Whip-smart Rock-songery for today's distinguished illiterate - Jon James - Blog http://jonjamesmusic.com/blog.html Jon James: Blog Jannis' PHPRss class - http://www.jannis.to/ Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:10:41 -0700 Blog: Diversion and such http://jonjamesmusic.com/blog.html/blog_diversion_and_such Blaise.jpg


So, Au Contraire is out. What of it? What next? The big push? The international tour?

Listen, I appreciate those of you who’ve hailed it as a magnum opus. All five of you. Thank you, my kind friends & family (and that one eager dude from France).

Let’s get on the level and call it a work in progress. In the meantime, I’ve been wholly diverted. See, I adore volume and pumping rhythms and big, dumb sing-along hooks. But look around, man, rock-n-roll – for me, anyways – is feeling a little formulaic. Tired and trivialized. Today, it’s got me a little dismal. Maybe it’s a spring cleaning thing. Ask tomorrow, I’m bound to have a different assessment.

No one likes being part of the problem. No one likes feeling confined. The whole pull of picking up a guitar and singing – it’s a liberating thing, hopefully. Come on, how else can we explain Rock Band™? Lately, I got scads of random debris-of-the-mind that I’m hard-pressed to convey in casual conversation. Or even this here blog format. Humor and hope and sadness and regret and criticism and uncharacteristic empathy and random topics and bizarre commentary and utterly anachronistic spiritual ruminations. You know, real flesh & bone. The wide sweep of human hang-ups.

But I can still pick up a guitar and string together three-and-a-half chords. And so, if there is any consolation for you, rare reader, it’s that I’ve plucked a vibrant bushel of fresh new ditties from the tree of song. Brand spanking new, post-Au Contraire stuff. It’s left me with an acute case of logorrhea, but even so. I tell you this to explain – but hardly excuse – my absence.

There is a twist to it all – I actually aim to emerge from the snares of the interweb and play these songs. For you. In public forum.

If you’re patient, stay tuned for more on that. If you aren’t, well, try to refrain from the road rage. It’s embarrassing.

]]> http://jonjamesmusic.com/blog.html/blog_diversion_and_such Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:10:41 -0700 Whip-smart Rock-songery for today's distinguished illiterate - Jon James - Blog Blog: Ronald Belford Scott — R.I.P. http://jonjamesmusic.com/blog.html/blog_ronald_belford_scott__rip
Bon_S.jpg“Death by misadventure.” That’s what the British papers read at the time.

Hard to believe, but it’ll be 30 years today since Bon Scott kicked the oxygen habit. I couldn’t go without saying a bit about that.

Never got to see Mr. Scott perform; in fact, never even became familiar with him until after he died. By the time I was 11 or 12 though, I was an AC/DC fanatic. At that age, I don’t know precisely what I understood about the man, much less the substance of what he was singing. I knew I could play all the chords to all their songs, which just felt amazing. And I knew my parents thought Mr. Scott was dangerous. All in all, a pretty dang good start.

Looking back, I think I’m even more appreciative now than I was then. First of all, the voice – inimitable. Then there are the lyrics – variously hard-knock blues and hormonally-infused, but with all sorts of clever, wily twists. I suppose there were a lot of fathers out there who warned their daughters about guys like this. Those girls are all grown up now. I wonder how they feel about their own daughters singing along to Buck Cherry’s “Crazy Bitch.” Egads. Makes Bon look like a mere teddy bear.










The man was funny to boot. Here's a fine example of a fellow who patently refused to take himself too seriously. I’ve also seen footage of him performing in a skirt after he got his front tooth knocked out. Bet he would have been fun to have pint with.

I have a good friend – we like to have discussions about songwriting and such. This friend has a certain list of rules about what you can’t do in a rock song. No sexy language or silly entendre. No cocky guitar solos. And definitely, definitely no singing about “being in a rock-n-roll band.”

As I sit here and write this, I feel as though I’ve finally deciphered the crux of his beef, seeing as he’s never put it expressly into words for me:

He hates AC/DC.

]]> http://jonjamesmusic.com/blog.html/blog_ronald_belford_scott__rip Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:28:37 -0800 Whip-smart Rock-songery for today's distinguished illiterate - Jon James - Blog Blog: Random Rant #1 http://jonjamesmusic.com/blog.html/blog_random_rant_1
Rolled-Oats.jpgOK, so I’m realizing this blog could collapse quickly into a forum for random rants. I say, what the hey. Embrace it. So, here we go. It’s official.

Random Rant #1: XYZ Coffee’s "Handcrafted Oatmeal"

(Where XYZ = a certain corporate coffee chain)

Who is the genius that came up with this linguistic fluff? "Handcrafted?" What sort of craftsmanship or level of said hand-involvement does oatmeal preparation involve other than boil & stir? I suppose there are a number of ingredients or toppings that could be sprinkled in with a certain dexterous flourish.

Please be clear. I visit XYZ with some frequency. They make a mean Americano, and the staff at my fave location are all exceedingly fine, congenial folks. But I saw this "handcrafted" campaign on the side of a bus this morning and felt like I was missing out on something crucial. I needed to understand.

