CAN NOT ASK YOUR FRIENDS TO VOTE IF THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN HERE TO SEE YOU)  BANDS THAT ACTIVELY OVERLOAD THE BALLOT WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE POLL. BANDS CAN VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE BANDS. THE VOTING IS ONLY OPEN TO FANS WHO ATTEND ODP SHOWS.  YOU CAN ONLY VOTE FOR BANDS THAT HAVE PLAYED AN ODP SHOW OVER THE PAST 1 YEAR.  THIS IS THE OFFICIAL BALLOT. We are watching IP Addresses and we know who is being legit. Who is the best of the best you’ve seen so far?  You tell us and we will build THE show of shows around your votes! Below is a list of all the bands that have played here and the Ballot Polls.  GET TO IT!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It doesn’t take blood to make family…

We’ve made a lot of friends over the years of working in music, and many have become family members. Certain bands have gone above and beyond, always making sure they get routed up here to spend a few hours playing for and hanging with the kids. Over the past couple of years, Victory Records Artists, THESE HEARTS, has been here more than any other national, and have built relationships with us and the kids, more than a performance or signing an autograph, they actually sit and talk, or shoot hoops, or play games. They stay in touch long after they head for the next town. They’ve become a part of the family. When we received word that Daryl Van Beek, one of the band’s guitarists, had been diagnosed with an ultra rare olfactory neuroblastoma, resulting in a large malignant tumor behind his right eye, we shared the information with our friends and we immediately dropped two scheduled shows and our own fundraising efforts to put together a benefit concert and barbecue to raise money to assist Daryl and his family throughout the trials of treatment, surgery, and recovery. Because that’s what family does. We contacted some of the bands that have shared the stage here with These Hearts and gave them first dibs at participating, and then worked outward from there. We are pleased to announce that the members of ACT AS ONE have reformed for this show, and will be joined by LIVE FOR TOMORROW, FIRE SAID THE ALBATROSS, and LONESOME GEORGE, along with a few more surprises. Great music, friends, food, and a good time, to help out a good friend and family member in his time of need. YOU can help out by sharing the event with YOUR friends, buying a bracelet online, at the show, or at Just Between Friends Boutique in Kalkaska, and joining us for the MUSIC FROM OUR HEARTS TO DARYL VAN BEEK BENEFIT “Show-B-Que” at the Kalkaska County Pavilion on June 7th at 4pm.

With a little help from our friends…

I’ve written a lot of things over the past 45 years. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever written.  I’ve sat on this for quite a while, trying to find a way to NOT write it, but it comes down to the simple fact, sometimes you have have to do things you don’t want to do…

When ODP started out in 1986, we had a family of Detroit area musicians and friends that were all about music and strengthening the bonds we shared through it. Networking all the things we needed to ply our craft, putting together shows that would allow younger bands and fans the chance to connect and share a few hours rocking out, outside of the bars, and backing each other up so that clubs couldn’t screw us over. We were a family and we supported each other.

In 1999 I commuted back and forth between Detroit and northern Michigan, and in 2000 I permanently moved to the Grand Traverse region and attempted to build that system again, but the local mindset of my generation fought it tooth and nail.  Other people however, did hear the gospel I was preaching and ran with it in their own way and all age shows popped up. We supported with advice and services, preferring to concentrate more on playing and recording in various projects, but always moving in the background and building a new network. In 2009 we started producing our own all age shows again, building a family of great people from all levels of the music scene and some great northern Michigan kids. Over the past 5 years we’ve seen a lot of bands walk across our stages; local, regional, and national. We’ve seen some ascend, we’ve seen some fall, one or two crash and burn, and we’ve shared triumph and tragedy with each and every one of them, as a FAMILY.

We’ve weathered subterfuge, sabotage, low turnouts, closed minds, naysayers (funny, I’ve been told for 27 years that you can’t do “DRY” music events, yet every show has people at it, without smoking and drinking), blizzards, rain, apathy, stupidity, and just plain crankiness. This isn’t an “A” market. Hell, this isn’t a “C” market, BUT, we have absolutely RABID music fans here, and we are happy to put these shows on for these kids.  Ask any band that has played here, they all say the same thing… 10 Kalkaska kids is like 100 kids anywhere else. 

