this is a tearjerker, a companion piece to that article in sound collector number one. you know what im talking about.

IT’S A FACT: I Have No Clue as to What I’m Talking About

Interesting reading on copyright infringement, giving a rough history of people using other people’s work and the lawsuits which ensued as a result… pun intended.

allen klein is slowly moving into the category in which miles copeland resides, aka, crazy motherfuckers.

However, thats not the reason why i’m writing this entry. I kid you not, but I have been mistaking “three girl rhumba” by wire for “ex lion tamer” for at least seven years now and I just realized it about five minutes ago. I wouldnt be so horribly embarrassed if I hadn’t actually used the incorrect title in a review I did for my job. I’m laughing somewhere deep down inside. Maybe not.

today, i dont feel like your fact checkin’ cuz.

ROCKERS WHO WRITE, AND WRITERS WHO ROCK AND WHAT’S FAIR ISN’T FAIR

last time you tuned in, i complained about how the philadelphia weekly wrote one of the laziest pieces of journalistic crap ever, their fall 2002 music issue, you can bet i was surprised to find tom moon’s sunday inquirer article touching upon one of the rawest nerves in the whole debate: the rocker/journo conundrum.

ROCK LOTTO: where the weeklies dont tell you who is good

those that know me probably could figure out that i wasnt particularly pleased with the PW issue. normally, it is of my nature to bitch and bitch, and bitch until my face turns blue and im passed out on the floor, but right now im very much in the “all negative feelings must be countered by an opposite and overpowering act of positivity” phase right now.

at first, my cruel sense of humor suggested that i should make an exhaustive anthology of local rock music [yet, omitting those who did receive coverage in the music issue] and turn it into a crazy box set. i came to my senses when realizing my paychecks from work barely cover my living expenses and i still live in a house with no heat.

i guess deep down i wanted to present new and exciting musical possibilities, but i wanted something really new. stuff that no one could ever fathom or expect.

it was then that i realized what philadelphia needs… is rock lotto.

eh?

32 contestants are drawn from a hat and formed into groups of four. they have six weeks to become a band [where people can drop out but not be replaced] and make 15 minutes of music, which they will present at a concert after that period of time is up. the audience votes on the band they like the most, and the winners get prizes. so do the runners-up.

imagine the possibilities. seasoned scenesters jamming with people who play air guitar in their bedrooms. if i had the money to throw a film crew into the mess and document this, we’d have FOX tv’s next ratings giant.

move the fuck over, american idol.

and its been attempted before - chapel hill, nc has rock lotto.

let me know what you think. drop me an email.

Its been so long, but here it is, a new version of HER JAZZ.

as you may remember, im only a sub for this semester as im currently too damn busy working. however ive got quite DJ gigs lined up.

10/11: Upstairs at the Khyber. Free, with ID. 56 S.2nd St.
10/17: Trocadero Theatre with SLEATER-KINNEY, YEAH YEAH YEAH’S & QUALES. 10th + Arch Sts.
10/18: North Star Bar, as part of the 215fest.

local rock journalism

the philadelphia weekly just put out their new music issue and frankly, im disappointed. sometimes, i wonder if i hold these people in higher regard than i should. recently, they’ve been doing a lot of roundtable discussions about new albums and frankly, if i wanted to read a bunch of people whine about records, thats the whole reason i joined mailing lists.

the angle behind the whole issue [”in their own words”] just reeks of self-promotion and doesnt offer up any real discussion or criticism about the local rock scene. furthermore, its covering the same damn bands.

so, what is great about the local scene? what’s good about it is also what’s wrong with it. there’s a lot of separatism occurring, which doesnt make it feel like a community. the cool thing about this behavior is that its created a lot of unique work, none much like the other. there’s a lot of things to do [but sometimes i hate having to pick one thing over the rest on a weekend]. unlike a lot of other art forms, i dont see a lot of bands running off to new york city to validate their experiences and/or become famous.

that wasnt so hard, so why was it for the journos?