Hi again Music Fans,
This is actually for the actors among you, but I have a feeling it will hit music, too. It sounds unbelievable, but I checked the facts and verified them with the reporter who did the original story that appeared on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.
If you've ever posted your headshot and resume to an online modeling and talent agency website--you know how I feel about those if you read MusicBizAdvice.com--or know someone who goes to auditions, the new ScamAlert Safety Alert we posted in the April issue of MusicBizAdvice.com is required reading. (It's in the center column, directly under "This Month on...")
Some sick, evil people are using online modeling and talent agency websites to pose as legitimate casting directors for a famous film company to lure women to "auditions." When they arrive they're kidnapped, stripped of their identification, and shipped overseas to work in the sex slave trade.
Ladies, if you go to an audition, bring a male friend. That's how 2 of the actresses in the story foiled kidnapping attempts in New York.
And, while we're at it...If you're under 18, that person must be a parent or guardian. Minors can't sign contracts, so no legitimate casting person, agent, manager, or producer will ever see a minor without the parent or legal guardian.
Be safe,
Randi Reed
Editor in Chief / Founder
MusicBizAdvice.com
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Reader Feedback Reply to the American Idol and Chris Daughtry “Walk the Line” Controversy
Greetings Music Fans,
I’ve been going through MusicBizadvice.com’s feedback mail…
There’s been a lot of commentary during the past couple of weeks about Chris Daughtry’s forgetting to credit Live with the arrangement when he performed “Walk the Line” on American Idol's ‘50’s night a couple of weeks ago.
Some of you have asked how that affects the performance notes we wrote in the MBADC American Idol Armchair Quarterback, praising his song selection and the arrangement.
Here’s what happened from our point of view at MusicBizAdvice.com, and why our Armchair Quarterback notes about his performance stand as originally written:
The morning after Chris’s performance of “Walk the Line”, we were reminded that Chris Dughtry's arrangement was actually Live's arrangement. I love Live and had forgotten about their version. (Sorry guys, my bad. Apparently my brain cells' musical encylopedia wasn't working that night.)
I knew from the brewing backlash from Live fans on the Internet that American Idol had to address it--either by media statement, on Ryan Seacrest's radio show, or on AI. I made the decision to withhold comment on MusicBizAdvice.com until after their statement, because I felt to do otherwise would be unfairly proclaiming Chris guilty until proven innocent.
It would also be irresponsible of us, since votes are involved.
As you probably know, Ryan Seacrest and Chris corrected the omission during Chris's interview on the next American Idol performance show. After Ryan and Chris made the correction, I added an Editor's note to Chris's performance notes on our '50's Week page, as well as acknowledged it in Chris's performance notes for the next week, for those who didn't see it on the 50's Week page.
You can read the full Editor's Note here, which should answer part of your question regarding crediting Live. It also offers our best guess at why the omission happened.
As for how this knowledge affects what we wrote about Chris’s song selection and performance…
If we pretend for a moment that Chris had remembered to credit Live with the arrangement, my feelings about the performance and song selection still stand--in this case--for two important reasons:
A. Although the arrangement was word for word, it still works as a song selection and was still the right musical choice because Chris's voice doesn't sound like the guy from Live. Even on the same notes, Chris's voice has a clarity and energy that's unique.
B. Live's version was not a widely known classic with heavy, across the board airplay, so for most people there weren't immediate musical memories attached to it. (I like the band’s work and forgot it myself!)
Had either A. or B. not been the case, and if Chris wasn't unique as an artist, it wouldn't have worked as a song selection, and I'd call it karaoke.
As I said in the Editor's Note, the best musical example I can give is the Joe Cocker version of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends." The Joe Cocker version become a much-covered cover, and pretty much every rock band who ever played a bar in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s has covered the Joe Cocker version. The best renditions were done by people whose voices sounded completely different from Joe Cocker and held the notes differently.