ALL these bands, from local kids just starting out, to established national indie bands, want to play here because of that. Being central to everywhere in northern Michigan doesn’t hurt either, nor does what we do. We don’t do this for profit. We treat everyone with respect and as equals because as a performing musician for 35 years, I wanted BANDS and FANS to be treated the way I wanted to be treated. The shows are designed to be self sustaining. The door SHOULD cover venue rental, P.A. & lights, advertising, and all the band guarantees. If the door falls short, I use the “day job” check to pay for it. For 27 years, we’ve paid each and every guarantee agreed to. We’ve never made a band pay to play, or sell tickets, never taken a cut from any performing artist’s merchandise sales, never had less than a half dozen bands on a show, and never priced a show over $10 (unless it was a charity fundraiser or national bill with huge overhead) Our annual Christmas Charity Concert has between 14 and 20 bands on it and usually has one or more national band headlining it. Troutzillafest is two days long and has around 20 bands on it, and it’s free.  We aren’t allowed to charge, but we throw the show anyways. Because it’s for the KIDS and the BANDS.

For years, we did “Dinner & A Show” concerts with 6+ bands, 2 slices of pizza & a bottle of water with every paid entry or had reduced price food and beverages. Shows were ALWAYS $5-$7. Those days are gone now, due to the economy tanking and sponsors having to back out due to their overhead, but some things NEVER change. It’s ALWAYS about the kids and the bands. The bands get paid FIRST, then the venue and PA rental guy. Anything left over gets dollar menu for the working crew and the rest goes to the next show. We own the mixers, mics, cables, and stands, I run the stage and sound. Mickey runs the door and we’ve got the family members; our kids, the local kids, volunteers, and band members that help with everything else. It’s not about making bank. ALL of us, together, made this a safe outlet for kids and made this music scene grow. It doesn’t take blood to be family, Kalkaska is proof. No smoking, alcohol, drugs, bullying, violence, or drama allowed, just great music of all genres and a great time. Together.    

Kalkaska is a small village without a lot to do for young people. Heroin and Meth are a big reality here, as are weed and alcohol. Bullying is present in the schools and on the streets. We try to show the kids that you can have fun and enjoy things without all that crap, and they are all bound together by their love of music. The shows have the support of the village and county law enforcement, the mayor, and various members of the village and county boards, as well as the parents of many of our regular attendees. We’ve been called the best baby sitting service in northern Michigan because we treat the kids as if they were our own, the rules are clear and strictly enforced, especially for minors. Violations are dealt with immediately, whether it be a quick warning, a call to a parent, or a free ride in a police car. Everyone looks out for each other. As it should be.

For all the support we do get, we still carry the bulk of this on our own shoulders. As the economy down-turned, nowhere was hit harder than northern Michigan, and there aren’t many sponsor opportunities here. There are businesses that assist with the 2 biggest events (Troutzillafest and Christmas), but for the most part there is no help and no money. Most businesses won’t even allow fliers to be hung, and even with all the community events we are/have been involved in (for free), we are charged top dollar when we need services from the community.

We’ve made it 27 years by helping our friends, and now we are humbly reaching out to our  friends for a little help, those in the local, regional, and national levels of the music industry, the providers of services like us, above us and below us, and the lovers and supporters of music and the arts everywhere. We need help. We have balances due to those we utilize services from for show production, and due to several deep hits we’ve taken over the past few months and a reduction in hours at the day job (not to mention this horrid winter) we aren’t able to generate funds quick enough to pay off our balance. We can’t stop show production as that would cause ALL PRODUCTION to stop permanently and would also take away the chance of generating additional funds to pay off the balances. Of course, having the shows creates another bill, so if we can reduce overhead, the bills lessen, and what’s left over after payout can be applied to the balance. Our hope is to secure about $2500, which will allow us to pick up some gear that we won’t have to rent anymore, cutting out about 25% of our regular overhead, and have enough left over to completely pay off one of the bills. Overhead on just one LOCAL show is around $1000, so you can see the circular problem we now face to get back on solid ground. We appreciate our providers greatly for their patience, but we don’t like owing and knowing only one major disaster could end everything forever.

