 TM©Music Morsels - August 2001
|
||
|
WELCOME TO THE AUGUST, 2001 ISSUE OF MUSIC MORSELS Special offer for Music Morsels subscribers! AND NOW... ATTENTION LABEL PR DEPARTMENTS, MUSICIANS AND SONGWRITERS! If Music Morsels is not on your mailing list for your new releases, please add us to your database. Our readership has reached 35,000+. ATTN: A&R REPS - Please read our UNSIGNED/INDIE BAND SPOTLIGHT for information on up-and-coming acts. Mailing Address: Sandy Serge - Editor, Music Morsels, P.O. Box 2760, Acworth, GA 30102 USA To unsubscribe, just ask....and you will be removed from our list. Music Morsels is the award-winning monthly music industry newsletter targeting musicians, songwriters and music industry professionals. We are distributed via e-mail to all the labels, many radio stations, and music editors around the world. So if you want the latest educational information on how to develop your music career - or if want to know more about how national recording acts or successful industry professionals hit the big time - or if you want to read interviews about the latest up-and-coming unsigned or indie label bands plus tons more, you can read it all here. ATTENTION MUSICIANS & LABELS: SEND YOUR PRESS KITS TO US FOR POSSIBLE UPCOMING REVIEWS OR INTERVIEWS IN MUSIC MORSELS. We cover all genres! To subscribe, just send an email to MUSMORSELS@AOL.COM with the word "Subscribe" in the subject field. Affordable classified advertising reaching thousands of people in Music Morsels! 3 months for 15 bucks! Classifieds can be up to 10 lines long and we place your gif or jpeg on our web site with your ad along with publishing it in the ezine. Money orders and personal checks accepted payable to Music Morsels/Serge Ent. Must receive your ad with payment by the 25th of the month for inclusion in the upcoming issues. Mail to: P.O. Box 2760, Acworth, GA 30102 USA ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` August, 2001 ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` What saves a man is to take a step...then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it. - Antoine de St. Exupery TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. CROSSROADS - Jim Crichton of SAGA by Mark E. Waterbury 2. INDUSTRY PROFILE - Dixie Fuller, Talent Coordinator for Riverbend Festival by Mark E. Waterbury 3. ALBUM CAPSULES - by Mark E. Waterbury 4. SCOTT TURNER'S SONG PUBLISHER'S PERSPECTIVE - Certified Guitar Player 5. QUIPS & QUOTES - Stories & Sayings to keep you motivated in your music career 6. SPECIAL REVIEWS - Movie Review - Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story by Mark E. Waterbury Concert Review - G3 at The Tabernacle in Atlanta/After-Show Party with Dominic Gaudious by Mark E. Waterbury 7. MUSIC BIZ NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES - compiled by Sandy Serge 8. MUSIC INDUSTRY MARKETING SHOWCASE - the latest and greatest music industry products and services 9. MUSIC MORSELS SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` 1. CROSSROADS.......... Jim Crichton of SAGA by Mark E. Waterbury
I'm sure there are a good many of you who are probably saying, "Yeah, Saga, I remember them. Whatever happened to them?" Of course, you remember the most popular times for this Canadian progressive rock outfit, especially in the early eighties when their album "Head or Tales" produced well-known hits like "On The Loose", "Wind Him Up" and "How Long". But as far as what has happened to them is concerned...nothing except fifteen albums, world tours and a continued popularity especially in Europe. You can definitely consider one aspect for that longevity: the talent of the players and the respect that musical connoisseurs have for them. That and diligent work after some early setbacks. Jim Crichton first strapped on an "air guitar" after watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show (yes, another one!). He actually began to perform seriously by the age of fourteen. The seeds for Saga were sown in Jim's living room in 1977 where he had ten songs he had written and was ready to put a band together to perform them. Mike Sadler had been a vocalist in a previous band that Jim had been him, and he was the first person who Jim called upon. "I had written a bunch of lyrics and I begged him to come over and sing on my tapes so I could hear what the songs sounded like," Jim recalls. "He came over and sang on the tunes. Then he quit his job and never left the band. I don't think his wife was real pleased at the time because he had a really good job as a graphic artist, but he just sat at my place for the next three months writing more tunes. I wanted to make a heavy keyboard effort, and the attempt was to make something sound pretty unique." With Jim on bass and Mike on vocals, the band first added drummer Steve Negus, calling themselves Pockets. They later changed their name to Saga after recruiting guitarist Ian Crichton and keyboardist Jim Gilmour. The first two albums, "Saga" and "Images At Twilight" were released on Polydor-Canada and did very little in sales. The first CD had also been released on Polydor U.S., and the president of that label thought it was a good time for an album release from a new band because the only other U.S. release that week was going to be a soundtrack album from a movie. "The movie ended up being "Saturday Night Fever", and I think we sold about five copies in the U.S.," Jim muses. "Our timing ended up being really bad." Before performing in Montreal to support the second album, Jim went into a record store across from the venue to see if they had the new album and the store did not even know it had been released. "The head office for Polydor was literally across the street from this store so we were so bummed they had not even stocked the closest store to the home office that we started our own label called Maze Records. We hired two girls to man the phones and phone radio stations and we put out the third album "Silent Knight". It went gold in about six months just with two people working the label." During the tour for "Silent Knight", Saga