“Music of Athens” on Wikipedia

A friend sent me that link.  “Music of Athens” was yesterday’s featured article on Wikipedia.  I thought it would be nice for you to find out more about the Athens music scene, too.  Which famous bands come out of Athens?  What club’s does Athens offer?  Wikipedia offers the answers!

Corey Smith’s music business approach (follow-up)

In my post “Corey Smith and the Future of Music” I wrote about a guest lecture Corey Smith had given to the UGA Music Business Program as well as about a book he had brought to this lecture called “The Future of Music“.  A few days after I published my post, Corey Smith gets contacted by David Kusek who is the author of “The Future of Music”.  Was that coincidence?  No, that is a simple example of how we are connected with all this information technology.  I am just happy I could help out.

When Marty Winsch, Corey Smith’s manager sent me this email I asked him if I could share it here.  It just sounded to interesting to rot in my inbox:

Christoph,

Thanks for dropping me a line.  We owe you a sincere bit of gratitude for the lift.  I couldn’t help but think when I saw your BLOG that this is a great example of how things have evolved with Corey and his music.

Guitar shop apprentice gone mad!

It’s late at night at the guitar shop.  Keller finally is alone;  his boss left him telling him to lock the door after he was done checking and tuning the new instruments.  Keller loves this time, when it’s just him and all the instrument in the shop.   It feels peaceful and somewhat unreal.  The hollow bodies of the instruments that pick up the tiniest noise and carry it on for several seconds give the shop a sense of infiniteness.  Keller picks up this huge 12-string guitar, a Guild that he loves so much.  He starts playing one of his favorite tunes when his eyes spotting the pile of loop stations he has to unpack tomorrow suddenly light up.

STS9 Japan tour experience

I found a nice recollection of STS9′s Japan Tour (on Jambase).

Please write me, if you know of any other online Japan Tour Journals.  I want to link them here!

Langerado Festival – Should I go?

What to do over spring break?  Right now I am debating whether to work at the Langerado Music Festival during the first weekend of the break.  I could be part of the WET core team like I was at the Bear Creek Music Festival.  It should be a lot of fun, but could also get kind of expensive (not the ticket, more the expenses for getting down to Miami).  And it would be a pain of a ride (or painful plane ride).  Then again, check the line-up:  Michael Franti & Spearhead, Umphrey’s McGee, Disco Biscuits, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Cold War Kids, George Clinton & Parliament / Funkadelic, Tortoise, to name just a few.  I don’t really know what to do!

Guest post: Under the Influence

This is my German friend and long time mars mushrooms band collegue Michael.  I asked him to write a guest post about any related topic.  And this is what he wrote:

When the news that Phish will really be back in March arrived in my mailbox a couple of months ago that feeling instantly came back.  I don’t think I need to explain which feeling I’m referring to, I’m talking about IT.  Along with that came all the good memories of past Phish tours, friendships that were made and will never cease, tapes that were traded etc.  And that certainty that I wouldn’t be who I am today without the Phish.  I recently spent some time pondering on what exactly changed after my first show on July 21st 1996.  One of the most notable aspects is surely the music I have been introduced to since that day.  Phish not only serves as a portal to the divine (no, seriously, I’ve seen it), they are also a band that introduces their fans to an incredibly wide range of other music.

Be real!

Here is a question that seems like a no brainer to me:

Which option do you prefer when interacting with other people?

a. People tell you something and you cannot be sure whether or not they mean it.
b. People tell you something and you can be sure they do not mean it.
c. People tell you something and you are sure they do mean it.

I would assume that most of us would like “option c” the best.  Although it kind of seems that approaching things backwards I could also live with “option b” because I would know not to pay any attention to those people.  But why do so many people in the music business choose “option a”?  Is it that they want to seem polite?  If yes, is it really polite to assume that somebody else cannot see through your bullshit?  Or, is it simply more convenient or makes you seem more important, more generous, or more accomplished than you really are?

Corey Smith and The Future of Music

I am back in Athens for what is going to be my last semester at UGA.  I’ve spent the last three weeks traveling.  I went back to New Orleans for another visit this time without habitat work, spending Christmas with my girlfriend and her family and also spent some time in Kansas with my host parents from my high school year in 1997-1998.  I had a huge agenda and an array of books that I wanted to read.  Away from my college work environment, I ended up sleeping more than usual, playing a lot of cards and talking to people.  I did read two books though.  One of which “The Future of Music” by David Kusek and Gerd Leonhard was actually mentioned by the guest speaker in our first Music Business class of this semester.  Corey Smith told us how his career started and how this book influenced his way of thinking about music.  The book suggests that music should be treated and paid for like a utility like water or electricity.  It also states that file sharing is not as bad as the record companies and their law suits make it seem.  They have just never figured out how they can turn one of the strongest music distribution systems into a money making entity and thus have lost their previous control of the market.  Though I think that a lot of the things described in the book have already happened by now (it was published in 2005) it was nevertheless an interesting read.  Reading the book you will easily understand that Corey liked the book.