So friends, if you or someone you know, has a couple of quarters and could spare one, could you perhaps send it along to help us continue fighting the good fight? Help us in giving the kids somewhere safe to hang once (or occasionally twice) a month, to see great local, regional, and national bands, close to home, for a $5-$10 show with at least 6 bands, instead of driving 2-5 hours to spend no less than 3x as much for half the number of bands.  If you have played here before and loved it, help US, help YOU.  If you yourself can’t help, please share it with someone else who might, as awareness could help as much as a donation.  As you have stayed long enough to read the story of why we do what we do, please take a minute to check out the videos submitted by the bands and kids about what all this means to them and thank you for reading and sharing.

YOU CAN DONATE TO ODP DIRECTLY BY CLICKING HERE

OR YOU CAN SHOW YOUR SUPPORT BY PURCHASING A LIMITED EDITION ODP BOOSTER SHIRT HERE and HERE or find us on GoFundMe! if you like, we have some cool perks for larger donations up there as well.  Thanks for reading and sharing.

SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC – OCCUPY A VENUE AND NEVER, EVER, STOP PLAYING FROM THE HEART

That was then, This is now. Part Dues. .

It’s been quite the weekend for musical posts and rants. Since Robb Flynn from MachineHead wrote THIS, now I don’t have to. Joe Elliot of Def Leppard let The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame know EXACTLY how he felt and many other musical brothers and sisters chimed in as well. There is a movement underneath the stagnant surface of the industry, and hopefully it will build into a tsunami that wipes away this mess.

So, having covered that base, I’d like to take a moment to discuss something very dear to my heart. For those of you who are from the old school, you are dismissed from class, as you already have this subject mastered. Those of you who saw Dave Grohl’s “Sound City” AND understood it completely are also
excused from class. The rest of you, get settled and pay attention please, class is in session.

Let’s say for the moment, that this sheet of dough is your music. You wrote this killer song, completely resplendent rhythms and melody, hooks, riffs, and beats. The lead and harmony vocals are tight and precise and angelic (or demonic, if that’s your thing). Now it’s time to record this puppy and prepare it for the masses. Let’s look at your choices.

Today, especially for younger bands, the standard question is “Do you use Pro Tools?” Or “What operating system are you using?” “We are going to single track everything to a click track and then quantize it.”

Ok. You want digital. You quote the li(n)es that were fed to us a couple of decades ago. “Everything is clearer, you can hear everything”.

Well, that’s partially true. You CAN hear all the instruments. You can lock all those notes into perfect to the millisecond waveforms, and artificially perfect a tone, or performance with cut and paste. You can purchase the entire drum, amp, and axe sounds from any number of artists or producers. You can make the tone deaf sing like an angel. Now here comes the whole truth.

Like I said, you can hear all the INSTRUMENTS, but you aren’t getting ALL the sound. Allow me to demonstrate.

Digital recording takes a “sample” of what it hears. This disc of dough will represent that sampling. Digital recording takes that sample perfectly, through converter algorithms and bit and sample rates and stores that information as a sequence of binary data. It can only capture what it can sample by definition of its parameters. So you end up with this:

Using the analogy of digital recording being a round cookie cutter sampling from a square sheet of dough, you see all the left over scraps after the cut. These scraps are left over because the very properties of digital recording limits what it can do. Yes, it can pristinely capture a sound that fits into the parameters, but it cannot get ALL the information, no matter how good the converters or the sample rates. It can only cut that round piece out of the square sheet. No matter how close the cuts are made, there will be lots of scraps. What’s in those scraps, you ask? Well, space, harmonic overtones and undertones, nothing, everything. It’s my belief, that in these scraps resides the IMMORTAL SOUL of your song (and I’m not alone in that belief). No matter how good the converters get, no matter the bit and sample rate, these scraps get left behind. Your music loses that little bit of something that is the difference between good and great because of it. Analog catches all those scraps. You get space and depth and warmth naturally from tape. In my opinion, it captures the soul of your performance. If you accidentally get a digital “over” while recording, that take is useless. If you get an analog over, you may have a little more wiggle room. Tape allows magic to happen. But one rule holds true: Tape (and digital) don’t lie. Garbage in = Garbage out.