went to Germany where they made two TV show appearances and did their first show in Puerto Rico. This helped the band gain momentum. Their continuous touring helped create enough momentum to give credibility to the 1983 release "Head Or Tales" which would go on to sell seven million copies. But as it happens with a number of bands after the onset of success, there was a shakeup when Jim Gilmour and Steve Negus left the band. The band would continue with the core of Jim, Ian and Mike adding guest musicians as they released two more albums in the eighties. The nineties would see a reunion of the original lineup and Saga would continue releasing albums in spite of a musical climate that was rather unfriendly to their particular sub-genre of rock. "We have just held to making a record every year and a half for the past twenty-four years. It's been almost non-stop. The hardest part was actually during the nineties when grunge became big, the band was starting to get a little old and people were starting to get a little bored with it. It was hard for us to keep it together, but everyone enjoyed doing it so we kept doing it." Persistence has started to pay off for Saga, as their popularity has been experiencing a rebirth in the past few years, particularly in Europe. Their 1997 tour supporting "Pleasure And Pain" led to a live album release in 1998 of songs cultivated from shows in Germany, Austria and France. At the same time, progressive rock in general has been growing in popularity over the past few years, partly due to the emergence of newer bands as well as the continued touring and recording of the classic acts like Yes, ELP, King Crimson and, of course, Saga. "It was nice to see some of the younger bands doing this. It's not great if it is all old bands, so it's really cool to see that. I tell everybody that we're an alternative band because ninety percent of what's selling these days is sequenced or hip-hop, or like Britney Spears or Back Street Boys. It's good to see good productions out there but it's not a live thing, and the bands that actually get out there and do everything live it's like the alternative music." Saga's most recent release "House Of Cards" looks to take the band's rebirth up another notch as it is already making waves in Europe as well as their native Canada and other international destinations, such as Venezuela where they recently sold out a gig after not playing there in ten years. "Two albums ago, we just decided to forget what year it was, forget what is fashionable, just make Saga records and not try to reinvent the band or make overly produced keyboard records with good guitar on it. And the reaction in Europe and everywhere has been really great. In Europe, we played there so much it could be easily going down hill. I've seen that happen with a lot of bands where it's a few less people every year. But the last two tours have increased tremendously and they are moving us up to bigger venues. That's with no radio, no singles, no nothing. I think the people who got confused about four or five albums ago when we were trying to reinvent Saga have heard by word-of-mouth that the new albums sound very retro and a lot like the old albums from the writing standpoint." Saga is also poised to bring their rebirth back to the U.S., but they plan on going about that in a different way - first by starting to re-release all of the Saga albums starting with the first one, with new packaging and enhanced CDs with videos and bonus tracks. "Much our popularity came from playing live. It's like with Rush - a lot of people came out to see if we could pull off our music live. In Europe, about twenty percent of the audience tend to be musicians or friends of musicians, and they are studying how we do it live. The live thing has definitely kept us going for over twenty years. We've had many offers to start doing showcase club tours in the States and we could literally get into a van or bus and stay out there for four months. But the band is not into doing it until we have some kind of real release and some kind of record company support here, or else we'll drive around and play to five hundred or so people a night for four or six months and nobody will really know we did it. With the re-releases, we will have some kind of real support and then we'll start playing some shows here." :-> *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* 2. INDUSTRY PROFILE - DIXIE FULLER, Talent and Production Coordinator for Riverbend Festival It was 1997 and Dixie Fuller felt the yearning to go home after spending many years on the road working with a number of popular bands. Home was Chattanooga, Tennessee where Dixie was born. He always had an interest in music, but he was also into electronics and electrical equipment, studying their workings while attending the Tennessee Military Institute and later at University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. Then in 1979, Dixie's career felt a jump-start when he joined a band that was unknowingly about to make their jump to stardom. "I was working with a couple of local bands humping gear for free," he recalls. "The way I got my first real paying road gig was I went to see the band Alabama play in Chattanooga and I noticed they were having a real miserable time on stage. Their guitars were out of tune and their sound was a little shoddy. They didn't really have a crew yet and I don't guess that they had any inkling that they were going to be as good as they got. So I got an itinerary and went to see them in a concert in Cumming, Georgia. I had a handwritten resume and I caught their road manager Bruce Burnette coming off the bus. I showed (the resume) to him, and told him that I'd run sound, tune guitars, I could drive truck and that I'd work the first two weeks for free. That's how I got the job." So Dixie hit the road as a guitar tech with Alabama, who shortly would become one of country's hottest acts. He learned as much as he could and would become the stage manager and eventually the co-road manager with Greg Fowler. He worked with Alabama