There's been some interesting pieces written concerning the new era of the recording industry and how consumers are purchasing and getting music from their favorite artists ... or their not-so-favorite artists.
I saw that 2010 will be the official tipping point in the music industry -- where digital downloads will surpass the sales of music from traditional activity. You know ... like heading down to your favorite record store and picking up a CD from your favorite artists.
So, what's the problem? So artists aren't selling as many records as they used to and are making their millions from the downloading public.
Well, it's not quite that simple. First of all, if record companies can't sell records they wont' be around ... record labels are after all in the business of selling records it would seem. And, if CDs don't sell like they used to sell, it would seem that the big checks written by record labels signing artists to record deals won't be as big as they used to be.
Secondly, it was a little easier back in the day to safeguard against people stealing music when buying tunes involved heading down to the record store. Sure, there were those who might be inclined to put a CD in a coat pocket and shoplift the thing out of there.
But it's much easier to steal music these days when it involves pulling it out of cyberspace. According to an industry report, downloads of singles increased 10 percent in 2009 to 1.5 billion units.
Number one downloaded artist of 2009? Anyone?
Lady Gaga. Seriously. I would staked my house and most worldly possessions on the Jonas Brothers or Taylor Swift for that honor.
Moving on.
The recording industry is attributing an overall slump in sales to pirates. People are just flat stealing music from artists. In broad daylight in some instances.
So, the recording industry isn't necessarily tasking itself with bolstering record sales and finding new ways to market CDs. It is instead tasking itself with stopping piracy and finding ways to cater to those who want to consume and purchase music legitimately.
Some countries have even adopted legislation -- that's right, the government is involved -- where people are warned first if they are attempting to download music illegally, and if the process continues, the would-be pirates have their Internet service and connection suspended.
Sounds a little extreme and it appears to be a system that can be easy defeated.
Meanwhile, Ticketmaster and LiveNation continue to steam toward a merger that would in essence monopolize the concert industry. Ticketmaster would control 90 percent or perhaps even more of the tickets to shows and events and LiveNation would control the venues and the artists.
In fact, there are many artists who are signing exclusive promotion deals with LiveNation to perform a certain number of shows in LiveNation venues. LiveNation is big player in routing the tours.
The latest on that front sees LiveNation trying to sell of some of its venues to a rival company, while Ticketmaster is stating it may divest of its sister company, TicketsNow.com.
What does all of this mean? Well it continues to add evidence to the theory that the dominant revenue stream for artists will be touring -- kind of like it was in the old days.
For this reason, LiveNation and Ticketmaster merging might be a bad thing for the concert going public. If LiveNation is controlling venues and dictating tours, and Ticketmaster controls the ticketing, the concert going public may pay the pipers.
Have you priced top concert tickets these days? The top grossing concert in the week ending Dec. 31, 2009 was Mariah Carey's show in Madison Square Garden where top tickets went for $321 a shot.
Here's the hook folks ... if those reading this don't glean anything else from this drivel other than the following statement, well, that's fine.
It just can't be denied that our event ... the Real. Texas. Festival. is a tremendous value by today's standards. Pre-sale tickets will be launched the middle or end of February. Those who buy early will only pay $10 to see Kevin Fowler or Cross Canadian Ragweed -- or $12 to see both on a two day pass.
They'll also get a chance to stop in and see the Mesquite Championship Rodeo.
And, we won't even charge you to park.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
It won't be long now
In a little more than a month, tickets will go on sale for the Real. Texas. Festival. Hard to believe. It seems like we just finished this thing a couple of months ago.
The festival is shaping up to be the biggest ever. First of all, Cross Canadian Ragweed is the headliner. That should do it right there.
But we also have Kevin Fowler signed, as well as Mark McKinney, Granger Smith, Stephanie Fix, Grupo Vida, Zack King, Railhead and Steely Dan tribute band Naked Lunch.
And, don't forget about the battle of the bands. The battle of the bands is something we believe has tremendous potential. Last year's winner, The Neckties, will be performing at the festival this year. The boys used the battle of the bands at the festival to somewhat launch a pretty full gigging slate throughout the year.
They've played for motorcycle events such as the Garland Police Department Toys for Kids drive this Christmas. They are also on the bill at the Dallas International Guitar Festival two weeks before RTF.
Here's the way it works. Eight bands are selected from an audition process -- which is all spelled out on the RTF Web site (www.realtexasfestival.com) -- to compete in a winner-take-all competition. The prizes include $500 in cash, meet and greet passes to the festival headliner as well as a guaranteed performance slot at the 2011 event.
That's important. There are a lot of bands who compete in these things and even if they win, they break up for one reason or another. Things happen.