Of course, with analog, you lose the ease of editing. You lose virtual tracks. But hey, that’s a sacrifice worth making. It’s about being true to your music.

You can single track every instrument, you can quantize the shit out of it. You can apply all the purchased sample tones you want. It’s not YOU. Human beings SWING when they play, tiny fluctuations in tempo that push and pull the listener along with the music like a train. All the tones you bought for the recording, are you going to be able to reproduce them live? Do you play single parts of the song live? No, you play together. Why would you not at least get all your rhythms down together to get the same energy you profess your band brings to a live show? I personally hate playing to a click track, but I love playing to my drummer. He doesn’t mind a click track, so he gets it in his ear, and I play live with him. Get all that tracked at once, you’ve got less stuff to record. And because you are all recording to your own separate isolated tracks, you can always go back and fix any bruises on the guitar and bass. As long as those drums are on, you’re good to go. But try to get those bed tracks as “live” as possible. Let the drums play to the click if you want tempo guidance, but save time by getting all those rhythms done at once. Time is money. Bands play together. Don’t worry about buying a tone pack, sound like you. That’s what rehearsal is for, forming tones and shaping songs. Use your time in studio to record songs that sound like you. You set up, adjust the mics, get your levels, and play YOUR songs like you. Capture the essence of you, not every other band that cobbles their song digitally piece by piece using the same sounds as all the other bands.

At the end of the 80s, people became sick of all the bands sounding alike. All the clones of hair and glam, the endless parade of same allowed grunge to wipe the playing field clean, shake up the status quo, and pave the way for something new. Why squander all that by repeating the cycle? Be yourself. Not a clone. Dig?

No matter what format you choose, digital or analog, do you. Don’t buy into the “new norm”. Don’t buy your sounds, make them. Play as a band as much as possible before and during the recording process. Your audience and your listeners will thank you. And you will thank me and those like me in the end, because at the end of the day, YOU created your sound, not some guy who cut and pasted triggered sounds onto the track. You sound like YOU, not like the band “insert flavor of the moment here”.

There is no next “grunge” movement. The next event on the horizon is complete and total apathy. Music is not the focus of people’s lives anymore due to the technology that enslaves us. Everything sounds the same, everything looks the same, and most people have no imagination or attention span. Music isn’t the soundtrack to life anymore, it’s incidental background noise. Change that. Care enough to be original, to be yourself, and push the confines of the box technology has put you in. Take some steps backwards to move forward.

Rock was about rebellion, about breaking the rules and pushing the envelope. Music meant something. Musicians were a special fraternity, you paid your dues; you learned to play and/or sing, to do it with others and to improve upon your collective skills. You perfected performance, writing, recording, marketing, etc. You put 100% into it. As it should be. Technology removed that. Now anybody with a few dollars worth of programs can make sounds, string them together, moan into a mic, tweak it with AutoTune, and call it a song. Multiply it a few more times and call it a record. The technology that leveled the playing field for the independant musician opened the gates for all the pretenders and wanna be’s. It allowed corporate music to push even more “pretty” no talent mannequins, dancers that lip sync to backing tracks, prefab boy bands, and “artists” whose only talent is being able to stand upright or dress themselves. It’s up to us as musicians and fans to fix it. Support your brother and sister musicians, BUY music that was created by musicians, not corporate puppets, not GarageBand owners who want to play rockstar. If you can’t play 99.9% of it or can’t sing it IN KEY, live, don’t perpetuate the illusion. The technology was meant to improve, to be used as a tool, not be the means to the end, which is what is coming if we don’t turn it around. Think about it.

