If this was 1985, you’d already know their name, because they’d be all over MTV.

What we’ve got here is five English women and a male drummer who can play, sing and write songs with melodies and changes. Do you know how rare that is?

I didn’t want to go. It’s been hot as hell here in Los Angeles. It’s hard to get a parking spot in Hollywood. I’m gonna have to sit there and feign interest for an hour and a half. But I already told myself I was going to be honest, I was not going to lie. Not that I ever do. But I would not be enthusiastic if I didn’t feel it. I wasn’t going to say the band was great. I was expecting some hard rock drivel played poorly more akin to Metallica than Def Leppard, boy was I surprised.

Yes, The Last Dinner Party is managed by Q Prime. I mean why are Cliff and Peter bothering. A new band, really? They’re both in their seventies. Why don’t they just count their money and go home.

Excitement… It’s so rare these days. Stuff is good on paper. Genre-specific. Appealing to brain dead kids who the purveyors have no respect for. Meanwhile, the bands of yore sell out stadiums.

Can you pour some sugar on me?

Now don’t ask me how people find out about bands like this these days. Used to be top-down marketing. You’d hire a stylist, a director with chops and make an expensive video launching the act to the masses. Everybody played the game, few acts made it through the Pittman sieve. But when they did…

Abbey Konowitch was the most powerful person in the music business. He decided whether you got airplay or not. And then the KROQ team, which migrated from Pasadena to NYC and could be seen on both sides of the camera. We all watched, we knew all the tunes, and then the CD came along and made the labels and their executives rich. Richer than they’d ever been before. I’m not saying that the acts were broke, now that they could tour around the world, but there was more money and more of it was kept by the labels and…

These are the days everybody yearns for.

Unless you’re under the age of thirty, and then you have no frame of reference, you came of age in the internet era, where there was a plethora of music and it was every person for themselves.

But usually it’s solo acts. Platforms for brand extension. Little money-makers. The music is just grease.

And then there are those who aren’t built for the mainstream. The Active Rockers. Appealing to a hard core alienated audience. Glad that you don’t get it, don’t like it, and don’t go. But it doesn’t cross over. There’s too much of an edge, too much bite, there might be changes, but the riffs overpower the melody, and there’s a lot of shouting and less singing.

So what’s a poor boy to do, who even wants to play in a rock and roll band?

It’s girls. And you don’t need to be a rock star to get laid. But so many of those boys are now incels. Ceding the territory to the well-adjusted, the women they want to be with. And their audience, half of the opposite sex.

I’d say it was around 50/50. Maybe 60/40, women to men. And the music was far from wimpy. But they knew the tunes and sang along.

And the lead singer stopped the performance to give aid to a woman overcome by the heat. Traditionally acts don’t care, they don’t want to stop the momentum.

But the band and the audience were one.

How did they know?

Believe me, this was not a Clive Davis act, this was not Whitney Houston.

Yes, Clive specialized in what we’ve got today. Drivel. Pretty faces singing pop songs written by others.

That is not The Last Dinner Party.

If you’re authentic, people believe, they play your records and come to see you.

Cliff told me they could have played the Greek. 6,000 seats. HUH?

This is the modern world. Everything is spontaneous. Assuming it gets traction at all. You can’t even push it if you want to. That’s what the labels are looking for, a conflagration that brings the act from 0-60 overnight. An edge, a social media breakout. Whether they sign the act from TikTok or do their best to push it there.

Sometimes that works, but usually it doesn’t. Because the audience is in control. There’s no PD of the internet.

So what you need to do is hone your chops and play and…

Do you know how rare this is? Do you know how often people want me to get excited about people who can’t sing? My inbox is inundated with acts who can’t sing, people wondering why they’re not superstars.

And now I’ll get a rash of links from people believing that there’s some golden ticket out there, that will bring them to the top of the heap. But that is untrue.

Some woman at Q Prime in the U.K. saw a video online, from some club, there’s a guy who shoots videos of unknown bands there.

The Last Dinner Party, then just The Dinner Party, before another act claimed the name, had only a few gigs under their belt. Cliff and Peter saw the clip, flew to England and signed them. There were no socials, there was no data, only music.

And there was no bidding war, no one else was involved.

And then the band paid their dues, on the road, made an album with the producer of the Arctic Monkeys, on Island. The U.K. is different.

Cliff told me if I’d seen Def Leppard in their first fifty gigs…

But The Last Dinner Party is no longer rough, it’s over the hump.

Really, I couldn’t believe they were that tight, I haven’t heard anything this seamless sans hard drives in eons.

And it doesn’t matter what you think. It doesn’t matter what the “gatekeepers” think. Oh, you need to get on a Spotify playlist, that’s the ticket!

No, you only have to be good. Then people find you.

But there’s very little good out there. And when people find it they glom on to it, they believe in it.

Everybody wants to be a star. They want a shortcut, they figure if they’re on a TV competition show…

It’s all positively old school.

But there’s a new girl in school. Actually, five. And the guitarist was playing in a pit orchestra before joining the band.

Don’t bother to send me your opinion. It doesn’t matter, I don’t care.

Everybody focuses on the records, the charts. But it always comes down to live, whether you can sell tickets or not, whether the audience is dedicated, whether they care.

The Last Dinner Party is building an audience and you’ve never heard of them.

Welcome to the modern era.

Responses from Bob’s readers. These comments are not edited for content or grammar and may not reflect the views of CelebrityAccess or its staff.

I was at the show, sitting in the balcony. I’m 55, and like you, I couldn’t believe how tight they were. My wife and I discovered the band during the Coachella streaming and was blown away by Abigail’s stage presence. She has “it,” and it’s not something manufactured. She can sing and she makes it look easy. TLDP reminded me of Jehnny Beth’s fronted band, Savages. I miss them. They were a force, and TLDP looks to be moving towards the same with more commercial appeal.

It’s good to see a band bring it. We need more like TDLP.

Matthew Grandi

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The band are a throwback. Great retro sound. Great overall look.

So great to see a band breaking through these days.

We have been working with for the past year – sending out a couple singles first and then the LP to college/non-com and specialist radio.

Sometimes you push and push a band. Sometimes a band pulls you. Folks like this band. The hipsters. The musicians. The rest are following. We got the LP to number one on the chart earlier this year. Not something that happens that often on a debut album. Q Prime’s team have been on this for sure.

Also, have to say – Island have been too. With Last Dinner Party and Chappell Roan – they have been putting the time in – and seeing the rewards a year+ later.

If more labels would do this…

Adam Lewis / Owner
Planetary Group

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When The Last Dinner Party Pure Ecstasy was first released, every time we played it in our store (Euclid Records, in St. Louis, MO) – EVERY SINGLE TIME – there’d be at least TWO customers who would stop browsing to ask in awe: “What IS this?!?!”

It was an immediate purchase from them (including one almost-confrontation between the customer who got the last vinyl copy and another customer who wasn’t fast enough). Much like the Chappell Roan, we can’t keep their vinyl in stock.

The beauty of this is that people simply react to what they HEAR. They know nothing about them, but after hearing a track or two, they must have it. Moments like these are why record stores are sacred places, yes?

The beauty of the album is it gets deeper, richer and more monumental with repeated listens. And listening to it as a whole, from start to finish. So the band made a classic ALBUM; no filler tracks around video “singles.”

Our customers (of all ages) most often make quick and easy comparisons to Kate Bush. And it’s not. But “Kate Bush” is apparently the shorthand for complex, dramatic and melodic female-sung music.

Glad (and envious) you got to see them live. Thanks for sharing!

Cheers,

Toby Weiss

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I love this band so much. England has been into TLDP for a long time, relatively speaking. I resisted checking them out because I kept hearing about them and thought I wouldn’t be into it—this was end of ’22 and top of ’23 when I was looking for where I might want to move. Finally I relented and dove in—it was just the music, musicianship and the songcraft that won me over, before I even knew about how fantastic their live show was and what an absolute perfect rock star Abigail Morris is. And the best part is, it doesn’t even matter that they are female, that’s just the icing on the cake. They’ve captured lightning, I hope they can hang on to it.

Was just in LA, bummed I missed the Fonda show.

xK
Kathy Valentine

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Suffered some backlash for being “industry plants” in the U.K. but those rumours have been more or less exposed as false. The singer has always had musical ambitions, moved to London to make demos but also to go to school. Met two of the others in the few first few weeks of uni, the other two were friends of friends. They met and then ‘bang’ — COVID lockdowns. That gave then time to write, rehearse and develop a sound, and they emerged fully formed musically.
The album is excellent.

John Kendle

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You….lucky….DOG!

I knew you’d dig em’..I send you a lot of “recs”, I know, but only that which is nutrient-dense, with that old-school ethos..

I saw them performing at a festival earlier this year..Via Hulu or Prime.. Kicking ass in a sweaty little tent, while the DJs held court on the big stages..I’ve been hooked ever since..

I recently heard “The Feminine Urge” in a movie.
Maybe it’ll be Shazamed by the curious..Kelly Clarkson covered “Nothing Matters”..They’re making the rounds on the festival circuit..

They’re one meme, one “shout-out” from Taylor Swift, one opening slot away from the next rung..

James Spencer

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I read your newsletter regularly and have often wondered if you listen to The Spectrum or Alt Nation on SiriusXM. Based on your questioning where people find out about The Last Dinner Party and other artists I hear regularly on these two stations, it seems that you don’t. Some of these bands were probably featured on XMU before making their way to more “mainstream” stations. I’m in my mid-50s and don’t listen to XMU, but The Spectrum and Alt Nation are two of my favorites in the Sirius lineup. Give them a shot!

~ Gina Gasparini
Metro Atlanta

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In the UK, where this band are from, they broke the old way – BBC radio, some TV performances on chat shows and then a heavy physical pre-order campaign to jam the album into the charts. The BBC has little power to do this anymore but by focusing on 6 Music and BBC Radio 2 there’s the ability to have the older demographic, who still listen to linear radio, gain awareness of a band. It’s the same strategy used by Wet Leg a couple of years ago (also female band). This may be why in the UK, people tell me the crowds at the shows for both bands are mostly middle aged white men. (You can read an article I wrote about how this system is almost dead here).

So in the US it might appear to be some manifestation of a new model of artist development but that wasn’t the case here really. There’s a separate issue about the UK’s ability to break talent which is way too complex to get into here, but in general an indie or alternative band struggles to break via streaming in the UK, hence the focus on a dwindling radio audience and vinyl pre-order.

Cheers

Patrick Clifton

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The point is, everybody DOES know the name of Last Dinner Party. Their August date in Denver sold out in minutes last February. Fans also know the names of British compatriots like Squid, Dry Cleaning, English Teacher, Black Country New Road, Wet Leg, Black Midi, Yard Act, Sports Team….. But the folks who know are those in high school, college, 20s-ish, maybe a few 30s. But such bands and solo acts all are largely invisible not only to boomers, but to many if not most in their 40s and 50s. The unifying factor is now a mix of TikTok, streaming services, Bandcamp, etc., and if you’re not keeping up with a combination of everything, a lot of the best new pop remains invisible.

Loring Wirbel
Monument, CO

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Love it Bob!

I heard them on the radio (WXPN and WFUV) last year… great band!

Patrick Pierson

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Saw a pic of them this morning with Russell Mael cuz they’re doing “This Town” so I checked them out. Terrific stuff.

Rob Warden

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Sinner is one of my 2023 favorite tracks. And there’s so much more quality material!
Great band.

Best,

Aldo Blardone

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They’re great – and, yes, I heard of them, because I listen to BBC Radio 6!

Bob Flint
Springfield VT

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Anyone with ears should have been able to hear that The Last Dinner Party are absolutely wonderful. Maybe it’s because I’m learning from my three daughters, but man, they are good. We are in the middle of a pop moment to which you and I aren’t invited – The Last Dinner Party, Chappel Roan, Dua Lipa – hail, hail the new generation of pop, complex as hell and free from the boys.

David Frail

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Been a fan of this awesome band for a year now. I can certainly tell you how a great many of us out here in hoi polloi land find this great new music: YouTube reaction channels. That’s the same way I was introduced to Ren almost 2 years ago (and who is now my favorite musical artist on the planet). YouTube reactors, the good ones, perform the same service the good DJs and program directors used to provide back in the heyday of radio, that of spreading the gospel of talented new artists, especially independent ones. BTW, the real hotbed of great new music isn’t the US but the UK, IMO.

