Here's the Hook

LIVE performance is dead.

PRETTY much, anyhow.  

WE live in a world where live music has become a novelty - something for tourists and birthday parties.  Hardly a shadow of what it once was - the primary way of experiencing music has become the rare way of experiencing it.  Here and there, every once in a while, on the special occasion, when we happen to stumble upon it.

HOW many times have you gone to a bar that had live music?  Okay, that's a fair amount.  Now, how many times was the music at your local pub any good?  How many times did you see professional musicians?  ...How many times did you see the guy that works at the guitar shop...  How many original songs did they play?  Do you think they even got paid?  I sense the answer to these questions - and we all have to admit it's kind of lame.  Sure, music is live and well - the fact that it's being played at all is something.  And yes, the phenomenon of crapy bands in bars is new by no means - but, is this the best we can do?  Is it better to hear a crapy band in a bar than a great jukebox?  ...or a crappy dj...

MUSICAL enthusists do, indeed, of course you're right, go to live concerts.  They fill in the venues large and small - the size of the hall in proportion with the shortness of the skirts.  And they cheer, and they sway, and they fall in love.  But is this activity really about listening to music?  Or is it just one big biggest fan meeting?  Concertgoers screaming for the most popular songs and the coolest collectables.  Is there anything surprising?

BUT perhaps this is not the goal.  The recording is the true headhunter, the real go getter, at the music party.  It ropes people in - it gets the tunes stuck in their heads.  When you leave a concert, you're more likely to remember that cute girl in the 3rd row than that great new song you've never heard before.  But no one BUYS music anymore.  There is no commitment.  You're more likely to buy something you already know you like than give something new a shot.  And I don't blame you.  That's what we're supposed to do.  Who can afford to throw away their money, time, energy, enthusiasm??? 

AND who tells you what you like?  Well, there's both more and less of them in the world today.  The actually physical stores selling music are drying up faster than a cup of water on the sun - and the record companies that create that physical incarnation of music are dying as well.  BUT, ha ha, and this is a big one, the INTERNET grew up fast - and it's pissed.  It's the little brother that's been beat up for 18 years in a row but now he's bigger than you.  The internet and iTunes grew so quickly that it's leaving everyone involved with the creation of music (musicians, producers, studios and distributers) out in the dark with a crappy flashlight we in the biz call Google.  What's a boy to do?  

WELL, first off, get a computer.  Drink it in.  It always goes down smooth.  Get some recording software (I like Logic).  And get a going MOBY.  You want to live in New York?  Great, but you don't have to.  Live in Oregon - the internet doesn't really care.  In fact, it might be cooler that you live on the side of some mountain in Colorado.  Or on the beach in Texas.  There used to be rules to all of this, with very few exceptions - BUT NOT ANYMORE.  Not for the last 9 years, at least.

IF the album is the hook what's the gig?  The gig's the line and sinker... I guess.  But what's that any good for?  It's for reeling in the fish once you have the hook set.  Well, what do you do if you don't have a hook? WELL, I GUESS YOU DON'T GET THE FISH!

I GO TO shows here in NYC.  Jazz shows.  Maybe once a week.  If the show's awesome - if it's the top guys - the audience consists of the following percentages : %50 Foreigners / %25 Tourists / %15 Locals that got in for free / %5 Journalists who got in for free / %10 Staff and the band that's on next.  Yeah, that's it.  Isn't that awesome?  Sure, it's okay.  But when you're not one of those top guys - when you didn't record with Miles or Coltrane or Sunny - guess who's in the crowd?  It's that %10 Staff and the band that's on next...  Maybe a few of your friends if it's your birthday or something - but that's it.  So, why would any of us do it?  I guess it's fun to play music...  I guess we all want to be one of the top guys someday...  I guess someone told us if we want to be musicians we have to get as many gigs as we can...

THE thing is - we don't have to get gigs to be musicians.  The gigs aren't the hook - at least, not anymore.