Much To Think About

SHERYL AND I have much to think about lately. First, our brother in music lessons and music stores in general, Warren Riley, has decided to stop giving lessons. Those of you on Facebook can click here for more. We are saddened to see Warren leave but he's still a member of the Second String Music family, and always will be.

We are thinking about taking the next big steps for our business, including a new location. We have several options, including one that is simply terrifying and intriguing. I just saw a quote about not taking risks is like not living out your dreams, which is very true.

We are talking about our lives here, not about a simple business opportunity. Fortunately we have a sound team behind us and some good people who will give us advice and help us consider things from all angles.

We are looking for something with more visibility and character, something that speaks about us. We are looking to work with reasonable people, not unhinged landlords who don't understand about taking care of property. We are doing our homework, and we are being very careful.

A big adventure awaits, that's for sure!

Young bands, and watch out for music vampire suckers

SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT a sun-splashed Vancil Performing Arts parking lot, a young band played in public for what I think was the first time.

They are Vancil students and under the tutelage of Lenny Alderton. They decided to put on a free Mother's Day concert for family and friends, and wow, they were pretty good for kids age 14 or so. They played some classic rock covers, new country, blues, a variety of songs.

Playing in public is not an easy thing to do, and it's a lot like playing an instrument - you have to want to do it, and the more you do it, the better you get. I think these young people have tremendous potential, and I wish them all the luck in the world.

They will need it. And talent has nothing to do with it.

I wish I could tell them playing music is nothing but fun and games. Well, the games part is right. Just wait until you call a venue and the owner laughs in your face, or refuses to pay you, or changes the deal.

Just wait until a gal calls you to play a benefit for free, and you can't do it, and she gets mad and calls you two-faced. "Well, you did so and so's benefit, but not ours?"

The best places to play are the ones run by people who operate by the handshake rule. You do this, we'll do that, and our word is good.

Lesson No. 1 - in the music business, that rarely happens. Lesson No. 2 - get a contract.

The Cheeseburgers had a gig lined up this Saturday. It was set up by a guy who is starting a foundation for a worthy cause. I do not know why things went south, but he emailed me Monday and said the gig was off.

It might have had something to do with the fact he was charging too much for tickets, but that's just speculation and a dangerous path to travel.

So we are out from playing a good-paying gig, and we don't get a dime even though it's on a prime late spring weekend. We won't have anything to do with him again unless we have a signed contract, and even that is doubtful.

Word gets around in music and band circles. You learn who to trust, who will be good on his or her word. But you only learn the hard way.

Same with getting to the gig and playing in front of three people, or the bass player refusing to do certain songs, or the guitar player throwing a fit because the band won't play the song in E instead of B flat, or the drummer's wife making him quit, or the singer getting too drunk before practice. 

This is the stuff I wish I could tell these young people, but they'll figure it out.


This Friday, May 18th, Devonte Clark, Unknown Faces, Somewhere In Between and Covet's Avail play at Turner Hall for "Rock Back to Summer."  Come out and support our NEW local bands and musicians.  They are good guys, good players, with all kinds of dreams waiting to happen.


Go get 'em, kids.

Music Contests

I KNOW A guy named George Cate who plays a lot of music and is really, really good at what he does. George plays in the Quincy band Predawn Hour, and he's got a cool acoustic thing going, too.

Rick was one of five finalist at The Local Q Musicfest last Friday, and he did a great job with our Six String Heroes buddy Steve Stoner. There were four other acts, all unique and interesting, and in the end Rick did not win.

He put a Facebook post out saying he was OK with that, and that music shouldn't really be a contest, anyway.

There are reasons to have contests and I support them, but in general I'm going to agree with Rick.

What was really good about the event was that it was acoustic and the singers couldn't hide behind a backing track - they had to play.

Sunday I helped at the Tri-States Got The Talent show, and how the judges picked winners was beyond me. There were a few really good acts and you can't be critical of a young person getting up in front of people and busting his or her butt.

The acts I liked the most were the ones with real instruments, not the karaoke singers. Again, I get it - you can't have a band play for every song.

A few years ago I was a judge for the Colgate Country Showdown and Madd Hoss Jackson was the backup band for the singers, and it really helped weed out the good from the not so good. Playing to a track is one thing, singing live with live musicians is quite another.

Music is so subjective. So is judging. There is no perfect system. And don't even get me started on this American Idol crap, which doesn't promote talent but does hype the hype.

The bottom line? Contests are a way to promote talent. Get out and support your local acts!