Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about whether songs have an expiration date. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
- JK: After a bad breakup, couldn't listen to "Wild Horses" for years
- "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" as a torture device
- Classic rock and top 40 stations overplay certain songs to the point of no return
- Indie rock is only played on college radio for the most part (in Boston, anyway)
- Parody songs are often dated, although Weird Al endures
- In the '80s and '90s, you could get sick of songs both on radio and video
- Playlists were very tight
- Pop and rock music steers clear of social issues nowadays
- More focused on personal statements
- Ted Cruz loves country
- UK acts disavow David Cameron's fandom
- Looking back not so fondly at the hardcore scene
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The
opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big
F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his
fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
This week, I talk to filmmaker Eric Green about the release of his documentary on the mid-'80s Boston music channel V66. Listen to the episode or download directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
- We last spoke in 2012, when Eric was still working on Life on the V
- Previously appeared in episodes 231 and 232
- Movie's now out on DVD and in film festivals
- In 1985, MTV was still growing and smaller music video shows were on
- Two Boston radio veterans wanted V66 to be like a radio station
- Audiences who are unfamiliar with V66 have enjoyed the movie
- Long post-production process
- Cast and crew screening was in early 2014
- Founder John Garabedian quickly realized V66 couldn't just show videos
- Needed other programming to keep viewers
- Added wrestling, sports and lifestyle shows
- Original cut of movie was 2 hours
- Connecting to the Boston community
- Good response at festivals
- Developing other projects
- Great time for music documentaries
- Eric: It's as much a business story as a music story
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The
opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big
F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his
fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
This week, it's my conversation with Bryan Hamill about how music discovery has evolved over the years. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
- Recorded at a noisy pub in Cambridge, Mass.
- Check out Bryan's blog The Ash Gray Proclamation
- Pre-gaming prior to Swervedriver show
- Bryan used to find out about music from radio (WBCN, WFNX) and magazines
- The inevitable teenage metal phase
- Older brother introduced him to bands like the Neighborhoods and the Replacements
- Record reviews and tips from friends were important
- Boston rock scene was pivotal, then and now
- Worked in radio for several years
- Started blog 9 years ago to champion indie rock scene
- Scours Soundcloud, Twitter, Spotify for new music
- Major labels are less important now
- Nobody plays indie rock on radio other than college stations
- Bands make money through playing shows and selling merch
- Records sales are no longer a factor
- Tips from publicists and bands
- Bands don't have to compromise because chances of success are slight
- As a teen, found music by combing through stacks at record stores
- Boston still has great clubs to see new music
- Corporatization of radio is bad for everyone
- Rock is niche music now
- As a genre, rock is in a down cycle
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The
opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big
F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Part 2 of my conversation with author Greg Renoff about his upcoming book on the early days of Van Halen. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
- Check out Greg's Van Halen Rising page
- Book is out Oct. 1
- Getting blurbs, reviews, photo permissions
- Publisher ECW Press released Neil Peart's books
- Book will feature previously unpublished photos
- Backyard parties were how the band grew
- New VH tour on the way
- Greg: Had an inkling it would happen
- Roth's solo career
- Greg: Became a VH fan because of "Jump"
- Roth stopped focusing on vocals after first few years
- New live album's shaky vocals
- Modern production techniques
- Is there a new studio album on the way?
- Next up for Greg: Possible work on unnamed artist's autobiography
- VH has a passionate fan base
- Afterword talks about the band's legacy
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The
opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big
F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