Hope you enjoyed today’s lesson. I’m off to the teachers lounge for a drink and a smoke and a bit of acoustic guitar. Read Robb Flynn’s blog, there will be a quiz next week. My office is always open if you have questions or wish to discuss this subject further. Have a great day everyone. Be dangerous, and unpredictable. And make a lot of noise.

Class dismissed.

Uncle Doom

That was then, this is now.

In the 35 years that I’ve been playing music and the 45 that I’ve been listening to it, many things have changed. I’ve lived long enough to see the rise and fall of several listening formats; records, 8tracks, reel to reel, cassette, and CDs, watched as portable media players went from the size of a box of cereal, to the size of a suitcase, to the size of a package of Ramen Noodles, and then down to the size of a Bic lighter (with the capacity to hold 3 months worth of music). Amazing!

I’ve lived through many changes in recording, analog to digital, live recording or single tracking, real or emulators. You used to have to pay big money to go into a pro studio to cut an album. You had to know how to play your instrument. You had to be able to sing. Getting perfect takes meant nailing it the first time or doing it over and over until you did. And editing involved using a razor blade.

Being a teenager in the early to mid 1980s, music was the glue that held life together. Friends got together to listen to the new album that our favorite bands dropped. LEGENDARY bands, and the bands that would become legendary, would hit Detroit often, filling any number of venues and stadiums, and we paid as much as $13 for main floor / front row. We went to EVERY show, because they were close, affordable, every concert was an event, and let’s face it, they don’t call it Detroit Rock City for nothing. Life was glorious, and I got to see my heroes play every time they came to town, or within 6 hours.

What does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Nothing at all, this has to do with the things that piss me off to NO end about music today. And so I will set about revealing the moral to our story.

1: Today, digital recording and music technology allows everybody the ability to create and produce music cheaply and easily. You don’t have to pay for an engineer, or huge amps, or top notch drum sets, you can just dial up a suite of samples and loops and paste them together digitally, and then fly in your vocals – oh wait, you can’t carry a tune in a bucket? That’s ok! There’s a program for that! Just a button push or two and you can sound like an angel (or a demon). There ya go, NO TALENT NEEDED. Well I guess putting together the pattern is a talent, as is doing a synchronized crab stomp and spin on stage while playing the same 1 finger chord for 5 minutes while someone on the front of the stage pretends to be either Cookie Monster or a squealing pig.

Of course, if you want to get that “prestige” feel and treatment, you can drop some cash and get into the studio for some PROTOOLS love. The gold standard for studio “legitimacy” allows you to sound exactly the same as every other band that recorded with it. Sterile, generic, perfect. It’s even BETTER when you combine it with loops, samples, emulators, and Antares pitch correction.

When you wonder why you’re labeled as a “GENERICORE” band, the above would be the reason why.

Using the “tools of the trade” to clone yourselves into a box is ridiculous. Please stop. One of each band is more than enough.

There are reasons there will never be another “Beatles” or “Stones” or “Metallica” – and those were just a few of them.

Now,
2: Holy Moley! Mötley Crüe is doing a final tour! KISS and Def Leppard are coming! All the bands that where huge in the 70s and 80s are touring and you know they aren’t going to be around forever… We should go! Hey, we should take the kids! How much are tickets? WHAT? $93-$195 for pavilion? $47 for lawn? $750-$1250 for VIP? VIP IS TAKING UP OVER 25% of pavilion? $4000 for a Motley Crüe meet and great and you don’t even get to meet the whole band?

Ok. Here is the deal, WE MADE YOU. My generation supported you, bought your albums, T-shirts, requested you on the radio, went to all the concerts. We lived and breathed you. We made up the armies of your fans. We stuck by you and tortured our children with YOUR music. To repay us for our loyalty, YOU CHARGE HOW MUCH FOR A SHOW? My answer to that is FUCK YOU, YOU GREEDY EGOTISTICAL FUCKS. We were there when you were young, we stayed there with you. My memory works just fine, so I don’t need to drop a couple of paychecks to take the kids to see you, and try to explain that the zombies up on stage, who can’t barely move, or can’t sing anymore, actually used to be somebody. And I prefer to remember your bands when they were in their prime, because that way, I haven’t aged with you. Hahahahaha! I win!