Marty DeHart
Nashville, TN

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Playing their current album on Spotify.
Instantly catchy. I’m hooked. This sounds like it came out of the 90s like Shakespeare’s Sister.
Good call! I’m always looking for new bands!

Turk

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Great band. Already have their album pegged for my year end list. Nothing Matters is a great song from it.

Their rise reminds me a little of Wet Leg last year. Girl rockers seem to be hot right now.

Craig Davis

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Love TLDP.

Heard’em on Spotify.

On my release radar. Heard the single which led me to the album which led to me mentioning them to a number of friends. Now I can just forward your letter.

Thanks.

Louis Heidelmeier

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I didn’t recognize the name until I listened to their album and heard “Nothing Matters”.

“Nothing Matters” is a big single for them and appears on a lot of Spotify playlists.

The band also played Coachella and Glastonbury this year. They are not really an unknown commodity.

Still it sounds like it was a good show at my current favorite venue.

Larry Green

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I love their sound and style Bob. Thanks for this.

Dan Green

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Bob, I heard them on the Sirius Spectrum channel and then saw a live video. Love the songs, the sound and the look. Totally get why Cliff and Peter (old guys like us) snatched them up. For all the tastemaking SNL purports to do, I’ve been amazed they missed this one.

Been keeping my eye out for the tour. I’ll go for sure.

Stephen Knill

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Bob – xpn in philly has been playing them for a year or so. Bruce warren has been all over them. Its stations like xon and people like bruce that bring the good music to those that wish to be enlightened.

Thanks so much for all you do

Josh millman

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For me, The Last Dinner Party was discovered on Sirius. Channel 35, XMU. They must play their single ‘The Feminine Urge’ hourly! But this channel is clearly programmed by someone (or some people) who give a sh*t. An eclectic mix of brand new indie, mixed in with indie from the past 15-20 years. This channel also allowed me to discover the show ‘Aquarium Drunkard’ (heard every Wednesday). Not only the most assorted two hours of music I’ve ever heard, delivered weekly, but also I came to find they have an outstanding website and weekly newsletter for further discovery. https://aquariumdrunkard.com/

XMU also got me into Wet Leg a couple years ago. One of the funnest fresh alternative records of the past couple of years.

As someone who works in terrestrial radio, behind the scenes, radio will be the first to admit it’s not breaking new artists. But new music is out there, and great new music at that. You just gotta look around!

Thanks,
Ryan Hobson

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…and they are all over Alternative Rock radio right now. I know you think we are irrelevant, but every little bit helps establish a band with a core constituency. This band is talented.

rpeters282

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We live one block north of Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park and hear the main stage loud and clear, especially when the fog seems to keep the sound waves from drifting up and away. We’ve ventured to the fest a handful of times to catch Radiohead, Al Green, Sharon Jones, Beck, Budos Band, others, but over the years have spent many a cold, foggy night bundled up in the garden enjoying the headliners.

I worked from home Friday afternoon and was really getting into whoever was playing, looked at the schedule and it was The Last Dinner Party. I’ve been cranking them on Spotify ever since!

Steve Gillan

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Love this band. Saw some concert clips several months ago and was blown away by the energy, the crowd response, plain ol’ rock and roll exuberance. Can’t wait to catch them live with my daughter – who at 14 years old is way ahead of my musical sophistication at that age. Streaming and social have accelerated her cross-genre musical discovery.

Clayon DuBose

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you saw and heard what I saw and heard! because the singer did the same thing at the show I saw, referencing someone who looked overheated and might need some water or attention. i wonder if it’s schtick or just a really hot summer…i was dreading parking near the SLC venue as well, planning to use the pay garage a few blocks over, by the Delta Center, but then I found a free street space – with tree shade.

Toby Mamis

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Thanks to the YouTube Coachella live stream for turning me onto Last Diner Party. Abigail is a star. In line for Record Store Day, a young lady ask me if I ever heard of them. Oh yes, I ordered the picture disk. Glad you are onto them, Bob.

John Kauchick

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The Last Dinner Party had a big buzz when their album came out last year, but I hadn’t kept up with them. It’s interesting to hear that they’re doing well touring the US. Then of course there’s Wet Leg and boygenius. Lurking behind all this is the renewed appreciation for Fanny, who were a really good band despite being seen mostly as a novelty in their heyday in the early ‘70s.

Is rock morphing into something that is primarily done by girls? That might be something for a rock writer to explore.

Tycho Manson

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??? they’ve had 2 pretty big singles already

Darryl Duffy

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The online clip of “Nothing Matters” has them sounding like a wannabe ABBA but nowhere as pop powerful as ABBA was at their best.

I hope TLDP are better live!

George Gilbert

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Love The Last Dinner Party! Seen them twice live now (their Coachella set was one of my faves of the weekend) and sad I wasn’t able to snag a ticket to their show at The Fonda. Happy to see them getting the flowers they deserve!

Kayla Kascht

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6.3 Mill views of a song on YT is far from noone ever hearing of them

Most of us music listeners on Youtube have known who they are for sometime

Peter Ferioli

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You’re right, Bob. They’re great!

emiltonmyers

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In the UK, we have music radio that people listen to, music TV that people watch, music awards that are relevant, and music festivals like Glastonbury that people go to, and are widely broadcast.
The Last Dinner Party have been growing in popular recognition for a good year plus now over here. Sometimes, if you’re good and work hard, they will find you.

Cheers

Crispin Herrod-Taylor
Managing Director, Crookwood

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Not Susana Hoffs…but kinda catchy.

Cheers,

Jay Currie

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Wow, they have it!

Great band, great find Bob, really hope they make it. Will definitely be keeping an eye on them. Hope to see them live sometime soon.

Cheers,

Thor

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They are terrible.

Joseph Koehler, CFP
President
WG Financial

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Bob: One problem is, as you know, THEY DON’T WRITE ‘EM LIKE THIS ANY MORE:
But there was a time, Way back when, , that THEY DID: https://t.ly/Q_qJK

Barry Lyons / Rent A Label

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“How did they know?”

Kelly Clarkson has covered their hit song.
They have appeared on The Late Show.
They just played at Glastonbury 2 months ago.
They have Fifteen very highly produced “official VEVO” music videos on YouTube.
To say nothing of their professionally managed cross-platform social media strategy.

The audience knew the band’s songs because the band is well known. The Fonda holds just 1200 seats so the audience was curated.

And you write this as if it was all a big surprise. Hmmmmm?

Mark McLaughlin

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“Nothing Matters” was one of the best songs from Last Year. But you wouldn’t know it if you only listened to radio.

Oedipus

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Fredricka Mercury

Mike Bone

Thank you for your kind name check/ words in the story about The Last Dinner Party

Of course, I always like being reminded of the blessing and curse I had during that time and just how different everything has changed. Not just in the business, but the fact that I’m hardly even the most powerful person in my kitchen now!!

Best and thanks again for remembering

-Abbey!

The post The Lefsetz Letter: The Last Dinner Party At The Fonda appeared first on CelebrityAccess.

And I’m not quite sure how I feel about that.

It’s not like the old days, there’s so much activity in the mountains in the summer you’d almost think you were living in the city. Subsidized performing arts centers, name talent, and a ton of semi or non-talent, you open the “Vail Daily” and there’s an endless list.

And there’s a free concert series in Beaver Creek every week, Andy said he went to see Asia there, without one original member.

Richie Furay is the genuine article. With a pedigree. The only guy with that high a profile who didn’t break through to stardom. You had Stephen Stills and Neil Young and Jim Messina in Buffalo Springfield. The Eagles expanded on that sound. Furay ultimately teamed with Chris Hillman and J.D. Souther in the ill-fated Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, but the act broke up because Richie’s wife told him it was either her or the band, and Richie chose her. The scuttlebutt was that it was J.D. who broke up the act, but Richie told me he was checked out during the recording of the act’s aptly-named second LP, “Trouble In Paradise,” which was released with a whimper.

But that first Souther-Hillman-Furay Band album, I played the sh*t out of it. I recorded it for a cross-country drive. I remember this fisherman singing “Border Town” as he skied the bumps at Alta, I was stunned he knew it, I thought it was more of a secret, then again, the album did go gold.

And in the middle, of course, there was Poco. Richie’s band that never lived up to its rep commercially until he left.

And there you have it. Rock history, FROM FIFTY YEARS AGO!

That’s right, Richie Furay is eighty. Doesn’t look it, but the stunning thing is he still has his voice. And he played acoustically with his daughter on backup vocals and a young guitarist and the harmonies…were better than Crosby, Stills & Nash’s ever were. Oh, those albums were sweet, but live, at Woodstock, on “4 Way Street,” I thought it was nearly impossible to get three part harmony right live until I saw Yes, which wasn’t known for harmony, but nailed it nonetheless.

I mean all these years later, Richie still has it.

But it is all these years later.

Now the thing about these free shows, on the ice rink in the village of Beaver Creek, is people get there early, to set up chairs, to be close.

And they were all of my vintage.

And they knew who Richie Furay was.

I saw a woman dancing and singing to the heavens along with “A Good Feelin’ to Know” and that’s when I realized, they’d lived through the era just like me, when music was everything, when of course you knew the hits, but also the music of the quality acts you heard occasionally on FM, but never on AM.

The initial Poco album is a classic, “Pickin’ Up the Pieces,” which got great reviews when it came out but was dwarfed by Crosby, Stills & Nash. There was a trade, Epic got Richie and Atlantic got Crosby and Nash and…Furay believes if Poco had been on Atlantic things would have worked out differently. Then again, Leslie West believed if his manager didn’t nix his appearance in the Woodstock movie, he would have become legendary. And the truth is Mountain was pretty big in its era, but now the band is almost completely forgotten, I don’t hear about young people streaming Mountain songs.

And I don’t hear about them streaming Poco songs either.

2

I initially stopped after “From the Inside.” It was clear, the band was never going to break through. I was stunned when it ultimately did, when it moved over to ABC from Epic, but by then Rusty Young was a lead vocalist, which was unfathomable to early fans of the band. And I love “Heart of the Night,” and “Crazy Love” is a staple, but no one ever talks about the opening track on the first ABC album “Head Over Heels,” entitled “Keep On Tryin’,” composed and sung by Timothy B. Schmit with a voice so pure so airy so right sans commercial success it’s no wonder Timothy B. ultimately decamped for the Eagles.

So back in ’65, after a Vermont washout over Christmas, my parents took us to the Concord, where no snow would not nix a good time. I skied three of the four days, the fourth it rained, and one of the perks of the hotel, other than endless food, was nightclub entertainment, and the star was Neil Sedaka, who was by this time a has-been. We had no idea who he was. We were all Beatlemaniacs. This was my first exposure to someone touring after their prime. It was kind of creepy, then again, who would have expected that Sedaka would have a comeback in the seventies!

At the time of that show, Sedaka was twenty five. Over the hill.

And there were all the acts my parents talked about, that they went to see in NYC. They took us to see Ella Fitzgerald… All these acts on late night TV we’d never heard of, which unlike Neil Sedaka, never came back.

And in the eighties, there started to be the comedy circuit in Florida. Aged acts playing to aged fans. Maybe it started earlier, but that’s when I heard about it.

Sad.

But I was young.

And now, the acts that aren’t dead are still out there, playing to us.

Mostly retired. All about lifestyle. Not in the mainstream and not concerned about it. After all, it’s been half a century, more.

But all that music of my parents’ generation, it was disposable. Sure, not Sinatra, some of the big bands, but really, it was music of the time, there’s always popular music, but that’s different from…

The British Invasion.

The San Francisco Sound.

Singer-songwriters.

Prog rock.

Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Stones…

Our acts were icons. Untouchable. We played their records in our bedrooms, in our dorm rooms, you went to the gig on a regular basis, it was a religious experience, all about the music, no one shot selfies and many of the venues did not sell beer, although that did not mean we were not high.

Musicians were the new baseball stars. But with brains. We idolized them. We listened to what they had to say. They were beacons in a tumultuous era.

But then it became all about the money, music once again slid back into entertainment as opposed to art.

Which leaves us with our memories.

3

“Kind Woman.” Do you know that one? If you were more than a casual fan, you do.

And the aforementioned “A Good Feelin’ to Know” resonated with me for the first time ever.

