THE SWINGING SHINDIG January 2000

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Swinging Shindig

· 9 months ago

THE SWINGING SHINDIG
*a monthly soiree of musicians*
January 2000 -- text version

You are receiving this for one of these reasons....

a) you subscribed
b) you're a musician, label, radio person, etc.
c) we think you're groovy, baby

*Note: After this issue TSS will be coming out at the beginning of the month, not the middle. Due to the holidays and general slacking we've fallen behind on sorting through mail. If you sent anything (via snail mail) it will most likely be mentioned in the next couple of issues.

Letter From Shauna "Men are From Mars, Drummers are From Pluto"
Our Mailbag (where you write in)
Moonletters Records (new virtual label)
Reviews By The Gene
Classifieds
All That Official Info

LETTER FROM SHAUNA

"Men are From Mars, Drummers are From Pluto"

I usually love drummers don't get me wrong, but some of them have the tendency to be extremely weird. This month I ran an ad for a drummer and I've been getting calls. Let me say this, the conversations have been interesting....

Sample Conversation

DRUMMER: Yeah, uh, I'm callin' about the ad. Is Shauna there?
SHAUNA: Yes, this is Shauna speaking.
DRUMMER: Yeah, you need a drummer?
SHAUNA: Yes we do. What's your name?
DRUMMER: Drummer dude.
SHAUNA: Well, Drummer dude, we're an alternative band and we practice Mondays at 7:00pm in Justice, IL. Know where that is?
DRUMMER: Is that near Boofu Egypt?
SHAUNA: We're on the Southwest side of Chicago.
DRUMMER: OK, well I've been calling a lot of bands to audition. I have 20 years experience playing, and I got the look--know what I mean?
SHAUNA: What sort of band are you looking to join?
DRUMMER: (long pause) Well it's gotta be worth my time, you know? The music has to be good, and I know if something's good when I hear it. I'm tired of people who are nice but the music sucks or they're good but have, like, major attitudes--you know? I don't want to waste my time. I was in this other band and the singer kept telling me how to play. I hate that, and they needed to work on their songs because they weren't that good. Anyway, I've been playing a long time and I know what I'm doing. I used to be in this band and we opened for [insert famous band]. I know how to rock. I like Van Halen and Bon Jovi, and I like giving musical input. I hope you're open to that because any band I join has to be--you know? [blah blah blah] What do you sound like? Do you do all originals?
SHAUNA: We do mostly originals. Our sound is something like The Sundays meets Oasis . . . to give you an idea.
DRUMMER: Uh, yeah, I heard the Sundays once I think. Are you the singer?
SHAUNA: I sing, play the guitar and write most of the songs. We also have a very good lead guitarist and bassist. All we need right now to complete our band is a drummer.
DRUMMER: (pause) Oh. Well, I've never been in a band with a female leading it. Is this full time or a hobby for you? I mean where do you plan to take the band?
SHAUNA: The other guys have day jobs now, but we don't consider the music just a hobby. We're going to record, play out in the area and market ourselves to record labels. Where are you calling from?
DRUMMER: Boofu Egypt.
SHAUNA: That's about an hour and half from us. Would that be too far for you?
DRUMMER: (pause; then superior voice) You know you really shouldn't ask that. If you're serious about music, distance shouldn't matter. Asking if it's too far could put people off. People who really care about making it in the business don't care how far they have to drive if the situation is worth it.

After this there's a bit more (im)polite chit chat, then the phone call ends.

This conversation, sad to say, was pretty typical of some of the drummers who called me. We did have a couple of calls where the drummers seemed enthusiastic, practically begging to come out for an audition, then when I and my band mates set up a time (working around our schedules) they failed to show up.

Needless to say I've become a little frustrated. I have ran ads before, and never have I received such attitudes. Are there any drummers reading this who can shed some light on this perplexing behavior? I played in two other bands before starting my own, and in both cases the drummer was the person I liked best. That's why these calls are so surprising to me.

Another peeve is that in our ad I state that we are an Alternative/Indie band. And yet some of the callers are looking to play in an 80's metal band or a blues thing. That's great, but why are they calling me? When I mention Beck or The Cranberries they have no idea who I'm talking about, yet they give an attitude like they know everything. If they do, why the heck are they responding to my ad? I said we were an Alternative band. Argh!

I will be relieved when we finally find the right person for our band. At this point I would be happy to find someone who can simply keep a beat and be capable of opening his mouth for five seconds without ticking me off.

And the saga continues.....

OUR MAILBAG

*where you write in*

Dear Shauna,

Here is an "interesting" tidbit of musical history info...I hope it gets my URL included! (I'm Crazy Miz B of the Crazed Cowboys.)

Q: Miz B, how did music begin?