Oh, and Gene and Paul? I know the Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame is a joke, and a very bad one at that, (and why it isn’t in Detroit, where it belongs) but I have to get the following off my chest. Your ticket prices are complete BULLSHIT. You both have marketed KISS EVERYTHING since the early days, you’ve made more money than you can ever spend, (I’m actually surprised you haven’t found a way to get the Fed to issue currency with your licensed characters on it.). $50 for lawn and $200 for pavilion? How much for VIP/meet and greet? No thanks, YOU AREN’T EVEN KISS ANYMORE, you are 1/2 of KISS and 2 guys pretending to be other members of KISS. “Make Up KISS” had ORIGINAL characters. Eric Carr had to come up with The Fox, Vinnie Vincent had his Ahnk Warrior. Anyone else in the band had no makeup on because you stopped wearing it. When you put the make up back on it was the original 4 members, if you boot 2 members out, the new members should have their OWN makeup, not Ace and Peter’s. No offense to Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, they are excellent musicians, but I (nor anyone else) don’t want pretend Ace and Peter. Get new makeup for the current lineup or get the original members back.

The reason the “licensed characters” of Ace & Peter are being used is easy. YOUR FANS LOVE ACE AND PETER. Ace and Peter were (and evidentially, still are) very important to your ability to carry on. You do your fans a disservice by denying an ORIGINAL line up performance at your induction into the RRHoF. Yes, Eric Carr, Vinnie Vincent, Mark St. John, Bruce Kulick, Tommy and Eric have been instrumental in keeping you playing, but the ORIGINAL line up gave you the ability to play, record, build an ARMY, and get there in the first place. You are asshats, get over yourselves.

Oh, and by the way, that line up was legendary. You did it ALL. And you survived long enough to become a parody of yourselves. Taking the makeup off gave you a second run at greatness, but the fans and their kids wanted the glory days KISS back, so you put the original lineup back together and broke out the warpaint again. That was amazing. Now you’ve lasted long enough to become a joke again. Only this time, no one’s laughing. Good luck with that Arena Football thing tho!

NO CLASSIC BAND SHOULD CHARGE A WEEKS WAGE FOR SHIT SEATS. PERIOD. Kid Rock can do $20 shows, so can all of you. Fucktards.

I’ve posted other “sermons” on the bands of yore… On the “Golden Age” of music and everything that went with it. Yes, it collapsed for a reason, and rightfully so, and it lead to a new ways of thinking and different approaches to playing. But there are no “LEGENDARY” bands in this new crop. Sure, there are bands that can sell out a small concert theater tour night after night for a run or two, but not one that can sell out a stadium on their own. There are no earth shaking albums being written, only an endless string of E.P.s and digital downloaded singles, and a million clones and pretenders. Only way to fix it is cull the herd. Get rid of all the “digital cut and paste” gang that can’t play instruments, ban the use of AutoTune on vocals on the grounds of crimes against humanity. If you can’t sing, DON’T. There is no mystique or power in being in a band anymore, because EVERYONE is doing it. It’s not special because it’s all the same. No one is reinventing anything at all now, just trying to work out that synchronized dance routine and bro yells.

Learn to play an instrument, play chords that require more than one finger and songs with more than one chord. Learn to sing clean. In key. Without a computer or processor. Don’t worry about where the breakdown goes. In fact, learn to write without breakdowns. Stop using digital recording for anything other than demos or final assembly/mastering. Find a studio with an analog board and tape and record as a band, not building a quantized, single tracked, digital monster that you can never emulate live. Capture the essence of YOUR band, not someone’s else’s. Then maybe there will be a new golden age.

I sure hope so, because I still live and love music.

