Thoughts Of The Townedger-February

That time again.  If the computer will let me complete this.  I need to upgrade the computer, I've had this for 10 years, by today's standards I'm using a Cotton Gin technology wise.

Opinions are like farts, everybody lets one rip from time to time and some feel better.  A lot of big stink about nothing and some of them they actually shit themselves.

The other day, I gave an interview to Diggy Kat for a later edition of his show 2 Flurries From Awesometown and it was early in the morning I woke up and probably rambled on a bit too long.  But he's a great editor, he edited my Townedger Radio show and I'm sure he'll do a great job editing the interview.  I did tell him that the state of rock and roll is in dire straits and in need of new blood and new bands taking the same three chords but with a different set of words to make it their own and hopefully become the next Beatles, Zeppelin, Nirvana  or _____________________ (add your favorite band's name in the empty spot).  Corporate radio is too intent of playing the same 40 songs over and over from 20 years back and then some.  There hasn't been a Nirvana that came out and grab a crowd although you make a valid argument for The White Stripes.  Too bad that today's singers and songwriters have to whore themselves out to The Voice or American Idol and get ridiculed by the likes of Nicki No Talent Minaj or Adam Levine.  And even if you do win that contract from 19 Records (which actually the demographic age  they are targeting) you have to do it their way or you're tied up and can't record.  The music industry has been a dirty mess, always has been, and only the lucky and the real talented get any staying power. While the rest of us work our daily jobs and on the side record something that won't get played outside of my own stereo or a net radio station.  But it still feels good to hear Wolfie on Lucky Star Radio or Dear Lisa.  But in a world of Corporate controlled FM stations or an indifferent DJ on public radio here, I don't get airplay anywhere else.

But I continue on with the hope that somewhere out in a far away country, there would be some dedicated die hard fans that would seek me out, like Sixto Rodriguez did.  He made two long forgotten albums for Sussex Records and while he was big as Elvis in a far away country, he was toiling away trying to make ends meet up in Detroit.  But they found him and he managed to get back into playing once again in his advanced age.  Looking For Sugarman is the movie that was based upon fans seeking out a long forgotten artist.  And basically it's the last thing I would love to have.  The chance to be rediscovered and resurrected.  But then again, I'd probably would a better chance winning the lottery or becoming President.

It's strange looking back and making original music since 1980 and having a big catalog of albums and ideals. The novice that thought up Town's Edge Rock was 22 at the time and had his life ahead of him. In some way the band could have been another Replacements or better yet Husker Du, loud noise, crashing drums, ringing guitar and words.  Getting revenge on a girl that I thought would be my wife but ended up being a mom of 3 at age 18, and having a good friend play All Over Now at their reception would have been to see the reaction.  But basically the band that would become The Townedgers would be a very secretive cult styled band that hardly gets a dust speck on the net in the past three decades of doing this.  But I'm sure I'm not the only one; there's plenty of other bands and musicians who never left the garage or bedroom to be heard.  But I could never lower myself to audition just for consideration on The Voice or Idol.  Call it pride or stubbornness but I was too much of a punk to even think about it.  Knowing me if I had to face a Nicki No Talent, I just yell in the mike and go LISTEN and then aim a fart in their direction.

When you're 22, you think you can never grow old, eternal youth all the way.  I thought that too but now 32 years later I'm now 54 and now coming into the final stage of my music career.  Everything ends, nothing lasts forever except for the music.  The long hair hippie is rapidly losing his hair, and the rock and roll dream is just that.  And there's really nothing left to prove.  Forthcoming Trains still remains a album to tout and I can give interviews and hyped it up and net radio will play the choice tracks.  And I continue to say it's one of the best albums that I ever made.  And have hope it will get noticed.

We all get old.  The musicians that have stayed in this town are older too. Some still wear their tiedyed Grateful Dead T shirts, some have big pot bellies, some have lost their hair and most are now grandparents that the only time they ever did play is jam sessions on the weekend. The music has changed and not for the better.  Most new stuff is processed dance beats, influenced poor rapping with their Nu Metal and adds Korn or Red Hot Chili Peppers as source points.  Or over do it with Autotuner or the Don't Yell At Me voice that seems to wow them on Idol but annoy the rest of us.  People bitch about Dave Grohl and how he's all over music but to me, he's perhaps the only thing that is a throwback to old time rock and roll and that he is learning about the old time music of the past. His HBO series is highly recommended.  Rock and roll has always been borrowing off bands that influenced us and the greatest of times the 50s through the 80s they borrowed from bluesmen and then we borrowed it off them be it The Yardbirds or Otis Redding or garage rock in particular. Today's gang borrows from rap or RHCP or The Foo Fighters or Nirvana although the early influences can be heard be it The Beatles.

For the Townedgers or myself, my influences have always been Buddy Holly, The Who, The Velvet Underground and the lesser known.  As well as old country or vintage garage rock via Nuggets. And of course Jerry Jaye how many other bands would cite him as influential or Bill Amesbury.  I always been adamant about who influenced me all the way down to Lonnie Washburn a local dude that played at the school show and wowed me to get off my ass and get a real drum set and learn how to play.  And then take it one step further.  It's a shame I didn't go after this dream and learn how to play and write music when i first got my drumset years ago but then again I was too busy being a kid and not taken it seriously. Till after after high school and then trying to make up for lost time.

I look at my albums as my own kids, of course I have at least 30 of them!  And like most children some I like a lot, some are the black sheep but still kept on the shelf and a couple went out of print since they served their usefulness but not anymore.  What I call dead albums.  Every one has a personality of their own.  But at a certain time they were my reaction to the world or what I was going through.

At this stage of the game that is my life I have come to the conclusion that I may have said as much as I could and make it relevant.  It took me five years to come up with something after Pawnshops For Olivia, I was burned out, the album was great but nobody was playing it and bills had to be paid so I gave it up and tried to fit in with a new relationship and tried to compromise.   When that didn't work, I returned to what I knew best and No Exit became the first new album in 5 years.  And then Forthcoming Trains.

For the old guy that's me, somebody is going to have to take up the slack and try to turn three chords and the truth to their own music and although everybody has used the same three chords over and over I think that there will be a new band with old rocking ways that might get us back into the promised land without having to hear Foreigner's overplayed music on Corporate Rock Radio. But the new bands have their work cut out for them.  It's not going to be easy, not in this day and age but with the right persistence and attitude anything can be possible. But the classic rockers are now old men (if they're not dead), and relying too much from their past just to rehash things and add a bonus disc of remixes.  Which is not the same thing at all.  And the major labels are not going to support you at all, if your first album bombs you won't get a chance to record a second.  A far cry from the 8 albums that it took REO Speedwagon to make it and it took Journey at least five to break the door open.  To which they're still enjoying the big check that Don't Stop Believing gives them from being played every minute of the day. If today's band can write a song like that, you might be set for life.

For the rest of us we move on, recording and hoping that something gets played on the radio.  Or at least in somebody's player.  If and when the new album gets finished, I'll take a long hard look and decide to see if this is worth another year of promoting and performing, or we send people off with one last parting gift before being committed to the ages and they blow my ashes out into the wind.  To the newbies, your music is competing with the history of recorded music and chances are, it's not looking good for you.  But hold out hope that you can defy the odds and make it into the radio spotlight and at least make a margainable  living at best.  It's not going to be easy, you might lose your friends or your high school sweetheart in the process.  But at least you have managed to do it your way without the embarrassment of being schooled by Nicki No Talent or being voted out of Idol or The Voice.

Or hope you have fans in South America that come across your music by accident.