Conversely, although I like Taylor Hicks’ voice a lot, if Taylor tried touring with it, it would sound karaoke, because he sounds like Joe Cocker. (Although for some reason I have the uneasy feeling that when the Top 10 finalists go on tour, we’ll see Taylor singing it. Please, no.)
So, Chris’s version of “Walk the Line” on American Idol was just fine, and our performance notes still stand.
Also, I don’t believe there was any underhanded thinking on Chris’s part with regard to not crediting Live, because he’d gone out of his way to mention another artist’s arrangement in a previous week. It’s live TV, performance nights are especially tight on time, and the contestants are still learning how to express themselves on camera.
That’s why the producers, musical directors, and people who put together the clip explaining his song choice should have made sure that, as a courtesy, Live was credited with the arrangement.
Fortunately, the voting audience didn’t take it out on Chris. I’m glad, because I think he’s an amazing singer.
We now return you to current topics…Were we surprised that Mandisa went home last night? Unfortunately, no. We liked her, but if you read this week’s MBADC Al Armchair Quarterback, you know we weren’t surprised.
Rock on (That was a really cool David Essex song from the ‘70’s, by the way…),
RR
Randi Reed
Founder / Editor in Chief
MusicBizAdvice.com
I’ve been going through MusicBizadvice.com’s feedback mail…
There’s been a lot of commentary during the past couple of weeks about Chris Daughtry’s forgetting to credit Live with the arrangement when he performed “Walk the Line” on American Idol's ‘50’s night a couple of weeks ago.
Some of you have asked how that affects the performance notes we wrote in the MBADC American Idol Armchair Quarterback, praising his song selection and the arrangement.
Here’s what happened from our point of view at MusicBizAdvice.com, and why our Armchair Quarterback notes about his performance stand as originally written:
The morning after Chris’s performance of “Walk the Line”, we were reminded that Chris Dughtry's arrangement was actually Live's arrangement. I love Live and had forgotten about their version. (Sorry guys, my bad. Apparently my brain cells' musical encylopedia wasn't working that night.)
I knew from the brewing backlash from Live fans on the Internet that American Idol had to address it--either by media statement, on Ryan Seacrest's radio show, or on AI. I made the decision to withhold comment on MusicBizAdvice.com until after their statement, because I felt to do otherwise would be unfairly proclaiming Chris guilty until proven innocent.
It would also be irresponsible of us, since votes are involved.
As you probably know, Ryan Seacrest and Chris corrected the omission during Chris's interview on the next American Idol performance show. After Ryan and Chris made the correction, I added an Editor's note to Chris's performance notes on our '50's Week page, as well as acknowledged it in Chris's performance notes for the next week, for those who didn't see it on the 50's Week page.
You can read the full Editor's Note here, which should answer part of your question regarding crediting Live. It also offers our best guess at why the omission happened.
As for how this knowledge affects what we wrote about Chris’s song selection and performance…
If we pretend for a moment that Chris had remembered to credit Live with the arrangement, my feelings about the performance and song selection still stand--in this case--for two important reasons:
A. Although the arrangement was word for word, it still works as a song selection and was still the right musical choice because Chris's voice doesn't sound like the guy from Live. Even on the same notes, Chris's voice has a clarity and energy that's unique.
B. Live's version was not a widely known classic with heavy, across the board airplay, so for most people there weren't immediate musical memories attached to it. (I like the band’s work and forgot it myself!)
Had either A. or B. not been the case, and if Chris wasn't unique as an artist, it wouldn't have worked as a song selection, and I'd call it karaoke.
As I said in the Editor's Note, the best musical example I can give is the Joe Cocker version of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends." The Joe Cocker version become a much-covered cover, and pretty much every rock band who ever played a bar in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s has covered the Joe Cocker version. The best renditions were done by people whose voices sounded completely different from Joe Cocker and held the notes differently.
Conversely, although I like Taylor Hicks’ voice a lot, if Taylor tried touring with it, it would sound karaoke, because he sounds like Joe Cocker. (Although for some reason I have the uneasy feeling that when the Top 10 finalists go on tour, we’ll see Taylor singing it. Please, no.)
