Grace's First RSD

My sister Grace tagged along for RSD 2015... She didn't get any vinyl, but she did manage to get your generic heavy metal... Hey, she's 14, she'll get better... I hope...

Record Store Day 2015 Get Behind Me Satan

I got it and it only took me 2 hours, 40 bucks in gas and being over crowded in car and in store... Worth it... Check out the video and head over to Facebook to get updates on when the next videos will be up!

TIDAL - Rising or Falling?

Tidal brought us musicians united to bring on a revolution. To change the way we hear music and to fairly compensate hardworking independent musicians in ways Spotify, Pandora and so many others have failed. Now, just weeks after the launch of Tidal, musicians are speaking up and they aren't happy.

Some of the harshest comments come from the band Mumford and Sons, a band which was not invited to join TIDAL, but claims they would have declined had they been offered.

From their recent comments, it appears the band agrees with the idea that musicians should get paid more, but disagrees with Jay-Z's approach of an artist owned streaming site that is lead by Millionaires.

“I think smaller bands should get paid more for it, too. Bigger bands have other ways of making money, so I don’t think you can complain. A band of our size shouldn’t be complaining. And when they say it’s artist-owned, it’s owned by those rich, wealthy artists.” says frontman Marcus Mumford. Bassist Winston Marshall adds "Music is changing. It’s fucking changing. This is how people are going to listen to music now—streaming. So diversify as a band."

This all falls in line with comments made by others such as David Grohl months ago when the Taylor Swift/Spotify debate opened up (Swift went completely anti-streaming and removed her entire discography from Spotify) Grohl commented that it doesn't matter how people hear your music because of they like it, they'll come to your show. In fact, Marshall even said in a recent interview " We look at our albums as stand-alone pieces of art, and also as adverts for our live shows"

Death Cab For Cutie frontman Benjamin Gibbards also commented on the elitist idea that Tidal is creating. Jay-Z brought out millionaires rather than struggling artists. An issue that has been brought out many times in the press- millionaires complaining about their paychecks. 

In a recent interview with The Daily Beast his thoughts on what Jay-Z should have done.

“If I had been Jay Z, I would have brought out ten artists that were underground or independent and said, ‘These are the people who are struggling to make a living in today’s music industry. Whereas this competitor streaming site pays this person 15 cents for X amount of streams, that same amount of streams on my site, on TIDAL, will pay that artist this much. I think they totally blew it by bringing out a bunch of millionaires and billionaires and propping them up onstage and then having them all complain about not being paid.”

It seems artists everywhere feel Jay-Z took the wrong approach.

"There was a wonderful opportunity squandered to highlight what this service would mean for artists who are struggling and to make a plea to people’s hearts and pocketbooks to pay a little more for this service that was going to pay these artists a more reasonable streaming rate and they didn’t do it. That’s why this thing is going to fail miserably."

Few have gone as far as Gibbard to say it's going to fail, but it seems the majority sides with Mumford, Marshall and Gibbard. However, new information arrived this week as Jay-Z showed just how he planned to help struggling artists - TIDAL Rising.

In a new update, TIDAL added a feature that will directly help new musicians. The official press release stated, “The updated left hand menu features TIDAL Rising. TIDAL gives voice to tomorrow’s biggest names through TIDAL RISING, a program dedicated to promoting emerging and independent artists from around the world. Every week, nascent talent in any genre will emerge.”

Neither Gibbard nor Mumford and Sons has made any public statement at this time. 

-Alison Parker

Tidal Making Waves

Nothing is more eye-catching than that lovely computer generated cyan. Last week you might have noticed some of your favourite artists changed their profile pictures to that electric blue, for no reason what-so-ever.

...So what is the reason? Jay-Z's launch of Tidal maybe? I myself had to look into it after Mr. Jack White and Third Man Records suddenly changed from their usual album art digs. So what did I find... that is the hard part... Tidal's website has very little information... and by that, I mean the QA page has little more that links to other sites. Jay-Z himself has said very little on the subject.