Bandmates move away to college.
They just generally lose interest.
They decide to pursue other things.
With the battle of the bands winner getting a guaranteed performance spot in the following year's festival, it is our hope the young bands will stay together. Or, even if one of the members moves away to college or decides to pursue other interest, the remaining members will find a replacement and keep playing.
The Neckties are a good example of this. They implemented a suggestion made by the judges from last year's event to add a bass player, which gave the band a fuller, thicker sound.
The bands are judged on four key points in their performances ... vocal quality, overall musicianship, stage presence and overall performance. Judges score the bands from 1-10 with 10 being the best. The scores are added up from judges and the average of the total is the band's final score.
Hopefully, eight bands will be whittled to four which be pared down to two for the championship round.
The battle of the bands at the festival isn't new. It is a continuation of an event launched by Mesquite Youth Services back in the day. When Mesquite Youth Services went away, the battle of the bands event was mishandled. It was somewhat of a disservice to the people who developed that event ... which was very successful and continued to grow in it's four-year run.
It was assumed by the folding of MYS that the battle of the bands was just going to die. Well, it hasn't. The festival wants to continue this event ... at a different time, in a different month and on a grander stage.
Please -- any high school band, where the majority of the members are in high school or even younger, send in some material and audition for the battle of the bands. It's a good time. What else would you rather do on a Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 or 2 p.m.?
The application and audition process is open. Don't wait until the last minute and come experience rock star treatment. We'll have a backstage area for you to store your gear, hang out, have a few beverages (non-alcoholic of course parents) and hopefully, all of you will video and photograph your backstage experiences for your Facebook pages.
And, although the event was excellent in the past, the festival ramps it up a bit. Bands will perform on a 20x24 foot stage with a roof and a corporate sponsor. In fact, the battle of the bands event may have a title sponsor.
Perhaps most important, the same company who is mixing the house and teching the sound for Cross Canadian Ragweed and Kevin Fowler will have representatives on site teching the battle of the bands event. There will be people to help load in and load out whatever gear you have -- that's right, actual roadies.
Load in and load out should be a breeze because we'll provide complete back line -- Fender twin reverb guitar amps, Drum Workshop drum kit and Ampeg bass rigs.
Check it out ... it's gonna be great.
The festival is shaping up to be the biggest ever. First of all, Cross Canadian Ragweed is the headliner. That should do it right there.
But we also have Kevin Fowler signed, as well as Mark McKinney, Granger Smith, Stephanie Fix, Grupo Vida, Zack King, Railhead and Steely Dan tribute band Naked Lunch.
And, don't forget about the battle of the bands. The battle of the bands is something we believe has tremendous potential. Last year's winner, The Neckties, will be performing at the festival this year. The boys used the battle of the bands at the festival to somewhat launch a pretty full gigging slate throughout the year.
They've played for motorcycle events such as the Garland Police Department Toys for Kids drive this Christmas. They are also on the bill at the Dallas International Guitar Festival two weeks before RTF.
Here's the way it works. Eight bands are selected from an audition process -- which is all spelled out on the RTF Web site (www.realtexasfestival.com) -- to compete in a winner-take-all competition. The prizes include $500 in cash, meet and greet passes to the festival headliner as well as a guaranteed performance slot at the 2011 event.
That's important. There are a lot of bands who compete in these things and even if they win, they break up for one reason or another. Things happen.
Bandmates move away to college.
They just generally lose interest.
They decide to pursue other things.
With the battle of the bands winner getting a guaranteed performance spot in the following year's festival, it is our hope the young bands will stay together. Or, even if one of the members moves away to college or decides to pursue other interest, the remaining members will find a replacement and keep playing.
The Neckties are a good example of this. They implemented a suggestion made by the judges from last year's event to add a bass player, which gave the band a fuller, thicker sound.
The bands are judged on four key points in their performances ... vocal quality, overall musicianship, stage presence and overall performance. Judges score the bands from 1-10 with 10 being the best. The scores are added up from judges and the average of the total is the band's final score.
Hopefully, eight bands will be whittled to four which be pared down to two for the championship round.
The battle of the bands at the festival isn't new. It is a continuation of an event launched by Mesquite Youth Services back in the day. When Mesquite Youth Services went away, the battle of the bands event was mishandled. It was somewhat of a disservice to the people who developed that event ... which was very successful and continued to grow in it's four-year run.
It was assumed by the folding of MYS that the battle of the bands was just going to die. Well, it hasn't. The festival wants to continue this event ... at a different time, in a different month and on a grander stage.
Please -- any high school band, where the majority of the members are in high school or even younger, send in some material and audition for the battle of the bands. It's a good time. What else would you rather do on a Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 or 2 p.m.?