So, Chris’s version of “Walk the Line” on American Idol was just fine, and our performance notes still stand.
Also, I don’t believe there was any underhanded thinking on Chris’s part with regard to not crediting Live, because he’d gone out of his way to mention another artist’s arrangement in a previous week. It’s live TV, performance nights are especially tight on time, and the contestants are still learning how to express themselves on camera.
That’s why the producers, musical directors, and people who put together the clip explaining his song choice should have made sure that, as a courtesy, Live was credited with the arrangement.
Fortunately, the voting audience didn’t take it out on Chris. I’m glad, because I think he’s an amazing singer.
We now return you to current topics…Were we surprised that Mandisa went home last night? Unfortunately, no. We liked her, but if you read this week’s MBADC Al Armchair Quarterback, you know we weren’t surprised.
Rock on (That was a really cool David Essex song from the ‘70’s, by the way…),
RR
Randi Reed
Founder / Editor in Chief
MusicBizAdvice.com
Copyright 2006 Randi Reed. All rights Reserved.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Stage Presence: American Idol Contestants, and Stage Presence Then and Now..Plus AI's Producer Disses Shakira
Good Morning, Music Fans,
I’m in the midst of writing the performance notes into column form for the MBADC American Idol Armchair Quarterback for MusicBizAdvice.com but wanted to pop in with an observation…
At this stage of the game, the contestants should have a much better idea of cover songs that really connect with an audience.
They should also have far better stage presence than they do.
But, this is what happens when we have a generation of kids who take private voice lessons and only sing for their family, friends, and instructors...and who don't go to live concerts.
Starting at a young age (14, 15) my musical peers all learned what connects with a live audience by playing backyard parties, school events, frat parties, and jam sessions, and by getting gigs at tiny little clubs. Since they’d learned as they went along, it was rare for even local artists to not have stage presence. (Some more than others, but most of them knew how to connect.) They also built loyal fan bases.
Vocal coaching was rare then, too—Most of my musical peers never took a lesson until they blew out their voices on the first tour or got nodes on their vocal cords. (Not a great way to go.)
Conversely, now we have droves of kids who have a high level of technical ability, but have no clue what songs connect with an audience.
Seeing Katharine McPhee smile when she sings blues is the final straw. It’s the blues, Katharine. People with the blues don’t smile.
The same goes for Elliott Yamin. If it’s a sad lyric, don’t smile!
Readers, if you’re not playing live, start. Look for opportunities to do so everywhere you go…You won’t make a lot of money at it, and you’ll be doing gigs where you don’t get paid at all, but what you gain in experience and stage presence is priceless. Learn what you’re doing before you start trying to get famous.
P.S. American Idol Producer Nigel Lythgowe (sp) just said on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show that when Shakira was on American Idol, the contestants never met her, although AI requested that she go out and talk to them. He said, quote, “she wouldn’t get off her ass” and go out to talk to them, and that she's no longer welcome to have anything to do with the show because "it's about the kids" and, he feels she used the show to promote her CD without regard to the contestants.
Live your dreams!
Randi Reed
Editor in Chief, MusicBizAdvice.com
P.P.S. Yeah, yeah, I'm still learning how to insert links on Blogger, so bear with me...I'll have Webmaster Extraordinaire show me again and will go back in and change them. (Done!)
Edited to get rid of a typo, and to add a performance suggestion.--RR
Copyright 2006 Randi Reed. All rights reserved.
I’m in the midst of writing the performance notes into column form for the MBADC American Idol Armchair Quarterback for MusicBizAdvice.com but wanted to pop in with an observation…
At this stage of the game, the contestants should have a much better idea of cover songs that really connect with an audience.
They should also have far better stage presence than they do.
But, this is what happens when we have a generation of kids who take private voice lessons and only sing for their family, friends, and instructors...and who don't go to live concerts.
