Mr. Moderator

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

Mr. Mod Proposes Cap on Cymbal and Hi-Hat Fills/Mailbag

Mar 092007

First a brief news item generated from our very own Moderator, that is, me. Then I’ll open up discussion based on a recently received offlist message from the Mailbag.

First the news!

ROCK TOWN HALL, EARTH – Mr. Moderator has proposed to the Rules and Regulations Commission of Rock Town Hall a cap on cymbal and hi-hat fills by rock drummers.

“Think of the cymbals and hi-hats as the supporting percussion bag of the drum kit,” said Mr. Moderator in his 48-page proposal to he Commission. “They’re there to assist the drummer in fortifying his or her key beats. You wouldn’t want Ray Cooper hopping about playing tambourine and vibroslap fills indiscriminantly, would you?”

In brief, Mr. Moderator proposed no more than one cymbal crash per every 4 measures and a maximum of 2 open hi-hat fills (as opposed to rhythmic variations within the standard hi-hat pattern) per song. He noted that special cymbal privileges could be obtained by the likes of Keith Moon and Mitch Mitchell.

Proponents of the proposition include Peter Gabriel, who said, “If we’re going to allow any cymbals, this is a more than reasonable proposition.” Opponents of the measure include Mr. Moderator’s bandmates, Townsman Andyr and Townsman Sethro.

As for the Mailbag question…

I’m a little confused by the pro-drummer sentiments from you and Andy. I thought bass was the single most important ingredient for the Nixon’s Head crew.

Let me think more about how to answer this fine question. Meanwhile I’ll throw it open to my bandmates in the Hall and the rest of our members. Thanks.

I look forward to our responses.

BATTLE ROYALE: Command Performances by Third-String Songwriters!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Mar 092007

Few bands have a third singer-songwriter who gets to contribute a song to a band’s record. Fewer yet make strong contributions. At this risk of setting the stage for a quick 2-person battle between Ron Wood‘s fantastic contribution to The Faces, “Ooh La La” (see cool, live Ronnie Lane version above) and any of a handful of George Harrison‘s contributions to The Beatles, I am calling on your vast knowledge of obscure rock ephemera to identify The Greatest Performance by a Band’s Third-String Songwriter.

For starters, there’s only one rule I can think of: XTC contributions by Colin Moulding, who somehow occupied the Harrison role in 2-songwriter band, will not be accepted.

Yoko’s Ex Thwarted in Exposing Lennon as Thoughtful Artist

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Mar 082007

See No Evil. “The world premiere of ‘Three Days in the Life,’ a documentary about John Lennon, was canceled after lawyers for the slain Beatle’s widow, Yoko Ono, warned that she had not authorized any public viewing of the film.” More!

Also in the News!
Popper’s Harmonica Holster Considered Gateway Accoutrement. Continue reading »

You, Too, Can Play Fantasy League Rock GM!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Mar 082007

Here’s what could be a good thread – with your input – as suggested by Townsman Andyr. Let’s begin setting up the thread and see what we can do with it over the course of the coming week. Check it out…

If you could play GM of a Fantasy League Rock Band, who would you target for your band? Don’t answer yet! How ’bout we actually start our own Fantasy League Rock Bands and draft talent? What we do with these efforts following that is another matter, but see if these parameters work, and start thinking about how you want to approach this in today’s thread:
Continue reading »

Girl, You’re Now a Woman…Right?

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Mar 082007

Joss Stone comes of age and taps into an older generation’s Laugh-In/Goldie Hawn fixation.

This British, blue-eyed soul, teen diva has come of age now, right?
Continue reading »

Shout-Out Songs

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Mar 072007

I’ve got a soft spot for “shout-out songs,” you know, about half of Van Morrison‘s songs and much of the first Dexy’s Midnight Runners album, in which the singer starts giving shout-outs to his or her heroes. Arthur Conley’s “Sweet Soul Music” is one of my personal favorites (in part because of it’s driving beat) and perhaps the most dedicated of all shout-out songs. This morning I was listening to that great, late-90s Cornershop song “Brimful of Asha” (I think that’s the song’s title). The singer gets into a shout-out section, presumabely shouting out names of Indian pop singers. The first one, I believe, is Townsman Fritz’s buddy, Mohammad Rafi! It’s a wonder how timing works. (I do hope, Townspeople, you are making time for your first batch of Thrifty Music.)

So, at least 3 questions developed during my morning drive:

What’s your favorite shout-out song?
Whats the most absurd, unexpected, or underserving shout-out in a song?
If you were to write a shout-out song, to whom would you shout?

I look forward to your responses.

Bringin’ it All Back Home: Townspeople Playing Out and About!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Mar 062007

I thought I’d share with you some fine pieces our Townsfolk have dropped on other parts of the InterWeb lately and then share a few thoughts especially directed at newcomers and other visitors to the site.

Let’s start with a few pieces from our Townsfolk that I found of interest on other sites.

From The Great 48, an outright friendly attack on your good Mr. Moderator’s reputation and objectives! How dare he – and don’t think we’re not flattered and thankful!

Townsman Matt shows more love for Joe Jackson’s vast output than the man’s mother could muster! What a nice surprise. I’m a fan of jefitoblog and a fan of Matt.

So, Mad Props to the voices of Rock Town Hall members, wherever they may be heard. And here I’ll put out a brief plug for what we’re trying to cook up here at Rock Town Hall – with your all-important help! (For those of you fearing moments of introspection and optimism, do not click the following link!)
Continue reading »

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