So I visited XYZ's website, where a carefully-calculated promotion page has been laid out in full force. They also tout the virtues of this rather ordinary grain with buzz-lingo like "premium" and "all-natural." Now, I recognize there is some difference between steel-cut and rolled varieties, but I have yet to fathom where or how the "premium" distinction comes into play – unless we’re talking about price. And I’d be interested to meet an unnatural oat. I wonder how that would look and taste.

But there’s more, see. You can also get it with soy protein for "extra boost." What precisely am I boosting when I choose that option, except for, well, my protein intake? Are we talking about energy? Expendable caloric fuel? You know, like the kind you get from carbohydrates? If so, I hear oats are a pretty good source. Lastly, imagine my shock to have learned that cranberry-orange is a "familiar XYZ profile." My grandmother has been adding orange rind to the cranberry relish since 1952, but when I was a kid we didn’t call it a profile, we just called it Thanksgiving.

Now, I must confess. I’m trying really hard to refrain from cynicism. Certainly, it does a body little good; only buoyant thought can cheer the mind. But it’s a tall order to remain vigilantly blind to all the bullshit.

Still. How to cure the skeptic? In this instance, I had a notion, and it felt perfectly right. Go buy a cup, Jon. It’s decent karma, and you might actually enjoy it.

So I did. It tasted like strawberry glue.

]]> http://jonjamesmusic.com/blog.html/blog_random_rant_1 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:27:58 -0800 Whip-smart Rock-songery for today's distinguished illiterate - Jon James - Blog Blog: Mein Dilemma mit Musikkritik http://jonjamesmusic.com/blog.html/blog_mein_dilemma_mit_musikkritik
PinkSkull.jpgWhen I was a kid, album reviews were the first thing I thumbed through when Rolling Stone arrived in the mail. Today, I still like to visit sites like Pitchfork and Lost at Sea. In the music biz, it’s an oft-cited mantra: “reviews don’t sell records.” Perhaps that’s true, but they certainly keep one in-the-know about what’s current and hopping – and, personally speaking, even if they don’t drive me directly to purchase, I have absolutely no doubt they shape my listening habits and inclinations in the larger scheme.

In fact, years back, I even did my own critical stint as a writer for a certain Austin, TX-based music publication. Now, I won’t sit here and pretend what I wrote served as some crucial taste-making barometer for its reading audience. I will tell you I verbally tore down more than a couple CD releases and, for that, have probably incurred a good dose of shitty karma for some time yet to come.

elvis_c.jpgElvis Costello, in characteristically abstruse manner, said, “writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” I always liked that. While I enjoy reading about music, I sometimes wonder how many writers truly understand what bands & musicians endure to get from point A to point B in the creative process. There is so much that transpires emotionally, logistically and in any number of other causes, effects and categories life has to throw one’s way. Being the end of that procedural line, a record album hopefully represents a distillation of sorts; even so, it’s impossible to separate that final product from the larger context. And yet, that’s what music commentators are charged with doing. CDs are plunked on desks; summations must be wrought, and verdicts submitted with casual swiftness. Deadlines loom, after all.

For my part, experience on both sides of that fence has imbued in me (I hope) a largely non-critical stance toward music in general. Most anyone who picks up an instrument, pens a line or dares to stand poised before God-only-knows-how-many potential detractors has my respect. To regard that lightly is to do disservice to not just them but also myself. I am finding there is always something to learn, and even if that something serves as confirmation about what I don’t wish to do, it’s nonetheless of value. I shall not name names, but thank you, Dave Matthews.

These days, with rise of the blogosphere, everyone’s a critic. Anyone can set up his/her own page and have a virtual field day. Hell, look at me. What precisely am I doing here anyways?

Well, in addition to being generally long-winded, I have this very specific interest in writing songs. And, as often happens to be the case with us music types, those songs get trafficked to various media outlets in hopes of garnering a little positive feedback or generating a little buzz. It’s nice to be recognized, I suppose. Better than being ignored. Believe me, when it comes to the latter, there is an expanse of experience from which I speak.

I’ve heard it said among A&E types that one should never read what critics have to say about them. And there is a clear reason for that: sting.

TFD_CD_Cover.jpgThe initial critical responses my first CD received were not positive. And I’m here to tell you, I allowed that to sting me like a sonofabitch. Scenario: 1.) fellow pours a lot of heart & soul into something, not to mention time, money and other sundry sacrifice; 2.) fellow gets hung out to dry. Never pretty.

In a sense though, that criticism stung most because, deep down, I agreed it was correct. It had merit. It was insightful. It called me on the flaws. Touché.

Someone more opinionated and self-congratulatory than myself might have been able to shake that off and continue unhindered. Never mind how most every review that followed was generally rosy or flattering, affirming any possible merit I’d originally believed the songs to have. No. Those initial, decisive words stuck with me. Backed into a corner, I immediately set to work fixing what was wrong. Call me pliable. Weak-kneed.