until 1986, actually playing percussion and rhythm guitar with them in the later years. Dixie also worked as a guitar tech with Neil Young, and was a road manager for Michael W. Smith, Ricky Skaggs and Clint Black. He also did lighting design for Patti LaBelle while working for a company called Bandit Lights. Bandit had the contract to do the lights for a fairly new event in Chattanooga called Riverbend Festival, and, in 1983, Dixie oversaw the lighting for Riverbend. He became so involved with going to production meetings and other festival aspects that he gained notice of the fest's executive director Richard Brewer. Richard brought Dixie back the next year as the manager of the Coca Cola Stage, a floating barge on the Tennessee River that is the largest stage at the festival. He would continue to do this for several years while still going on the road with the various bands he road managed, taking the month of June off every year to do the Riverbend gig. "The bands would almost design their tour around me or they'd find someone who could go out for me so I could work the Riverbend Festival." It was after his last road manager stint with the Oak Ridge Boys when he began to feel the urge to return Chattanooga to live. He was living in Nashville and met his wife Shannon there while she was working at the Sunset Grill which was frequented by Nashville songwriters. "I took a couple of jobs in Nashville working for a Harley dealership as a salesmen, but I needed a change and got tired of Nashville. I felt it was time to come back home. I visited quite a few times and I liked the direction the town was moving in." Once back home, Dixie began helping his mom run their family's restaurant Zar Zours Cafe which at eighty-four years is the oldest restaurant in Chattanooga. He continued to manage Riverbend's Coca Cola Stage and then when Richard Brewer left in 2000, the new executive director plucked Dixie from his stage manager duty and tabbed him as the Talent and Production Coordinator for the entire festival. Dixie wanted to do this but did not know this was going to happen until it was offered to him. "That put me immediately in charge of hiring all the sound, lights, labor, stages, tops, and video company as well as all one hundred sixteen acts of entertainment on five stages, including street performers and additional performers for an event we call the Bessie Smith Strut. They saw that I had a great vision about the direction we needed to travel in and I love this work. It's not like this is a job for me. It just comes first nature." Until this point, the only time Dixie dealt with anything resembling talent buying was when he was a road manager. He always read the band's contracts for any upcoming shows. But he learned the in's and out's of making offers for the band as he went along and it made for a great festival in 2001. "I had to learn a little bit about playing the game: who I needed to call and how to find the best possible avenues to find the artists that I wanted. That is something I knew nothing about and I basically had to teach myself. I called Paul Moore, the fairs and festivals buyer at William Morris Agency in Nashville, and I met with him and I did get a couple of acts from him, but he was there as a friend and was very helpful in showing me how to get started in this area. It has been a real challenge for me, but I hired a good staff and we all rose to the situation. It proved to be a great festival for us this year." Dixie also worked to broaden his musical perspective including the local and regional scenes to find talent that will go over well with the crowds at the festival, with tastes can vary from rock, country and jazz to blues, Gospel, R&B and several other styles. Although the 2001 Riverbend Festival has only been over for a little over a month, Dixie is already starting to look for acts for the 2002 edition which will be the festival's twenty-first year. "When I look at indie bands, what I really like to do is take one of the smaller stage bands that nobody in Chattanooga may have ever heard of, and educate them on who the band is, where they are from, what their roots are and what their strong points are. I always listen for tightness, because if a band is tight and their vocals are good and the rhythm section supports that tightness, you've got something to start with. I've got a pretty fair ear for what people like and you can at least get a couple of acts on every night that people as a whole will like." Beyond Riverbend, Dixie would someday like to be a personal manager, most likely for a single blues artist who's career he could cultivate from the ground up. But he is happy with how things are going with the festival, and whether it is main stage headliners, smaller stage indies or the roving grounds musicians, he and his staff are working to ensure that the people who attend Riverbend this year and in years to come will be immersed in the best possible musical entertainment. "As soon as people come through the gate or a pin check point, I want them to see activity. I want them see fun immediately. I want them to be able to stand at any point on the festival grounds and see some kind of music going on. I've seen many ups and downs with this festival, but it is a great festival, it's very nicely run and very geared towards family entertainment even with the beer sponsorship. But the main idea is to gear everything towards whole family involvement.":-> *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* 3. ALBUM CAPSULES/VIDEO REVIEW by Mark E. Waterbury Saga - House Of Cards Dulce Sky - 2 song demo The Capitol Years - Meet Yr Acres The Underground - Various Artists Keven Brennan - Keven Brennan's Revival Tent Bill Reveles - Unamerican Dream Jenny Choi and the Third Shift - Grand and Ashland Slitheryn - 2 song demo _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* 4. SCOTT TURNER'S SONG PUBLISHER'S PERSPECTIVE Certified Guitar Player That's how he signed his name...Chet Atkins C.G.P.. As Chet would often say, "I never got a college degree, so I gave myself one." C.G.P.