The application and audition process is open. Don't wait until the last minute and come experience rock star treatment. We'll have a backstage area for you to store your gear, hang out, have a few beverages (non-alcoholic of course parents) and hopefully, all of you will video and photograph your backstage experiences for your Facebook pages.
And, although the event was excellent in the past, the festival ramps it up a bit. Bands will perform on a 20x24 foot stage with a roof and a corporate sponsor. In fact, the battle of the bands event may have a title sponsor.
Perhaps most important, the same company who is mixing the house and teching the sound for Cross Canadian Ragweed and Kevin Fowler will have representatives on site teching the battle of the bands event. There will be people to help load in and load out whatever gear you have -- that's right, actual roadies.
Load in and load out should be a breeze because we'll provide complete back line -- Fender twin reverb guitar amps, Drum Workshop drum kit and Ampeg bass rigs.
Check it out ... it's gonna be great.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Giving thanks
There are many things to be thankful these days, and at the risk of sounding like the rest of the world by telling everyone what they are thankful for -- rather everyone wants to hear it or not -- we thought we'd take a little time to give a little thanks.
First, I'm thankful for Cross Canadian Ragweed. They, along with the rest of the entertainment line up being put together, will make the 2010 Real. Texas. Festival. one of the most prolific ever. Not just in the history of the event, but one of the most prolific events of 2010 -- anywhere.
You darn right it's a bold claim, but I'm sticking to it.
I'm thankful for The Neckties. This is the group of 12- and 13-year-olds who won the festival's battle of the bands event. Since winning the contest at the Third Annual Real. Texas. Festival. in April, the group has gone on to play many, many shows.
In fact, they were named the official band of Harley Davidson charities ... locally anyway. They play this Saturday night on the square in Mesquite as part of an ongoing concert series being produced by local music legend Art Greenhaw.
Along the way, The Neckties credited the Real. Texas. Festival. battle of the bands event for helping get their bookings jump started. And, they have been promoting the battle of the bands event at their shows, which we hope will lead to doubling the size of the battle of the bands event for the 2010 festival event (April 23 and 24 for those keeping score at home).
We're thankful for Mesquite Youth Services. Mesquite Youth Services is no longer in operation, but the former director Dana Mitchell and her group of student leaders put together the battle of the bands format. It just works.
We're thankful for Town East Mall and it's Rockin' Shoppin Eve event that goes down Thanksgiving night and into Black Friday. It's genius.
We're thankful for the 15 minutes of fame everyone receives at one point in their lives. By my count, we are coming to the end of the 15 minutes for Miley Cyrus, Adam Lambert, Kate Hudson, Fall Out Boy and Ashley Tisdale.
Along those same lines, we're thankful that the 15 minutes of fame has run out for Taylor Hicks, Dane Cook, Jimmy Fallon and The Fray.
We're thankful that there are folks who are willing to invest the time and effort to tell a good story. The festival is a good story. Mesquite is a good story as well. I know what you all have heard, but I challenge folks to look around the next time they are in Mesquite.
I mean really look around.
Look at the Town East/LBJ intersection and compare that interchange with any other freeway interchange in the Metroplex.
Look at the improvements made at Town East Mall ... don't tell me about perceptions and what is believed to be the demographic of the clientele of the place. But just look at it.
Look at the fact that there are several stores inside that facility that are among the leaders in their respective companies in terms of sales and volume. Vans is number two in the nation, only behind the original store in California.
It just stands to reason that a "image problem" doesn't translate into a store located in that mall being one of the leading stores in the nation for its chain.
But I digress.
There's just a lot to be thankful for.
The economy seems to be trending upward ever so slowly. People don't seem to be as tightly wound about the economic scene as it once was. For a while there, people were just coming completely unspun.
The weather is turning cooler ... finally bringing 8 months of summer to an end. It's hard to wrap one's brain around it now, but three weeks ago, the temperature hit 85 almost 90 degrees. Fall is great.
I'm thankful for Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket. It just gets me through the day.
After the holidays, the Real. Texas. Festival. promotional buzz wheel will begin to pick up speed. More entertainers will be signed and announced. Tickets will go on sale after the first of the year.
We're thankful for this great event and for the momentum it is helping to establish for this community.
First, I'm thankful for Cross Canadian Ragweed. They, along with the rest of the entertainment line up being put together, will make the 2010 Real. Texas. Festival. one of the most prolific ever. Not just in the history of the event, but one of the most prolific events of 2010 -- anywhere.
You darn right it's a bold claim, but I'm sticking to it.