Starting at a young age (14, 15) my musical peers all learned what connects with a live audience by playing backyard parties, school events, frat parties, and jam sessions, and by getting gigs at tiny little clubs. Since they’d learned as they went along, it was rare for even local artists to not have stage presence. (Some more than others, but most of them knew how to connect.) They also built loyal fan bases.
Vocal coaching was rare then, too—Most of my musical peers never took a lesson until they blew out their voices on the first tour or got nodes on their vocal cords. (Not a great way to go.)
Conversely, now we have droves of kids who have a high level of technical ability, but have no clue what songs connect with an audience.
Seeing Katharine McPhee smile when she sings blues is the final straw. It’s the blues, Katharine. People with the blues don’t smile.
The same goes for Elliott Yamin. If it’s a sad lyric, don’t smile!
Readers, if you’re not playing live, start. Look for opportunities to do so everywhere you go…You won’t make a lot of money at it, and you’ll be doing gigs where you don’t get paid at all, but what you gain in experience and stage presence is priceless. Learn what you’re doing before you start trying to get famous.
Also, get out there and see live performances. If you're underage to get into clubs and tickets are too expensive in your area, check out DVDs of performances. Adelphia Cable's On Demand feature has a lot of free concerts in their music section, too. Watch a variety of performances, in many musical genres, to see what makes crowds react. (I don't recommend viewing clips on your computer for this purpose, BTW--You need a larger screen to really see exactly what the performers are doing to get that reaction.)
It's the musical equivalent of football and basketball players watching footage of classic games; they watch the plays closely to see what works, then they incorporate them into their own game. So go play, team!
I’m going back to my article now…Barring any server problems, it will be up on MusicBizAdvice.com before Ryan Seacrest reads the results on the East Coast. (Update 11:45 AM: It's up!)P.S. American Idol Producer Nigel Lythgowe (sp) just said on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show that when Shakira was on American Idol, the contestants never met her, although AI requested that she go out and talk to them. He said, quote, “she wouldn’t get off her ass” and go out to talk to them, and that she's no longer welcome to have anything to do with the show because "it's about the kids" and, he feels she used the show to promote her CD without regard to the contestants.
Live your dreams!
Randi Reed
Editor in Chief, MusicBizAdvice.com
P.P.S. Yeah, yeah, I'm still learning how to insert links on Blogger, so bear with me...I'll have Webmaster Extraordinaire show me again and will go back in and change them. (Done!)
Edited to get rid of a typo, and to add a performance suggestion.--RR
Copyright 2006 Randi Reed. All rights reserved.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Britney Spears Spoofs Clear Channel on "Will and Grace"
Greetings, Music fans!
(One of my goals this week: learn how to use the audio blog feature so I can post more regularly, and on the fly.) (Update: never could get it to work.)
Don'tcha love when art and real life collide with perfect timing?
Kudos, kudos, and more kudos, to the writers of tonight's Will and Grace episode for their brilliant spoof of Clear Channel. Ahem. Or I should say, for the brilliant spoof of a media conglomerate that has some incidental similarities to media companies like Clear Channel.
The airing of this particular episode was especially timely: Recently Clear Channel fired Indie 103 morning DJ Dicky Barrett from his successful morning show the same day he had, according to Dicky's press release, a "substantial, unauthorized pro-choice on air conversation with a South Dakota DJ and a few callers." According to his press release differences about the show's direction played a role, but in Dicky's words, the pro-choice on air conversation was "the straw that broke the camel's back."
Welcome to America, kids...the Land of free speech. (!)
(Clear Channel maintains Dicky's departure was because his main priority was the Jimmy Kimmel show. Dicky refuted this on L.A. Voice.org, saying in part, "Jimmy is a great guy who supported the Mighty Morning Show...It is unfair to let people think I walked away to put more work into loudly reading twenty to thirty words a night on Jimmy's TV show.")
