Frank Gutch Jr: These Are People I’ve Known (But Who Try to Keep It a Secret); Plus Notes

The past week I have been revisiting some of my earlier DBAWIS columns and am shocked at how few people (as far as I can tell) know about them, even now.  When I write about musicians, it is usually personal, both the person or people and the music, and I feel that sometimes they are more water under the bridge than anything.  No one sends notes asking about someone I wrote about in 2012 unless something has happened since and there are so many truly talented people who deserve recognition.  So this week, I am going to point toward artists you may have missed whom I think are above the norm in terms of talent and/or personality.  And maybe I owe a few of them money, but that is neither here nor there.

Frank Gutch Jr: The Grammys: The Decline of the Major Labels (and Civilization) Continues; When Three Bands (Don’t) Collide; Michael Fennelly— On Vinyl; For the Tots at Christmas— Goodnight Songs; Plus N-n-n-notes…..

Every year I get my hopes up and every year the so called experts behind the Grammy’s dash them against the rocks like fishkill, blood and brain cells covering the entire music industry with fresh stench in the form of what they claim to be “the best”—  their words, not mine.

Frank Gutch Jr: The Re-Return of Nick Holmes; Oami: Back In the Game; Dan Miraldi: Rockin’ Cleveland; Lisbee Stainton: Bribing Her Way Into Next Week’s Column; and a Shitload of Notes…..

Nick Holmes is a friend of mine.  I have never met him nor have I even talked with him on the phone but he is a friend, nonetheless.  He sends me stuff.  Anyone who sends me stuff is my friend.  Send me some stuff and you’ll find out.  It seems like only yesterday (it was over two years ago) that he sent me CD copies of two albums I, up to that time, never even knew existed:   And it seems like just yesterday (because it was) that I received his brand spanking new CD, Sonar.  There is a story behind Nick and his music and I hesitate to tell that story here because I have told it a few times and hate to repeat myself too much, but if you want to read a fascinating story about his early years in New York and how we became acquainted, follow this link.

Frank Gutch Jr: If Nothing Else, Today’s CDs Are Tomorrow’s Collector’s Items….

And if you don’t think so, just look at the past.  What do you want?  78’s?  45’s?  Disc cylinders?  Vinyl?  Oh, so you think that CD’s are different?  I hate to tell you this (actually, I don’t), but no, they’re not.  You who are so anxious to kill the CD format shall suffer the same fate as those who killed (or greatly wounded) vinyl and every other outdated form of getting music.  You shall be committed to the hell of limitations beyond your wildest expectations placed upon you by the technocrats who toss out updates and new formats like acid at a Grateful Dead concert.