I was a Poco fan, but when Epic sent me the two CD “Forgotten Trail (1969-74)” package in 1990 I became a devotee, long after the band’s status had been set in stone, listening to the music with no context, context was created, it was a really good band. Actually, I recommend two two CD compilations, this Poco one and “Free – Molten Gold: The Anthology.” You’ll be stunned how good Paul Kossoff was. Free was much more than “All Right Now,” never mind featuring possibly the greatest rock singer of all time, Paul Rodgers.

Richie was not a nobody. Like failed singer-songwriters singing down in Florida, at the Villages, other retirement communities, this guy was right up front and center when we were all paying attention. And he’s just as good.

Not that you know all the material. The solo stuff…

And Richie got deep into Jesus, and if that bugs you, you’re going to wince when he goes on about God during the set.

But I stood up to take a look. The first two-thirds of the space were all people my age, there were no youngsters up front, only in the back.

Now nobody likes a deal like a retiree. Especially free.

And the set started at 5:30. You could call it an Early Bird Special.

This is what it’s come to.

But even after waiting for half an hour for the crowd to thin out to say hi to Richie, people were still lined up to talk to him, to buy merch, to get a photo, to get an autograph. These are the same people who won’t go to the grocery store during rush hour, whose line up days are through, even though they lined up for tickets way back when.

And I look as old as they do. I’m no different from them. I couldn’t square it, made me want to go back to L.A. and sit in the Forum, go to a theatre show, hang with the insiders, anything but this.

It’s just like my parents’ generation. We had our acts, they meant so much to us and they won’t mean much to anybody after we’re gone. Most of rock history, kaput!

And the funny thing is most of rock history is now being written by people who weren’t there in the first place, in some cases not even born. Not only do they often get the facts wrong, the nuances they miss completely. They rely on the charts from an era where Top Forty meant nothing and some of the best acts were rarely heard on the radio.

And if you try to tell anybody younger how it used to be different, they laugh and say it’s the same as it ever was. Then again, if that’s so, why is there such hoopla over the re-release of “Stop Making Sense”?

This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco, many are past being able to fool around.

You had to go to the Mudd Club, CBGB’s, being home was death, it all happened outside, at the club, whereas today the entertainment at home is nearly always superior to that outside.

It’s fading away. It’s on its last gasp. Do you embrace it or stand up and protest like the Nazi in “The Producers,” telling everybody they don’t understand how it was, what it meant.

I don’t know.

Responses from Bob’s readers. These comments are not edited for grammar or content, and may not reflect the views of CelebrityAccess or its staff.

Hi Bob,

It was nice to see you and Andy up at Beaver Creek on Thursday. Yea, the big wheel keeps on turning and I keep going out to play if someone says there are people who want to take a trip down memory lane and hear a few new tunes as well. It’s fun playing with my daughter, truthfully I wouldn’t be doing this if she wasn’t along for the ride- (she has four daughters of her own) and her husband is really supportive for the few shows we do.

Anyway, thanks for the nice article, you have a great way of taking people along on your personal journey as you observe the music. Thanks for coming out and for stopping by to say hello!!!

Richie

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I produced, engineered and mixed Richie’s “Still DELiverin’ Return to The Troubadour“ a few years back, which was the 50th anniversary concert at the Troubadour of the iconic Poco record “DeLiverin.'”

Richie is a good man and a consumate pro and can still bring it live. It was a pleasure getting to hear those iconic Poco songs after all these years.
One never knows what makes one a star but I got the impression that Richie probably didn’t care in the end about that.

Having worked with lots of stars there is something intangible that divides the “star” from the one that has sh*t gobs of talent but maybe doesn’t really care about that specific part of one’s career. I am not going to get in the secular religious piece of his or anyone’s career but I have quite a few musician friends that have set off on that path and it doesn’t really intersect with wanting to play the game.

Anyway, Richie’s music will be in the DNA of American music forever regardless.

Best back
Ross Hogarth

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Hi Bob,

It was nice to see you and Andy up at Beaver Creek on Thursday. Yea, the big wheel keeps on turning and I keep going out to play if someone says there are people who want to take a trip down memory lane and hear a few new tunes as well. It’s fun playing with my daughter, truthfully I wouldn’t be doing this if she wasn’t along for the ride- (she has four daughters of her own) and her husband is really supportive for the few shows we do.

Anyway, thanks for the nice article, you have a great way of taking people along on your personal journey as you observe the music. Thanks for coming out and for stopping by to say hello!!!

Richie

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I still stream Poco. I first met them at an outdoor gig I booked for them in 1971, I think, for the Simsbury (CT) Youth Center. Loved Pickin’ Up the Pieces album so much. It was an exciting time to be around live music.

Tony D’Amelio

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Poco. Central Park, Summer ’72. Powered mescaline. It started to drizzle during “Good Feeling to Know (with an extended jam at the end.) The stage lights lit the raindrops. Richie’s voice and Paul Cotton’s lead guitar turned the Manhattan night into one of the greatest musical moments of my life.

Matt Auerbach…

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One of the joys of producing concerts in the early days was the ability to make friends and keep them as they came through on tour. Every group had its own personality, created by its music, musicians and crew. Some you couldn’t wait to see, others not so much. You always looked forward to working with Poco. Not only was the music sublime, but they could sell tickets, and were a pleasure to hang out with. If every group has a public face, Poco can credit then-road manager Denny Jones. I hope some of your readers with similar backgrounds feel the same way.

Alan DeZon

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But anyway bye bye..fave Richie vocal,thx Bob

Woody Price

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Nicely written, I saw Richie as the opener for one of the final Ronstadt tours, understated excellence.

About the origins of the LA sound epitomized by the Eagles I had the same conversation with Christian Nesmith at my house several years ago which included Furay but also Christian’s Dad Michael and Rick Nelson’s Stone Cyn Band. It was a great blender at the right time that all birthed some great music.

Don Adkins
SoCal Photographer

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As good as anything today:

“Starlight (Richie Furay Band: I’ve Got a Reason) (1976)”

Tom Lewis

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Oh boy! What a great column! A few years back, I had the chance to see Richie Furay at the Turning Point in Piermont NY. A wonderful small venue that still attracts the road warriors like Steve Forbert, and many others in the tri-state musician community. The Buffalo Springfield, for me, was just the coolest band ever. Stills with that hat, and Neil with his fringed leather jacket. But I was always captured by their guitars, Neil played a Gretsch White Falcon…a guitar to die for in 1965, but it cost a thousand bucks. No wonder I bought a Hagstrom III for $129. Richie played a covet-worthy Gibson electric 12-string. Couldn’t afford a Fender Telecaster for $179 at the time…Anyway, Richie signed my copies of Poco albums, the first Buffalo Springfield LP…vinyl mind you…I bought the first version of the Buffalo Springfield’s first LP…it didn’t have For What It’s Worth as the first cut…It was Baby Don’t Scold Me. I brought the LP back to exchange it for the new version. That first LP without For What it’s Worth, became a collector’s item in the Buffalo Springfield saga. Richie signed my copy of Picking Up the Pieces and you could not have asked for a better meet and greet. Thanks for the report. I’ve been up at Vail and Beaver Creek when they get the music going and hey, rocky mountain high colorado!

Chip Lovitt

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I saw Jim Messina at Ridgefield Playhouse on the Thursday night before the Friday COVID shut live music down. A friend had extra tix and I was a little leery.

He was great. His band was like the Loggins and Messina bands, versatile with woodwinds and a lot of coloration and textures.

His voice and guitar were excellent and the songs were familiar and amazing. Acts from back in the day can be hit or miss when they reach a certain age but the Buffalo Springfield alums have done better than most.

William Nollman
Silvermine

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Saw Buffalo Springfield in 1966(?) when they toured with The Beach Boys. Became life-long fan of all the members of the band. Saw Poco in its original configuration at a local college. Last saw Richie Furay at Birchmere in Northern VA in with a band that included his daughter. He will always be among my favorite musicians.

William Hultman

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Once again, you nailed it.

On October 21, 2010 – a Thursday night in Seattle – I read online that the Buffalo Springfield were reuniting at the annual Bridge Concerts.

Withing minutes, I bought 2 10th-row tickets, booked a hotel, booked a first-class flight and, on Saturday, a friend and I were walking into the Shoreline to see them.

I patiently sat through an acoustic Billy Idol set, an acoustic Elvis Costello set (replacing an ailing Kristofferson), with Emmylou sitting in, etc.

Then there they were, Steven, Richie, and Neil with what was obviously Neil’s rhythm section.

The whole set was a acoustic, of course (it’s a Bridge Concert) but that didn’t matter.

I couldn’t believe this was happening – I was 12 when I bought Bluebird/Mr. Soul 45, and had everything they ever did on boxes, bootlegs, etc. A dead band. Yet there they were, starting with “On the Way Home”, with Richie on vocals. Richie Furay, flanked by Stills and Young!

I call these events “Lazurus Moments”.

I was close enough to see the looks on their faces and the state of their bodies. It was clear that Richie looked the same but with gray hair, and the other two looked as battle-worn as you’d expect.

Gary Lang

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Missed Furay at BC but I still have the SHF band album, from the cut-out section at Peaches. They tried to be the answer to CSN but no one cared. Richie was always close to stardom but never quite made it. I remember he was a Minister down in Boulder with his own Church years ago. Boulder had a great scene back then when Caribou Ranch was the place to be.

I saw that ASIA ad but there are two ASIA’s touring, the other one with Geoff Downes, the one at Beaver Creek? Like the two Yes’ a few years ago. So sad they can’t just all get along.

I learned to ski at the Concord and at Kutsher’s then went over to Holiday Mountain. They used to have tie-dyed snow at the Concord! Neil Sedaka’s parents I think lived in Monticello and I taught his daughter Dara to ski, or tried to, she was impossible.

A surprisingly good free show at BC last year was Ambrosia who sounded great even without David Pack, who has one of the best and most underrated voices in music. They did have the other 3 original guys and played a mix of the classic Prog stuff, the big ballads and some great covers They even joked about being labeled as Yacht Rock actually playing front of people who likely have Yachts, They really surprised me.

Now I really have to see Gary Puckett and the Union Gap at BC!

Ciao,
Barry Levinson

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Damn, Bob…this brought me to tears several times, had to write.

A guy at my first job in the grocery store in 1975 turned me on to Poco, and I became obsessed. Made special trips to Austin just to buy their albums at one of the then seven record stores within walking distance of The Drag.

The history of it, starting with Buffalo Springfield, was like an occult treasure to a “different” kid in Bumfuq South Texas. Poco was part of the biggest geneaolocial tree of rock and roll there ever was. Who did what, where the others came from…all of it was fascinating to a 16 year kid who saw rock as a sacred thing.

I learned about Illinois Speed Press and found the album on one of the Austin trips. It was like a hidden sub-history, finding out where Paul Cotton came from, and seeing how he changed the sound of the band.

Good Feelin’ To Know, as far as I was concerned, was a masterpiece of an album. THAT record should have broken them through. After that came Crazy Eyes, and you could tell Richie was leaving just by the writing, and the sound of the album itself. Finding out it was about Gram Parsons was like finding another bit of that history…that geneaology.

And the band shouldered on, became even tighter, if that’s at all possible, and put out Seven, Cantamos, and then the album with “Keep On Tryin’.” That song was what I would play people when I was trying to explain Poco to them and get them turned on to the band. I was a Pocovangelist when I was a sophomore in high school…I even did a massive painting of the cover of ‘Seven’ with the horseshoe, for my wall.

Then came Rose of Cimmaron, and when Timothy left, Rusty took over that airy-high vocal spot on the two records that finally “did it ” for them, with covers by none other than Phil Hartman.

I’m just a few years behind you in the chronological scheme of it, in that final section of the Boom called “Generation Jones”: too old to Boom, too young to GenX. I was anachronistic and autistic as a kid, glued to the radio from toddlerhood on.

I did deep dives on every kind of music, and the HISTORY OF IT was always first and foremost. The perspective of when it happened in the timeline, hell, just Historical Perspective in general, just doesn’t exist in people now. And they don’t want to know.

I am sad to see the natural progression. I feel as “cringe” as the old Big Bands my parents loved now. But rock and roll…it did bind kindred souls, no matter HOW old we were. Y’all may have been ten or so years older, but I was just as “there” with the music. The music bonded everyone, especially from ’64 to ’72, what to me were the “Golden Years” of pop music on AM.

The originals all passing, I feel an urge to make sure all that rock history that got me through a rocky teen-hood doesn’t all disappear and die. Another friend sent me a copy of a book written about the Haight Ashbury, called “We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us Against” by Nicholas Won Hoffman. He wrote it as his Thesis for “Dr. Jolly”…it has given me a whole new window onto the Haight Street scene. This is history that needs to be passed on, to be perpetuated, not to die with those who lived it.