Not just Nashville, but the world has lost a great influence with the death of Chet. Personally, he was not just a mentor, but a great friend who always had time for me. I just met him in 1960 when I came to town with Guy Mitchell. A friend of mine in L.A., Dick Pierce, the A&R Chief of R.C.A. Hollywood had called Chet and asked him to listen to some of my songs. I went to his office and Chet was most cordial towards me. I had tapes on the songs, but Chet passed me a guitar and said, "Sing 'em for me", and I sing like the north wind blowing over a field of rusty bathtubs, but somehow, I got through them and Chet said, "Hey, you sing like me, but I like the songs....leave me the tapes." In '68 when I was transferred to Nashville to head up Liberty/U.A., my office was right next door to Chet's and any time I'd get a song in that was "industrial strength BAD", I'd bring it to Chet with a note stating, "Try this with Eddy Arnold (or Jim Reeves, etc.)", and Chet would always enjoy listening to these "baddies". He'd always be waiting for the next one. I mentioned in a prior column that Chet asked me if I could get Audie Murphy to come in and host the Cerebral Palsy Telethon in 1971. When I called Audie and told him it was Chet who asked for him, he couldn't wait to get here, and the two of them bonded immediately - to the extent that Chet invited Audie and I to play in his golf tournament. Audie accepted. But sadly, he was killed in a plane crash 10 days later. A book came out on Audie's life and I gave one to Chet. Two days later, I received a note from him that stated, "Boy, he sure was a tough rascal, wasn't he? Do you know that we were born on the same day, same year? June 20, 1924." Quite a coincidence. Over the years, Chet produced many songs that I had written, but my proudest moment was when I took a song to him about his father titled, "I Still Can't Say Good-bye". Chet sang the song beautifully. (It's on a series of tapes I'm doing for Music Morsels.) Also, Roy Clark had given my son Trevor a "Chet Atkins" model guitar, but one of the strings had a slight buzz in it so I took Trev to Chet's office to ask him where we should take it. Chet took the guitar out of the case and personally adjusted it while Trev stood there wide-eyed in the presence of his idol. That's the kind of man he was. He always cared more about the people around him and the people he produced, rather than focusing attention on himself. What a gentleman. The last time I saw him was last year at Kitty Wells' 80th birthday party. Even though he was failing, he managed to make the event. Now my old friend is gone, but perhaps he and Perry (Como) and Audie are finally playing that round of golf they missed in 1971. :-> _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* 5. QUIPS & QUOTES Stories & Sayings to keep you motivated in your career Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. - Mark Twain Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity. - Louis Pasteur A little reciprocity goes a long way. - Malcolm Forbes The Five D's of Success _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* 6. SPECIAL REVIEWS MOVIE REVIEW - Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story by Mark E. Waterbury
You had to figure it would only be a matter of time before someone did a movie dramatization of the amazing story of one of rock's most successful bands Def Leppard. The triumph over adversity lineage of this fivesome that escaped the gritty industrial town of Sheffield, England is the kind of storybook set up that you would think a lot of producers and directors would wet their pants over. When a movie finally did get made, airing on VH1 of course, the dramatized story of the first eight years of The Lep's existence was told in an uneven but reasonably enjoyable way. The movie titled "Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story" focuses on the climb of the band and the epochal moments after their huge success with the album "Pyromania", its subsequent tour with the main focal points on the accident causing the loss of drummer Rick Allen's left arm and the affect on the band's recording efforts of guitarist Steve Clark's burgeoning drinking problem. The movie begins with the kind of "flash-forward" history trick showing Allen and his girlfriend racing through the English countryside in his Corvette, listening to a Def Leppard song of course, snorting coke, and playing cat-and-mouse with another car which eventually leads to the Vette flipping and ending up a smoking, mangled heap in a peaceful pasture. We know the result of that wreck but will not see it until later, as the movie flashes back for a quick jaunt through the band's formative era, the story's pace probably dictated by the ninety minute running time. The early moments take place in a Sheffield that did not appear nearly as dismal or gritty as it is reputed to be. OK, my expectations may be a tad high on that because when I think of gritty steel towns in the movies I think of "The Deerhunter", but I can forgive the hometown atmosphere faux pas. As the movie goes on, I found that the most effective scenes were those involving the interplay of the band members in certain conflicts and emotional situations, giving a reasonable glimpse at the friendships that kept the band