Ironically, in tonight's episode of Will and Grace, Britney Spears played a right-wing, flag waving (literally) Pro Bush supporter added to Jack's show by the conglomerate. In one scene, to Jack and Will's surprise and horror, she unfurls a huge American flag that covers the gay tolerance rainbow flag that hangs above Jack's talk show set.
In another bit of irony, in real life, Michael Steele, the Clear Channel Program Director responsible for programming decsions relating to Dicky Barrett's Indie 103 morning show, happens to pride himself on breaking Britney Spears' radio career.
Make your own judgements, Music Fans. But it was really bleeping brilliant!
(One of my goals this week: learn how to use the audio blog feature so I can post more regularly, and on the fly.) (Update: never could get it to work.)
Don'tcha love when art and real life collide with perfect timing?
Kudos, kudos, and more kudos, to the writers of tonight's Will and Grace episode for their brilliant spoof of Clear Channel. Ahem. Or I should say, for the brilliant spoof of a media conglomerate that has some incidental similarities to media companies like Clear Channel.
The airing of this particular episode was especially timely: Recently Clear Channel fired Indie 103 morning DJ Dicky Barrett from his successful morning show the same day he had, according to Dicky's press release, a "substantial, unauthorized pro-choice on air conversation with a South Dakota DJ and a few callers." According to his press release differences about the show's direction played a role, but in Dicky's words, the pro-choice on air conversation was "the straw that broke the camel's back."
Welcome to America, kids...the Land of free speech. (!)
(Clear Channel maintains Dicky's departure was because his main priority was the Jimmy Kimmel show. Dicky refuted this on L.A. Voice.org, saying in part, "Jimmy is a great guy who supported the Mighty Morning Show...It is unfair to let people think I walked away to put more work into loudly reading twenty to thirty words a night on Jimmy's TV show.")
Ironically, in tonight's episode of Will and Grace, Britney Spears played a right-wing, flag waving (literally) Pro Bush supporter added to Jack's show by the conglomerate. In one scene, to Jack and Will's surprise and horror, she unfurls a huge American flag that covers the gay tolerance rainbow flag that hangs above Jack's talk show set.
In another bit of irony, in real life, Michael Steele, the Clear Channel Program Director responsible for programming decsions relating to Dicky Barrett's Indie 103 morning show, happens to pride himself on breaking Britney Spears' radio career.
Make your own judgements, Music Fans. But it was really bleeping brilliant!
RR :)
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Random Thoughts on the Grammys
It's a crazy time with a lot going on (deadlines, Grammy week, DIY Convention) so today I'll just post a few Grammy Award observations...
Mariah Carey's awards should have been televised. She worked hard to regain her career, and politics shouldn't get in the way of her comeback moment.
Mariah Carey's awards should have been televised. She worked hard to regain her career, and politics shouldn't get in the way of her comeback moment.
Kelly Clarkson: Kelly's the real deal, and it's great to see her rewarded for that. Let her thank who she wants; she was in a daze, so leave her alone. I would be too.
Christina Aguilera: Christina looked beautiful and started off great, but got a bad case of the runs. The voice is already great without doing a run on every line. (Remember Mulan?)
Jamie Foxx and Kanye West: That was fun. Well done play on the lyrics, and the choreography was a blast.
Sly Stone: It's not easy to get up there after 14 years, in front of that crowd.
Green Day: Seeing them win was very cool.
Madonna and The Gorillas: I continue to be amused by the media who don't know the Gorillas have always been animated.
Keith Urban: Really nice performance of his hit. I like the guy.
Song of the Year: Should have been Rascal Flatts' Bless this Broken Road. It's a very well crafted song, and if I'm not even a country fan and know and like it, that says something.
Random Thoughts:
Ryan Seacrest: Loved Ryan Seacrest's coverage of the pre-show on E and how calmly he handles the chaos. (When someone did a porn star pose on the green carpet he deadpanned, "A little subtlety here tonight on the green carpet...") Ryan Seacrest was the weekend DJ on my station when I first moved to L.A., and I could never remember the poor guy's name and kept referring to him as Ryan Secrets or Ryan Seacrets. It's been very cool seeing his star take off. He's worked his butt off for it and deserves the rewards he's getting.