Thanks again for another good one, Bob,

Byron Beyer

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Well, if the lyrics “Colorado mountains I can see your distant sky, bringin’ a tear of joy to my eye” didn’t resonate w/ the folks at Beaver Creek, then it’s unlikely they’d resonate anywhere else.

If I had to choose the most underrated band and artist from the 1970’s, my ballot would likely have Poco and Richie Furay at the very top. I’d probably have to select both as a write-in vote given the shameful lack of recognition of each (beyond Furay’s days w/ Buffalo Springfield), but those in the know certainly know. The Eagle’s get all the accolades as pioneers of country rock, and probably deservedly so, but the quality of Poco’s music isn’t too far behind, and in several instances their work is arguably better. Poco’s writing wasn’t always consistent, (then again, whose is), but the band’s lack of recognition and commercial success is a travesty.

No doubt if Ahmet and the strong promo team at Atlantic records had oversight of Poco’s early releases, they would have had a much better chance of success, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. For those not familiar w/ Poco’s body of work, check out their 2-disc compilation “The Forgotten Trail.” Serious music enthusiasts are familiar w/ early stage Poco players Jim Messina, Randy Meisner, Timothy B. Schmit and Richie Furay, but the late Rusty Young is arguably one of the best pedal steel players of all-time.

Stuart K. Marvin

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I lived in Boulder and had my first commercial studio there in the 70s. Poco, Firefall, Tommy Bolin, and Boz Scaggs were staples of the times. Glad Richie’s still doing it. As the Mighty Quinn said, “Take care of all your memories because you cannot relive them.” My trash bin will be full of tapes and records and books when my kids clean up after I’m gone. They might keep some actual photos and a few of my instruments, and I’m okay with all that. The satisfaction is that at least some of my story will live on, in whatever form the digital now allows. Your readers will still be quoting you until AI replaces all reading and talking. “Any day now, I (we) shall be released.”

Victor Levine

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I knew I was in trouble when I started seeing ads for bands I liked in junior high playing 4:30pm shows at The Villages. Hopefully rock ’n’ roll never forgets.

Vince Welsh

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This inspired me to see where else he was playing. At first it looked like New Jersey but then saw he’s at the Boulton Center on Long Island in Bay Shore on the 24th. Bought a couple of the few remaining tickets immediately. Looking forward to it.

Thank you!

Michael Williams

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August, Beaver Creek, the Rocky Mountains and Richie Furay… A Good Feeling To Know INDEED!

George Briner

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Bob: Thanks for remembering Poco. They belong in the RR Hall of Fame, as does America. Richie was the lead singer in Buffalo Springfield when I signed them to William Morris. They were a crusty bunch, except for Richie, he always was and has remained a kind hearted soul. The others eventually mellowed out, so kudos to them too.

Harlan Goodman and I managed Poco for eight albums, Poco Seven through Legend which delivered two top five singles and was their first and only platinum L.P.. They had a long string of managers, Green & Stone, Shiffman & Larson, Geffen & Roberts, Hartmann & Goodman, and Peter Golden. The story of their roller coaster career is classic American Rock & Roll.

The move to ABC is what changed the arc of their career. Abandoning one’s catalog was not de rigueur in those days. You lost your leverage. but Epic was too comfortable selling 350K units and never supported a single. Mybrother Phil designed many of their covers, including Poco Seven and Legend, his Horse logo remained their emblem to the end.

Forty years later I was at an ‘Old Timers Luncheon’ and sat next to this guy who informed me that he used to run Epic, and I told him how I sent Epic prexy Ron Alexenburg an original Phil Hartman watercolor of the Poco 7 cover. When we moved Poco to ABC he stomped on it and broke the glass. He sent it to me complete with footprints. I reframed it with the broken glass included. He says to me I’m Ron Alexenburg. I was totally shocked. He had lost a hundred pounds and I didn’t recognize him. He looked real good. We laughed a lot.

Music was our fuel in the sixties, Now it’s just grease to get the young people from screen to screen.

Rock ‘Til You Drop!

As ever,

John Hartmann

The post The Lefsetz Letter: Richie Furay In Beaver Creek appeared first on CelebrityAccess.

Meat and potatoes rock and roll flourished in the midwest, in the south, had a presence in the west but was pooh-poohed in the northeast. “Free Bird” caught on in New York after it broke elsewhere. I don’t remember ever hearing Foghat on FM, nor did anybody own the records, even though I got hooked on the band hearing “Boogie Motel” and “Stone Blue” on FM when I moved to Los Angeles.

One of the reasons meat and potatoes rock gets a bad rep is the lyrics. Simple. Misogynistic. Anything but vulnerable.

But when I heard “Never Been Any Reason” on Spotify today…

I started with “Rocky Mountain High,” I had a hankering to hear it. And from there the instant radio station slipped into “Listen to the Music” and then “Foreplay/Long Time,” not that I saw the John Denver cut being aligned with the latter, but in truth we could be fans of all sounds back in the day. Today everything is available online, just a click away, but despite all the hoopla about the grazing of the youngsters it seems people end up in their silos.

Now I’ve heard “Never Been Any Reason” more as an oldie than when it was originally released in 1975. And it got a boost from its inclusion in “Dazed and Confused,” back in 1993, seems just like yesterday. Teen exploitation films are no longer a thing, at least at the multiplex, they can appear on streaming outlets, but they used to be a ritual. First and foremost with the B pictures of the sixties and seventies, and even through “American Pie” in the nineties. Then again, are today’s kids optimistic? Can they ignore the realities of climate change, income inequality, and financial hardship? By the time the seventies rolled around, politics was in the background, especially after Nixon was gone and Vietnam wound down. There was a level of hedonism boomers hadn’t seen previously, the seriousness of the sixties was history, and we were luxuriating in our achievements.

We had weed, whites, and wine, and things were pretty good.

The concert business was built in the sixties and matured in the seventies. The sound was finally good, you expected it. And shows were not exotic, they were a ritual, you went on a regular basis, they were affordable. And the touring artists could live quite well on the income.

So you banged your head. Let go. Felt alive. Untroubled.

Of course, this wasn’t completely true, but the music got you through.

2

“Have you ever been lonely, do you have any fun”

One thing about the over-criticized internet, it has brought the lonely together, you can go online and find your tribe. It seems like the only people testifying about the ills of the internet are those who had/have no problem functioning in regular society, going to prom, getting laid, being a member of the group. But that leaves plenty of people out. And for this group the internet has been a godsend. The fact that money and looks aren’t everything online aids those who don’t ring the bell regarding these criteria. Sure, there are social media influencers parading their assets, then again Mr. Beast didn’t make it on looks. Nerds rule the internet and the cool people of yore don’t like this.

So who is this person the singer is asking these questions of? It sounds like the underdog. But it’s not. She’s his heart’s desire, she’s the winner.

“Did you see any action
Did you make any friends
Would you like some affection
Before I leave again”

Typical macho rock star a*shole, right? I mean listen to the music, it’s energetic, breezy, but in reality it’s a cover-up.

“I’ve been walking behind you
Since you’ve been able to see
There’s never been any reason
For you to think about me”

They grew up in the same neighborhood. She never took him seriously. He’s got a crush. Girls talk about their crushes all the time, they share this information, plot strategies of connection. But boys…they josh and jive and rate the girls, it’s all posturing, truth is never revealed, because you don’t want to look weak. Your crush is secret. And if it comes out oftentimes you’re an object of ridicule.

“Would you be my companion
Is there even a chance”

You know, go on the road, to live the rock and roll lifestyle, getting high, getting laid, getting paid. But if this is so, why do so many of these male stars get married so soon? For every Gene Simmons there are scores of stars who went on the road and came home and married their local sweetheart before leaving town again. You see the road is lonely. Sure, there’s sex, not for everyone, despite the legend, but human beings crave connection, intimacy, and the road is antithetical to this.

“You’ve been talking in circles
Since I’ve been able to cry
There’s never been any reason
For ever telling me why”

The lyrics are not clear, they don’t make complete sense, but that’s de rigueur for rock and roll. On one hand he’s longing in isolation, but you can also argue that they’ve had intimate relations. In any event, whatever has happened, or not, she’s not giving him what he wants. She’s elusive.

We’ve all been there. Even if there are moments of connection you’re never quite sure whether they’re into you. You can’t read the situation, and you can’t get any answers.

She’s so fine.

“Woman with the sweet lovin’, better than a white line”

But he’s holding the short end of the stick, if he’s holding it at all.
So he postures.

“There’s never been any reason
For me to think about you”

But he can’t hold that position.

“Save my life, I’m going down for the last time”

3

There’s a vulnerability in “Never Give Any Reason” that I didn’t catch until today.

And the truth is so many of the meat and potatoes rock tracks have unperceived depth.

But as the decades wore on…

MTV became about posturing, by the new wave of English bands.

And then Nirvana brought on the era of alienation. There’d always been alienation in rock, but this was the ethos of Kurt Cobain and the rest of the Seattle sound and then…

Hip-hop was all about posturing. Bragging.

Rock lost its way.

Pop gained inroads unseen since the sixties. Mariah Carey. The divas. The center of the universe moved from rock and roll to a blend of pop and hip-hop, and rock has never recovered.

Sure, we had Coldplay, but that band has a core of wimpiness, there’s no edge. And Dave Matthews is not about edge. And Radiohead is its own spacey thing, and more of a cult than mainstream.

And all those acts broke before the old paradigm evaporated. They were boosted by music television and terrestrial radio. And once that died…

So did rock and roll.

Today’s rock and roll is anti-internet. It’s far from vulnerable. It’s the uber-alienated playing for the uber-alienated. The rock audience used to be mainstream, but today’s “Active Rock” appeals to the downtrodden, the blue collar, the left out. It’s a bubble. It doesn’t stream. It doesn’t sync. It’s a narrow construct. As for mainstream rock and roll…

It’s dead.

Spotify: https://rb.gy/3ocfrw

YouTube: https://rb.gy/idggbx

The post The Lefsetz Letter: Never Been Any Reason appeared first on CelebrityAccess.

That’s why you don’t want to be a pop star.

Used to be it was a reasonable trade. Everybody in the world knew your name and you could tour forever on even one hit.

Not anymore. Now you can have a hit and not be able to sell any tickets. But even worse is the hype machine, although still extant, no longer reaches many people. So you can be in “People,” be on TV, be exposed in all the traditional media and the public doesn’t even shrug, because it is not paying attention to these outlets and is completely unaware of what you’re doing.

Back in the last century, if you were on TV constantly, and you gave the public what it wanted, odds are you’d have a modicum of success. Katy Perry was on television every week, and after a couple of stiff records decided to give the audience the girl power anthems she’d built her name on.

But everybody rejected it. I haven’t seen backlash this big…EVER!

This is what happens when you live in a bubble.

In the old days, the labels controlled the narrative. Not any longer, today the public controls the narrative, and fans are watching every move, and it all happens online, so looky-loos will come across opinions…that’s right, on social media you get opinions, not raw hype. This is what many acts don’t understand about social media, if you don’t have an opinion, if you don’t have an edge, you won’t get any traction.

Meanwhile, scores of acts that have never had a pop hit are doing prodigious business on the road. Their fans own them and support them. They feel invested. As soon as it is perceived you’re a tool of the machine, that you’re being forced down someone’s throat, you’re toast. Maybe, just maybe, if you have a track so good… But in this era of me-too, and I’m talking about sound, not sexual abuse, the idea of a revolutionary sound…never comes into play. And the traditional avenue of exposure, i.e. terrestrial radio, doesn’t want anything new and different, it doesn’t want to upset the apple cart, it doesn’t want to risk a tune-out.

So… The world is bifurcated, between pop and the rest of music. But all we ever read about in industry press is pop. It’s easily quantified. Are you on the chart or not, as if recordings ruled the roost when they do not, today it’s all about live.

So who are the Katy Perry fans?

A certain demo of women. No longer young, not in the active group participating on social media. And that’s how you drive a hit, on social media. Most Katy Perry fans are out of the loop. And there are a limited number of them. Perry could not say no, she appeared everywhere, she stood for nothing so much as…stardom. And that’s not enough.

Today to sustain you must have an identity that you curate. You have to be “on brand,” you have to be able to say no. You have to look at your career through your hardcore fans’ perspective.

