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David Nail: I’m About to Come Alive

October 29, 2009 /


RIYL: Vince Gill, Kenny Chesney, Train

That cha-ching sound you just heard was the royalty cash register for another mainstream pop/rock songwriter, as a country music artist has not just cut a song by the band Train, but made it the title track for his MCA Nashville debut. The artist is David Nail, and while Nail has endured ups and downs and at least one failed move to Nashville, the story has a happy ending, or at least a happy middle upon the release of I’m About to Come Alive, which might also be symbolic for the young artist. Nail has co-written about half the material here, and it might be curious that he’d go with a full blown cover song as his title track, but if you follow Train at all, you know it’s one of their best and most heartfelt songs. And it comes a couple years after Gary Allan had success with Vertical Horizon’s “Best I Ever Had.” But back to Nail, because he and producer Frank Liddell have managed to put a set of tunes together that is as good or better than anything Nashville has produced in the past decade. And the same can be said for Nail’s powerful vocal ability. Of course the title track is stellar, but there are some other beauties on here, especially “Red Light” and the Garth Brooks-ish “Looking for a Good Time,” the latter of which features some pretty guitar work. (MCA Nashville)

David Nail MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Country, Pop

Google tries to combat torrents

October 28, 2009 /

music search

Everyone and their mother downloads music illegally. I’m a self-admitted criminal, but my recent love affair with old music and vinyl records has set me on the right path. The problem is, those who download music only download music. Sure, they may buy the new album from their favorite band, but I imagine the average youngster downloads at least 90 percent of their music. I could never figure out torrents, so I don’t have one. Although they do sound appealing, I prefer the high-fidelity sound on old vinyls and those few new albums that are properly produced. Plus, I actually like having my music in a tangible format. Digital is nice, but certain aesthetics are always sacrificed. Who doesn’t appreciate unwrapping a new CD or pulling a vinyl record out of its sleeve?

Still, illegal downloading persists, but Google is trying to do something about it. The company realizes that, when people attempt to download songs on torrents, their search engine is the most popular. Thus, Google has just released a feature that permits users one free spin of their desired track. The user is then encouraged to purchase the song through services such as LaLa and MySpace.

“The best way to address that [torrent-searching] situation is to provide a really great and comprehensive and fast, excellent music service,” says R.J. Pittman, a product management director at Google. “We really feel the way is to make it much better for people — and that’s going to have a positive impact on music industry.”

With the new system, Google users will find a large “play” button at the top of the results page when they search for an artist, song or album. They’ll also get one free stream, as well as “buy” links to LaLa, MySpace, Rhapsody, Pandora, iMeem and others.

One advantage for Google is the search giant didn’t have to make deals directly with the labels to get the music — they simply let LaLa and MySpace, who already have such deals, lay the groundwork. Labels, contending with another 20 percent drop in CD sales this year, according to Nielsen Soundscan, have been more aggressive recently to remake themselves in the digital age. “They have been supportive [of the Google deal],” LaLa’s Ralston says. “They understand there’s a new world out there.”

I don’t think this will decrease downloading, but it might put some money back into the artists’ pockets.

News

Composers and lyricists to form union?

October 28, 2009 /

composer

I was shocked by this article. In the film, television, and video game industries, actors, directors, writers, cinematographers, and editors are each represented by their own guild. Somehow, composers and lyricists still aren’t unionized. The Society of Composers & Lyricists is now attempting to partner with the Teamsters in hopes of gaining the same security as their peers.

Composers and lyricists are among the few creatives left without a collective bargaining agreement. Services like orchestration, conducting and music performance are covered by American Federation of Musicians (AFM) agreements, but not the act of writing music or lyrics.

They were represented in the late 1950s and 1960s by the Composers & Lyricists Guild of America, but after a 1971 strike and a 1972 lawsuit against the studios and networks over music-ownership rights, producers refused to negotiate with them. A 1984 attempt to restart the union failed when a Reagan-era National Labor Relations Board declared composers and lyricists “independent contractors.”

The trouble with that ruling, many composers say, is that almost everyone in the biz is an “independent contractor,” agreeing to perform services on a one-off basis for producers — yet writers, directors, actors, cinematographers, editors and others enjoy protection under WGA, DGA, SAG, IATSE, the Teamsters and other unions.

Imagine if these guys went on strike. The studios would have to hire a bunch of unqualified musicians. It’s a shame composers and lyricists have it this tough. Even the ones who have been in the industry for ages still have trouble securing work.

For more information, check out composersguild.org.

News

Pavement hysteria continues, will headline Primavera Fest

October 27, 2009 /

pavement_ca

When I told my friend that Pavement was going to tour next year he said, “I bet you they play Coachella.” While they haven’t been confirmed for the gigantic festival in the California desert, they will definitely be the main attraction at Primavera Sound in Barcelona.

The recently reformed US band will top the bill on the opening day of the festival, which runs from May 27-29 2010.

It is the group’s first confirmed date in mainland Europe as part of their worldwide reunion tour.

As previously reported on Gigwise, Pavement will also play two dates in London on May 11 and 12.

All is according to plan. They haven’t announced any shows taking place after their dates in New York City. I’ll be attending their show on September 24 in Central Park, which I hope is the final date of their reunion tour.

Below is a video of Pavement’s frontman, Stephen Malkus, performing solo at last year’s Primavera Sound.

Artists, Concerts, News, Videos

Wolfmother serves up a tasty “Cosmic Egg”

October 27, 2009 /

It’s never easy for any artist to take a successful debut and translate that success to a second album, but the road to Wolfmother’s sophomore release was particularly troubled — in fact, vocalist Andrew Stockdale is the only member of the band that managed to survive the journey from 2005’s Wolfmother to the just-released Cosmic Egg.

All that upheaval must have been more than a little traumatic, so it’s hard to blame Stockdale for brushing off questions about it during his Bullz-Eye interview with Jim Washington — in his words, “it’s a bit exhausting to talk about” — and in any event, the band’s heavy sound has survived the transition pretty much intact, so why dwell on the past? Better to just crack open Cosmic Egg and revel in its aural assault, which expands upon the band’s notably Zeppelin and Sabbath-influenced attack. As Stockdale tells Washington, “Certain things inspire you, but then it becomes your own thing. I think the new record is a bit heavier at times and a bit lighter at the same time. There’s a real energy in it, a lot of expression.”

To read the full interview, click on the image above or follow this link!

External Music, Interviews

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