This is an idea that’s been bouncing around in my head for some time now. I think the genesis had to do with traveling around the country at the beginning of the “Great Recession” to see firsthand what people were experiencing. Witness for myself the world beyond the veil of the media and network filters, mainly because I can;t stand bullshit and lies. I’m a Doubting Thomas by nature and certainly have no faith in the twisted view of the news machine.

But now the concept has taken a different shape, mainly due to spending more time on Facebook and watching what happens and the effect on our lives of the whole Social Network thing is having.

Of course, there’s a bunch of debate over whether or not relationships on the net are “real” or some, as Jaron Lanier, the virtual reality pioneer believes, devalued interaction cheapening true human relationships.

I’m not too interested in arguing either way. It is what it is and has become an integral part of modern life. What I am interested in though is taking my relationship with my Facebook “friends” and Twitter followers out of the virtual and into the real.

I have a bit over 1700 Facebook friends. More than some and fewer than others. The number’s not important because I’m betting the makeup of that total is pretty much the same for everyone. Part of the total is actual friends, people you know and maybe even interact with on a regular basis in the real world. Others are family members, some close, others extended beyond ever having met them. Then there are friends of friends and friends of their friends, those who get pulled into your orbit by your posts & updates, commenting on your food pics or shared videos or political links. And in my case, I have fans of my time in Dire Straits whose memories are far better than mine.

What I’ve found fascinating is over time I’ve begun to have not exactly friendships but on-going dialogues with people I have never met, people who have become involved in my on-line life and because I do share much of what happens in my world on a daily basis, they’ve become part of my life. I look forward to their comments and their opinions. I’ve come to expect them to be there and honestly become concerned when they’re “no shows” for a day or two.

So I began to wonder what it would be like to actually meet some of these people. Folks who comment on my food pics, “Hey, you can come cook for me any time!” or after seeing a post of me playing guitar somewhere declare “Come sit in with my band!”

And there are friends who I follow, a host of interesting thinkers I’ve come to enjoy and look forward to their posts. The writer, Mikal Gilmore, Dangerous Minds blogger & musician, Marc Campbell, photgrapher/writer Jennifer Fields-Summer, HuffPost writer & rock n roller, Binky Philips, just to name a few. But I’ve never met them. At times, we converse in threads as if we were sitting at a bar chewing the fat and I have the sense we’d be “real” friends given the chance to hang.

And in some cases, we have traded private messages and phone calls and made plans to get together some time soon.

Which is what I want to do. Not only to satisfy my curiosity – which is boundless when it comes to people – but because I’ve realized the best times in my life, the moments I am happiest and most satisfied are the times I’ve spent gathered with family and friends, eating, playing, talking, sharing ideas and just being in each others company.

Over the course of the past few years I have lost several close friends, spent anxiety-ridden months as my sister and brother-in-law have been diagnosed, battled and thankfully beaten cancer & helplessly watched my father slowly disappear into the nightmare living hell of Alzheimer’s.

I’m not alone. Life has a million ways with fucking with us all. As if the lesson of grasping every second like it’s our last needs to be continually repeated until we get it.

Life if short. Tomorrow is not a given.

Yet we talk and dream and make plans and say we’ll get together and actually believe the words that come out of our mouths but it so rarely happens.

The older I get, the more I’ve come to embrace one singular thought.

Live Life Now. Not later.

Simple, obvious idea that is so very hard to live.

And when I was a kid, dreaming of rock n roll stardom, the life I wanted to live was being surrounded by interesting people, sharing ideas, art and la la lalala la living for today. That was what rock n roll was going to give me.

My list of friends contain artists, musicians, writers, housewives, salesmen, corporate executives, right-wingers, radical liberals, famous names, unknowns, professional chefs and amateur cooks with equal passion for the culinary arts, winemakers and wine drinkers, doctors, lawyers, financial wizards and broke-ass students.

Every one with a story.

