Mr. Moderator

Mr. Moderator

When not blogging Mr. Moderator enjoys baseball, cooking, and falconry.

Dugout Chatter

 Posted by
Apr 082008
 

Let’s get deep today. I’ll tell you what, Dugout Chatter usually requires your gut responses, but for today and today only we’ll accept more considered replies.

Who’s the rightful heir to John Lennon, artistically – I’m not talking about his sons?

Who’s your favorite songwriter who’s words are of little interest to you?

Has the backstory of a song or album ever hurt your enjoyment of said song or album?

At what point in the action of the new Stones-Scorcese flick, Shine a Light, do you imagine Marty will cue the intro to “Gimme Shelter”?

Is there any “neo-” version of an older style of music that you prefer to the original (eg, punk-era Two-Tone ska over the original ’60s ska)?

Is there any hope for k.d. lang ever being relevant again? Does it matter?

Do you ever feel like you might “recognize” a favorite artist by the way he or she projects in song, you know, the way so many fans of Lennon or Joe Strummer felt like they “knew” or could “identify” with him? Well, is there an artist whose music you love yet on whom you get no handle, cannot imagine what it might be like to hang out with over a beer, or whatever?

Have you ever liked an artist’s significant change of direction album, whether temporary or not, better than the previously established body of work (eg, Neil Young’s Trans was the first album by him that you embraced)?

As a listener and/or a player, of late, what aspect of music have you been trying to pay more attention to (eg, “I’ve been trying to pay more attention to the kick drum.”)?

I look forward to your responses.

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A Belated Happy Birthday, from Magic Mountain

 Posted by
Apr 082008
 

Yesterday marked the birthday of one of our younger friends of the Halls of Rock. Word is, he spent the day at Magic Mountain! Let’s hope his day was as memorable as some of the following rockin’ days spent at this Southern California landmark.

Eric Burdon and War, “Magic Mountain”

By the power of this favorite B-side from my own early childhood, Magic Mountain became a magical place in my imagination. My slowly developing goal of becoming a California Man will not be complete until I get high, high, high at Magic Mountain.

Chickenfrank, hold the sceptre!

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np – April Showers Mix

 Posted by
Apr 042008
 

Thought I’d share a few songs that have been bouncing around my head the last 24 hours. Enjoy!

Thanks for bringing up those duds on Arthur, Sammy. They reminded me of my second-favorite song on that album and led me to an outtake I’d never heard before.

The Kinks, “Australia”

The Kinks, “Mr. Shoemaker’s Daughter”

This bonus track from The Smoke’s first album smokes. Too bad the rest of that album, excluding “My Friend Jack” song, which is pretty good and which we all know from psych comps, is as generic as that sort of ’60s psych-pop got.

The Smoke, “Playing with Magic”

I’ve provided a couple of the poppier songs from the latest Stephen Malkmus album, Real Emotional Trash. You might dig them. I would have given you the epic, jamming title track, but that might have been giving away 50% of what works best on the album.

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, “Out of Reaches”

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, “Gardenia”

Some of you know how much I like Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s Wildweed. Not a “great” album but a cool one.

Jeffrey Lee Pierce, “Cleopatra Dreams On”

The Tom Verlaine tracks come from a relatively recent album solo album, Songs and Other Things, that’s as strong as anything I’ve heard from him in years. In other words, it has a pulse.

Tom Verlaine, “From Her Fingers”

Tom Verlaine, “The Day On You”

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Rock Town Hall Interviews Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Curator

 Posted by
Apr 042008
 


You may recall that, during the buzz that surrounded Rock Town Hall’s First Annual Rock and Roll Foyer of Fame Partial Lifetime Achievement Award ceremonies, we also touched on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum‘s annual induction ceremony. At the time, we had hoped to hear back from an old friend, Howard Kramer, who’s been a curator there almost since the Hall’s inception. Howard’s a busy man but a man of his word. I knew Howard through his years working with the Dead Milkmen. He was always a hard-working, friendly, straight-up guy, and the years that have passed since we last met face to face have not seemed to change him. We hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at a rock job probably any one of us would love to try on for size! When Howard asks if our definition of cool is as geeky as his, you too may think to yourself, Damn straight! Without further ado…Howard Kramer!

RTH: You’re the main curator of the Hall of Fame, right? What’s your exact title? How did you land there? Have you been there since the beginning?

HK: I’m not the “main” curator. My boss, Jim Henke, is the Chief Curator. My title is Curatorial Director. I’ve been here since December of 1996, about 15 months after the museum opened.

RTH: Do you want to share a bit of your background in rock prior to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

HK: In general, my background was working with musicians. I’ve been an artists manager, a booking agent, and a tour manager. I also was a radio DJ at various points. I’m very proud of having worked with the Dead Milkmen. We had a lot of fun back in the day.

RTH: How do you acquire pieces for the Hall? Are there key criteria you follow? Roughly, how much of the collection is pieces you seek out vs pieces that are offered?

HK: We mostly acquire things by going directly to the source. If an artists doesn’t have stuff, invariably someone within their organization does. Occasionally, I’ll go to collectors, but the best stuff is usually still in the hands of the performer. The criteria are pretty simple; How well does this illustrate an element of someone’s career?
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Unexpected Motivations of a Longtime Musician

 Posted by
Apr 042008
 


People who don’t play rock ‘n roll sometimes have misconceptions – or inflated conceptions – about what motivates those of us who do.

  • A love of music? We must hope YES, above all else.
  • An opportunity to be cooler that we really are and/or attract sexual partners? Certainly.
  • The chance to make a great album that will one day inspire a hopeless dreamer like yourself? Bravo!
  • A chance to be a rock star living a wild and wealthy life before retiring to one’s country estate and skeet shooting one’s gold record? Why not!

But many of us have other, possibly unexpected motivations for sticking with the goal of making rock ‘n roll music to the best of our abilities. For instance, I’m getting old by rock ‘n roll terms, I’m aware of my musical limitations, and I’m happily married. With the exception of the added cool factor, all of the above reasons for spending time holed up in my garage with my friends, arguing over the same old issues of whether to use the “Ticket to Ride” beat or not on a new song, are in the rearview mirror. However, there’s one dream that keeps me going: the hope of a reissue of past releases that necessitates brief, song-by-song liner notes by me and my bandmates. That’s right, I’m not afraid to open up and share this sad, little dream with you – and I expect those of you harboring your own unexpected motivations for carrying on to show similar bravery!
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