Live your dreams!
Randi Reed
Founder / Editor-in-Chief
MusicBizAdvice.com
http//:www.musicbizadvice.com
Copyright 2006 Randi Reed
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Required Viewing for Aspiring Musicians, Managers, and Agents (TV Review: There and Back: Ashley Parker Angel)
There and Back: Ashley Parker Angel should be Required Viewing for anyone who wants to be in the music industry. Even if this thing was 100% scripted, it would still be a pretty accurate portrayal of what happens to an artist after the success, money, and lifestyle go away.
It wasn't that many years ago that Ashley Parker Angel was a member of the boy band O-Town and had a hit single. All that's gone now--former O-Town bandmate Jacob works construction--and the series chronicles what life is like for a musician post-success. Ashley seems like a nice guy (maybe at times a little too nice for his own good) who signed a bad deal that screwed him out of his recording advance, and I can't help feeling for him. The fact that he's clearly a more talented singer and songwriter than O-Town allowed him to show makes me like him even more (so reserve your boy-band perceptions 'til after you've seen the show).
Watching the scene with the meeting with the producers who (allegedly!) screwed him over made my blood boil, because just by looking at them, it was fairly obvious where his advance probably went. (Allegedly!) Hearing them spew their manipulative BS about not wanting lawyers to get in the way of the music had me yelling, "Don't fall for it Ashley!" at the TV. If the scene was real (MTV got a lot of flack last year for allegedly scripting its "reality" moments on other shows) the presence of MTV cameras and manager Larry Rudolph certainly got him out of the situation. And if it was scripted, it was very well done; I've heard those words hundreds of times myself from artists who were ripped off and told the same thing.
Meanwhile, there's life on the home front. On the show Ashley's pregnant girlfriend is about to pop with their first child, the hormones are getting to her, they live with her mom because Ashley can't afford a home of their own, and the resulting pressure of it all is getting to Ash. Meanwhile, he's trying to write an album that financially and career wise, he knows really needs to be a hit.
If you watch the show and think Ashley Parker Angel has it bad on the show--and he does--consider this: at least he has a top level manager, a deal with MTV, and people are taking meetings with him. Most artists in his situation don't, so using the show as a tool to learn where things went wrong businesswise to prevent it from happening to you or your clients is key, along with the knowledge that there's probably not going to be an MTV deal to help out. Kudos to Ashley for his bravery in being an object business lesson for fellow musicians.
Score: ****1/2 out of 5 stars.
Copyright 2006 Randi Reed
It wasn't that many years ago that Ashley Parker Angel was a member of the boy band O-Town and had a hit single. All that's gone now--former O-Town bandmate Jacob works construction--and the series chronicles what life is like for a musician post-success. Ashley seems like a nice guy (maybe at times a little too nice for his own good) who signed a bad deal that screwed him out of his recording advance, and I can't help feeling for him. The fact that he's clearly a more talented singer and songwriter than O-Town allowed him to show makes me like him even more (so reserve your boy-band perceptions 'til after you've seen the show).
Watching the scene with the meeting with the producers who (allegedly!) screwed him over made my blood boil, because just by looking at them, it was fairly obvious where his advance probably went. (Allegedly!) Hearing them spew their manipulative BS about not wanting lawyers to get in the way of the music had me yelling, "Don't fall for it Ashley!" at the TV. If the scene was real (MTV got a lot of flack last year for allegedly scripting its "reality" moments on other shows) the presence of MTV cameras and manager Larry Rudolph certainly got him out of the situation. And if it was scripted, it was very well done; I've heard those words hundreds of times myself from artists who were ripped off and told the same thing.
Meanwhile, there's life on the home front. On the show Ashley's pregnant girlfriend is about to pop with their first child, the hormones are getting to her, they live with her mom because Ashley can't afford a home of their own, and the resulting pressure of it all is getting to Ash. Meanwhile, he's trying to write an album that financially and career wise, he knows really needs to be a hit.