And I’m thinking the best way to hear these tales is to get face to face and share them with you via blogs, videos, streaming events, pix as I travel around meeting with some of the most interesting people I know.

Now. Not later.

Jack On The Road. A movable salon of friends, family, music, ideas, food & drink….what a rock n roll life looks like at 56 years old.

Who’s in?

The most striking thing about the rethink music conference I attended this past week in Boston – put together by Berklee School of Music, Harvard Law and Midem – was just how wide and deep the chasm between the major labels and new DIY advocates actually is. I have been an evangelist for the direct to fan model for artists for so long now that I forget – as many early adopters of an idea can be – that there are still people who don’t get it.

And it’s really infuriating.

Listening to the major labels execs who spoke at the conference was like being held captive in room full of bloated Wall Street fat cats. When the moderator asked for questions from the audience at the end of the interview with Warners CEO, Lyor Cohen (yep insert all puns and jokes about the irony of this criminal having the name “Liar” here), I nearly bit my tongue off to refrain from screaming out, “How the fuck far from the real world do you live?”

Another panel that included U2 manager, Paul McGuinness and REM’s Mike Mills proclaimed the 80’s as “the Golden Age” of the record business. With totally straight faces. Yes, that might have been the golden age for the labels and the corporate geeks but I think most of us – the artists and the music LOVERS – would beg to differ and point to the 60’s & early 70’s as the true Golden Age of Rock Music and artistic achievement.

To these people, artistic achievement is only measured in units sold on a grand scale. Even Mike Mills came off as an out-of-touch fat cat bemoaning the shift in the industry power technology is creating. I bet he’d be singing a very different tune if he were trying to get a record deal at a major right now. Are you kidding me? No label would touch REM today.

There’s no real sense in bitching. Serious waste of time, energy and breath. It’s like complaining about the NBA or NFL. It is what it is, these are the rules of the game – you either accept them so you can play the game – which is their game or go find another game to play.

And if you love to ball – you will. Maybe it’s playing in Canada or Europe and the money isn’t the same and the exposure/fame is nowhere near as great…but you get to do what you love.

Artists now have an alternative that really has not existed until now. If you want to be a pop star, then by all means go play the major label game because it’s the only one in town. But if you want to create a career that can provide you with a decent, maybe even more than comfortable living and possible pave the way to a label, the tools are at your fingertips.

The internet now allows artists of all forms the opportunity to make their work available to the world via the internet. Making a living won’t be easy but it’s possible and you’ll be doing all the work the majors are asking you to do before they even glance in your direction….so why fight it or wait a minute longer?

The world is waiting for you and your art. Let them have it and begin to reap the rewards of your passion. Build your website, acquire and grow your fanbase, engage them in not just the conversation but your creative process and you may find they not only will become your marketing communications team but may fund your projects.

Stranger things happen.

What follows is my post on a recent thread about the what musician face in these times started by my friend, mentor & brilliant guitarist, Elliott Randall (he of the famed Steely Dan “Reeling In The Years” solo). Enjoy.

@Elliott – thanks for inviting me to join the discussion here. Interesting & necessary topic given the state of the musician’s world these days.

By way of introduction for those here who I don’t know or may not know me – I’m a guitarist, writer & marketing pro. I’m proud to say Elliott was my teacher & mentor in NYC – I carry his huge influence on my approach to playing and, of equal import, attitude when stepping on stage to this day. The world would never have seen the madly grinning, spinning dancing barefoot “other guitar player” in Dire Straits had it not been for Mr R. After witnessing my first set at a club gig in Manhattan in my early days there, Elliott draped his arm around my shoulder and asked me “Are you having fun?” My answer was a mumbled “Yeah, of course.” To which he said “Well, no one can tell!” He proceeded to explain that the people in this bar came here to be entertained, to see someone do what they could not, to give them a glimpse of a dream they all wanted to live but never would. In the next set, Elz sat in with the band and proceeded to give the place the “Elliott Randall Experience” – he smiled, he held eye contact, he walked through the crowd, played slide with someone’s beer bottle (on MY guitar!) and when he walked off the place went nuts. He came over and whispered in my ear, “What do you think these people will remember about coming to this joint tonight? More to the point…who?”