intact through turmoil and tragedy. But the concert scenes, albeit somewhat well-mimicked and synched by the young unknown actors playing the band members, gave too glossy an appearance with too many effects used in music videos that gave the scenes a, well, video feel, instead of a representation of actual live concerts that had occurred. When compared to concert scenes in movies like "The Doors" or even "This Is Spinal Tap", there was not much reality to the live scenes in "Hysteria", although one high point for anyone who has been a fan of Def Leppard since the beginning is the usage of several songs from the debut "On Through The Night" album. In fact, more songs were used in the movie from this effort then from the mega-hits "Pyromania" and "Hysteria" combined. The dramatic scenes definitely were the glue that held the story together. Your average Def Leppard fan, myself being one, have seen enough concerts and live videos anyway, but seeing the band's off the stage stories come to life seemed to be the main focus of this movie. There were scenes that were well-crafted enough to garner pathos as you see Rick Allen standing dazed in an English field with a bloody stump where his left arm was. Or watching the beginning of the downward spiral into depression and alcoholism of guitarist Steve Clark. The alcohol problems were well told in this movie, from the removal of original guitarist Pete Willis due to his drinking, to the cleaning up of his replacement Phil Collen, who eventually became Clark's drinking buddy after joining the band. A scene of debauchery backstage after a concert on their breakthrough "Pyromania" tour was a bit excessive and almost too cliche, but chances are that it may also have been reasonably representative. There were warm moments as well, from the happiness the band achieves as production guru Mutt Lange takes their sound to new levels, or the support Allen receives from his family and band mates after his accident. Add to this little doses of humor and you can really get a feel of what director Robert Mandel was attempting to do: show how friendship and the heart of this band made them endure. This human part of the story (although it has been told in many other avenues) is the one that is more compelling than the technical parts of the band's success that were spottily represented. The cast that played the band members were for the most part adequate. Probably the best turn was from Karl Geary, who's portrayal of the troubled alcoholic guitarist Steve Clark was fairly chilling, even though his accent occasionally lapsed into a Scottish brogue. Tat Walley also did a credible performance as the youthful Rick Allen, who suddenly had to deal with the loss of a necessary tool for a drummer, that being one of his limbs. The part of Mutt Lange was very well played by ex-brat packer Anthony Michael Hall, who also recently played Bill Gates and Whitey Ford in cable movies and seems to have found his niche in character portrayal of real life people. The ensemble of background actors ranged from good to the fifteen minutes of fame types, but they helped give the movie a touch of realism, which is essential in a biopic. Even though the movie ends on a high note, with Rick Allen's triumphant return behind the kit and Def Leppard's first concert in nearly three years, it is a tad bittersweet as you know that Steve Clark will succumb to the ravages of alcohol in another five years. But the band endures, and while the treatment in "Hysteria" would have perhaps been more thorough if this had been a full-length theatrical release, it succeeds in some measures as an appreciation of what Def Leppard is all about and what they have gone through for their fans and for rock and roll. CONCERT REVIEW - G3 at The Tabernacle in Atlanta/After-Show Party with Dominic Gaudious at The Cotton Club by Mark E. Waterbury Daniel Webster and Peter Mark Roget must be turning over in their graves. Or maybe more appropriately, playing air guitar. For it is quite difficult to peruse the volumes of words that they have provided us and find adequate plaudits for the incredible musical display that took place at Atlanta's Tabernacle and Cotton Club on a sweltering Thursday, July 19th. When outsiders think of a music scene in Atlanta, you have to wonder what they think of? Country? Hip-hop? Crazed drunks yelling out "Freebird" at a southern rock concert, their Zippo's held aloft until they scorch their fingers? Perhaps these elements are there, but this is a melting pot city, and something that was obvious at the G3 concert, as well as concerts in the past couple of years featuring Dream Theater, Dixie Dregs, Steve Morse Band, Yes and Jethro Tull, is that there is a distinct portion of music fans in the Georgia State Capitol that have an extreme respect for musical prowess in the world of rock and roll. And these rock connoisseurs, per se, were packed to the gunwales at the Tabernacle to witness the third installment of the G3 tour, the brain child of guitar deities Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. A stop in Atlanta is essential for tours like this as the town's reputation for appreciation of intense musical genius is catching on, and the response to the music played on this night was no less than the highest extremes of enthusiasm.