I'm thankful for The Neckties. This is the group of 12- and 13-year-olds who won the festival's battle of the bands event. Since winning the contest at the Third Annual Real. Texas. Festival. in April, the group has gone on to play many, many shows.
In fact, they were named the official band of Harley Davidson charities ... locally anyway. They play this Saturday night on the square in Mesquite as part of an ongoing concert series being produced by local music legend Art Greenhaw.
Along the way, The Neckties credited the Real. Texas. Festival. battle of the bands event for helping get their bookings jump started. And, they have been promoting the battle of the bands event at their shows, which we hope will lead to doubling the size of the battle of the bands event for the 2010 festival event (April 23 and 24 for those keeping score at home).
We're thankful for Mesquite Youth Services. Mesquite Youth Services is no longer in operation, but the former director Dana Mitchell and her group of student leaders put together the battle of the bands format. It just works.
We're thankful for Town East Mall and it's Rockin' Shoppin Eve event that goes down Thanksgiving night and into Black Friday. It's genius.
We're thankful for the 15 minutes of fame everyone receives at one point in their lives. By my count, we are coming to the end of the 15 minutes for Miley Cyrus, Adam Lambert, Kate Hudson, Fall Out Boy and Ashley Tisdale.
Along those same lines, we're thankful that the 15 minutes of fame has run out for Taylor Hicks, Dane Cook, Jimmy Fallon and The Fray.
We're thankful that there are folks who are willing to invest the time and effort to tell a good story. The festival is a good story. Mesquite is a good story as well. I know what you all have heard, but I challenge folks to look around the next time they are in Mesquite.
I mean really look around.
Look at the Town East/LBJ intersection and compare that interchange with any other freeway interchange in the Metroplex.
Look at the improvements made at Town East Mall ... don't tell me about perceptions and what is believed to be the demographic of the clientele of the place. But just look at it.
Look at the fact that there are several stores inside that facility that are among the leaders in their respective companies in terms of sales and volume. Vans is number two in the nation, only behind the original store in California.
It just stands to reason that a "image problem" doesn't translate into a store located in that mall being one of the leading stores in the nation for its chain.
But I digress.
There's just a lot to be thankful for.
The economy seems to be trending upward ever so slowly. People don't seem to be as tightly wound about the economic scene as it once was. For a while there, people were just coming completely unspun.
The weather is turning cooler ... finally bringing 8 months of summer to an end. It's hard to wrap one's brain around it now, but three weeks ago, the temperature hit 85 almost 90 degrees. Fall is great.
I'm thankful for Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket. It just gets me through the day.
After the holidays, the Real. Texas. Festival. promotional buzz wheel will begin to pick up speed. More entertainers will be signed and announced. Tickets will go on sale after the first of the year.
We're thankful for this great event and for the momentum it is helping to establish for this community.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Cross Canadian Ragweed brutha!
I understand the special event world is pretty well summed up by Janet Jackson.
"What have you done for me lately."
The 2009 Real. Texas. Festival. was just so outstanding. Los Lonely Boys was the most significant headliner the event had signed to date. And, they were absolutely fabulous. In fact, all of our headliners were great ... Kevin Fowler, Los Lonely Boys and Jay Perez.
But the Real. Texas. Festival. can't afford to become complacent. As organizers, we have to continually find ways to get better. After all, we're only four years old heading into 2010. We don't have a long enough track record to get comfortable.
We must continue to make a splash.
Well, let me take this opportunity to say if I may: Mission Accomplished.
The festival will be headlined on Saturday by the 800 lb. gorilla of the Texas Red Dirt music scene.
Cross Canadian Ragweed.
How's that for a splash? Excuse me while I jump in the pool -- CANNON BALL!!!!
The City of Mesquite -- the executive producer of the Real. Texas. Festival. -- is thrilled with the confirmation of CCR as it's headliner.
CCR is the kind of act that helps us define what the festival is and what we hope it can be.
Cross Canadian Ragweed has staked its career on the fact that it takes it's music -- music that simply grabs you by the throat -- straight to the people.
CCR reeks of genuine Texas attitude -- it's a swagger that isn't found anywhere else in the United States. You don't find this kind of swagger in California, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana ... anywhere. It's only found in Texas.
And that's what the Real. Texas. Festival. wants to accomplish ... it wants thousands and thousands of people to assemble on the grounds surrounding the Mesquite Championship Rodeo and celebrate Texas and what it means to be a Texan.
It's an attitude that causes many Texas residents to proclaim, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could."
Cross Canadian Ragweed is a huge signing for the festival.
They'll hit the stage at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and will no doubt unleash a barrage of hits such as "Alabama," "Long Way Home," "Fighting For," "Carney Man" and the somewhat controversial "In Oklahoma."