I NEVER forgot that lesson.

And it brings me to my thoughts about this thread. I have spent an equal amount of years as a professional musician as I have as a marketing cat. And aside from Elz lesson, there’s one thing I wish I’d learned at a much earlier age and what I’ve found to be the difference between those who succeed and those who fail is the acceptance of one basic fact; 

This is a business. 

And until you not only accept, but embrace, all that truly means, success – in terms of making a living at playing music – I believe will elude you.

My belief is that change – and deciding on a course of action that will lead to success – comes from confronting the real issue at hand. In this case, what’s required is a serious attitude adjustment for many musicians.

While not a rude awakening for some, the idea that even at the most basic level of playing a live club gig, that what we are doing is selling a product seems to upset quite a few musicians. And on one hand it’s an easy thing to say. Yeah, yeah, of course, I know I’m selling myself. Yep, just like I told Elliott, I was absolutely having fun playing that gig.

But truly understanding what selling means and what it leads to is a bit more involved. We are actually selling the experience of our art – which ultimately translates to the “brand” experience. Musicians would be better off reading Reis & Trout on positioning & advertising than bothering with some weighty tome on The Business of Music. Without a deep understanding of your brand and how to create demand for your product, you’ll never get to the fine print on the publishing contracts.

When you begin to see things through this business prism – and not the myopic view of entitlement – “I’m an artist and should be paid because I’m an artist” or “I should be paid because I showed up and played for you” – the path to success becomes much clearer.

For ex – I’m a club owner, I’m in business to make money. Having music is more often than not, an after-thought when it comes to the design of the room or investment I’ve made in the stage & equipment. I’m hoping that your music will attract a crowd that buys what I sell which is alcohol & maybe food. Your fee is another overhead cost that puts me in the red before I open the door. So if you can’t bring in enough of a crowd to drink & eat to cover that cost PLUS the profit I’d make with a jukebox, why do I need you?

Also – as a customer – I don’t care if you’re playing in the corner of a bar or club I wandered into. Seriously. And I’m a passionate music lover. Unless you’re giving me an experience I want or need, I’m not buying it and more than likely walking out – which is exactly what the club owner is dreading. 

Building demand for a product is impossible until you know exactly what you’re selling. Because in the first place unless you can communicate what I’m getting, you can’t sell it to me. What is the experience of your brand? And once you know what it is, can you deliver on that promise?

Say you’re a blues band or 80′s cover band…pick your genre – all original brazilian jazz – whatever. Unless you’re giving me – the audience – the club owner an experience we cannot get elsewhere or by some other means…why would I want to listen & watch. If your blues band does nothing more than regurgitate some covers, as a club owner or a fan, why wouldn’t I just put my Chess collection on the stereo system? At least I can control the volume.

Now – if your band brings something – and it can be any number of things – to the party, whether it’s the sheer intensity of the guitarist’s brilliant playing (think Stevie Ray), a stage show, a vocalist that is the real deal, surprising kick ass arrangements or blues versions of hip-hop tunes – SOMETHING that’s going to give me an experience I can’t forget, you’re on the way to being able to communicate a brand promise and gain a fan base who will buy your product.

And, make no mistake about it, it’s your job to create that demand. Talk all you want about supporting the arts and how much time you spent studying & practicing & how much your gear costs you. Not my problem as a club owner. Those are the investment costs of YOUR craft and only one part of the investment needed to launch this business – your band/brand. Asking a club owner to underwrite your business is no different than going to the bank for a loan. And they get paid back with interest.