John Petrucci was the first person to hit the stage, and even though he was the third "G", the word "opening act" never comes to mind. After all, this slot was previously occupied by, oh, a couple of guys named Eric Johnson and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Petrucci didn't disappoint, and how could he; adding to his talents the phenomenal rhythm section of fellow Dream Theater member Mike Portnoy on the drums and Dixie Dregs/Steve Morse bassist Dave LaRue. The short set was primarily new material, laden with the type of metal power cords and dramatic soloing that Dream Theater fans are quite familiar with, but also touches of virtuoso finesse that would be a precursor to the remaining "G's". When Petrucci finished the show with Liquid Tension Experiment's "Paradigm Shift", the crowd screamed approval and flashed looks of awe on many a face present. But the night of the rock and roll artiste had just begun.
After an equipment change, Steve Vai stepped up and immediately transformed the stage into ground zero, laying waste to the audience with "Shy Boy". This was one of the very few vocal songs of the evening, sung by half of another incredible rhythm tandem, bassist Billy Sheehan. Joined by the full throttle drumming of "The Thunder From Down Under" Virgil Donati, and at various times the extra guitar flavors added by Mike Keneally and Dave Weiner, the set was incredibly raucous. Vai is definitely a flashy player and performer, as are Sheehan and Donati, but unlike some bands, they back up their flash with dazzling musical abilities, evident in songs from newer ones like "The Animal" to older tunes such as "Erotic Nightmares". Vai also let Sheehan and Donati show off their immense chops with "The Thunder" performing a fantastic drum solo in which he played rapid-fire fills while spinning his sticks. When these guys left the stage, the audience somehow increased their roar of appreciation, although the heat of a Georgia July evening combined with the searing musical fire blazing from the stage should have started to drain your average person. But the maestro had yet to step to the podium.
Joe Satriani is a true maestro; not much flash and panache, just pure talent and technique. Right from the first blistering notes of "Flying In a Blue Dream", he showed why he is one of the worlds's most respected guitarists. Backed by the solid and again incredibly talented rhythm duo of bassist Stu Hamm and drummer Jeff Campittelli, the intense set included newer songs like "Raspberry Jam" mixed with Satch favorites like "Surfing With the Alien and "Satch Boogie". While Satriani is about technique, his shows, while tight are not stiff or too contrived, as he showed while adding his harmonica parts to "The Extremist" or morphing the riffs of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" into an intro for his classic "Summer Song".
Then came the moment that many had been waiting for all night, probably all year for. Petrucci, Vai and Sheehan all joined Satch's band on the stage for a furious jam of cover songs. The first was a gutsy version of ZZTop's "LaGrange" sang with serious fervor by Sheehan. This was followed by a near necessity when great guitarists are involved; a Hendrix tribute, with explosive versions of "Voodoo Chile" and "Little Wing." The three ax masters gleefully took turns soloing for the crowd, and after finishing with the crowd pleaser "I'm Going Down", I don't think there was a person in the packed house that was not on their feet and roaring in musical ecstasy. And for good reason, considering that not just Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and John Petrucci but the members of their bands were the cream of the crop of rock and roll. And if cream rises to the top, the folks at the Tabernacle would have drowned in it, and we all know how high the ceiling there is. But the evening still was not finished, for a very tasty dessert was being served downstairs at the Cotton Club.
A number of weary rock and rollers stumbled downstairs and suddenly the look of awe returned to their faces as Atlanta's own guitar virtuoso Dominic Gaudious was performing an amazing acoustic set. Playing a double neck guitar of his own design that he had custom built, Dominic flawlessly danced his fingers between the six and twelve string necks, playing a plethora of styles ranging from new age to Spanish and Italian influences to licks that would have fit in nicely with the legends that had played previously on the stage one floor up. This is the second time in recent weeks that Dominic has played at the Cotton Club, and each time he has gained more fans, and for good reason. Anyone who can play acoustically and enthrall people who have just been stunned by the musical exploits of one Satriani, Vai and Petrucci definitely has something special going. My thesaurus did not get much use, because it is too easy to think of adjectives like "awesome", "stunning" and "incredible" when thinking of these musicians, and those terms still seem to fall a bit short. Perhaps if there is a spot in a thesaurus for "musical excellence" it should have the names of Satriani, Vai, Petrucci and maybe one day Gaudious. And a few other names of folks hanging around the Tabernacle stage on that hot July night in Atlanta. :-> Photos by Mark E. Waterbury _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* 7. MUSIC BIZ NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES Music Morsels encourages all of you to fax your press releases to us at 678/494-9269 or email them to MusMorsels@aol.com for possible inclusion in this column. This column will be featured monthly. Deadline for inclusion is the 25th of the month for the upcoming issue. Attn: Musicians: Got Good PR?? Attn: Musicians - Serge