Some main points (we will get there when we get there!) are: better royalty distribution, a fair-er ground for independent and new artists to get airplay, and it's *~"Hi-Fi"~* (to subscribers).

So what of it? I've been listening to Pandora since around
the time it was launched, my sister is proud of her Spotify collection, and step-wachamacallit is quite happy with using Limewire to get our internet service cut... I mean... to get music. But, in perspective, I generally listen to Pandora to get inspiration to buy new albums or I listen to artists that I already have in my 200 some-odd album collection. My sister will buy songs from the source if she likes them enough... and the other "has News of the World... on vinyl..."

I would say that I am a heavy defender of the buying of the music I like... that's why I've spent around $80 on Dreamboat Annie alone... What?

Actually in a fit of overwhelming frustration I may have said some things to my mother on the phone when questioned about the internet service that we'll laugh about in a few decades when she's hopped up on those nursing home level pain killers... I took it to heart when it was just a general question of "Whoever has been downloading "copyrighted material" needs to stop" All the thousands of dollars and empty piggy banks I've gone through for my music and you dare question me? I weighed almost 200lbs in my early teen years and gave up snack for the extra dollar I got out of it... Dedication!


Ok, well on the other half of the spectrum, step-dood listens to mostly indy electronica and rap. Sister listens to whatever is on top 40, really.
 Why mention all that? Well, it sets the stage for the wonderful discussion of Tidal.

We have what I would say are 3 ideal specimens: The dedicated money thrower, The partial payer/occasional buyer, and The IDGAF-ier (I would be nicer if I wasn't a 100% online college goer (internet shutoff is no fun)). I should also mention our lifestyles: Moi, Rock and Roll journalist, part time musician/artist, Thing 1, high school junior, and Thing 2 is a stoner that works in our parents' headshop ( no, this isn't about MJ, people...).

The Positive:
So with Tidal, what I see on the surface is what the program is a "take it if you want it" gig. They aren't necessarily trying to trump anyone, and no one is making you buy it. New artists can get airplay without being snubbed by record companies:

"You have to understand... When we do a 45 [single] with an unknown artist at TMR [Third Man Records] , it's a big investment in production and manufacturing. How do you get people to listen and buy that record so they can stay afloat? You can't get radio play for them, so that's why streaming is an interesting way to turn people on to unknown music." - Jack White on Tidal during one of his paid subscriber Vault chats.

And artists get a fair cut of royalties due to the lack of middle men.

The Negative: 
 In part due to the number of mainstream popstars and commercialization, many people argue that by joining Tidal, the artist is selling out. If you make millions each year, what does petty change matter, right? Relating to the quote from Jack above, there are quite a few people who are upset that their paid subscriptions to services like TMR (Third Man, get hip with the lingo.) will be worthless if the label releases content exclusively for Tidal. While it is more than likely that big hits will get full releases, those loyal to the label who do not want Tidal, like myself, will have to wait to get in on those numbers, meaning that there is a smaller market for "ratings". 

Again, with all the mainstream popstars, the market for certain genres is skewed, and the possibility of miss-opportunity grows exponentially. So while Tidal treats indy and new artists a greater sense of fairness, the common denominator will always rule that out.

In theory everything is great, just like the three forms of government. Tidal is for the capitalist, Pandora can be for the socialist, and Limewire, the communist. Really think about the theories, not the sad realities. Tidal seems to be by the Artist, for the Artist.

The Music Genome Project used by Pandora takes a strong band like Led Zeppelin and gives you similar, yet diverse groups to listen to. Due to the randomness, if you really love that song,in order to have it, you have to buy it! 
 
When it comes to Limewire... well we were all 12 and broke once. You can take what you like... at the risk of a great virus... seems like a fantastic solution, but nobody wins.