A: Music is an age-old tradition that traces its roots back beyond recorded history. In the time of the woolly mammoth, beasts could be heard snorting to one another in varying pitches and keys. This was known then as "mating." In more recent times, we have come to call it "recording your stuff" or "playing gigs."

As you can see, I'm quite knowledgeable on these topics, so I'd be delighted to receive questions from you, dear fellow Crazed Questers, if you need a little background on some musical topic or another...I'll post these in the next newsletter. Perhaps your questions will end up on our website! After all, I do love to help others learn. historyquestion@crazedcowboys.com

And Shauna Skye, say what? You're not going to review us after all? And here I've been sitting at my computer waiting for the word for months now!

Another hope shattered...

Miz B aka Paula Bright, for
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
George Lee, Jr. & the Crazed Cowboys
"We play country different!" WELCOME TO HIP HOP COUNTRY!
Listen! <www.crazedcowboys.com>
Ridiculous yet oddly endearing newsletter:
mailto:subsig@crazedcowboys.com

MOONLETTERS RECORDS

I have started a record "label" at MP3.com called Moonletters Records, and am open to hearing from artists on MP3.com (or about to sign up to MP3.com). I will be choosing musicians in varous genres, but prefer the following: Alternative, Electronic, Punk, Ska, Hip Hop, Rock (and subgenres of each).

What Moonletters Records plans to do for its artists...

a) Feature them on the Moonletters Records website (being constructed now) http://hometown.aol.com//shaunaskye/moonletters.html
b) Promote them via The Swinging Shindig. Moonletters Records will be a sponsor of this newsletter and the link will run every issue
c) Send out fun press releases and news
d) Promote via flyers at live shows
e) Promote with various ezines
f) Promote with Internet Radio Stations

Interested artists should email ShaunaSkye@aol.com and include band name, link, and main music genre. If Moonletters Records is right for your band and you're right for us, I will get back to you.

REVIEWS BY THE GENE

ARTIST: Skotoma ... GENRE: Ambient
SONG: John Carpenter ... RATING: 4.5
SITE: http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/26/skotoma.html

Skotoma describes this track as "Dark and foreboding.... think Carpenter's soundtrack to The Thing which perfectly fits the mood. The sound progresses from smooth 'idling' electronic purrs to harsh noise assaults that makes your hair stand on end. An exceptional soundtrack for letting the mind conjure images of drama and excitement. Good stuff.
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ARTIST: ESOPHAGUS (The Wooden Esophagus) ... GENRE: Abstract
SONG: The Drowning ... RATING: 5
SITE: http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/51/esophagus_the_wooden_esop.html

This artist has a plethora of great material. The Drowning is but one of the many pieces offered at the mp3 site. The track starts with a slow subtle beginning and evokes a melancholy mood of lament or malignance, depending on your perspective. Smoothly, the artist takes us on a journey through these emotions, pausing here and there to briefly highlight each nuance. In the end, the realization of the title comes full circle as we gradually slip below the surface.
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ARTIST: Austere ... GENRE: Dark Ambient/Noise
SONG: Thanatos ... RATING: 4
SITE: http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/30/austere.html

Austere covers the experimental field of sound from minimalist to Dark Ambient. This piece is an excellent example of the latter. Smooth but ominous builds of organic sound sort of grow atop one another like a living thing. Spatial changes, abrupt but well orchestrated add a sense of tension that keeps one immersed in the sound's journey. A little production noise (sounded like mild 60hz hum) is the only thing that mars an otherwise exceptional work.

CLASSIFIEDS...

BE THEE MIND SPAWN OR MIND'S PAWN? Mindspawn's music is composed of sonic tapestries of darkly brooding drones, sublime rhythms, ominous ritual sounds, and bizarre organic noise. Prepare yourself for an intense journey through aural worlds of the past, future, and the recesses of the collective conscious. One can hear a variety of influences all interwoven in a fabric of eclectic, electronic hedonism that goes beyond any single genre or subtype of music. This is the sound of Mindspawn. Visit Mindspawn's web site at: http://www.mindspawn.com For MP3s see: http://www.mp3.com/mindspawn

CHECK OUT THE PREMIER ARTISTS SHOW!

You get high quality, original, entertaining tracks from a diverse mix of genres submitted by the artists and selected by the staff of the Independent Artists Radio Network. Promos recorded by the artists, sponsors' spots, and show and network promos are interspersed throughout the broadcasts. Playlists are posted at www.artistlaunch.com HERE'S THE SCHEDULE: Wednesdays and Saturdays LIVE Starts at 9:00 PM Eastern. Running Time: 5 hours ... Repeated throughout the week up until the next new show. To connect, go to www.artistlaunch.com and click on Connect.