Uncle Doom

Looking at the WHOLE picture…

While I can appreciate the thoughts of those that would like to abandon the “scene” and bolster an underground movement, I would put forth that the “venue” and “scene” shows are more important than ever, especially now with the amount of venues that have shut down all over the country. You can strip back the setting, the P.A., the overhead, the cost, and all the things that go along with a “venue”, but it basically becomes a glorified practice/rehearsal/party. House/barn/lot parties tend to draw negative attention from the local constabulary and quite often are accompanied by noise complaints and tickets and fines for MIP and other issues, which make shows of any kind difficult to have. If a band or artist takes a strictly underground route, they miss out on the opportunity to hone actual stagecraft, and all the things that go with being a performing musician. I’ve played a billion “house shows” and I’ll never forget a single one, nor will I say they aren’t awesome, fun, and a great experience, BUT… When you have the stage, lights, a good PA, and someone who knows how to run sound, plus the mics, stands, and all the other stuff, you get to just PLAY without worrying about if all your parts are coming through. You learn about stage volume (and how you control your own “suck button” by learning to keep your stage volume LOWER) and how to work with a time schedule (load in, set, and tear down/load out), like a real band. Your crowd is directly in front of you watching a performance. You get to work out all the little things that make your performance just that more perfect, because let’s face it, the goal of most musicians is to move to the next level, not stay in the basement. The bands that master this part secure more and better gigs. And just as important, you and your audience are covered by insurance if someone is injured. If $10 is too much to see 6 or more bands, then driving 5 hours to see half as many for no less than twice as much is better? One last thing, at least with what we do here, is the chance to see national acts close to home along with great locals. At $10 and almost no travel costs to get here, it’s an even bigger bargain. Not to mention all the local bands who get to share the stage with them, without “buying on” or selling tickets (we’ve NEVER made a band pay to play or share their merch sales.).

When costs went up due to gas and the economy, the costs trickled down to everyone, but I’d rather pay $10 to support half a dozen or more local and regional entertainers in a safe, supervised venue than give way more than that to a faceless corporate ticket entity. I will however completely agree that a regular t shirt shouldn’t be $20.

I can’t speak for every “venue” on Earth, but I can speak for the shows I have either thrown or supported over the past 27 years. The shows are designed to break even, and if there is any “profit”, it is designed to move forward to make the next show that much better.

I support all my brother and sister musicians, no matter what path they take or what genre they play. You start by yourself, you learn an instrument or to sing, you find others and learn to cover/write songs. You invite people over to hear those songs. You play house gigs, you play halls and venues, you record, you post, you sell CDs and merch and you move on to play clubs and tours. With any luck, you get picked up and move to the next level after all of these and become the next ADTR, or “name your favorite”. If you are one of the chosen few, perhaps there is still room for the next LEGENDARY game changer, the next Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Metallica, or Sabbath. The band that created, defined, or transcended a generation, a genre, and sound. The band that is still relevant and or revered 40 years after it’s demise.

That’s why every level of “the music scene” is important and deserves support. We all aspire to move towards that common goal of sharing our music with everyone and taking it as far as we can.

Keep Rockin’!
Uncle Doom

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Illusions

We live in a world where things are not always what they seem. There are grand machinations and schemes beneath a great many things in day to day life that go unseen by most and unbelieved by others. We live in a world of illusion. Illusions of freedoms, skewed perceptions, twisted words, conspiracy theories, and double talk. Recently, an individual has chosen to present a new “conspiracy” that attempts to envelope or call out groups and individuals in the local music scene, in a bit of manufactured intrigue that in and of itself would be amusing to some degree, if logic didn’t exist. Off hand comments and observations of people that may “exhibit” traits of “The Illuminati” or “Satanists” and the supposed ulterior motives these people may have against all of you, the ones who support the local scene. Simultaneously, another person or group has launched a campaign against those in the 231 that either produce shows or stand up for the family. This person (or persons) has claimed they will not fail at their mission to do this or that to the scene here in northern Michigan. They perceive that the scene is broken and that the word “family” has no meaning behind it when spoken from the lips of those of who proclaim it. For whatever reason this individual feels slighted in some way, feels like they are on the outside looking in, and that they have been excluded from our “little clique”. We don’t have a clique in our scene, there are new bands here constantly, and new kids at every show. We don’t exclude anyone from our family, everyone is welcome, UNLESS they do something to hurt the family, because in this family, we ALL have each others backs and we all work together at keeping the music scene moving forward and growing. The music scene isn’t dead when kids are going to shows and bands are lining up to come play for them. The kids choose what bands come back by their comments and questions. Whether by coincidence or design, these events happened concurrently with “new” people attempting to add us under what was perceived as suspicious circumstances. If these people feel they were questioned or treated unfairly as to their identity or motives with all that was going on AND they are truly REAL people who were indeed just trying to reach out, then we owe you an apology. We are VERY protective of the music scene here and very protective of our family. We would never knowingly shun anyone from pursuing their desire to find like minded musicians to connect with or make someone feel left out. Having said that though, some of the rhetoric that is fueling this is coming from people who have ostracized themselves from this family, by their words and actions continuously. They hide behind their computer and never own up to their own problems because its easy to win when you are the only one having the fight, deleting comments and blocking the people who call you out and prove you for the weasel(s) you are. The only blame for your situation lies completely with you, as you created your own hell and turned away from any and all hope of redemption, time and time again when presented with the opportunities to change and grow.