You won't want to miss this thing ... Kevin Fowler headlining the festival on Friday night with Cross Canadian Ragweed headlining on Saturday.
And, that's just two of the acts signed on. There will be many other acts that will be announced in the coming weeks.
Stay tuned.
"What have you done for me lately."
The 2009 Real. Texas. Festival. was just so outstanding. Los Lonely Boys was the most significant headliner the event had signed to date. And, they were absolutely fabulous. In fact, all of our headliners were great ... Kevin Fowler, Los Lonely Boys and Jay Perez.
But the Real. Texas. Festival. can't afford to become complacent. As organizers, we have to continually find ways to get better. After all, we're only four years old heading into 2010. We don't have a long enough track record to get comfortable.
We must continue to make a splash.
Well, let me take this opportunity to say if I may: Mission Accomplished.
The festival will be headlined on Saturday by the 800 lb. gorilla of the Texas Red Dirt music scene.
Cross Canadian Ragweed.
How's that for a splash? Excuse me while I jump in the pool -- CANNON BALL!!!!
The City of Mesquite -- the executive producer of the Real. Texas. Festival. -- is thrilled with the confirmation of CCR as it's headliner.
CCR is the kind of act that helps us define what the festival is and what we hope it can be.
Cross Canadian Ragweed has staked its career on the fact that it takes it's music -- music that simply grabs you by the throat -- straight to the people.
CCR reeks of genuine Texas attitude -- it's a swagger that isn't found anywhere else in the United States. You don't find this kind of swagger in California, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana ... anywhere. It's only found in Texas.
And that's what the Real. Texas. Festival. wants to accomplish ... it wants thousands and thousands of people to assemble on the grounds surrounding the Mesquite Championship Rodeo and celebrate Texas and what it means to be a Texan.
It's an attitude that causes many Texas residents to proclaim, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could."
Cross Canadian Ragweed is a huge signing for the festival.
They'll hit the stage at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and will no doubt unleash a barrage of hits such as "Alabama," "Long Way Home," "Fighting For," "Carney Man" and the somewhat controversial "In Oklahoma."
You won't want to miss this thing ... Kevin Fowler headlining the festival on Friday night with Cross Canadian Ragweed headlining on Saturday.
And, that's just two of the acts signed on. There will be many other acts that will be announced in the coming weeks.
Stay tuned.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Back in business
Hey high school kids ... that's right ... I'm talkin' to you.
Actually, I'm looking for high school kids who play in a rock band. It's an actual band ... you know, the kind with instruments and stuff. Drums? Guitars? Keyboards? Anything?
Sorry for the condescending tone, but nowadays when you say rock band everyone thinks about the game -- not an actual rock band.
That being said and since this is a blog for the Real. Texas. Festival., let me announce the return of the battle of the bands.
Any of you high school aged bands who didn't try to participate last year missed a good time. Well, actually, it was still this year. It was last April.
Anyway, The Neckties won the event and picked up a cool $500 for their efforts, as well as a performance slot in this year's battle of the bands.
There I go again ... it's not this year's battle, it's actually next year. Next festival anyway -- April 23 and 24, 2010.
But the folks closest to The Neckties will tell you that participating in the festival's battle of the bands event was a great little shot in the arm for them. They've been able to parlay their title into several bookings and gigs.
Would they have gotten those gigs anyway? Probably so. They're pretty good.
Still, it is nice to know that the Real. Texas. Festival. Battle of the Bands played a part in some success of one of its champions.
In 2010, we hope to have 8 new bands competing for the title. Again, the music can cover any genre. Everyone is welcome and all styles are accepted. The festival itself leans more toward the southern and country style, but the Battle of the Bands can and hopefully will feature grunge, metal, hip hop, rock, electronica, fusion, punk, Brit pop, thrash, alternative, Tejano, soul and, well, you get the idea.
Some bands may shy away from the festival's band battle because the members may feel it's all country. Rest assured, this is not the case.
The format will be basically the same. Applications and entry forms are due by March 31. A committee will audition the material, select the final eight and schedule an orientation meeting.
At that meeting (which will feature free food -- yeah buddy), the rules will be explained, questions will be answered and we'll draw for the initial order.
The battle of the bands is scheduled from 10-noon for the first two rounds. There will be a break for about an hour or so, then we'll roll out the finals.
Hey, $500 is $500. I'm a musician myself and I've played in bands over the years who have gotten paid much less than that if anything at all.
Check it out ... look up The Neckties on Facebook and send them a message. Ask them about the event. I bet you'll find they were very happy with their experience and had a great time.
More importantly, enter the contest. It's a good time.
For rules, entry forms and applications, see www.realtexasfestival.com and click on the battle of the bands photo in the picture scroll on the home page.
