The Record as Icon

As someone of a particular age- read old -I am less inclined to the recent fascination and elevation of vinyl, or as us oldsters used to say, records. I'm not against them, in fact, as the photo above can attest, I still have my phonograph, record player, which I still use from time to time.

Mostly while watching sports because the play-by-play and commentary has, of late, become just a lot of background noise. Why not listen to something more interesting? With 4K hi-def, I won't be missing anything visually.

But this isn't about that.

No, this is about the elementary nature of playing records, which I imagine is part of the renewed interest in buying and spinning platters. Hipsters, anyone?

Naturally, in order to play records, one needs a record player, also referred to as turntables and phonographs. A quick review on Amazon finds many available from the portable, which were popular when you wanted to play anywhere, to $1000 Japanese imports. And for those with lots of extra dollars, there are the high end models that cost as much as a car.

Then there's the fun of getting up to flip the record (don't forget to clean it).

None of this is new to someone like me, who lived through the great age of vinyl in the 60's (probably the 50's as well, but that predates me) through the 80's, when CD's made their play. The irony with the whole record thing is that the quality of sound, which is what the Dad's are swinging, man, because records are king, is predicated on the entire signal chain, meaning that everything from the phonograph to the amp (preamp)/receiver to the speakers, including the wires, plays into how "good" your record sounds. This is minus the inherent limitations of vinyl to begin with, but that's old hat.

That means if you buy a $50 tabletop phonograph with built-in speakers, it probably won't sound any better than the MP3 does through tinny earbuds. For those more discernible listeners, there's the thrill of component matching and how long you'll be paying for it.

As a case study, I have a JVC QL-Y55F turntable, a Yamaha R-S300 receiver, which replaced a preamp/amp combo many years ago, feeding AR28 bookshelf speakers. The turntable and speakers I've had for 30 plus years. I spent real money on this stuff and as I've had them for that long speaks well of them. I have had to replace the cartridge on the turntable and both speakers have been reconed, but other than that, they still sound great... to my ears.

The point of this, as it has always been with audio, is what you hear is what you buy and what you buy, outside of budget, is subjective because, hopefully, you listened before you bought. And that is true of any media you listen to music through. I don't play heavy bass driven stuff through the AR28's because it beats the hell out of them; they're not built to move that much, but anything out of the classic period mentioned above sound great... to me.

And that's the whole point.

©2019 David William Pearce

The Masked SInger Asks a Serious Question

For anyone serious about their music, and isn't that thick with portend, shows like The Masked Singer ask the disturbing question: Should music be serious at all? In this instance, the answer is no, but few, if any, self-respecting musical people will be caught dead on this show.

But, their music might be. Is that bad, good; does it even matter? As noted in this review, it's doubtful Pete Townshend envisioned his song Who Are You? being used in so unserious a show as this. Then again, it's quite possible that most of the audience won't know who Pete Townshend is, and it gives Pete one more revenue stream that pays far more than streaming itself.

Who are you the show asks? Probably a B-list celebrity looking for a bump in "Oh yeah, I remember you, maybe", or a possible product endorsement future or the shocking denouement that there are B-list celebrities who can sing.

I assume.

I tried to watch, truly I did, for research obviously, but I confess I flamed out because I thought it was idiotic. I humbly apologize to those who found it better than that. And I freely admit to a certain snobbery when it comes to the performances I'll watch, but enough about me...

Well, a little more.

The question, assuming you're not Pete Townshend, is would you be up for having your song sung on TV by a B-list celebrity in some bizarre costume, for the purposes of possibly expanding your fan base. This assumes that there maybe songs sung that are not instantly recognizable, which is unlikely, which puts most of us less than well-known purveyors of music on the outside looking in.

It also assumes assumes the audience would be so taken by your song, assuming it was picked- though we all know if they do include a "new" song, it would be by someone a big label is pushing- that they would take the time and effort, think Shazam, to find out who wrote that song.

It's possible, just not probable, which makes my snobbery so much more potent!

I think...

©2019 David William Pearce

Photo by Magda Ehlers from Pexels

Strike Up the Band!

Photo by Vladislav Vasnetsov from Pexels

I got into music years ago, as a kid when I joined the band. Specifically, the school band. I played the trombone all throughout my school years, playing in every band they had: concert band, jazz band, pep band, the orchestra, and the marching band, to which I dedicated three years and many early mornings and sacred summer days-like the football team, we had to be ready when the season started.

As such, I am a fierce advocate for school bands and marching bands. To the point that I think they should the act during Superbowl halftime shows versus the overblown pap we're often subjected to. This is also true of your average college or pro game foisted upon the public on just about every day of the week: more bands at halftime; less talking heads pontificating on what we already know or don't care about.

This would do wonders for the bands themselves and music as a part of sports.

I thought of this recently, as I was watching the Harvest Festival parade in my hometown of Arvada, Colorado. It's exactly what it sounds like: a local parade filled with local people, including the schools in the area. All the high schools had marching bands and it was both fun and, at time, wistful, to see them.

They're not nearly as large as they once were. But, I suppose, that's to be expected. Less is put into the arts these days, which is a shame. Those of us from the 70's were incredibly fortunate, so much of that was supported and offered.

And without band, none of the music I make today or did for some many years would be possible. So much is infused subconsciously, so much absorbed and not noticed until years later. Yet it's there. 

I hear it so much more clearly now.

©2019 David William Pearce

Robot Pop and the End of Era of Pop Superstars

Photo by Alex Knight from Pexels

Recently, I've been reading Yuval Noah Harari's book, 21 Lessons for the Twenty-First Century.  