And the thing about fans is that they’re active. They’ll tell everybody they know about you. Trey Anastasio just had an interview in “Rolling Stone.” So the Phishheads are e-mailing me. As if I didn’t see it to begin with. As if I’m really that interested in what Trey has to say, sorry.

To tell you the truth I’m not interested in what most musicians have to say, because it no longer moves the needle. They don’t stand for anything.

Ironically, Perry stood for Democrats. She was in the mix during the last presidential cycle. If she’d stood up today, spoken her truth, said Biden should stay or step down it actually would have helped her. Because she would risk alienating part of her audience. If you’re not willing to risk losing fans, you’re not going to create strong bonds with the fans you’ve got, never mind new ones.

And we’ve been told for eons that press doesn’t matter.

Well, not the minion press. Not the brain dead press. Not the me-too press. Certainly not the traditional music and movie press.

Do you think I don’t know you’re publishing a story about this or that person because they’ve got new product, an album or a movie? It’s not like they’ve got something special to say, they’re just selling, there’s no there there. Best to do your hype when you’ve got nothing to sell. Then it looks more genuine. And the songs are there to be streamed every day of the year. You’re building an identity, not selling product. An identity, personality, lasts, you trade on it, whereas what you did on the chart yesterday no longer matters.

So there’s a whole cabal out to get those who cross the lines.

We’ve seen this in media re Biden. It was started in the “New York Times,” the media is doing the elected officials’ job, and looking good in the process. If some people hate what the “Times” has been saying, it’s doing it right. Which is to call it as it sees it, not to pledge fealty to any tribe, but to be independent. As a result, the paper has power.

As do those not just reciting pablum, tools of the label, who are pushing back.

But the bottom line is give the people what they want at your peril. It looks easy. You go back to the garden…

But the public has moved on.

This is a conundrum. Because you keep hearing from fans and your handlers and your label to go back to your golden era, but we’re not going back to horses and buggies, EVs are here to stay, and I’m fine with you making America greater than it is today, but it ain’t gonna look anything like it did back in the fifties, the era you’re fantasizing about. We only move forward, we never move back. You only gain traction in the future by pushing your own artistry.

Sure, there’s a business in going on the road and playing your hits. Assuming you created them before the internet killed the old paradigm about twenty years ago. I hope you like the money, because in many cases it’s soul-deadening. You’ve taken yourself out of the game, I thought you were a musician!

And don’t tell me no one wants the new stuff. No one wants ANY new stuff, because there’s so much new stuff out there (never mind the old stuff!) That’s the modern world, if you’re shooting for the moon you’re missing the point. Everything is happening online, grass roots. And if you only want to play new music do it in a small venue and make the public aware. There’s a business in that, but not an arena or stadium business.

But if you were on MTV, if you even had a hit in the first decade of this century, you think the public is waiting with bated breath for your new work. But this is patently untrue. In the old days, there was a limited amount of product, your tunes got a modicum of exposure no matter how good or bad they were, people would check them out. But today they don’t. Come on, the big number one hit is Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” you could even call it “The Song of the Summer,” an outdated concept if there ever was one. Not my summer. Not your summer. Just the summer of the circle jerk publicity machine that needs to feed the pipeline. And if you think “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is going to become legendary and have the legs of “Summer in the City,” you believe in magic.

So Katy Perry completely miscalculated. She’ll ultimately lick her wounds and climb back into the hole she came out of. This is what J.Lo did, this is what all the pop stars of yore do when they’re confronted with the fact that the game has changed. But if she was smart, Perry would release new music almost instantly. That was more raw, not made with legendary producers. Then again, can she make the music alone?

It all comes down to talent. Artistry. We’re back to the basics. Because there’s just too much junk, too much low grade stuff trying to fill the pop pipeline. Odds are you’re going to fail. But especially if you build up the hype, if you’ve got us waiting to see what you’re going to do.

It’s complicated. And Nancy Meyers can’t have a hit in the theatre anymore.

The game has changed. The public bites back. This is the world we now live in. Don’t be true to your school, but yourself. That’s the essence of artistry, the individual. Who is Katy Perry? Damned if I know!

The post The Lefsetz Letter: Katy Perry appeared first on CelebrityAccess.

They’re selling rock and roll. A lost art. If you want to experience it in its original form, go to see the Stones.

What I’m saying is the emphasis is misplaced. It’s on Mick Jagger’s dancing, his onstage antics. The bottom line is this is necessary when you play in the vast stadiums the Stones appear in.

Have you ever been to SoFi? One of the most bizarre experiences in the sports stadium stratosphere.

Actually, my favorite moment came after the show. When I walked into an elevator and was promptly escorted out, as I was told THIS IS RESERVED FOR MR. KROENKE! It only went from field level up one flight. I’d actually ridden it earlier in the evening. The show had finished about fifteen minutes before, but it was a no-go.

Now logic defies SoFi. If I wasn’t escorted to field level, I never would have made it, it was a labyrinth of escalators and corridors and stairs…

Even better was when I tried to get to Level 4 from the bowels of the stadium.

You can’t get there from here. Literally. you ride the escalator and it goes from Level 3 to Level 5. Turns out you’ve go to take an elevator to get to Level 4, but after waiting interminably, I got escorted again, otherwise I never would have made it.

But this has nothing to do with the show. Other than to say that SoFi is vast. Sans frontman antics it would be hard to get the audience involved. But Mick did. And the band did.

I don’t want to take sides, but the heart of the band is Keith Richards. Strumming his guitar, mostly in the background.

Actually, that was the highlight of the evening. Before the Linda Lindas took the stage, Keith’s guitar tech Pierre gave me a tour of his guitars. There’s one locked case after another. Because the band has rehearsed seventy songs, and you never quite know what they’ll play. The Gibsons all have six strings, the rest mostly have five. And we were looking at each one in its slot in the case and then Pierre extracted…

The axe from “Honky Tonk Woman.” The exact one from the track. I tingled then and I’m tingling now. This is rock and roll history. A direct connection from what once was to what now still is.

And then Andrew Watt came along and we joshed and jousted, he gave me sh*t for dissing him, being friendly all the while, and for the life of me I couldn’t remember exactly what I’d said. When I take a big swing at someone I usually do. But one thing was for sure, Andrew was reading. And Pierre told me at the first session for “Hackney Diamonds” Watt insisted on playing the bass… A bridge from then to now.

And speaking of “Hackney Diamonds,” “Angry” was far superior live. It breathed, there was more space, something that is hard to achieve in a recording. Sure, Jagger was still out front, but there was air between him and the rest of the instruments Saturday night, and it made “Angry” a classic, which was surprising.

What was also surprising was the band hit the ground running.

Now if you’ve ever seen the Stones, you know they start out rough, it takes them a while to find their groove. I was shocked that they were together from note one. Very professional.

But the reason this is hard is the Stones are a blast from the past. They’re doing it the way they’ve always done. Naturally. Sans the hard drives and offstage players trying to imitate the records, delivering a professional appearance and sound that not only all their contemporaries employ, but especially the young ‘uns. What you’ve got here is 1965. You remember buying a guitar in the wake of the Beatles breaking. You played in the basement with your buddies. And that’s what the Stones do, only on a much higher level.

Sure, it’s not the Marquee, but it’s not that far removed. Jagger’s movements are expanded, as is the band, with two backup singers and two horn players, along with two keyboard players. But if you close your eyes it could be…1965!

But the difference between the Stones and their British Invasion contemporaries is not only did they soldier on, they continued to have hits, in the seventies and eighties, and their tracks still had an impact thereafter. Actually, I sing 1989’s “Mixed Emotions” in my head more than I do the earlier stuff… You’re not the only one, with mixed emotions. Sure, we broke up. Maybe you pulled the trigger, but I was unsure too and…

They didn’t play “Mixed Emotions” Saturday night.

They started with… “Start Me Up.” Firing on all cylinders, as stated above.

Then back to the sixties with “Get Off of My Cloud.”

But then came “Tumbling Dice.” The single from “Exile on Main Street” that did not go to number one, that was the lead-in for the ’72 tour. The first in America after “Sticky Fingers” allowed the Stones to declare themselves “The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band.” Not only was “Sticky Fingers” fantastic, all their contemporaries had given up, or fallen by the wayside, and here were the Stones delivering what we wanted and didn’t know we needed.

Not that the band played “Brown Sugar,” supposedly that’s been banished. And that line about the Puerto Rican girls dyin’ to meet you…that was not heard in “Miss You,” but…

Prior to the recent tours, the best, was ’75, the one where the band was revealed after the petals of the silver flower unfolded. When I saw the show at the Forum that tune was when the band finally locked in, when they were finally together, in the groove, I was closed on “Tumbling Dice” that night, and thereafter have loved it. And the band performed it just as well on Saturday.

Then came the surprise of “Angry.”

And I knew they were going to play “Heartbreaker,” the fan’s choice from “Goat’s Head Soup,” my favorite on the album. How were they going to get the intro right? Well, they didn’t. They didn’t even try. It was an approximation. Rather than use a tape, they approximated it with keyboard and then guitar and it made the song more special.

But then came “Fool to Cry.” Which was not my favorite song from “Black and Blue,” recorded with different guitarists after Mick Taylor left the band. There are two great tracks on that uneven album. One no one ever talks about, “Hand of Fate,” the other “Memory Motel,” a classic that only gained popular traction with the duet with Dave Matthews on a live album years later. But “Fool to Cry,” the album’s single? I never got that. And it was a big risk to slow the show down and do this number with falsetto. But the Stones are always about big risks. And Jagger pulled it off. Which is hard in a room this big.

“Monkey Man” didn’t have Nicky Hopkins’s piano, but it had energy nonetheless.

But the surprise I was warned about by Pierre. You see Keith gave up smoking two years ago and his voice has improved, he told me I’d hear it in the performance. I was positively stunned. The frog of yesteryear was replaced with a smooth voice with range. “You Got the Silver,” played acoustically with Ronnie Wood, was a revelation, in that Keith sang it effortlessly, as he did thereafter with “Little T & A” and “Before They Make Me Run.”

Oh, before that they did “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” in a slowed-down manner. Which emphasized the lyrics, Jagger was fantastic singing about the Chelsea Drugstore, the words were clear and meaningful, but the budding freight train of the recording was nowhere to be found.

Then again, Pierre told me Keith had to keep it interesting for himself. To especially notice Keith’s guitar work on “Satisfaction,” he played it a bit different from the record, he had to keep himself inspired.

And that was another interesting thing. Although there’s a ton of money involved, the show didn’t have the feel of a dash for cash. It was like there was nowhere these cats would rather be, this is what they do, it wasn’t about brand extensions, but the music, the camaraderie, the power of a band.

In truth, the show wasn’t as together in the late middle, but then the powerhouse closers built to the point where there was no doubt that this was the Rolling Stones. Especially “Gimmie Shelter,” whose gravitas and danger is hard to replicate live. But Chanel Haynes channeled her inner Tina to deliver a knife to the heart that was different from Merry Clayton’s, but powerful, and extended. When she and Mick duetted…you realized no one else could pull this off.

But generally speaking there was no danger. That’s gone. The bad boys of yore…are bad no longer.

I didn’t see a tattoo in evidence. The Stones were comfortable in their own bodies. They weren’t competing with anybody else. In fact, music has moved on, but they have stayed the same, which makes the experience more meaningful, and more powerful.

Not that there was not humor. Mick didn’t speak much, but when he talked about getting to the venue…how he was going to take the 405, but ended up going the 101 to the 5 to the 10 and it took him two and a half hours…everybody in attendance knew exactly what he was talking about.

Now your mother was warned not to let you date a Rolling Stone. Then they were doing drugs in a basement in France. The band was dark. And dirty. And led a jet set lifestyle when many Americans hadn’t even flown.

But everybody flies today. Look at the shorts and flip-flops on the plane.

And you’ve got billionaires flaunting their wealth. If you don’t have a private plane, you’re nearly laughable, certainly not a member of the club.

And all the musicians are sucking up to those with money, trying to revel in the largesse.

And there are these acts that play stadiums, but their reach is nothing compared to the Stones. How many shows can you go to and know every song (other than maybe from the new album, but that’s just the point, nothing today has the ubiquity of yore).

Rap recovered the danger of rock, but ultimately that became a cartoon. And how many people want to get shot and go to jail anyway? It’s one thing to do drugs, it’s quite another to fear for your life.

