Certainly, what unites us here at Cut Through the Noise is music… but it’s more than that… more than just something that goes on between your ears. It’s an axiology that extends from the music to our music-lover lifestyles: how we vote, what we drive, what we eat, what we wear, etc. We are a tribe [...]
I LOVE driving. The freedom to just go, $4/gallon be-damned. Inherently and wonderfully American, isn’t it? But as carbon-footprint-conscious as I like to think I am (and although I’ve never actually owned a Volkswagen) the idea of “driving pleasure,” to me, is as self-evident as apple pie. Which is why last weekend [...]
Guest Post this week from one of my favorite artists, Ashton Allen:
Dear Music Industry,
So, I have a question. I’m confused. Ok, so you got Miley Cyrus, right? And then there’s Hannah Montana. Buuuuuut…ok wait. Are they the same person? Cause umm, one’s a brunette annnnd…the other’s blonde annnnd….but….I heard it was the same girl…. [...]
Great music isn’t always obvious. Think of it like this. Chances are (to quote a former colleague), your favorite song didn’t become your favorite because you only heard it once. Which perhaps is why Coca-Cola — arguably one of the most famous brands of all-time — still advertises. Why then, if there’s a decent band, critically acclaimed even, under the radar but the real deal… here comes release date, folks make a lot of noise… the record drops, it’s great and [...]
Just heard about this on the radio… literally, just at this moment. I thought maybe I’d misunderstood. Double-checked by Googling the story. All true. How strange is it that I actually called him just yesterday with an idea I had, wanting his feedback. I left a voicemail on his home answering machine, not knowing [...]
Ageism is what it is. And I’m not talking about teenage-backlash or a twentysomething’s glib naïveté. Most of it comes from within; sabotaged by our own kind. Think about it. It’s not that we grown-ups ever lost interest in music. Music (as dictated by industry mafiosi, radio, media, etc.) lost interest in US. More…
As a winner of the the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, one of the prizes Dave McCormick won was a full scholarship to the NewSong Academy. It was there that Kathy Mattea- one of the Academy’s faculty members that year - heard Dave’s original material and quickly advised, “You HAVE to come to Nashville.”
Well that was two year’s ago, and Dave has since packed up and moved from his native St. Albans, West Virginia and moved to Nash-Vegas.
As big fans and supporters of Dave (you won’t meet a gentler, nicer guy, ever), I’m thrilled to help spread the word that on June 20 Dave signed his first publishing deal with Sure Fire Music. And to top it off, he opened for Merle Haggard at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville last night.
Way to stick to your dreams, Dave. We’re inspired.
As an industry insider, whining, while overrated, is mandatory. So here goes: radio sucks, labels are greedy, people have no taste, musicians are short on talent, and yes, Ticketmaster is demonic. Wah [...]