Condescending!

Recently on a job I had setup my sound system and lighting where I thought it would be most advantageous.  This because when I had arrived I had no instruction or direction from anyone to do otherwise.  Later, the coordinator arrived (I arrive at least 2 hours in advance, why don't coordinators?) and wanted me to teardown the sound system and re-setup somewhere else leaving the lighting where it was already positioned.  My reply was that, "The lighting had to accompany the sound system since the intelligent dance floor lighting takes electronic cues form the music."

The coordinator then made a very insulting comment that I hear occasionally, "Well, my husband is a DJ (or, my brother-in-law, best friend, etc.) and I know that it can be done!"  My immediate response was, "Oh, so then you know that the DJ industry is an unregulated business where the vast majority of DJs are clueless and uneducated in pro audio, the music industry and business then?"  She then proceeded to give me a dirty look as if her insult was supposed to be overlooked with a smile.

Sorry but this is always such an insult to me and my background especially since she is reinforcing my belief that her husband doesn't know what he is doing, invests in the bare minimum in equipment and doesn't care enough to make the effort to do his job properly.

Again, this is the assumption that I am "just a mere DJ!"  Condescending to say the least.

Needless to say, a new paragraph was added into my contract regarding relocating of equipment when no direction is given in advance.

Reverend Christopher Tuttle

Tonight I referred out (as a vendor) my good friend an colleague Reverend Christopher Tuttle for a wedding in July of next year.  http://temeculaweddingofficiant.com/

I had to give him a quick call tonight just to say hello and it was refreshing that during our conversation we agreed on the concept of: "If we won the lottery tomorrow, would we still be in business?"  Both of us wholeheartedly agreed, yes.

Live Musicians

Music is a wonderful art that is too often overlooked in society today.  It can help relax, increase concentration, improve math skills and create overall euphoria.

That being said, after being a professional musician myself for most of my life I had always noticed that about 95% of musicians are "wannabes."  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that!  If it brings you joy to sing in the car or shower or you get off on the sound of your Marshall cranked to eleven, God bless you!  Keep it up and encourage your family and friends to do the same.  However, all of you musicians please record and listen to yourselves or have the recordings or your live performance analyzed and criticized by qualified professionals.

I think that I have heard one too many musical acts perform who are like participating in audible root canal.  Please, spare the public from less than mediocre music performances.  It could be that your mother was just being kind by saying how talented you were.

Beat Matching?

A local DJ has been currently advertising that he is offering classes in "The Art of Beat Matching."  He goes on to state that you can keep your audience dancing all night by doing it.

Really?  Why not just invest in popular music or do your research to play music that your guests can relate to instead of taking advandage of drunks on "X" who don't know any better?  Many DJ computer programs will "beat match" for you.  It is hardly an art form.  And what is with most DJ programs adding in effects?  Recording Engineers and producer use them sparingly with restraint to create an artistic "virtual space" in the mix.  Most club DJs just over-use them thinking thet they are being "artful" when, in reality, they are just creating uneducated noise aimed at irritating drunken, drug induced dance clubbers.

This same DJ even goes into talking about understanding tempo.  Are you kidding me?  Anyone who doesn't already understand the most simplistic of music theory concepts like "tempo" has no right abusing the art that others have created already on record, CD or digital format.

For that matter since I am on my soap box "scratching" is not an "art form" either!  Scratching is the electronic equivalent to beating on pots and pans.  Professional musicians invest lots of money, time and resources to learn and perfect their art.  From there, engineers, producers and labels work their extensive and talented magic of fine-tuning the track for the public.

Scratching is a dying fad from the 90's.  For someone to say that scratching is difficult, an art form or takes talent is absolutely ludicrous!

Cover Songs

A friend of mine was expressing his thoughts on "true artistic" value of music on Facebook the other day.  This issue has been haunting me and I decide to chime in on it.

When all is said and done I, personally, think that some songs should never, EVER be covered.  To do so is blasphemous!

This came to mind when I heard a version of the holiday song "Hark  How The Bells" by Destiny's Child.  What the hell were they thinking?  This is an old "a cappella" masterpiece that should hardly if ever be deviated from.

Some examples:

At Last by Etta James
What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Ain't That a Kick In The Head by Dean Martin
Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles
I Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley
Girl From Ipanema by Astrud Gilberto
Imagine by John Lennon
Maggie Mae by Rod Stewart
My Generation by The Who
Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
Rolling In The Deep by Adele

...there are many of these songs from all of history.

Some songs, arrangements, mixes, instrumentation, vocalists, etc. exude the timeliness of the piece.  You can feel the artists pain and you can smell and taste the air from back in the day the recording was created.  A good music aficionado can hear the differences in not only artistic value but the performance, nuances, sound look and feel of equipment used and the way it is presented.  You can say "Wow, that recording was from 1968 because they used plate reverb too excessively," or, "Hey there is a typical 1970's 30-second fade-out," or "That track is from the 80's because (God help us) listen to all that unneeded reverb on the tom-toms!"

We are such an imperfect race: God shows us his face every once in a while and we still try to improve upon it.  Let's just enjoy what we have been given.