Entertainment Group is always seeking DEDICATED booking representatives in all parts of the USA. If you have booking experience through booking your own band (or anyone else's) and you want to make some extra money by securing quality bookings for other indie bands, please email SergeEnt@aol.com for more information. This is your opportunity to help other indie musicians and make money while doing so! Commission based with incentive program. KBLO Radio, headquartered in Provo, Utah at the moment, is broadcasting locally at 92.7fm and globally at it's internet server found on the home page. What is www.kbloradio.com good for? Check out their web site and find out! Bob Baker is giving away five copies of his new "Online Music PR Hot List." "Some professionals hide their secrets, but not Bob," says Jeffrey P. Fisher, author of Ruthless Self-Promotion in the Music Industry. "He's generously given independent music people the keys to the publicity kingdom." Fisher is referring to Bob Baker's "Online Music PR Hot List," a new e-book that reveals 89 places to submit press releases, get reviewed, uncover PR connections and promote your music on the Internet. Between now and August 31, 2001, Baker is holding an online drawing and will give away five copies of his new music publicity directory. Songwriters, musicians and bands can enter the drawing at this special web page: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/PRgiveaway.html Baker is the author of several books, including the "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook," "Branding Yourself Online: How to Use the Internet to Become a Celebrity or Expert in Your Field" and "Ignite Your Creative Passion." He also publishes The Buzz Factor < http://www.thebuzzfactor.com/ >, a web site and e-zine that provides inspiration and low-cost marketing ideas to songwriters, musicians and bands on a budget. Prometheus X Productions in Athens, Georgia announces that the deadline dates for submission to The 2001 Kudzu Film Festival (October 7-14, 2001) and EYEBALL Music Video Showcase are fast approaching. Those wishing to submit films & videos early should have them postmarked by July 20th, 2001 and anyone needing a little extra time has until August 3rd, 2001. The Kudzu Film Festival will kick off Sunday, October 7th with an evening of student films in competition, to be judged by students from The University of Georgia's Cinematic Arts organization. The week continues with special screenings until Wednesday, October 10th when official competition starts at the Tate Center Theater. Daily morning coffee chats with our judges, late night Green Lantern Music benefit shows and parties run from Thursday, October 11th until the EYEBALL Music Video Showcase on Saturday night October 13th at the World Famous 40 Watt Club, hosted for its third year by the 8-Track Gorilla and his new all girl backing band The Phantom Felines. Awards for both Kudzu and EYEBALL 2001 will be handed out at the Historic Morton Theater on Sunday, October 14th to close out this years events. Judges (TBA) for the Kudzu Film Festival will also serve to select winners for EYEBALL MVS 2001. The Official judges for 2001 are: Margret RR Echiverria actress from the award winning short "Jigsaw Venus", Mark Wynns, program director of Atlanta's IMAGE Film & Video Festival, gallery curator Candice Bennett of Atlanta's eleven50, Andy Pratt of Seattle Post Affiliates, and British Music Video Icon & Filmmaker W.I.Z. have signed on, and will arrive in Athens on Wednesday, Oct. 10th for judging. Sponsor information and application forms are currently available for download at http://www.prometheus-x.com or via fax/U.S. Mail or by calling 706-613-7126. Please let us know if you are seeking submissions or sponsorship information, and for which event when leaving a message so that a representative may help process your request immediately. Late deadline for both events is slated for August 3rd, 2001. Check out the new issue of Puremusic, at http://www.puremusic.com. It's all about singer/songwriters and music for grownups from new folk to R&B, country to pop, spoken word to instrumental. Please send CDs for review to the address below. http://www.puremusic.com 707 Estes Rd. Nashville, TN 37215 615 385 3426 Attn: Music Businesses - When you list your company on ClearlyMusic.com you make yourself highly visible to the musicians and individuals searching for your services. Unlike print industry directories that your potential client has to go out and buy, anyone with a computer and a modem can find out about you for free through ClearlyMusic.com. Imagine having thousands of music industry contacts at your finger tips without having to spend money on expensive, outdated directory publications. With ClearlyMusic.com, your company's listing can be updated at anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is a fee for this service. :-> _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_ 8. MUSIC INDUSTRY MARKETING SHOWCASE Looking for products or services to assist you on your path to success?? Then look here! Ad rates are only $15. Your ad runs for 3 months and has visibility all over the world. For complete ad rates, contact MUSMORSELS@aol.com. All ads are also posted on our web site at http://www.serge.org/marketing.htm. ====================================== Music Morsels’ Own Scott Turner Chronicles His Life In Audio Cassette Series To order Tape #1, please complete this form (copy and paste is easiest) and mail with your check or money order for $12 plus $1 shipping and handling ($13 total) to: Scott Turner Cassette Series, c/o Serge Entertainment Group, P.O. Box 2760, Acworth, GA 30102 USA . You will receive ordering information for additional tapes when you receive your first tape. Name __________________________________________ Address ________________________________________ City, State, Zip __________________________________ Phone__________________________________________ Email __________________________________________ Please make checks payable to Serge Entertainment Group. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. Thank you for your order! ====================================== ATTENTION UNSIGNED BANDS! ================================ Indie-Music.com ~ Save Time & Promote Your Music Free! ================================ SONGWRITER'S MONTHLY - the stories behind today's songs. For a free sample, call 1-800-574-2986. ================================ "Best of Bad Boy", the CD on Surgeland Records by Midwestern rockers Bad Boy has sold-out its first pressing. On to the second pressing. To order, visit the best on-line indie store around - CD Baby - at www.cdbaby.com. Also available at The Exclusive Company, Mainstream Records, Nickelodeon, Dream Disc and Madcity Music Exchange. Overseas the cd is available through DSB Distributors in Germany. For more info on Bad Boy, please visit their web site at www.serge.org/badboy.htm. Order at http://cdbaby.com/badboy or call 1-800-448-6369. THE LEGEND LIVES ON.... ================================= Musicians Tip Sheet - The Tip Sheet is a free newsletter for musicians which includes many industry contacts and informative information about the music industry. To subscribe, please send an email to: mailto: musicians-tipsheet-subscribe@egroups.com ================================= Attn: COUNTRY MUSIC LOVERS - hearing is believing! If you haven't ordered your own copy of Lea Brennan's debut CD "The Entrance" produced by Nashville's Scott Turner, please do so now at www.cdbaby.com/leabrennan. If you like Stevie Nicks, Alison Krause and Dolly Parton, you will love this beautiful soprano's vocal renditions on this collection of wonderful traditional country tunes! http://www.serge.org/leabrennan ================================= The new alt/rock CD "Seeing in the Dark" featuring the single "Nothing at All" which aired on the ABC series "Making the Band" by NineDollarMelonBaller is now available at CD Baby http://www.cdbaby.com/ndmb2. ================================ CD Baby - the best indie online store in the world - www.cdbaby.com ================================ JOIN INTERMIXX, the nation's first true indie music Internetwork. Indie musicians need to market themselves in every way they can, to reach the maximum number of consumers. The Internet has helped make this more possible now than ever before. Maximize your Internet marketing capability by joining InterMixx. Find out more by entering the InterMixx IndieGate: http://www.IndieGate.com or call 1 800 MIXX MAG. Because Sandy Serge, editor of Music Morsels, is a valued InterMixx member, please mention Music Morsels and receive a special $50 discount off the annual membership fee of $150.00! ============================= ATTENTION BANDS, LABELS, MUSICIANS & MUSIC BUSINESSES! Serge Entertainment PR gives you access to all of the music industry's top publishers, editors and journalists in print, broadcast and the Internet. We position you for success!! Visit our web site at http://www.serge.org/sepr.htm. ============================= Get a FREE subscription to The Buzz Factor, Bob Baker's music marketing tip sheet. Every issue features inspiration and low-cost marketing ideas for your independent band or record label. To subscribe, just send a blank email to 00-BuzzFactor-subscribe@egroups.com or visit http://www.thebuzzfactor.com. ============================= 181.4 Degrees from the Norm! http://www.181.4.com/dftn/. If you're looking for today's newest music, then stop by 181.4 Degrees from the Norm! We put out a new issue each month that's loaded with album reviews, regular columns, concert reviews, and more. No fluff - just truth in reviewing. ================================ Attention: ================================ GAJOOB Magazine's DiY Report is a listing of DiY recording information, distributed freely over the Internet 2-3 times monthly for musicians. To subscribe, send an e-mail to gajoob@utw.com. Also available in hypertext format on the World Wide Web at http://www.utw.com/~gajoob/pages/diyreports/52.html. ================================ Fall into a place beyond earth listening to music by new age/classical pianist Mark Birmingham. Visit his web site at http://www.rosemeadrecordings.com for a taste of his "Garden Life" CD that offers some true soothing and relaxing music as well as several uplifting, emotive tunes for your listening pleasure. Media members: For more info or a presskit, contact SergeEnt@aol.com. ================================ ATTN: MUSICIANS! HAVE WE GOT THE 411 FOR YOU! Get the only directory you will ever need - A&R Registry (Regional A&R contacts not listed in any other directory with all major & independent labels in LA, NY, Nashville & London). All this for only $325.00 1 year (6 issues) or get a trial issue for only $65.00. Call the Music Business Registry at 800-377-7411 for ordering information. _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_ 9. MUSIC MORSELS SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION To SUBSCRIBE to our FREE e-mail version of Music Morsels, send an email message to MusMorsels@aol.com and put the word "Subscribe" in the subject field. That's it. Expect to receive your email issue the first week of every month. Please note: We do not share or sell our mailing list with anyone so your privacy is protected. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ That's it for August! Thank you for your subscription. E-ya next month! -ed. |
||
| To the Serge Home Page. Back to the Music Morsels page. |