As pertains to this blog, music and the like, he points to the use of AI and algorithms to track and produce just the right kind of pop music-and perhaps any genre of music-that appeals to you and only you. It goes on to further the paradigm by noting that these computer programs will also create the entire dynamic of pop superstardom without any actual human superstars!

Lest you think that's bunk, spend a day listening to what pop music is today and note how much of it is the same derivative pap. Save the occasional producer who adds a "new" sound, the devolution of popular music is continuing at a steady pace. As such, how bad can AI produced pop music be compared to what's playing now?

In fact, because it can fine tune to your particular likes and dislikes, you personally will find what it plays for you to your liking. If this sound manipulative; it is, but no differently than what's being fed to you now.

For music producers, this will be a Godsend. For those who front the music, the performers, it may be the end of a long run for such entertainers. Sure, there will be some who make their mark, but if AI becomes so sophisticated that superstar avatars go along with the AI algorithm music, why would producers deal with petulant humans? Then there's the cost reduction: avatars aren't going to cost that much after they are produced and they won't age and won't have to be compensated throughout their holographic existence.

For the rest of us, who knows.

Mere humans will always sing and make music. Whether it has any monetary value... again, who knows? Recorded music is slowly being devalued; anyone gluming over their streaming payouts can attest to that.

But that capitalism; always has been, always will be. For the rest of us, the joy will still come from getting together and playing for one another.

See you there.

©2019 David William Pearce

How Much is Too Much?

I recently took the tour of the Taylor Guitar factory in San Diego. Naturally, being a musician and all, I had to play a number of the guitars they had in the store. It's like the candy store: you can't get enough until you're sick... or broke. Despite finding guitars that were very playable and had a great sound, I left empty handed. Some of this was my wife shaking her head at the thought of me blowing 4 grand on a guitar and some of it was "Don't you have enough guitars already?"

This question is often posed by the unbelievers or those with more sense.

In fact, I have 14 guitars, but I always note that they are all different and do different things rather than being a collection of say Gibson Les Pauls. That is, of course, disingenuous, but it's mine and I'm sticking with it.

But it is an interesting question: can you have too much? Which in this case means guitars. (We'll leave, for the moment, all the other musical and recording ephemera one can waste money on whether needed or not.)

The rational answer is yes, you can have too much.

Though 14 guitars is not actually that many and I wouldn't mind having many others, practically speaking, it would be impractical.

Why?

Because inevitably, you end up playing 1 or 2 guitars while the other collect dust. Even when recording and utilizing the different sounds each guitar provides, that doesn't mean it's played very often. I think of my 12-strings, which I rarely play and which I chide myself for not playing more! And, adding to that, what happens, as with my recent purchase of a jazz guitar (I know, right?), is that the guitar I had been playing the most, a Mexican Martin, is now doing time in a DADDAD tuning, which, oddly, has its perks: forcing me to write in that tuning, but I don't don't play it much of late.

And yes, having just bought a jazz guitar, which I didn't previously have, does it make sense to spend money on another acoustic, of which I have many?

According to my wife, the answer is "No!"

Not that I'm pinning this on her...

©2019 David William Pearce

For The Masses...

On the 8th of August, my merry band and I entertained the good folks at the Snohomish Farmers Market. It was a lot of fun.

Mostly, and for some this is distressing, we're background music, something to listen to while checking out the different stands at the market. Of course, people do look over as they pass by and many do stop for a moment or two to check out who exactly is making the music they're hearing.

Unlike a number of the other performers that play at the market throughout the year, we were playing all originals, no covers, and as we were obligated to play for 3 hours, that's mucho original. Not many artists have that much original material unless they've been writing and playing for many years. I have a lot of songs and it was fun to play a couple of long sets.

Because it was 3 hours, and because I've been meeting and playing with some fine local songwriters, I asked a couple to join the Fabulous Nancy K and me. Benny Lee and his daughter, Alexis, and Joy Taeko each played a set and we all mixed it up on a number of songs.

And I think the people at the market enjoyed the variety the 5 of us provided. The kids especially. There's something simply joyous in having a child stop in their tracks and watch, almost mesmerized by the players before them. That's why you go out and sing, why you put up with the loud cars passing by and the guy who thinks the best place to yack at his buddy is right in front of the performers.

Meh.

Other than that though, a great time, great atmosphere; worth every moment.

©2019 David William Pearce

Image and Brand

In order to be anybody, one must have an image and a brand, and everybody wants to be somebody.

This is especially important in those creative fields in which I dwell (in addition to music, I'm also an author of mysteries). I know this because it is reiterated in every article I read on how to be a success in the music biz, and we all want to be successful.

The only problem is I'm old, certainly by music standards, and I don't have a brash PR machine to get the word out. I've whined about the age thing so there's no use in going over that (jerks), but, as we all do, I still feel the need to play along.

We'll start with image, which obviously is how you project yourself to the world at large. Here are a few choices:

The first one obscures the fact that I'm no up and coming young dude. The second accepts that I'm a tad over the hill, but the fake hair makes me appear eternally youthful. Before you laugh at that, note that MANY rock gods from the 60's, 70's, and 80's all seem to have long luxurious hair even though we all know they don't, so no dismissing the wig. The third one, my favorite, is me when I was, in fact, young and good-looking. The only problem is that, like a dating app rendezvous, those who encounter me in real life will be disappointed.

Next.

The brand thing, for me, is fairly simple, here's my music, which I describe as beautiful sad songs that embrace pop, rock, and jazz traditions. Catchy, right?

Since everything depends on it, I've got to nail it.... Yeah, I thought the same thing.

Why is this important? Well, I have a new album coming out on July 26th, Winter:

Obviously, I'd like the world to hear it and love it and praise me and all the rest of that kind of thing and, as the articles advise, I've got to get it all together, man!

Wish me luck.

©2019 David William Pearce