So why bother with Tidal? of course there will be people tripping balls to get it, but on the... down to earth end of things, no one is buying it... The brand. Tidal makes things seem like it's only for the money, not the art itself. Instead of the artist waiting for their chance to shine and earn the beans, they are dampening what could be with privatization.

For example, take us, TWRAR. The policy is simple: You share your work and we will put it up at no charge, as long as it is original. We pay you with free publicity and  in return we get the satisfaction of watching a new artist bloom.
Now, if I would only allow monetary exchange... well your broke, ramen eating ass would be out of luck... and 5 years later, I'm screaming at you from 500ft away while you are the hottest thing on earth.

So in the end, Tidal is up to you. I wouldn't pay 10 bucks for and online service... I would just go get the 3 or 4 used LPs from the record store. It's all about you and how you

feel about it. If you try it, Like I said, Submit your ideas into a fair article and we'll have a race. Don't be afraid... I know there are lots of opinionated people out there.

Meeting Benjamin Booker in Brooklyn!

From the BB FB page.

I got to Brooklyn about 7:30 and snagged a parking space. Got to the venue and landed a pretty decent place in line. I noticed this guy walking past looking for the entrance who I recognized to be Max Norton. Nobody noticed who he was as he tried to pass through the crowd to the door. I chickened out and didn't say hi. I get in the venue, Music Hall of Williamsburg(which is basically a maze) stopped at the merch booth (I was very disappointed in the price point of Olivia Jean merch. Her records are cheaper online) and scored a spot front row right in front of Max’s drum kit. 

OJ's Keys

Olivia Jean was up first, she came out around 9pm. She had on these really high heels. She opened with a joke that she's from Detroit, Tennessee. She seemed pretty relaxed. A little uptight, but overall comfortable, which is interesting because I've heard she lacks charisma on stage. She played mainly songs from her album. Her live version of Reminisce was absolutely incredible though, possibly better than the recording. She got more comfortable as time went on, even taking off her shoes. Having seen her before (Boston with Jack White), it was interesting to see how much better she had gotten. She was able to interact with the crowd better and you could tell that she's really improved as a performer. 

What's weird about MHOW is that they don't close curtains to take everything off stage. The sound guys and roadies were walking in front of us. The keyboard was right where I was standing and I kept having to back up so they could get by. I started making jokes with one of the sound guys/roadies about it whenever he walked past. 

So anyway Benjamin Booker comes up… What a performer. 

He just becomes so, I don't even know if words can describe it. He's just in the moment experiencing the music. He used 2 Fender twin reverb amps and he only had 3 pedals. One was a Big Muff, one was a chromatic tuner, and the other one I couldn't see. It seemed like a delay/tape echo or something. Even an Aqua Puss maybe? That's the kinda sound it had. 

He opened with one of my personal favorites, Always Waiting. Several jam sessions opened up during and between songs. He played around a lot with the feedback, at one point pulling put his lighter and using it as a slide. Badass. (He would later ask me to borrow a lighter; some guy gave him a light. I told him he should check the stage for his). One of the coolest moments involved Max Norton, who is a beast on the drums. Playing the mandolin while hitting the kick drum and hi-hat pedal while Alex Spoto, the bassist, played the violin. At some points Benjamin put down the guitar and focused on vocals during those songs, creating a real intimate moment. 

Random internet picture

Max Norton. He can play the fucking drums. Someone outside described it almost as military-training style snare drumming. I don't know about that, but there is a lot of technique and skill there and I don't think the performance would have the same effect without the connection between Benjamin and Max. 

Benjamin ended the set by throwing his guitar to the ground jumping off stage and making a real Rockstar exit, popping up on top of the balcony laughing while most of the crowd wondered where he had disappeared to.