If you watch the show and think Ashley Parker Angel has it bad on the show--and he does--consider this: at least he has a top level manager, a deal with MTV, and people are taking meetings with him. Most artists in his situation don't, so using the show as a tool to learn where things went wrong businesswise to prevent it from happening to you or your clients is key, along with the knowledge that there's probably not going to be an MTV deal to help out. Kudos to Ashley for his bravery in being an object business lesson for fellow musicians.
Score: ****1/2 out of 5 stars.
Edited 1:28PM January 24 b/c my Grammar check program truly sucks.
Copyright 2006 Randi Reed
Monday, January 23, 2006
Why Are There So Damn Many References to Bon Jovi on MusicBizAdvice.com?
(Written on Sunday, January 22, 2006 but posted Mon Jan 23 due to power outages)
If you go to MusicBizAdvice.com and do a site search, you'll see a lot of references to Bon Jovi or Jon Bon Jovi. Sometimes this irritates managers or fans of other artists, who occasionally send me flame mail. That's OK. Life Lesson #10,049: No matter what you do, somebody's going to be ticked off.
Today's blog entry is actually for those who either genuinely want to know or who say, "You like the 80's or what?" (A question I find a little irritating, because it usually means the person asking it only pays attention to the Top 10 and has little appreciation for album cuts or longevity in the music business.)
The main reason is really pretty simple: MusicBizAdvice.com's readers span 67 countries and three age groups. No matter whom I'm addressing, where they live, or what kind of music they're into, if I refer to Bon Jovi or Jon Bon Jovi as an example of success in one of our articles, that reader knows whom I'm talking about. Given that the average career for a successful recording artist is 5 years, the band's 23 years of high visibility are pretty impressive.
(Sidebar: Bon Jovi is a band, Jon Bon Jovi is a guy. If you're working with or writing about them, it's polite to know this and get it right.)
More importantly, Jon Bon Jovi has the kind of work ethic and attitude I'd love for our readers to follow. Jon's a household name, and is obviously a great looking guy (some would say "stunning" in person). Given that and the way fans react when they meet him, most people expect him to be difficult or unpleasant to work with. But you'll rarely hear anyone who's worked with him say anything but the opposite. Some artists, on the other hand, act like they're entitled to make working together a miserable experience for everyone but themselves.
On a personal level, it's no secret that I've liked the band's music since I heard "Runaway" during Christmas 1983. I heard it long before I knew what Jon even looked like, and it still holds up as a well-written rock song when stripped down to its essence. But my favorite Bon Jovi stuff is well after 1986's Slippery When Wet
, and it's the stuff a lot of people other than hard core fans don't know:
Jon's vocal on "Dry County," (Keep the Faith) still gives me chills; if you listen to it on a great system with headphones, you can hear his voice open up on the line "I cursed the sky to open." Richie Sambora does an amazing solo on that track, too.
Jon's version of "Levon" on the Two Rooms CD is still one of the best rock vocals I've ever heard. The engineering and production are so well executed, you can almost hear him breathe. I'm especially impressed by this because it was recorded in Jon's home studio...in 1991, before Pro-Tools became standard.
I often play "Hey God" from These Dayswhen I'm royally ticked off, and "This Ain't a Love Song" (also from These Days) is my favorite wallow-in-it break up song. The first chorus of "Someday I'll be Saturday Night" Cross Road) kept me going during my worst days of a chronic illness ("Hey man, I'm alive, I'm taking each day and night at a time, I'm feeling like a Monday but someday I'll be Saturday night"), and This Left Feels Right's "It's My Life" and "Born to Be My Baby" sound so intimate, when I hear them I feel like I've walked into a room with a closed door.
Do I like the 80's? Yeah, they were OK. But I like the evolution of the band even more. And if you're an artist or songwriter, I wish it for you as well.
