“Indie Sleaze” is a term invented by Spotify playlist editors and 100% did not exist until this new gaggle of Class of ‘21 post-grads started making bad ripoffs after watching Meet me in the Bathroom.
Getting lots of venues asking if I’m ready to “let go of our vaxx requirements to hopefully move a few more tickets” and here’s where I’m at with that:
Fuck no.
I’ve said this before and I’ll keep saying it: Robert’s Western World is the apex bar. No other bar even comes close.
I once saw Randy Travis in there at 1am on a Wednesday drunkenly dancing with every woman in the place. It’s where dreams are made of.
Is Luke Combs’ version of “Fast Car” better than Tracy Chapman’s? No.
Is it awesome to see Tracy Chapman collect an unbelievably huge bag for creating a timeless piece of art? You goddamn right it is.
This is a shakedown. It’s predatory.
FYI Wolf Trap is a 501 (3C) that averages $25M per year in revenue and has a CEO drawing a $500k annual salary while fleecing artists and their fans.
One silver-lining of this whole thing is that all of the “good-hearted Christians” from my childhood church community are outing themselves as heartless trolls on FB right now and my mom is finally seeing that I’ve been right about them for 20+ years.
For real though if you’re one of the people above the age of 18 who are still choosing to sit out the vaccine that was a life raft for our entire industry the. you can sit these concerts out as well. I’d rather the seats be empty.
Get the fuck out of here.
Today I sent a letter to the board at
@nivassoc
calling on them to either require their member venues do away with venue/promoter merch cuts or nominate delegates from NIVA to participate in a live-streamed forum to debate & defend the practice on behalf of their membership.
Akron/Family were a once in a lifetime band whose work helped blossom an entire generation of kindhearted freaks making unique & joyous music. My heart goes out to the family of Miles Seaton & all who were touched by his ever-burning light.
Set ‘em wild, Set ‘em free ✌🏻❤️😢
I’ve been silent about this but given today’s news I feel compelled to share: about 3 months ago I was approached by a journalist at a nationally renowned magazine to see if I could help connect them with artists inside the burgeoning “Asheville Scene”…
Rihanna got paid $0 to perform at the Super Bowl half time show by the NFL but did it for exposure for her brand. Over 28.5 Million people watched her Super Bowl halftime show. Think about this the next time you think you are too big to work for exposure 🤷🏾♂️
MJ Lenderman’s (
@MarkJLenderman
) ‘And the Wind (Live and Loose!) is the best live rock ‘n’ roll record in years. It’s also our Album of the Week. Read our full review ⭐️⬇️
🔗:
At the MJ show and I can tell who The Heads are because when they dropped into Toon Town I raised my bourbon into the air and 4 other dudes did the same thing.
We are legion.
Told a 60 yr old Durham Republican Party volunteer to “Fuck off and take our name off your list” after she knocked on our door with a MAGA hat on.
Folks, it felt fucking GREAT.
Sending boundless love to all the music industry folks spending every waking hour working towards a world where we get to safely have shows this fall WHILE ALSO taking every precaution to keep a small, unvaxxed child safe.
Let’s start a group text or something?
As someone who has made it this far with a steady hand and personable temperament I’ll never understand people who proudly navigate my industry as bulldogs & punishers.
I gotta wonder if when Darkness on the Edge of Town came out people were walking around saying dumb shit like “when’s this Bruce Springsteen bubble gonna burst?”
Breaking News: New York State officials said they reached a deal to legalize recreational marijuana, paving the way for a potential $4.2 billion industry.
Dave was a fixture at all of Sylvan Esso’s shows in California going back to the smallest club gigs. He’d often sit at front of house & smile ear to ear. He loved music, the synths he helped make and cherished the people who used them. May we all carry his light & love 💔
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Dave Smith has died. If you’d like to share your thoughts and memories of Dave, please reach out to us on our website:
The guys who was QB1 on my high school football team is on Facebook calling out rednecks from our hometown to check their white privelege.
2020 is a wild one y’all.
Just remembered halfway through this
@SylvanEsso
set that this band was gonna do the
@Bonnaroo
Super Jam this year.
In whatever dimension that actually happened I’m sure I had a really fucking great night.
When it happens just remember the community of workers who helped build the company and assembled every Moog synth in existence only to be left behind when management decided to cash out and retire.
Fuck these leaches. Never buy another one of their instruments.
If the media really wants to memorialize John Lewis & CT Vivian this week they’ll not allow a single member of congress on TV without making them answer for what is happening in Portland.
Unbelievably hyped to finally be able to tell people about this amazing record. So deeply proud of the
@Wednesday_Band_
crew and can't wait to see them out playing these songs to a billion folks this year
Rather than spending $250M on Facebook & TV ads Biden should set up drive thru test centers in swing states. Same day results, help people check their voter registration while they’re waiting, Board of Elections hosts a ballot drop box on-site.
Ask any touring merch manager and they can confirm this one basic truth about this country:
The United States of America is full of Punishers...from sea to shining sea.
I’ve lived in NC my whole life, and if I think hard I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve questioned my station. Music has taken me to almost every corner of the globe and I can confidently say there is just something different about this place & this community.
Sad to hear about the passing of Caleb Southern. We never met but his legacy as a sound person in my adoptive town of Chapel Hill and the producer/engineer of some of my favorite records kept his name rolling around in my head for most of my late teens and twenties.
This morning the team at The Glow are celebrating one of our artist’s earning a BNM from P4k and two others collaborating on a song about getting their asses blown out at Pizza Hut.
If you’re at SXSW join me today at Cheer Up Charlie’s at 1pm to watch
@Wednesday_Band_
shred and partake in that sacred, long-forgotten ritual of standing outside and drinking a beer in 70 degree weather.
Folks like to talk shit but I love all of these things:
1 - Grateful Dead’s music & mythology
2 - Jonah Hill’s acting
3 - Films directed by Scorsese
This thing is teed up to be My Shit
Please wear a mask if you see a show.
And don’t wait for Bandcamp Friday to buy a record. Lots of great bands out there bleeding cash right now on $4/gal gas & shitty paying gigs.
We gotta take care of each other. If you have the means buy an album or a tee shirt when you can.
Just for transparencies sake & cause I feel comfortable posting this: here is why it is so hard for bands to go to SX !!
This is b4 paying 10% $ to the booking agent and not including food expenses
Combination of staying in COVID safe places and gas prices is p devastating
@solace
If only the PD had access to a really strong building made of concrete and steel bars they could keep him in this show of force in the streets might be unnecessary.
“You must comply with police at all times UNLESS they’re asking you to provide your vaccination records in order to get on a plane or go to a concert” is a bizarre hill to die on.
Touring with one of our favorite bands of all time this summer!
@drivebytruckers
Buncha places in the south and NE we’ve never played… we are so fucking excited!!!!!
Tix here:
the look of a man who might not have access to Air Force One in the future and will have to fly commercial
don't worry Eric, we have €9.99 fares next time you're in Europe
#Election2020
This land is stolen and the lines we draw around and inside of it are imaginary.
Shout-out to
@teamstonester
for choosing the cake slogan for today's BBQ! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
@NiiickNewell
Sure but with a room full of vaccinated people the likelihood of someone dying of COVID after attending a show goes wayyyy down which for those of us weighing the moral dilemma of even having a live music industry that fact makes a huge difference.