Actually, I'm looking for high school kids who play in a rock band. It's an actual band ... you know, the kind with instruments and stuff. Drums? Guitars? Keyboards? Anything?
Sorry for the condescending tone, but nowadays when you say rock band everyone thinks about the game -- not an actual rock band.
That being said and since this is a blog for the Real. Texas. Festival., let me announce the return of the battle of the bands.
Any of you high school aged bands who didn't try to participate last year missed a good time. Well, actually, it was still this year. It was last April.
Anyway, The Neckties won the event and picked up a cool $500 for their efforts, as well as a performance slot in this year's battle of the bands.
There I go again ... it's not this year's battle, it's actually next year. Next festival anyway -- April 23 and 24, 2010.
But the folks closest to The Neckties will tell you that participating in the festival's battle of the bands event was a great little shot in the arm for them. They've been able to parlay their title into several bookings and gigs.
Would they have gotten those gigs anyway? Probably so. They're pretty good.
Still, it is nice to know that the Real. Texas. Festival. Battle of the Bands played a part in some success of one of its champions.
In 2010, we hope to have 8 new bands competing for the title. Again, the music can cover any genre. Everyone is welcome and all styles are accepted. The festival itself leans more toward the southern and country style, but the Battle of the Bands can and hopefully will feature grunge, metal, hip hop, rock, electronica, fusion, punk, Brit pop, thrash, alternative, Tejano, soul and, well, you get the idea.
Some bands may shy away from the festival's band battle because the members may feel it's all country. Rest assured, this is not the case.
The format will be basically the same. Applications and entry forms are due by March 31. A committee will audition the material, select the final eight and schedule an orientation meeting.
At that meeting (which will feature free food -- yeah buddy), the rules will be explained, questions will be answered and we'll draw for the initial order.
The battle of the bands is scheduled from 10-noon for the first two rounds. There will be a break for about an hour or so, then we'll roll out the finals.
Hey, $500 is $500. I'm a musician myself and I've played in bands over the years who have gotten paid much less than that if anything at all.
Check it out ... look up The Neckties on Facebook and send them a message. Ask them about the event. I bet you'll find they were very happy with their experience and had a great time.
More importantly, enter the contest. It's a good time.
For rules, entry forms and applications, see www.realtexasfestival.com and click on the battle of the bands photo in the picture scroll on the home page.
Monday, August 24, 2009
A legend never dies
At the Real. Texas. Festival., we pride ourselves in celebrating and featuring Texas music ... all Texas music all of the time.
So, it probably goes without saying that we should honor the life of perhaps the most influential Texas musician of all time -- Stevie Ray Vaughan.
There are five seminal moments in popular music history where artists were taken from us just as they had broken through and had successfully introduced their unique style to the masses, or who were extreme innovators who helped launch a musical genre -- subsequently altering the direction of popular music in their particular eras.
Stevie Ray will be commemorated on Thursday (Aug. 27) -- the 19th anniversary of the helicopter crash that killed the Texas music legend.
I, like many other Dallas area guitar players and musicians, will more than likely make the trek to Laureland Cemetery in South Dallas to visit the grave site of SRV. We'll go to remember his greatness and how he was poised to perhaps be one of the most influential musicians of any genre.
He had made that cross-over ... getting exposure from mainstream, album-oriented radio stations of the day, as well as from the recording industry itself.
One can only imagine what Stevie's legacy would be today. By my count, Stevie would have been 55 years old this Oct. Considering that many artists are just getting started in their 50s, Stevie would have been right there amongst the current day greats.
We have tremendous expectations for the Real. Texas. Festival. We believe it will be the premier Texas music event in the state, if not the nation. However, it is sad that the festival will never host what might be the most influential Texas musician ever. We will, perhaps, be able to welcome the Arc Angels to the Real. Texas. Music. Stage. We hope that can happen.
The Arc Angels feature two players, originally featuring three players, who were very close to Stevie Ray. Arc Angles are comprised of Chris "Whipper" Layton on drums, the drummer for Double Trouble; as well as Doyle Bramhall II, the son of Doyle Bramhall Sr., who one of Stevie Ray's song-writing collaborators.
The latest version of the Arc Angels doesn't have Tommy Shannon, Double Trouble's bass player, in the line up. Oh yeah, the final member of Arc Angels is Texas guitarslinger Charlie Sexton.
It goes without saying SRV was great. Much will be written and said over the next few days concerning that. Personally, the death of SRV was one of those moments in time where I will always remember exactly where I was and exactly what I was doing.