Recently, it was written to me that we would praise someone for calling out a rival for a perceived wrong doing, that is incorrect. For the record, neither Mickey or myself has ever called anyone out, for any reason other than the ABSOLUTE truth. We don’t do the pot and kettle routine, and we don’t have “rivals”. I have pointed out several times that too many shows in the same area KILLS the scene, not strengthens it, because that is fact. We have historically worked in conjunction with other productions to stay OFF their feet and not schedule on top of them and we post our shows MONTHS in advance so others know when they are happening. We have been asked by our supposed “rivals” to assist with their shows and have offered support where we are able from DAY 1. We were asked to run sound for AxiomKing shows and would have if not for the venue telling Eric he had to use their sound guy. We ran sound for Chainsaw for quite a few shows and continue to support Mike in his endeavors, even after a round of schoolyard crap that was out of our control (gotta love
when bar owners think they can do youth shows the same way as adult shows). We support Just Another Hardcore Productions with their shows. Most of the TC shows were supported by us during the 00’s whether it was from gear rental from Mr. Gig’s, shows at the Glacier Club or behind the scenes support with advice and consultations. Somewhere along the line, since 1999 we’ve been involved in keeping music moving forward in some capacity in Northern Michigan. So no, we have no rivals to talk shit about and to us it is family. Unless you want to do something against the kids or the scene and you place yourself above your brethren…. THEN we will call a spade a spade, we will speak up. And will never hide behind a computer. We are easy to find, easy to contact, and very easy to talk to most of the time. And very quick to protect the music scene that we work very hard to keep growing and the people who work right along side of us to do the same thing. Bands and fans and promoters all working TOGETHER. Our reputation is impeccable because we do what we say we are going to do, we treat everyone with the respect they deserve and we do what we do FOR the community not for ourselves. Our track record is beyond reproach and we have the backing of a long list of people and organizations to prove it. That’s why bands want to come back time and time again. And why we are always (broke) keeping the bands coming here.

Comments made out of context or without full knowledge from start to finish of a situation lend confusion. So to set the record straight for the LAST time… This isn’t ODP’s scene, it’s the kids and the bands who share that moment at the shows scene. They have been told that time and time again. THESE ARE YOUR SHOWS. THIS IS FAMILY. They know they have a safe place to go to and to hang and listen to / play music. They know they can come to any of us for any reason without fear of judgement. The bands know they will have a good time and that they will get their guarantees and be treated with respect… As long as they respect the crowd and the scene. The scene here is alive and doing well because we all put the work and effort into it and will continue to do so no matter what schemes and conspiracies are offered by those who’s only aim is to bolster themselves within their own illusions. Or is the word I’m looking for delusion? You can knock us down, but you will only make us stronger. It starts with the locals kids and bands and continues to grow up through the national bands, agents, and labels. THIS IS FAMILY. And this document is the ONLY statement that is based in FACT with NO ulterior motives what so ever.

And that’s ALL I have to say about this bullshit. Period.

My name is Damien Allen
And I approve this message.