Frank Gutch Jr.: Tom Kell & The Skyboys, Michael Fennelly, Stu Nunnery, “Goin’ Down”, and Just Plain Nuts– erm– Notes…..

I have learned my lesson.  Numerous times over the past few years, I have been caught at my desk, coffee at hand, spewing said coffee in copious amounts thanks to the writings of my colleagues here at DBAWIS, sometimes through the mouth and sometimes through the nose.  It is altogether possible that I have unknowingly spewed through various other orifices of my body as well, but by the time I get through laughing, everything is dry and, therefore, in the distant past, as it were.

Frank Gutch Jr: Sheldon Gomberg: One of the Good Guys, Too Slim: Hot!!!, Charlottesville: WarHen and County Wide… The Phoenix Rises, My Father’s Day, plus Notes (you really should be reading them, you know)…..

I wasted 75 minutes of Sheldon Gomberg‘s time last week.  Do I feel crappy about it?  You bet.  I suppose 75 minutes doesn’t mean that much to many of you but then you probably don’t work as much as Sheldon does.  See, Sheldon is a recording engineer and runs his own studio and after talking with many of that ilk, time is always of the essence.  You’re working when you’re not working— going over the day’s session(s), preparing for tomorrow’s, organizing, always organizing.  What?  You think those albums just appear on your shelves?

Cameron Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock’n’Roll – The Soundtrack Of Our Lives

No, not the great Swedish band but actual soundtracks. We all have our own individual soundtracks for our lives but what of those that were made for stage and screen? The world has changed since the days of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Webber and Rice and what constitutes a soundtrack for today’s generation is a long way away from “Oklahoma!” or “West Side Story”. For every horrible cash-grab “Glee” volume there is a Trent Reznor-Atticus Ross collaboration on the score for “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” or “The Social Network” to balance the equation. Of course both of those were ‘scores’ which is a somewhat different kettle of fish.

Nadia Elkharadly: Covers

One of the easiest ways for a band or artist to reach out to or appeal to new fans is with covers.  It’s a no brainer really; you take a song that people who may have never heard you play a note, play it, and watch the reaction.  The response is pretty much the same every time; a slow glimmer of recognition, a lightbulb moment (hey! I know that song), and pretty soon you have the crowd singing right along with you.  It’s the ultimate inclusive force, and it’s a powerful tool for musicians.  I firmly believe up and coming bands should keep a cover or two in their set list, just to draw fans into them.  I, like everyone else on this planet who gives a shit about music, love a good cover tune.

Frank Gutch Jr: Notary Sojac: The Band and the Legend, Plus Notes…..

These guys crack me up.  Even forty years later.  Even after having been separated four decades, these guys are still brothers under the skin, and they are brothers.  They lived as brothers and fought as brothers and even had various “heads of state” treat them as brothers whilst trying to keep them from getting screwed as a band.  You look at the films and read the books of bands back in the late sixties and early seventies, you might think that life was all getting stoned and getting laid and flowers-in-your-hair, but that’s all surface.

Darrell Vickers: As the World Turntables

The Overview

Countless magical hours of mirth, tragedy and love that have been gifted to us by the miracle of the motion picture, yet these same cinematic divertissements have also given birth to a staggering amount of griping and controversy.  People have been caviling and kvetching in equal measure about the inappropriate depictions of violence, sex and ugly people kissing since the days of Fairbanks and Keaton.  And those very same bastions of moral rectitude and fiery condemnation become more and more convinced, with each passing annum, that the already horrifyingly low standards of propriety on the silver screen continue to spiral ever downwards.  Until the other day, I was proudly Not among their number but…

Cameron Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock’n’Roll – R You Ready?

It is the time of year when time is at a premium. With NXNE right around the corner and the full weight of the NXNE Film Festival on my shoulders I am going to take the easy way out for the next few weeks here at DBAWIS. Fortunately I am at the letters R, S, T in the next three weeks and there aren’t too many easier letters to find bands for. Quick lists for the next little while. As always please have a look or listen at what Bob magically drops in for each band. Full disclosure, I supply the words and Bob supplies the links and photos. I am surprised every Thursday at the images and videos he comes up with.

Ready to roll with the R’s?

Frank Gutch Jr: The Best of the First Half of 2013,

Jesus, is 2013 great or what?  I’m dancing, crying, thinking, sweating, burping and bopping thanks to a handful of musicians who have me freaking out, they’re so good.  I know I said 2012 was good.  And it was!  Hell, it still is, musically.  Musicians put out some of the best music I’d heard last year, but goddamn it, 2013 is smokin’ hot!  Seriously!  And excuse me for a sec whilst I dance the happy dance.  You see, No Small Children‘s anthemic Might Get Up Slow is playing right now and will for a few times more because I need some uppers!  Shee-it, this is good!  In another time, this would be topping the charts and rocking kids out!  Even famed ex-radio disc jockey Robert W. Walker sez “Fuh-reeking great!”  Jeez, I’m sounding like Barnum & Bailey here, but sometimes you have to let loose, you know?

Cameron Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock’n’Roll – Quality Control

Quality Records was my training ground. Back in the seventies there were no school courses teaching the music business. If you wanted to work in a studio you hung around studios and hopefully someone would ask you to pick up a broom or maybe get the engineer a coffee. If you wanted to work at a record company you needed to know who to talk to and where they might hang out. A good in was getting to know the label publicists and the easiest way to do that was by writing album and live reviews for your school newspaper. I starting doing this in high school and by the time I reached college I had a couple of good ins at the labels (as well as lots of free albums and concert tickets).

Frank Gutch Jr: Music On Film— Documentaries For The Music Fanatic, Plus Notes…..

Before I dive into this, I have to take a moment to point you towards one of the best “up” songs I have heard in some time:  No Small Children‘s Might Get Up Slow.  If radio had the impact that it did even 20 years ago, this would be blasting out of stereo and car speakers everywhere.  iThings too, if they had them (my brain is so numb, I couldn’t come close to a year those damn things took over our lives— I can hardly remember a kid without one).  The more I hear these ladies, the more I want to hear more.  Turn it up!  Like they said in the old days— Recorded loud to be played LOUD!  Listen to this!!!

Now, back to our regular programming.