I was working a newspaper gig in Sterling, Kan., and had just returned from a school board meeting. I was working on writing up the story for that week's paper when I tuned in to my favorite radio station -- T-95 in Wichita, Kan. Jeff Shaw was on the air playing nothing but SRV tunes in tribute. Until that time, I had gone on about my business ... gathering the news and so forth for the paper.
I wondered why SRV song after SRV song was being played then it occurred to me -- the last time I'd heard something like that on radio was when John Lennon had been shot and killed outside his New York City apartment. I put two and two together and after a while, Shaw confirmed it for me and read the news story.
I, like many other musicians and music lovers, immediately felt a sense of loss.
The good news is the musical legacy of SRV will never die ... and in fact continues to grow through the local SRV benefit concert that occurs in October, as well as through the many tribute bands continuing to celebrate the life and music of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.
I must say; however, I must agree with Robert Cray when it comes to covering Stevie's music. Robert Cray said, "There are going to be a lot of frustrated guitar players out there trying to do Stevie's stuff."
R.I.P. SRV.
By the way, I mentioned the five tragic moments in the popular music history where trendsetting artists were taken away from us too soon. I place Stevie Ray's untimely death at the top of the list. Here are the other four as far as I'm concerned.
1. Dec. 8, 1980 -- The aforementioned death of John Lennon as he was shot and killed in New York by Mark David Chapman. Not a situation where he was taken too soon, but certainly Lennon was one of the most influential and most prolific songwriters of all time.
2. April 8, 1994 -- The suicide of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain -- credited with almost single-handedly introducing grunge to the world.
3. Aug. 16, 1977 -- Elvis Presley ... dead at age 42. Certainly not taken too soon ... although 42 is too young to die ... his death still impacts millions.
4. Feb. 3, 1959 -- The plane crash that claimed the lives of JP "Big Bopper" Richardson, Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. All three artists were innovators and altered the sound of popular music.
And, as an honorable mention, I throw in Sept. 20, 1973 -- the day folk rock singer Jim Croce died in a plane crash. Another innovator who propelled the careers of contemporaries such as Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne.
So, it probably goes without saying that we should honor the life of perhaps the most influential Texas musician of all time -- Stevie Ray Vaughan.
There are five seminal moments in popular music history where artists were taken from us just as they had broken through and had successfully introduced their unique style to the masses, or who were extreme innovators who helped launch a musical genre -- subsequently altering the direction of popular music in their particular eras.
Stevie Ray will be commemorated on Thursday (Aug. 27) -- the 19th anniversary of the helicopter crash that killed the Texas music legend.
I, like many other Dallas area guitar players and musicians, will more than likely make the trek to Laureland Cemetery in South Dallas to visit the grave site of SRV. We'll go to remember his greatness and how he was poised to perhaps be one of the most influential musicians of any genre.
He had made that cross-over ... getting exposure from mainstream, album-oriented radio stations of the day, as well as from the recording industry itself.
One can only imagine what Stevie's legacy would be today. By my count, Stevie would have been 55 years old this Oct. Considering that many artists are just getting started in their 50s, Stevie would have been right there amongst the current day greats.
We have tremendous expectations for the Real. Texas. Festival. We believe it will be the premier Texas music event in the state, if not the nation. However, it is sad that the festival will never host what might be the most influential Texas musician ever. We will, perhaps, be able to welcome the Arc Angels to the Real. Texas. Music. Stage. We hope that can happen.
The Arc Angels feature two players, originally featuring three players, who were very close to Stevie Ray. Arc Angles are comprised of Chris "Whipper" Layton on drums, the drummer for Double Trouble; as well as Doyle Bramhall II, the son of Doyle Bramhall Sr., who one of Stevie Ray's song-writing collaborators.
The latest version of the Arc Angels doesn't have Tommy Shannon, Double Trouble's bass player, in the line up. Oh yeah, the final member of Arc Angels is Texas guitarslinger Charlie Sexton.
It goes without saying SRV was great. Much will be written and said over the next few days concerning that. Personally, the death of SRV was one of those moments in time where I will always remember exactly where I was and exactly what I was doing.
I was working a newspaper gig in Sterling, Kan., and had just returned from a school board meeting. I was working on writing up the story for that week's paper when I tuned in to my favorite radio station -- T-95 in Wichita, Kan. Jeff Shaw was on the air playing nothing but SRV tunes in tribute. Until that time, I had gone on about my business ... gathering the news and so forth for the paper.
I wondered why SRV song after SRV song was being played then it occurred to me -- the last time I'd heard something like that on radio was when John Lennon had been shot and killed outside his New York City apartment. I put two and two together and after a while, Shaw confirmed it for me and read the news story.
I, like many other musicians and music lovers, immediately felt a sense of loss.