But in truth, no one can be dangerous anymore because the wall between the public and the performer has been torn down. We know everything about you, mystery is history. That paradigm is kaput. Which is why someone like Noah Kahan can triumph, revealing and owning his inner failings…Noah ends up relatable, whereas Mick and Keith never were.

And how much longer are Mick and Keith going to do this?

Until they can’t anymore.

When is the last tour? It’ll be like Rod Argent of the Zombies, who just had a stroke and retired from the road, we won’t foresee it. The Stones are the bridge between the Delta Blues and today, and those bluesmen kept on picking until they passed.

But not to audiences as big as the Stones.

All these years later, the recordings are just a framework. It’s all about the show. And I could tell you there’s nothing to see here, that it’s all been done before, that if you went to a Stones show in the past you don’t have to go again, but I’d be lying.

There was not a single person in SoFi who could complain they didn’t get their money’s worth. They came to see the Stones and they got more.

Sure, there were hi-def screens, but one could argue the production hasn’t meant less in decades. It was really about the band. The Stones were not winning you over with dance routines and pyrotechnics, but solely the music. They were playing. Sure, they might have been in a football stadium, but the roots were in the club. Where it’s more about energy than sound. Where you feel a part of the performance.

What the Stones are delivering you can’t get anywhere else. No one else is flying without a net. No one else is doing what they’ve always did. Jagger still has his voice, astoundingly. Ronnie does not replicate the solos from the albums. And Keith…well, he’s Keith, the smiling pirate who faced down the devil and won.

This is rock and roll.

Try sometime, you just mind find…

You get what you need.

The post The Lefsetz Letter: The Stones At SoFi appeared first on CelebrityAccess.

In other words, today’s metrics, which are really yesterday’s metrics, don’t give an accurate picture of what is happening in the landscape, they don’t indicate how big an act is, rather how many times one person listened to one song.

Think about that. In the pre-internet days of scarcity it was all about getting on a platform with reach. Radio was number one for music. How many people were actually listening to a radio station when your record was played? And if it was played in the middle of the night, the so-called “lunar rotation,” you might be able to use that number to manipulate the chart but it didn’t indicate you had any real listeners. In other words, how many people were listening to the number one station in the middle of the night?

And then there was television. Too expensive for record companies to advertise. But the Fortune 500 and more… This is how they reached the most people. Their commercials were blasted to many, how many truly cared, how many bought the product?

But commercials didn’t pay dividends, i.e. direct cash. Whereas radio did and still does. Spin it and there are performing royalties paid on the song. And outside the U.S., there’s a payment on the recording as well.

But today? The broad to many? That paradigm is out the window, now it’s all direct to one.

Think about that… Seen any banner ads recently? Like me you probably have an ad-blocker installed on your browser. The truth is banner ads have been proven to be ineffective. In a one to one world, the one to many is easily ignored, just like people started skipping commercials on broadcast TV, whether it be via flipping the channels or recording on a VCR or a digital device.

Broadcast and basic cable TV still have ads and still reach people, but their audiences have shrunk to the point where they reach very few of the target audience. In other words, if you want to reach the under twenty age group, spending on network TV ads is like burning money, because that demo doesn’t consume that way.

Ditto radio.

We live in a disinformation age. Everyone’s a winner, everyone has gigantic impact, nothing dies, everything lives on, like terrestrial radio.

When you find the person under twenty five still listening to terrestrial music radio let me know, because I haven’t found them yet. And I ask this demo whenever I encounter them.

Meanwhile, this is the number one way traditional record labels promote records. Think about that. I mean there is a radio business, but its reach is so insignificant as to not be a focus of the younger purveyors. They want to make it on TikTok, where the audience is.

In other words, big f*cking deal you’re number one at terrestrial radio. Especially if it’s in some niche format. Can you sell any tickets? Probably not, because very few people are listening to the music!

But let’s not punch a hole in the balloon, the industries, both record and broadcasting, don’t like it! They live in an ancient bubble, in denial, just like Biden. They cherry-pick their statistics, because the real ones are scary.

Like the Spotify Top 50. That’s about consumption. Pure and simple. Whether someone listened or not. If you’re a fan and are not listening, it doesn’t make any difference. And, of course, it’s not only Spotify, but Apple, Amazon and YouTube and…

In order to make money, people have to consume.

But that’s not the only way to make money today. Even though oldsters and wannabes can’t stop bitching how the game is rigged against them. I ask you, in what other world do you get paid if people don’t consume?

So, we’re told the Spotify Top 50 is the main metric. Yes, there’s a manipulated Luminate chart, factoring in vinyl and even downloads, but unless they’re boasting of some success, everybody at the record company looks to Spotify, because not only does it have the most market share, that’s where active listeners are. In other words, you might get paid more per stream on Apple, but that just means fewer people are listening.

But math was rarely a musician’s strong suit.

So in the old days you broadcasted widely in order to get people to buy the music. Broadcasting was the number one way most people consumed. But that’s no longer the case. Most people pick and choose what they want to listen to. Spotify tells us that. And active users barely employ playlists. Playlists are today’s equivalent of Muzak, background music, but since occasionally a playlisted track/act breaks out, we get all this focus on playlisting when it’s worth very little.

But assuming your music is listened to…

That could be the same cadre of people streaming 24/7.

Let me put it another way. Phish plays arenas, goes on tour and sells out consistently. How big is Phish? TINY! That’s not a put-down, just perspective. The band has no reach, it’s got a hard core supporting them, and that’s just fine, but don’t let the grosses misinform you.

Having said that, you can be in the Spotify Top 50 and not be able to sell out a club. You’re hot in a narrow world. That’s right, the Spotify Top 50 is niche. Think about that. The number one way people consume the most music is a gnat on the ass of the music world.

But don’t go too far in the other direction. With nearly a hundred categories, winning a Grammy means almost nothing either. Not even at the top of the heap, the big awards anymore. There used to a bump, sales, but that’s history. The audience is too sophisticated, they already know the hits. As for those in categories way down the list… They get a Grammy even though in many cases they’re lucky if a few thousand people even listened to their music. That’s right, Grammys today are the equivalent of giving every kid a sports trophy. They’re neither indicative of talent nor achievement.

But that’s the way our whole music world has gone.

We keep being told the acts in the Spotify Top 50 are superstars. But most people, MOST PEOPLE, have never even heard these tracks. Think about that, in the old days of terrestrial radio you winced when you heard the same song you hated over and over again, but there were no options, there were very few stations that played the kind of music you liked.

But today?

You have a cornucopia of options.

But the music industry has been fighting this ever since Napster.

You can’t break out the single from the album. Remember that fight? You don’t go against what the people want, they didn’t want the dreck that surrounded the hit.

The consumer is in control today.

And you need an audience, that consumes your music, but that does not mean you have any reach.

Another way performers used to gain reach was being the opening act for a headliner who sold a great number of tickets. This worked in the sixties, into the seventies when the opening acts were chosen to align with the music of the star, but those days are through. Now, oftentimes it’s just about getting an act to play cheaply. And people don’t even arrive for the opening act, they don’t want anything they don’t want, and they’ve been burned too many times.

In other words, it’s hard to break through these days.

Which puts a further focus on the music itself. But still, if no one hears it, it doesn’t matter how good it may be.

First and foremost there should be no restrictions on your music, absolutely none. Don’t complain about streaming sites… Your music must be absolutely everywhere, so if someone gets a hankering, they can find it with almost no friction. You want to make it easy.

But how do you gain reach?

First and foremost you motivate your fans. Everything is bottom up instead of top down these days. Stop swinging for the fences, gain a hard core fan base and if they can’t spread the word…you won’t spread. One thing about the aforementioned Phish fans, they inundate my inbox, Phishheads e-mail me constantly. The problem is when most people check out Phish’s music…they don’t become fans. Which is fine, Phish does very well, but don’t equate their success with REACH!

So how many people are really listening to Taylor Swift. Or Morgan Wallen. Or even The Weeknd.

Fewer than ever before in history. When it comes to hit acts. They might have big footprints, but their territory is defined, their reach is nowhere near as great as the consumption statistics imply, especially considering that avid Swift and Phish fans stream the music ad infinitum. One person could stream a band all day long. That’s very different from a thousand people streaming a song once, that’s reach.

Presently there is no chart that quantifies reach.

Advertising agencies specialize in this. Ratings companies. But we don’t have that for music, all we’ve got is radio ratings, which mean less than ever before.

But you need to get out of the bubble and gain perspective, see the context. If you can sell out your high school auditorium, kudos. But can you sell out any other high school auditorium? But unlike in the old days, you can record cheaply and put your music online. However, there’s so much online that yours won’t stand out unless people pull it.

In other words, casual listens only work on social media. That’s where the target audience discovers new music. How do you beat the system? No one has been able to figure this out. And even if you serve a video to many, that doesn’t mean they won’t skip over it.

That’s the truth, that’s reality, but they keep telling us the Spotify Top 50 is the be all and end all. But it’s not. It’s one metric, of consumption. And it is not known by the public if it’s avid fans, like those of K-pop, or casual fans, i.e. many listening fewer times.

Once again, you want to be everywhere. But also you must step up to bat constantly. Put out new music, have new campaigns. Don’t overthink it, just do. People don’t remember the failures anymore, there are too many, get back in the game.

This is the exact opposite of the old world where an album came out every three or four years, with singles dribbled out over that interim.

If you’re not a label/act, if you’re on the outside, there is no metric that tells us about music reach. We don’t know how big you are or not. The oldsters will cite the old metrics, but they’re outdated, they’re useless.

What we’ve got is the blind, the industry, leading those who don’t care. It’s a veritable circle jerk I tell you. The industry keeps trumpeting figures but we just don’t know how big these acts are anymore. And there’s mindshare and consumption. You may know about an act in the Spotify Top 50, but do you want to listen to it?

It was easy in the eighties. All you had to do was get your video on MTV.

But it’s never been harder in the modern recording era to reach people.

And rather than admit it, we’ve got a whole industry denying it.

The world is gonna flip I tell you, it can’t go on like this forever, a limited number of acts pushed down the throat of a public that doesn’t care. All that publicity works against you. It alienates even those who might have been casually interested.

In other words, mania means little, the music means more. And more music is consumed by more people than ever before.

But how many people really?

We have no idea.

The post The Lefsetz Letter: Reach appeared first on CelebrityAccess.

And I mean that in a good way. I pictured myself bellied up to the bar, drinking a beer while a band played on the short riser in the corner. Members dressed identically to how they were on the street just minutes before, the music, the mood being everything, the trappings irrelevant.

There was a giant horizontal hi-def screen above the performers, a stage design I hadn’t seen previously, but it was just a little out of sync with the performers, which was disconcerting, however I was very close, did it matter to those in the back? Probably not. Then again, they have screens further back at the Bowl now.

Stapleton is the antidote to everything everybody complains about in today’s music world. You know, the generic, machine-made songs with vapid lyrics that could be written by a ten year old and make you wince, or are fantasy cartoons, no different from a high concept movie, at least “The Harder They Come” was somewhat believable, I mean Jamaica had a reputation for violence.

So what brings people to see Chris Stapleton?

The songs. Period. Showing their power. You don’t need anything else if you have those.

But the big surprise was Stapleton’s guitar playing, it’s all about style, not speed, Lowell George taught us this. Your axe is just a starting point, everybody can have a unique voice, assuming they choose to. This show could inspire anybody to play, the power of a guitar is undeniable, in a way a synth never can be. Furthermore, there were a lot of guitars, it seems like each song demanded a new one, and there was even a change in the middle of a song. That’s the luxury of being a superstar, you can live out your fantasy, instead of playing the same damn instrument the whole night, like when you’re coming up. And I was especially inspired by Chris’s playing of a Jazzmaster, which Elvis Costello made his bones on, but everybody else pooh-poohed in favor of the Stratocaster. (And let’s not forget the Gretsch.)

And Stapleton is forty six years old. The antithesis of what we’re told sells. But that’s because he’s so good, so authentic. Chris paid his dues, and he knows it. He kvells at times, it’s rewarding, thrilled that he’s on stage singing his songs, especially when he’s in a duet with his wife Morgane.

Unlike the four or five-member bar bands, there were seven people on stage. You got a pedal steel player. Another guitarist who oftentimes played an acoustic. And a keyboard/organ player. No one was showing off, but they were locked in as an ensemble, which is the opposite of what we see so often, people showing off, like I said, the music was the star.