If your band can’t draw enough of a crowd and give the people an experience that keeps them drinking & eating or willing to pay to listen to your art, you haven’t done your share of the heavy lifting in the artist/club owner partnership. You think your band is that good? Then YOU need to put your money where your mouth is. Take the door. That’s right. If you’ve done the work of building a fan base that has the burning desire for your brand experience, you should be able to charge a cover and make money. What will your fans pay to see you? $10, $5, $2? A free drink? You don’t have 50 people in your town willing to come out and pay $10 to see you? 100 to pay $5?? You’re doing something wrong. Asking a club owner to take a risk you’re not willing to take is foolish and bad business. What your fan base is will pay to experience your brand is a very real indication of how healthy your business/brand actually is.

There are more tools than ever at the fingertips of musicians to control their own careers. I have been closely involved with Topspin – a web-based marketing & distribution tool – for the past two years and have seen numerous examples of artists who have become successful in terms of making a comfortable living from their art by building & growing a fan base and marketing directly to that base without any support or involvement of any kind by a record label. It’s not easy nor does it happen overnight but it can & does happen.

But first things first – this is about marketing, building demand for a product and approaching your career with a business mind. You have to know what you’re selling. You must be able to answer the question who & what you are and what the experience you are promising your fans. Then the job of finding consumers for that experience, getting their attention, communicating directly with them, enticing & involving them in expanding the buzz, finding other bands who can share fan-bases with in a “if you dig them, you’ll love us” strategy of building your audience. You do that groundwork and you’ll have no problem filling clubs and getting the money you feel you deserve. And have club owners begging you to return.

Can’t believe I’m saying it but study the business model of The Grateful Dead. Seriously – you may not be a fan of their music – I am certainly not…but theirs is the blueprint for success in the direct-to-fan world we now find ourselves.

It is your job to establish your brand, advertise, market and build demand by talking direct to your existing and potential audience. And the tools are at your disposal more so than ever before.

This is the new world order. 

Disagree? Cool, I’ll take some fries with that burger.

Here’s the deal. I’ve never been much of a car guy. I like them but I’m just not a gear head. For me, cars are transportation. Some are faster than others. Some are nicer looking than others. They all cost way too much and are a pain in the ass to maintain. Then there’s the whole insurance scam part of the equation.

I was quite happy living in Manhattan where the only car I needed was yellow and had a light on top.

If you live in California, a car is a must. It’s a mandate. Like belonging to a health club. Otherwise they might revoke your California visa and deport you. So I have a car. Not one I love or even like that much. I did fall into the SoCal car as status thing and for awhile was driving a Dodge Magnum wagon. Of course, it wasn’t enough to have one of the first black ones on the road when the model came out so I had a guy who did custom work for NBA ballers and hip/hop dudes do the car. Dropped on 22″ custom rims, blacked out windows, the badges and door trim all stripped. An insane stereo system. Thing was a total bad-ass. Looked like the Batmobile. People pulled up beside me and gave me the thumbs up. Kevin Garnett stopped and had his son jump out and check the rims to see what brand they were. My girls actually wanted me to drive them to school in the morning.

I sold the Batmobile when I moved to Baja and bought a used Ford Escape 4×4. About as nondescript automobile & joyless a driving experience as you can get.

Actually, I hate driving. No, wait. I like driving. Love it, at times. Some of my best thinking happens behind the wheel. Driving clears my head out, great alone time to space out and think without distractions. I drove the length of Baja alone – not the smartest thing I’ve ever done – and I had the road practically to myself for  the entire 1700 mile journey. Fantastic way to make the transition from living in San Jose del Cabo to being back in the States.

But here in Cali, that wide open road only happens on the freeways at 4 am on a Sunday morning.