C 2006 Randi Reed
Disclosure of Endorsements/Recommendations/Financial Compensation or Business Relationships per FTC Blog Disclosure Regulations in effect December 1, 2009: In the 90's I worked for a concert promotion company that presented many Bon Jovi shows. Since that time I've received no financial compensation or free product in direct connection with the band. I have, however, interviewed their recording engineer for MusicBizAdvice.com, and the MusicBizAdvice.com website sells Amazon products as an Amazon Associate.
If you go to MusicBizAdvice.com and do a site search, you'll see a lot of references to Bon Jovi or Jon Bon Jovi. Sometimes this irritates managers or fans of other artists, who occasionally send me flame mail. That's OK. Life Lesson #10,049: No matter what you do, somebody's going to be ticked off.
Today's blog entry is actually for those who either genuinely want to know or who say, "You like the 80's or what?" (A question I find a little irritating, because it usually means the person asking it only pays attention to the Top 10 and has little appreciation for album cuts or longevity in the music business.)
The main reason is really pretty simple: MusicBizAdvice.com's readers span 67 countries and three age groups. No matter whom I'm addressing, where they live, or what kind of music they're into, if I refer to Bon Jovi or Jon Bon Jovi as an example of success in one of our articles, that reader knows whom I'm talking about. Given that the average career for a successful recording artist is 5 years, the band's 23 years of high visibility are pretty impressive.
(Sidebar: Bon Jovi is a band, Jon Bon Jovi is a guy. If you're working with or writing about them, it's polite to know this and get it right.)
More importantly, Jon Bon Jovi has the kind of work ethic and attitude I'd love for our readers to follow. Jon's a household name, and is obviously a great looking guy (some would say "stunning" in person). Given that and the way fans react when they meet him, most people expect him to be difficult or unpleasant to work with. But you'll rarely hear anyone who's worked with him say anything but the opposite. Some artists, on the other hand, act like they're entitled to make working together a miserable experience for everyone but themselves.
On a personal level, it's no secret that I've liked the band's music since I heard "Runaway" during Christmas 1983. I heard it long before I knew what Jon even looked like, and it still holds up as a well-written rock song when stripped down to its essence. But my favorite Bon Jovi stuff is well after 1986's Slippery When Wet
, and it's the stuff a lot of people other than hard core fans don't know:Jon's vocal on "Dry County," (Keep the Faith
) still gives me chills; if you listen to it on a great system with headphones, you can hear his voice open up on the line "I cursed the sky to open." Richie Sambora does an amazing solo on that track, too.Jon's version of "Levon" on the Two Rooms
CD is still one of the best rock vocals I've ever heard. The engineering and production are so well executed, you can almost hear him breathe. I'm especially impressed by this because it was recorded in Jon's home studio...in 1991, before Pro-Tools became standard.I often play "Hey God" from These Days
when I'm royally ticked off, and "This Ain't a Love Song" (also from These Days) is my favorite wallow-in-it break up song. The first chorus of "Someday I'll be Saturday Night" Cross Road) kept me going during my worst days of a chronic illness ("Hey man, I'm alive, I'm taking each day and night at a time, I'm feeling like a Monday but someday I'll be Saturday night"), and This Left Feels Right's "It's My Life" and "Born to Be My Baby" sound so intimate, when I hear them I feel like I've walked into a room with a closed door.Do I like the 80's? Yeah, they were OK. But I like the evolution of the band even more. And if you're an artist or songwriter, I wish it for you as well.
C 2006 Randi Reed
Disclosure of Endorsements/Recommendations/Financial Compensation or Business Relationships per FTC Blog Disclosure Regulations in effect December 1, 2009: In the 90's I worked for a concert promotion company that presented many Bon Jovi shows. Since that time I've received no financial compensation or free product in direct connection with the band. I have, however, interviewed their recording engineer for MusicBizAdvice.com, and the MusicBizAdvice.com website sells Amazon products as an Amazon Associate.
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