The good news is the musical legacy of SRV will never die ... and in fact continues to grow through the local SRV benefit concert that occurs in October, as well as through the many tribute bands continuing to celebrate the life and music of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.
I must say; however, I must agree with Robert Cray when it comes to covering Stevie's music. Robert Cray said, "There are going to be a lot of frustrated guitar players out there trying to do Stevie's stuff."
R.I.P. SRV.
By the way, I mentioned the five tragic moments in the popular music history where trendsetting artists were taken away from us too soon. I place Stevie Ray's untimely death at the top of the list. Here are the other four as far as I'm concerned.
1. Dec. 8, 1980 -- The aforementioned death of John Lennon as he was shot and killed in New York by Mark David Chapman. Not a situation where he was taken too soon, but certainly Lennon was one of the most influential and most prolific songwriters of all time.
2. April 8, 1994 -- The suicide of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain -- credited with almost single-handedly introducing grunge to the world.
3. Aug. 16, 1977 -- Elvis Presley ... dead at age 42. Certainly not taken too soon ... although 42 is too young to die ... his death still impacts millions.
4. Feb. 3, 1959 -- The plane crash that claimed the lives of JP "Big Bopper" Richardson, Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. All three artists were innovators and altered the sound of popular music.
And, as an honorable mention, I throw in Sept. 20, 1973 -- the day folk rock singer Jim Croce died in a plane crash. Another innovator who propelled the careers of contemporaries such as Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Feeling the pinch
Perhaps it was a matter of time, but the concert industry is starting to feel the pinch of the current economic condition.
Throughout the summer, we've seen many organizations, cities and non-profit agencies either cut back on or cancel events due to lack of ticket sales, failure to secure corporate sponsors or because the event had just simply run its course and had become stale.
The fact the event became stale is nobody's fault but its organizers and/or boards of directors. But that's a different post for a different time.
Now, even the juggernaut of the concert industry ... the monolith known as LiveNation ... is reporting shortfalls in revenue from what was earlier projected.
LiveNation is discounting tickets all over the place -- finding that in many of the venues in which they promote or produce shows, the less expensive seats are selling out while the really, prime seats are vacant. There are stories at some venues at some shows where $60 seats are going for $20 and $45 seats are going for $15.
Not good for LiveNation because many of the artists booked in the venues in which they control are high-dollar performance fee artists.
The good news is that the music industry has reversed itself. Back in the middle part of the 20th century, artists made their money by playing live. Once the recording industry started to get its wheels under it, and as technology continued to advance in the recording arts and sciences, record sales were the primary source of income for artists.
I read recently where itunes accounted for more than 35 percent of all music sales last year. That's a huge hit to the record industry trying to move CDs of their signed artists. It probably explains why the greatness of Virgin Record Store, Tower Records, Sam Goody and other music retail outlets have gone the way of the dinosaur.
So, it's come full circle. Artists must tour to make bank. And, the Real. Texas. Festival. is committed to find top shelf artists and the hottest up and coming acts as well. And, we're gonna find a way to keep those ticket prices at a level where folks can come out, have a good time and not worry too much about the bank account.
Throughout the summer, we've seen many organizations, cities and non-profit agencies either cut back on or cancel events due to lack of ticket sales, failure to secure corporate sponsors or because the event had just simply run its course and had become stale.
The fact the event became stale is nobody's fault but its organizers and/or boards of directors. But that's a different post for a different time.
Now, even the juggernaut of the concert industry ... the monolith known as LiveNation ... is reporting shortfalls in revenue from what was earlier projected.
LiveNation is discounting tickets all over the place -- finding that in many of the venues in which they promote or produce shows, the less expensive seats are selling out while the really, prime seats are vacant. There are stories at some venues at some shows where $60 seats are going for $20 and $45 seats are going for $15.
Not good for LiveNation because many of the artists booked in the venues in which they control are high-dollar performance fee artists.
The good news is that the music industry has reversed itself. Back in the middle part of the 20th century, artists made their money by playing live. Once the recording industry started to get its wheels under it, and as technology continued to advance in the recording arts and sciences, record sales were the primary source of income for artists.
I read recently where itunes accounted for more than 35 percent of all music sales last year. That's a huge hit to the record industry trying to move CDs of their signed artists. It probably explains why the greatness of Virgin Record Store, Tower Records, Sam Goody and other music retail outlets have gone the way of the dinosaur.
So, it's come full circle. Artists must tour to make bank. And, the Real. Texas. Festival. is committed to find top shelf artists and the hottest up and coming acts as well. And, we're gonna find a way to keep those ticket prices at a level where folks can come out, have a good time and not worry too much about the bank account.
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