Brought into this world as a less-than-thick-skinned sort, I was a sensitive and shy child hesitant to offer voice about much of anything. I’m still ambivalent about opinion; the fact that I’m even bothering to do a whopping second blog entry is, at present, utterly boggling. Nowadays, as for “sensitivity,” I dare say no one would venture throwing that accusation my way. I’ve learned to be brusque. It’s an adaptive response, an adopted persona.

One might argue it’s not a musician’s place to respond openly to criticism. Politicians do it as a matter of course. They don’t actually say anything, but they do it. Scholars do it. Researchers and scientists do it. They need to defend theory and methodology vis-à-vis their peers and the community at large. Their professions thrive on precisely that sort of dialogue. But musicians? Perhaps there is too much at stake, especially at higher levels. Images to protect and such.

Luckily, I don’t have that to worry about.

AuContraire_cover_resized.jpgSo you won’t mind me telling you about the first online commentary someone referred me to, regarding Au Contraire. It was less than glowing. It was written by someone who seemingly took a strong liking to my first CD; someone who hailed it as some sort of minuscule masterpiece, and was all the more surprised to see such a thing being put out by a virtual “unknown.” Au Contraire, it turns out, does not seem to accord with all this person has conjured up in his/her imagination about who I am and what can be expected of me, based upon 11 tidy songs I wrote over seven years ago. Au Contraire, apparently, is not readily-accessible, easy-on-the-ear power-pop and, as such, has been deemed “a real pity.” Alas, this time around, I've opted for “quirky” songwriting, “conceptual/structural eccentricity” and excessive “ambition.”

To which I can only say – fabulous. Mission accomplished.

Quirky: strikingly unconventional, abruptly peculiar, idiosyncratic.

Eccentric: deviating from an established or usual pattern or style; deviating from conventional or accepted usage or conduct, especially in odd or whimsical ways.

Ambitious: having a strong desire for success or achievement; requiring full use of one’s abilities or resources.

]]> http://jonjamesmusic.com/blog.html/blog_mein_dilemma_mit_musikkritik Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:02:52 -0800 Whip-smart Rock-songery for today's distinguished illiterate - Jon James - Blog Blog: Bloggity-blah. Here we go. 1st entry! http://jonjamesmusic.com/blog.html/blog_bloggityblah_here_we_go_1st_entry
Questions. I get questions. (The first one usually: "are you drunk?")

Let's say first and foremost I'm not an answers sort of guy. When people ask when and where they can expect a live show for Au Contraire -- a CD release party, so to speak -- I get a bit stuck. And so I shall start by deflecting, right off the bat. Because it's a solo record. And I presently have no band. Or, for that matter, a band plan. And deflection is my middle initial.

PT_resized.jpgThe other questions revolve around the record itself, and those I feel nominally more qualified to entertain. But although I say solo, this hardly got pulled off without outside help. So the thing demanding initial mention is the other people involved. I'd like to begin by trumpeting Patrik and Joe. 95% of the tracks on Au Contraire were done at Patrik's studio, Dark One. It was a long process involving a day or so of tracking, here or there, followed by many months of out-and-out inactivity. The question heard most often throughout that three-year process came in the form of a phone call from Patrik: "when are you going to finish your album?" To which I'd usually respond with a large measure of definitive hemming and hawing.

Patrik championed me along throughout the process; a big fan and supporter, a model of tolerance and wise guidance. And after all my heel-dragging was said and done, he also agreed to mix 5 of the songs. Really, any folks with even a remote liking for Au Contraire owe it to themselves to check out his work. Because here is a guy that is far and away more committed to songwriting, musical expression and the very institution of rock-and-roll craft than anyone I know. The man is a living, breathing encyclopedia of rock history. He puts me in my place, and that place has a resounding name: novice.


Joey.jpgOpposite coin side is Joe. Different animal. Joe mixed a large share of the record. If Patrik is some sort of single-minded rock-n-roll sentinel, Joe is far more ambivalent. Lukewarm about pop-rock and rock-pop at best. That's not to discredit either his musical interests or inclinations, which are both immense. But if I lean toward 3-minute ditties, Joe tends to cogitate on an utterly symphonic scale. He is a calculating composer and technical wizard with astonishing ears. So much of our mixing was done via e-mail, which I find amazing. That I could communicate ideas and input in my exceedingly non-technical language (I couldn't begin to tell you jack-shit about EQ, compression and the like) and have him translate that into a mix with clear understanding ... well, what else can I say. It's freakish! And he was patient and uncomplaining throughout the process. Joe is a fantastic guitar player and he, too, is at work on a record of his own -- a madcap mix between instrumental prog rock, sideways Zappa-esque antics and expansive soundscapes. It's the kind of stuff that makes me want to drive my car way too fast.

www.patriktanner.com
www.ptquills.com
www.joebeier.com

Next post, I hope to say a bit about the other fellows on Au Contraire. Drummers. Good God, where does one begin?

As for that live show, let's just say I'm not ruling it out. Someday.

Thanks a ton, my friends.



]]> http://jonjamesmusic.com/blog.html/blog_bloggityblah_here_we_go_1st_entry Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:46:04 -0800 Whip-smart Rock-songery for today's distinguished illiterate - Jon James - Blog