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Most days I sit and work at a computer. However, occasionally it is my job to film the band Cowboy Mouth as they get pelted with red plastic spoons. Yes, this happens on purpose and at every show. It is something Cowboy Mouth fans know to do at a specific point during the song "Everybody Loves Jill". It is fantastic to see in person. Taylor Dayne: There are artists who are just prolific artists. No matter what they do, they create every day. Those are the artists that I so emulate and admire.  Daniel Glass: I had an early proclivity for the drums, banging away on pots and pans like so many other kids. When we used to go to Chinese restaurants, I am proud to say that my chopsticks would be confiscated within 30 seconds.  Marc Broussard: I've gotten a lot better as a guitar player, just because I have had to play for 12 years doing 150 shows a year or more. So just by having my hands on the instrument that often, I’ve gotten significantly better than I was 12 years ago. But I consider myself a singer. I don’t consider myself much of a guitar player.  Bill Gibson of Huey Lewis & The News: I remember recording the car horn for “Heart of Rock and Roll” right out in the … if you opened the back door to The Record Plant, it opened up onto the street that went between The Plant and the other warehouses down there. And we pulled up … I think it was our sound guy’s old station wagon and we recorded the horn out there. Just little odd, little weird stuff. Cris: So whose idea was it to put in an actual horn? Bill: God, I don’t know. Who knows? Cris: So did you just drag a mic with a really long cable outside the studio? Bill: Exactly. Cris: How many takes of a horn does it take to get it right? Bill: I think it was maybe two. We had to have a headphone feed out there so whoever … I can’t even remember who did it. I’m not sure I did it. I just remember it happening. You know this is thirty years ago so … it’s kind of foggy.  My view on social media ...
Done well, social media is like the meet and greet after (or before) the show. It is a great opportunity to connect with the fans and say thank you. It is an opportunity to build a solid connection that supports a career for the long term . Done poorly (as is the case with many bands) social media is the equivalent of a pop up ad. Bells and whistles with no thought or caring. Just a sales pitch. A tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury and signifying nothing. Gary Vaynerchuk was kind enough to answer my question on his #AskGaryVee show. The question - "Your Facebook numbers don't reflect how influential you are. How do you explain that to clients?" Watch his response in the video below. Rich Redmond (drummer for Jason Aldean): During a concert I am not thinking about the mechanics of playing the songs. That is second nature. It is part of my DNA. What I think about is leading the band, driving the band, playing dynamics, playing tight with the click track … doing the things that I need to do to make that band sound as good as possible.  Louis Prima Jr: I never want to be that guy that doesn't appreciate the music that's out nowadays. Because I am still a rocker and I do still listen to current rock music. My son, when he was going through the first part of teen angst, hated that I listened to the same music as he did.  Cris: You seem like someone who is never done. You're never satisfied. You've made some big changes to your drumming technique which upset the balance in some respects because, for instance, you had to take time to learn the traditional grip. Ben Sesar (drummer for Brad Paisley): It's all trying to make the gig easier. Because with Brad it is very demanding musically. There's a lot going on and the intensity is high. And there is something magical about having more at your disposal than you actually need. So that when you're just cruising along, it's that much easier. Cris: In other words studying fast playing affects your slow playing as well. Ben: Yes. It's like an Astin Martin versus a Volkeswagen Bug from the 60s. Both can go 70 miles an hour. But one is doing it easily. And then one is doing it at the top of its range. So that's the purpose. To increase your headroom so that everything you do just rolls off. That's how I look at it.  |
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