The rest of the time, the roads are filled with complete assholes. Self-absorbed, text messaging, phone blathering, mascara applying, riding my ass while I’m doing 80 SUV owning, 55 mph left hand lane cruising, speed up gap closing when I’m signaling a lane change, side-by-side locked on the speed limit lane blocking idiots who have no business being behind the wheel of car. These are the same dick-heads who can’t operate a shopping cart in a supermarket without sitting in the middle of the aisle blocking traffic while they stand staring at a wall of cereals.

So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m buying a paintball gun and instituting a color code of offenses.

You drift into my lane doing 75 because your texting.

BLAM!!

A nice big blue splotch on your door panel.

Putting on your face while in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic?

BLAM!!

You get an orange blast.

Left hand lane cruising ?

BLAM!!

Shit-head brown for you!

Oh man, it would feel so good!!

And now every other driver on the road knows what you’re up to in advance. Like a visible early warning system.

Like a Scarlet Letter…only I could care less if you’re out screwing around outside your marriage. Your driving record is far more important to me as it actually effects my life.

The insurance companies will love this because they can raise rates based on a very visible color coding & offense count. And I want my cut of the increased profits.

Come on now, be honest. You know you want a fully loaded, semi-auto, road rage revenge spewing weapon of your own…unless of course, you’re reading this while your driving.

In which case, BLAM BLAM BLAM!!

There was a time I paid absolutely zero attention to the news. None. And I’m not talking about the time I spent in NYC  as a struggling musician although the only thing I watched on tv in those days were the syndicated re-runs of “The Odd Couple.” The local stations ran back-to-back episodes at 6-7 pm and 11-midnight. My bass playing room-mate, John K, and I never missed it. Unless we had a gig but I can recall many evenings we’d be standing at a bar at 10:30, glance around at the far-to-familiar faces and surroundings and give each other the nod. No words needed be exchanged. We knew there was just enough time to get back to the apt in time for the late double feature.

It wasn’t that this show was new to us. We’d seen all the episodes. Multiple times. So many in fact, we could recite the dialogue verbatim for most of them. The idea, the hope , was that there was one we hadn’t seen. That somehow we’d missed an episode. That tonight might the night we find the great lost Odd Couple episode.

But every evening without fail, we’d discover much to our dismay that “oh fuck, this is the one where Felix falls asleep on the subway and they steal his shoes…” or “Murray the Cop gets kicked out of his house and moves in…” or “Oscar gets the Pigeon Sisters over for a double date…”

Nothing new. But believe me it was the only thing worth watching on television aside from Saturday Night Live.

The news? Never. Not in those days. I didn’t need to be reminded how bad things were by a bunch of talking heads on television. I lived in NYC before it turned into Disneyland. All I had to do was walk out my Hell’s Kitchen apt door to see it all first hand. And truly, the only Talking Heads & Television I was interested in were playing at CBGB’s.

That was news I could use.

Being “informed” of some bus full of kids going off a bridge in Kentucky. Or a flood in India. Or a gunmen letting loose with an assault rifle on a busy McDonald’s in Scotland?

I decided I wanted none of that in my head. Not that I didn’t feel terrible about the tragedies befalling these unfortunate people. Quite the opposite. It made me despair for humanity to such a great degree and fed my already depressive nature so much that I just wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.

So I turned it off. Just cut the news feeds that existed in those days out of my life. Never read the paper. Other than glancing at headlines. Got most of my current events from the Weekend Update segment on SNL. Never, ever listened to the radio. In all the years I ran advertising for Guitar Center and wrote those “classic” radio ads myself, I never listened to the radio. Much to the consternation of my boss.

It made zero difference to what I was doing. None. The added information was a distraction and just clogged my brain, totally fucking with my focus.

Over the past couple of years, because my world, like so many of ours, has become centralized around the computer – for work, entertainment and social networking, and the news has crept back onto my windshield.

I’ve gotten outraged and angered about “issues,” posted my thoughts and ended up pulled into political debates that go absolutely nowhere. My child-of-the-60‘s-we-can-change-the-world-again radical bent got me into lively exchanges, threads that went on for days.