Chris talked a bit, but not much. But otherwise, this was very similar to a Springsteen show. Chris is singing his inner truth, the angst is evidenced, it’s the heart of America. For all the red/blue divide b.s., there’s a part of everybody who can connect with Stapleton and his music, because we’re all people, human beings at the core.

Now as the show progressed, it left the bar, it had more of the characteristics of a concert, the average bar band doesn’t get to play this long, doesn’t have well-known originals. But Stapleton played for two hours and it didn’t drag. (And unlike so many performers Stapleton didn’t stretch out the numbers ad infinitum, he played them at the length of the records, and therefore he could play twenty-three songs.)

And people knew the material. Singing along at times. These were fans, there were no casual users in attendance, it’s not like they’d heard one Stapleton number and needed to see the flavor of the moment, everybody there was very familiar with Stapleton and his music (you can ask me how I know, but you can feel it, whether people are paying attention, whether they sing along, whether they’re on their phones…or not).

This is rock and roll. Not the stuff you hear on Active Rock. That’s a niche product. Made for a minority. It tends to be hard, aggressive, and there’s a market for that, but it’s not very broad. The guitar tech tested the sound playing AC/DC, and in truth AC/DC is an American band, even though they’re from Down Under. Everybody knows them, everybody knows their music, credit Mutt Lange, and maybe we need to credit Dave Cobb when it comes to Stapleton, but the formula WORKS!

Now in truth no one is universal these days. It’s all about your trench, your niche, and how wide it is. You might not be passionate about Stapleton and what he does, but his fans certainly are, a mix of women and men, I cased the joint, about a 50/50 ratio, and there were no tweens there, no one brought their kids to the show, this was a party, an experience for those old enough to drink, who know what adult life is all about, and it’s complicated and difficult, and music when done right is a release.

Stapleton sets your mind free. You see no artifice, just a lot of hard work.

And when I exited the building I saw the trucks. They were all painted on the side, with ads for Traveller Whiskey. And I didn’t see it as a sell-out, or a brand extension, it reminded me of what once was, when the music was magic, when you needed to get closer, when you had to know everything about it, when your deepest desire was to be part of the touring party yourself, having an experience you can’t get anywhere else.

You don’t sit (or stand!) listening to Chris Stapleton and judge him negatively, saying you could do that yourself, listening for the hard drives, the triggered effects, it’s soulful, it resonates in a way that you know but rarely experience anymore. This is what the dinosaurs used to deliver. But Stapleton is not calcified, he’s making new music, he’s having success, he’s the most respected performer in Nashville, wins all the awards, everybody wishes they could do it his way, throw off the constraints of  Music Row and do it their way, but they’re too afraid, they’re worried about their careers more than their music.

I didn’t grow up in Kentucky. Driven through a couple of times, stopped once, but when it comes to the south, I’m a voyeur. But for some reason the south is known for the most authentic fiction and in many cases the most authentic music. You can do it without airs, even though some do. But if you strip it down and still have appeal, you’re a star. Like Johnny Cash, like Willie Nelson, they’re beacons, but most can’t see the light.

I’m not telling you to see Stapleton if you hate this music, if there are not enough beats per minute for you. But if you lived through the pre-internet era, when you had to leave the house for action, when it didn’t come through to you at home, when you had to go to the bar to meet people, to have a chance at love, Stapleton’s show will bring it all back, without sounding ancient, but totally present. When you strip it all down it’s about playing and songs, you need nothing more, and when you get it right anybody can feel it, anybody can see it.

You’d think we’d have more Chris Stapletons. But we don’t. Most people want success fast, or they want to take another direction, they’re not all-in. And of those who are all-in, many just don’t have the talent, the je ne sais quoi that separates the stars from the rest of us. You know it when you hear it.

And I heard it last night.

The post The Lefsetz Letter: Chris Stapleton At The Hollywood Bowl appeared first on CelebrityAccess.

The music business has historically been opaque. They say one thing when the truth is another. They’ll tell you they’re adding shows because the previous ones are sold out, so you buy extra tickets to scalp, but you end up finding out they lied, the previous show was not sold out, and you can’t lay off your tickets at anywhere near face value, if at all.

But the landscape is changing. Because of information.

Let’s start with the blue dots. The Ticketmaster site is a plethora of information. You can see what tickets are still available, which ones are for resale, and when J.Lo canceled her tour no one believed it, because there were seas of blue dots all over Ticketmaster.

But that’s not all. Now we have Twitter sites that give you this information and more. I recommend you follow @underfacevalue and Ticket_Help2022 The insiders do, X provides this information.

So all we’ve been hearing about is ticket prices are artificially high because of Ticketmaster, no one in government speaks of supply and demand, but when it comes to restaurants…

You might not be following the kerfuffle. People are scalping restaurant reservations in New York. So they passed a law to try and eliminate this:

“Why NYC’s Hottest Dining Reservations Will Stay Impossible to Score – A proposed law aimed at bots and scalpers who cater to rich and desperate restaurant fans isn’t guaranteed to make getting a hot table easier.”

Free link: https://t.ly/dCZaA

I love this Bloomberg headline because it’s exactly what insiders know about concert tickets and everyone in the government seems not to. The problem isn’t Ticketmaster, the problem is SUPPLY AND DEMAND!

If you read this article you’ll find that the average spend for dinner at these restaurants is $100 to $150. But when musical artists charge the same thing people go NUTS! The same boomers complaining about Springsteen ticket prices have no problem dropping these amounts for dinner. What gives? Each is an evanescent experience, and a concert might be once in a lifetime, the band might never come back to your town, you might never ever be able to see them again!

But no one is cracking down on concert ticket scalping, because the scalpers have too strong a lobby, they’re organized, whereas the restaurant reservation business is a nascent one.

Rising Brown junior Alex Eisler made 100k selling restaurant reservations putting in only half an hour to two hours a day. Nature abhors a vacuum. Which is why we have restaurant reservation scalpers, and concert ticket scalpers. You’d think acts would charge what the ticket is worth, but no, they’re afraid of being judged, WHY?

As for Pearl Jam… The band broke in the nineties. Their hardcore fans are Gen-X’ers, now in their fifties. They have the money, but ironically they’re the ones who think twice about paying it.

But we can argue that Pearl Jam is more of an American act.

But we can say the promoter misjudged the market. That’s what happened with the Black Keys and J.Lo. What happened yesterday does not apply to today.

Yesterday, every show sold out. Demand was through the roof. Why not charge more, otherwise the scalpers will reap the benefit of the spread.

But it turns out the customer is saying no. This is the same customer who despite hearing ad infinitum how the economy is going great, finds food and other costs much more expensive.

They’re holding on to their dollars.

So what we are seeing is a price correction, in front of our very eyes. And the public is aware of this. And no one, NO ONE, likes finding out the person right next to them paid less for what they bought. We’ve learned to accept this with airlines, but the end result is everybody hates the airlines, who’ve rigged the system by consolidation and lack of competition on routes. This is Napster waiting to happen. And in reality, airline prices are coming down too. That post-Covid mania has expired.

So what sells?

Well, Noah Kahan is a breakthrough artist. But how many people has he actually broken through to? This is not an MTV act from the eighties. Most people don’t even know his name. And in reality, despite being in the marketplace for a number of years, he’s seen as a new act, and people are wondering if it’s worth it to lay down all this dough.

And if you’re running on fumes, out playing your greatest hits…

Well, hopefully you’re doing it at the shed, where the promoter has other streams of revenue besides tickets, where there is oftentimes a cheap lawn, because if you put up your show at the arena, GOOD LUCK!

But Taylor Swift shows sold out and parents couldn’t buy their kids tickets so someone must be at fault.

The truth is Swift was a genius. She put up all her U.S. tickets at once to create mania to guarantee she went clean. Yes, the dirty little secret of the previous tour was she didn’t sell every ticket. But when you get caught up in the maelstrom…you don’t want to be left out. And never underestimate the power of parents. They’re vicious when it comes to delivering what their kids want.

So what happens now?

Interesting question.

As for the universal boomer bands… They’re close to the end, so everybody is truly wondering whether it’s the last time. However, people have been speculating on the last time for years now. But, these bands have been going out at astronomical prices for a long time, so the public is used to it, and they are genuine superstars.

How many acts of the last fifteen years have reached this status, where everybody in America knows their tunes? Absolutely no one. Period. However, there are more people in America than ever before, and music is a unique visceral experience in a world where we all own the same devices. So it’s a large cult audience and… No one goes to one of these shows on a whim, they’re just too expensive.

And why do they keep canceling festivals? Are they too expensive or is the lineup not attractive enough or both?

And sometimes you can lower the prices and people still don’t want to come.

So if you’re planning a tour now… The data is just coming in. You could put up shows and do lousy business or put up shows and sell out and wish you played bigger buildings at higher prices.

And where is the government on this? Nowhere to be seen.

We are seeing a correction. The good old days are behind us. Are there new good days to come?

Well, we thought when the classic acts passed that everybody would be playing smaller buildings, but there are more stadium shows than ever before. Audiences are narrower, but they are very deep.

So here you find the essence of concert promotion. Nothing is guaranteed, it’s a bet. AI ain’t gonna tell you, data only means so much, it’s a gut decision, and great music hits you in the same way, the gut.

But the bottom line is people don’t want to pay as much as they’ve been paying for the past two years to see most acts. How much of this is the act, how much of this is the economy, how much of this is music’s place in the landscape?

Let’s ask the government. Ha!

The post The Lefsetz Letter: Pearl Jam For Half-Price appeared first on CelebrityAccess.

Mainstream media is picking up on the Balkanization in music. Took too long, but now the truth is evident:

“Why Pop Music Is So ‘Meh’ Right Now – New releases by Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa were supposed to be huge. Instead, they have fallen short of past works.”

Free link: https://t.ly/bJo46

In other words, despite the onslaught of hype the acts they tell us are so big, are not. The “Wall Street Journal” is blaming it on quality, but no matter how good your record is, you can’t reach everybody:

“But today, with the world awash in content, TikTok rewriting labels’ playbooks and listeners burrowing deeper into their own personalized niches, even avid pop fans don’t recognize what’s in the Billboard top 10. In such a decentralized market, pop stars face fierce competition. Disappointing albums, in turn, can hurt concert sales. It all adds up to music executives across genres seeming to wield less power over the star-making machinery than ever.”

Uh-oh, with Lucian Grainge and the rest of the honchos tailoring their businesses for Wall Street this is bad news. They keep telling the Street everything is going up, up, up, but it appears there’s a hole in the bucket. Sure, their catalogs are blue chip revenue machines, but having focused on a handful of tentpole artists, they’re missing the mark just like the movie studios. Turns out everybody doesn’t want the same thing, and despite the constant press hoopla, there isn’t even consensus that these “hits” are any good. Furthermore, as we’ve learned in the past, if you’re a hit-based artist, you’re dependent upon hits, when they dry up, so do your ticket sales. Turns out in music the tortoise caring most about the music, oftentimes written alone without committee, have hard core fans who will keep them alive through thick and thin, whereas those with the ink do not, at least not in prodigious numbers.

Think about this… Tours are being canceled and now records too. In other words, most of the public is just not interested.

As for the WSJ’s argument that the music isn’t that good… People have been denying this throughout the twenty first century, but that is the truth. I’m not saying there’s not good stuff out there, but that which captures the zeitgeist, that which gets everybody talking, doesn’t exist. Not in a major way, at least.

What has happened here is we’ve lived through the MTV era and the advent of the internet and the post-Covid blip, and now what? Now that people are more discerning, and are leaving the house less immune to hype.

Contrary to what complaining artists are telling us, distribution has been figured out, better than in any other entertainment vertical. It’s the software we’ve got a problem with, i.e. music. The tools of creation are in the hands of the proletariat, distribution costs are de minimis, it’s no longer a rigged system, do people really want to listen to your music?

An even bigger question is whether the era of dominant superstars and hits is history. Or whether the new model is something more like Zach Bryan, who bubbled up from the bottom, who made it on songs first and foremost, garnered a core audience and then grew, who performs sans trappings, who is selling authenticity.

And Jelly Roll is selling something similar.

Zach Bryan is a hell of a lot more serious. And Jelly Roll has been caught up in the machine in a way that Bryan, an anti-star, has not. But could it be that Jelly’s success is well-deserved? That Mr. Roll has learned something in his thirty nine years that the youngsters populating the hit parade have not? Roll is breaking the rules. And we love nothing more. Older, obese man with a sweet voice sings songs that resonate and…

People rally around him.