So I watched as the sound guys and roadies put the equipment away. One of the guys got a setlist and handed it to the pretty girl next to me who he'd been making eyes at the whole night. I clearly was disappointed not to be the one to get it. Luckily for me, the guy from earlier who I had been joking with about being in the way with the keyboard noticed my disappointment and yelled "I got you!" He grabbed Max’s setlist and handed it to me. I was overjoyed. I lingered to see if they'd come out, but after a few minutes decided I should go home, as I had work the next day. 

As I walked out I noticed Alex Spoto, the bassist, standing in a group, talking. I walked over and asked him to sign my setlist, which he agreed to. He told me Ben and Max should be out shortly. I lingered and started chatting with a fellow fan while he smoked a cigarette. I caught Max on his way out. He signed my setlist and said he saw me in the front row and how the crowd was getting him so pumped. Really nice guys making up the rhythm section. I continued to linger, standing right outside the door hoping to catch Benjamin (too nervous to try and blend into the crowd Alex brought backstage, although in hindsight I bet he would have let me come in). 
 
I caught Benjamin and he signed my setlist as soon as he found someone to light his cigarette. I asked for a picture and we took one (the guy who lit his cigarette as the photographer) Benjamin wasn't happy with the photo it being too dark and requested another shot ("I'll even smile more this time for you!!"). So we took one more. A few other fans wanted photos as well, but Benjamin was distracted and was rushing to get into a cab so he could go somewhere with his friends. So I was the only fan lucky enough to score both a photo and a signature that night. 

If you have not been fortunate enough to catch Benjamin Booker live he will be touring over the summer beginning in June (dates include things such as Governors Ball and Mountain Jam). His debut album is available
now on ATO Records.

   -Alison Parker

New Site in the Works!

 Wow, in the time I was gone touring with Riddance Of Vegetable, I totally forgot about TWRAR... Not really... that was just the funniest option of a band name generator. Nah,  I just sat in The Basement all day and looked up Chicken breeds. BUT! No matter how many cocks you look at on the internet, eventually they all start to look molted and pecked.

...Anyway... I did not for a second forget about my adoring (?) readers! For a split second I said that there was no going back, that... one...threee... 6 months or so was too long! BUT!! It was just the right amount of time to think! 

In the works for 2015 are many new things that I hope will give TWRAR a greater direction and more great stuff to give you on a heaping plate. The first thing I want to mention is the creation of a new web page. It will have everything that a Blogger page doesn't. Contact page for submissions, collectors area, everything will have its own page and be all the more organized.

NEXT! Videos. there is already one out on Youtube, and it will be the first of many! Hopefully we'll get some vinyl reviews in and once I start going to shows again, reviews of the, uh, dated legends. Sorry, Robert Plant and Rush, we know you too well to give you a written review. Also maybe some musical debates. we'll see...

TWRAR is also out on Kindle, free at the time being because I can't seem to get it lower than 99c... Sooo, go get it before things change!

Don't forget that YOU are the noise. all it takes is a single email to thatwretchedrockandroll@yahoo.com to get in on it! The only rule be: Well, just be yourself and original, and we've got a deal!

New site's collectors page. Submit any collection you have and it will be featured! We aren't picky!

Again, we aren't picky! while this beauty isn't ready yet, you can still send us whatever you like to the email listed above!

TWRAR is out now on Amazon Kindle!

     I know, I know, it's cool... but things are set! TWRAR is ready for your loving arms on Amazon! Keep in mind that the Kindle conversion screwed everything up and butchered the formatting, but otherwise, words are words, all the pictures are there. Right now things are set at 99c, but for five days starting tomorrow, it's all free, as it should be! So go check it out now if you want then either get it for a dollar or wait for it to be free! 

     I will take every opportunity to cut that lousy cost, but keep in mind that if you are willing to buy it for the price, I will send you a physical copy in all it's formatted glory, and as I consider it a donation, hell, why don't you just go ahead and get a free life time subscription? Yup, even when things are like 120 full colour pages, I am a man of my womanly word! 

Click here if you didn't already to go to the store local!