All for nothing.

I don’t change my beliefs. The people I debate with do not change theirs. We end up “agreeing to disagree” and go about our business.

A waste of fucking time. I now choose to get my brain exercise and further hone my forensic skills elsewhere.

And it’s how I view the political landscape at the moment. I voted for the current President. I hoped, not just for change, but payback. Serious Ain’t Payback A Bitch Payback. For all the crimes and blatant disregard for my rights, my well-being and my family’s future. For turning us into an emerging Third World nation.

But I guess vengeance is not mine, or my elected officials it seems now, to hand out.

In looking back, through all the various administrations I have lived through – and there are eleven of them – Democrats & Republicans – I realized one thing. Whether I voted or not, whether my “side” won, controlled the Senate & House or not – very little went the way I wanted or hoped or needed it to go. Laws were made, bills were passed in a land far away beyond my eyes and done within a system that was nothing like what I was taught or told.

And the effect on my life? What I decided to do, dreams I chased, the meals I cooked for my family, the jobs I had?

Zero.

It’s all beyond my control. Beyond my influence. And now, once again, beyond my concern.

I’ve now decided to listen to my own voice. I have tried to teach one lesson to the kids who have worked for me over the years, who railed against the “unfairness” & “callous cruelty” of the corporate system they had become part of since entering the work force.

This is like playing in the NFL. These are the rules of the game. You want to play pro football? This is how the game is played. Accept it or find another game. You want to fight to change it? Good luck and better bring some muscle and a shit ton of money. In the meantime, take a look at who signs your paycheck and make your peace with the devil.

For the time being, I choose to live in the Untied States. My experience and my reality is the system is beyond my influence. I enjoy the paychecks I have gotten and the lifestyle I’ve lived here, regardless of who was in the White House. I have decided to no longer play the game as I’d rather just watch the wheels go ‘round. The fact that I’m not a captain of industry or part of the billionaire boy’s club or the hollywood elite is my choice.

Nothing I do will change the fact this country was bought and sold ages ago. That a very tiny percentage of the population controls the vast majority of the wealth and that imbalance will only get worse.

Why?

Change, for individuals or systems, comes in two ways. One is through a lot of hard work and a dedicated effort built on the realization a change is needed and desired.

Do you think the folks who have that bank & power believe there’s any reason to change anything other than for their continued benefit?

The other path to change is through trauma. Some event that brings on a revelation that change is not only needed in one’s life/system but absolutely necessary for survival. A near-death car accident or overdose. Obviously something more traumatic than an economic melt-down and depression re-branded as a severe recession.

Like a revolution.

But you can count me out.

Stormed the stage with a new band recently. Great bunch of players with an amazing pedigree. Hit Men All Stars played our maiden voyage gig in at Harrah’s in Lake Tahoe.  Same stage that Sinatra and the Rat Pack rocked!

This one’s been a long time coming. I met Curly Smith, drummer for Boston, Jo Jo Gunne and a million sessions with rock n roll greats while I was living in Baja. He was also the drummer on one of my fave albums. A project called “Overnight Angels” a band fronted by Ian Hunter and had Earl Slick, absolutely one of my fave players, on guitar. Curly was in town playing a charity gig with my old friend, Kenny Lee Lewis, guitarist for Steve Miller. Kenny had recruited some of his “Hang Dynasty” crew – the house band at the China Club in LA. Jeff “Skunk” Baxter from Steely Dan & The Doobie Brothers, Billy Burnette from Fleetwood Mac who were joined by the renowned keyboardist, Brian Auger, along with James Jamerson singer from Survivor and John Sykes, bassist in Boston. Kenny invited me to sit in on a tune during soundcheck which ended up with me joining the band for the entire show.

The set list featured the hits from Steve, Fleetwood, The Doobies and Steely Dan. The highlight for me was playing “Reelin In The Years” and trading licks with Skunk. And I have to admit, I had a ball playing and singing harmonies on “Eye of the Tiger.”