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Let’s be clear, Jelly Roll is operating in a controlled market, the last one that means anything, country radio. The playlist is defined and acolytes still listen, which is not the case in other genres. And that gives acts a leg up.

Then again, Morgan Wallen is the biggest act in America.

People hate when I say this. They’ve got a million beefs. But if you look at the statistics, it’s Wallen all the way. Not only does he make albums that stay in the Top Ten for a year, he sells out stadiums and has hit after hit after hit.

Which you can hear if you’d just play the damn record. Yes, he’s got that southern accent, but you accepted Tom Petty, didn’t you? Yes, he used the “N-word” and threw a chair off the rooftop…as for the latter, my inbox is filled with people calling that rock star behavior, de rigueur in the seventies. My point here is, does Morgan Wallen deserve to be cancelled? There was pushback against DEI, against woke and now they’ve come for cancellation. We all make mistakes. When did this one strike and you’re out culture become dominant? You can’t learn a lesson, you can’t improve? And those who say no change can be made cause an equal reaction on the other side. Which is why you’ve got Bill Burr saying there is no more cancellation, and Jerry Seinfeld saying essentially the same thing. It’s kind of like the supposed ubiquitous hitmakers in the “Wall Street Journal” article…the press is out of touch with the people.

But my point with Wallen is you can sing along. Good luck singing along with most of the Spotify Top 50. Never mind that so many of those acts can’t really sing.

But Jelly Roll can.

“I am not okay
I’m barely gettin’ by
I’m losin’ track of days
And losin’ sleep at night

I am not okay
I’m hangin’ on the rails
So if I say I am fine
Just know I’ve learned to hide it well”

Ain’t that America? Certainly male America. Internalize your feelings, don’t share weakness, but this guy is speaking his truth, which is yours.

“I know I can’t be the only one
Who’s holdin’ on for dear life”

Bode Miller and filmmaker Brett Rapkin have a new movie, “The Paradise Paradox,” about suicide in the mountains: https://t.ly/mcNVw

And the “New York Times” just printed a story about the epidemic of suicides in Montana:

“She’s Fighting to Save America’s ‘Last Best Place’ From Suicide – Montana’s suicide rate has been the highest in the U.S. for the past three years. Most of the deaths involved firearms. But suicide rarely registers in the national debate over guns.”

https://t.ly/FcsFg

Meanwhile, the Spotify Top 50 artists tell us how fabulous their lives are. They focus on petty beefs. You can possibly like these songs, but you can’t relate. But you can relate to “I Am Not Okay.”

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So I’m listening to Jelly Roll on Stern and he comes across as likable. With a sense of humor. And not stupid.

He’s led a hard life, like the country artists of yore. He’s been to jail. And he’s putting it all down in song.

Isn’t this what we’re looking for? Didn’t John Lennon tell us to give him some truth? That’s what we’re all looking for in this phony, sold-out culture. The only antidote is art, but artists have abdicated this power, along with the labels who proffer them. Like the movie studios, they’re so busy making and promoting music that supposedly resonates with all that it ultimately resonates with few. What do you expect when the songs are massaged ad infinitum? With rewrites and remixes… So busy trying to make sure they’re a hit that if there was ever any lightning in the bottle, it’s now been extinguished.

We are now in a new era. And when the media says so before the industry, you know you’re in trouble. The old paradigm is dead. The era of ubiquitous hits anointed by few and known by many is done.

This does not mean you can’t have a career, even sell out large venues and make a lot of dough. Because what we’ve got now is passionate fan bases. That’s what you want, people who bleed for you, who live for you, and forget the rest. Stay true to your vision.

It’s all gone. The multi-single album with tracks spread out over years. The three-four year album cycle. A stiff killing your career (it just gets lost in the miasma of product). There are new rules, the game’s been eviscerated, but the players keep on playing, and they’re not winning.

Could I use some additional lyrics in Jelly Roll’s “I Am Not Okay”? Some more insight? That would be good. But he’s not Bob Dylan, who comes along once in a generation. But not only can Jelly Roll sing, he can write changes, he can create a song, a formula that’s been lost to many in this one chord world.

You should listen to the Jelly Roll interview on Howard Stern.

And you can see the segment I listened to and referenced above here: https://t.ly/1eUyA

Spotify: https://t.ly/c7AqJ

YouTube: https://shorturl.at/e9cCG

The post The Lefsetz Letter: Jelly Roll-I Am Not Okay appeared first on CelebrityAccess.

You can’t lie in the internet age…BECAUSE THE INFORMATION IS OUT THERE FOR EVERYBODY TO SEE! Just go online and see the screenshots of seas of blue dots on the Ticketmaster pages. Oh, you don’t know because you don’t care? NEITHER DOES ANYBODY ELSE!

J.Lo can’t sing. Music was a brand extension, from an era when you could convert success in one vertical into another. Good luck having success in any vertical today. Which is why the major labels can’t even break an act, especially when talent grows online via the personal efforts of influencers. The starmaking machinery… Man, that’s broken.

So J.Lo and her handlers are delusional. They think she has fans. Who are desirous of overpaying to see her. This is a great demonstration of the government’s misunderstanding, make that LACK OF UNDERSTANDING, of the concert market. It’s supply and demand, baby, and if people don’t want to go, they don’t. No one has a gun to their head forcing them to buy a J.Lo ticket. But when more people than tickets want to see a hot act somehow it’s the system’s fault. This is how the government loses credibility. Don’t overreach in the information age.

Then again, 20% of the population believes Biden is responsible for the evisceration of abortion rights. Are they just plain stupid, or are they exposed to “news” that is so biased and incorrect that they don’t know the truth, or is there so much misinformation out there that they’re just confused. Go on X/Twitter, it’s become a cesspool of misinformation. Scroll for a while and you start to question your own beliefs, that is the power of misinformation.

And why should J.Lo tell the truth when Trump does not. Maybe if you lived in the right wing bubble you thought his press conference the other day evidenced truth, but the “New York Times” went point by point, popping the bubble, and other news outlets, TV channels, cut away because not only did they believe it was propaganda, it was billed as a press conference and no questions were allowed.

And if the President lies, why shouldn’t some measly entertainer? I mean politics is more important than entertainment, right?

No. The people feel powerless in politics. Not only two expired men running for the highest office, but a sold out, do nothing Congress. And therefore they’ve taken their shots at J.Lo.

Anybody could have seen this coming. Except for J.Lo and her handlers still living in the last century.

J.Lo was built by artifice and we now live in an era of authenticity. Yes, if you want to succeed and stay you’ve got to be selling authenticity, credibility. You’ve got Noah Kahan testifying as to his mental health, Zach Bryan singing straight from the heart, and doofuses from the past, from the monoculture, from the MTV era, believe that nothing has changed, when nothing could be further from the truth.

People don’t even respect movie stars anymore. They’re empty vessels, they’re ACTORS! There’s no truth there. Musicians are the ultimate spewers of truth, when done right, music comes straight from the heart. But no one believes the written by committee tunes of J.Lo come straight from anywhere other than the cash register.

As for Taylor Swift…like her, hate her, ignore her, but no one is questioning that her songs are testimony about her life. Even BTS broke based on revealing honesty.

This was my point about Kate Hudson’s music career. That dog doesn’t hunt anymore. Her music is good in an era where it has to be great to break through the noise. And she looks like an interloper in music. A dash for cash. She needed to reposition herself along the lines of Taylor Momsen, come from the bottom up in music, build a career fan by fan and stay at it. Music can’t seem to be a lark, it’s got to be a COMMITMENT!

And then there’s the Black Keys. Their frontman is not warm, you can’t identify with him, he’s not brooding in a Thom Yorke way, but in a get off my lawn way. Very talented, but he needs hits to fill arenas. Succeed once and you can tour forever. But it might be in clubs, or people’s houses. Your success will sustain if your career is built without hits, like with the Tedeschi Trucks Band, because there are no casual fans. The looky-loos fill out the big halls for so many performers. And then they move on to the next act when it is hot. How many hard core music fans does J.Lo even have? She was selling fashion, in videos, stardom, in an era when competition was nowhere near as fierce as today, when relationships and cash went a whole hell of a lot further than they do today.

So what we do know is the post-pandemic concert boom is over. If you build it, they may not come. This does not mean that concerts are not a unique experience in an era where experiences are everything, just that the consumer is more discerning, and thinks twice before throwing down inordinate amounts of cash, especially to see someone who can’t really sing anyway.

And they’ve canceled 40 festivals in the U.K.

No one needs to go to a show, NO ONE! Especially in an era where music can be listened to for free and streaming television shows oftentimes have more gravitas than what is on stage. You have to be hot, you have to have that je ne sais quoi that makes people want to come. They’ve got to believe the experience will change their life, it just won’t be an excuse for the performer to buy another house.

Even worse than the cancellation of J.Lo’s tour is the mainstream news articles talking about the fan backlash. Nobody cares. We don’t need a deep dive analysis of a has-been. She was cruisin’ for a bruisin’, asking for constant attention and respect when there was no reason to give it to her, of course this is going to come back and haunt her. It was just a matter of when.

That’s what makes entertainment so fascinating. You can go from zero to hero, from the bottom to the top, nearly instantly. This is not the same in other high-paying verticals. Want to be a doctor? You’ve got to study for umpteen years. Want to be a hit artist? Record something on your laptop and upload it to Spotify. And then complain you’re not a star.

No one would complain that they’re a high school dropout yet no one sees them as a doctor. But in entertainment? You make it up as you go.

So, we’ve got all this misinformation. That streaming doesn’t pay upcoming talent when in the old days that same “talent” would be working at Walmart. You’re not entitled to be a successful, highly-paid artist, just like J.Lo is not entitled to sell out arenas. People have to like you, want to pay attention to you, lay down their cash for you, and that’s a harder lift than ever before in this era of plethora.

But if you read the news, you’d think that Spotify is the devil. Not its competitors, just Spotify. Because Daniel Ek, who changed the landscape, who rescued the labels, is now a billionaire. Whereas Apple and Amazon are faceless, just me-too music companies built by enterprises famous for something else. But Ek? He’s putting acts out of business. He doesn’t pay. And he’s a billionaire to boot. There must be someone at fault here, there must be a rip-off involved.

Just like with Ticketmaster. It must be Ticketmaster’s fault that prices are high. As for the fees, they all go to the company, don’t you know? And anybody could sell tickets better than Ticketmaster. None of this is true, but it’s accepted knowledge not only in the public, but the news and the government.

God, ignore the criticism today. Assuming you have faith in yourself, know what you’re doing. If I listened to feedback, I wouldn’t be able to write a thing. And more misinformation crosses my transom than ever before. I’ve got all these authorities spewing hatred and inaccuracies at me because the truth doesn’t feel good, it doesn’t match their emotions. Placate these people at your peril.

Then again, look how far Trump has gotten telling lies, giving the people what they want.

But if we went by the popular vote instead of the Electoral College, Trump wouldn’t have a chance, nowhere close. The rules are saving him.

There are no rules in rock and roll. And that’s exactly the point. The spoils go to those who break down barriers, who do something new. The aforementioned Zach Bryan isn’t selling dancing and production like J.Lo. That was great in the MTV era, now the audience has moved on, wants something different.

The ball keeps moving, the game keeps changing, and those in power and the media hate this, they expect things to stay the same, when the internet has come along and turned over every table, changed everything.

And what is mainstream media’s position?

THE SMARTPHONE MUST DIE!

Yes, get off your phone, shut it down, go back to the way it used to be. You know, when you couldn’t call up an Uber, when you had no idea what temperature it was, when you couldn’t take notes instantly… I could go on and on, but the media won’t hear it. The same media that expect us to be interested in the music of the has-been known as J.Lo.

Hell, what you did yesterday means less than ever before. Just ask Justin Timberlake, he might have brought sexy back, but now people think he’s an old dad with nothing to say who they don’t need to pay attention to. Used to be Timberlake could sell out arenas himself, now he’s planning to go back on the road with NSYNC.

Once again, you don’t care. And that’s just the point. You’ve got a feed, personalized to you, on your smartphone. It’s what you’re interested in 24/7. And you’re faulted for this. You should pay attention to the mainstream, you should get with the program, you should do it the old way so the old players can maintain their lifestyles.

WHY?

The post The Lefsetz Letter: J.Lo Cancels appeared first on CelebrityAccess.