After the set Curly invited me to join a project he was putting together to do corporate & casino gigs. The idea was to assemble a band of former members of some of the great bands of the 70‘s & 80‘s. He had already gotten Billy Burnette and Jimmy Crespo, who was Joe Perry’s replacement in Aerosmith during the Tyler/Perry feuding years. I’d met Jimmy in NYC in 1976 when I was working on 48th St. He walked into the shop to try out a Roland Chorus Ensemble effects box and his playing stunned me. He was one of the best guitarists I’d ever heard and he was just fucking around! Gary Moon, bassist & singer with Night Ranger joined as did Steve Augeri, who more than filled the shoes left vacant by Steve Perry’s departure in Journey.

It’s been a long time in the making with a few changes along the way but the band finally got together and played a showcase gig at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Casino.

Hit Men All Stars is like one big kick-ass jukebox packed with platinum hits played by players who really can. I had more fun than should be legally allowed by law.

Should have some pix of the gig soon. Maybe even a video of the live set!!

Lots of folks asking what it was like playing with some of my former Dire Straits band-mates last week in Rome…here’s a rant on the mixed emotions of reliving my glory days. You can find it right here. Please feel free to post your comments and, while you’re here, check out the info on my memoir, “Rock n Rolled.”

thanks, enjoy & let it rock!

jack

Word from the Rolling Stone rag is that Neil Young is in the studio with Daniel Lanois producing. I don’t want to get too excited because more often than not, these “match made in heaven” pairings carry such heavy expectations for me that I get disappointed. But honestly this is an intriguing combination of artists.

I really dig what Lanois does both as solo artist/musician and what he brings to the table for an artist as producer. He seems almost mystically capable of creating an organic sonic landscape rooted in the soul of the past yet manages to transcend time. His records sound intimate yet have a hughe atmospheric quality to them as well. His production provides an environment for artists to achieve heights and reveal a depth to their art that possibly surprises even themselves and rarely attainable with him at the helm. U2 is not the same band without Lanois involved in their process and he, along with Brian Eno, have pushed that band to create some of their most interesting and noteworthy music. Achtung, Baby being the most notable example. They took chances and created something I think stands head and shoulders above everything that band has done. And they have yet to achieve anything half as interesting since, having lapsed into regurgitating their formula, and if rumors are true, even going as far as rejecting Lanois & Eno’s directions.

I have a love/hate relationship with Neil Young. I have the utmost respect for him as an artist who has remained true to his restless vision, fearless in his risk taking and a dedicated maverick – in the truest, pre-Palin co-opted sense of the word. Much of what he attempts falls short, isn’t all that interesting and often just plain bad. But you cannot fault him for taking the leap. “Greendale” & “Praire Wind” packed with instantly forgettable tunes, there’s a “Silver & Gold” and “Harvest Moon” packed with an string of absolute gems that demand to be listened to immediately and repeatedly.

His lead guitar playing drives me insane. It’s erratic, aimless, technically laughable and downright spastic at time but he plays with such passion and commitment, it works. And he is, unquestionably one of the great rock n roll rhythm guitar players. It is precise, in the pocket and powerful. And the tone is a true thing of beauty. Massively, gorgeously distorted, rich with harmonics yet remains clarion and distinct because the fundamental notes ring through.

One thing’s for sure, lead or rhythm, no one does what he does better.

Kind of like Woody Allen. No one plays Woody better than the Woodman himself.

This collaboration holds great promise and I really hope the result is one of those rare, wonderful achievements where artistic vision and execution surpass the expectation. A lot to place on their shoulders but if any two artists from this particular generation are capable of pulling it off, it’s Neil Young & Daniel Lanois.

Can’t wait!

Working on the new site so stay tuned for updates.

Thanks.

Be well & let it rock!