Music Today!

Ya see, this is why I love Pearl Jam. Studio CDs are great, but nothing compares to that free flow of energy that makes live music worth paying crazy concert ticket prices. Putting out a live CD after a concert isn't new, though Pearl Jam raised the bar a few years ago when they released a CD of just about every show they did on their tour. (I bought the Vegas one.)

Now they're putting out a 7 disc, 76 track collection of music played live at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA over the course of 3 shows during 2005 & 2006. A box set like that is cool enough in & of itself, but if you order it from Pearl Jam's website it's only $34.99! I love these guys!

In stark contrast would be today's pop "artists" who seem to think it's completely normal to have a music video and CD released before they've ever played live. What happened to doing the bar circuit & you know, working hard to make it? Guess most people are actively pursuing their passions and living their dream by waiting around for the next reality show audition comes to their town.



Technically not a reality show content winner, but the main subject of my ire today anyways is Britney Spears. I don't care that she's a horrible parent or that she's an awful role model for young girls who already think of having babies as fashion accessories. OK, I do care about that...but we'll save that rant for another day!

What drives me nuts is the incredible amount of press Brit is getting for her "triumphant return to the stage". She's doing a handful of small shows at the House of Blues franchise. Sounds cool. Good way to get back into performing when you're feeling a bit rusty, right? But how much are fans paying for tickets to a SIXTEEN minute show where their pop princess lip-syncs through the whole thing? One fan reports: "She was chewing gum the entire time which was... well.. annoying since she's supposed to pretend to be singing."



I just don't get it. Why do people keep rewarding these minimally talented "stars" when there are so many practically unheard of folks with real talent who go years without ever getting a mainstream press mention?

One of the hard parts is finding new music. If it's not played on the radio, word of mouth is probably the most common method of discovering new bands. I used to really love Napster for this feature - when I'd find a song I liked, I could also browse the person's entire MP3 collection. If they had a lot of songs that I liked, it stood to reason we had similar music tastes so I'd download some tracks by bands I didn't know just to see if I liked their music or not. Sort of a more personal touch to the Amazon-style "if you like this book, you might also like these ones!"

I know I'm too young and from the wrong generation to be spouting off, "Back in my day, music meant something!" With such easy access to self-publishing and promoting via the internet, the sheer amount of new music out there means there has to be some really great stuff if you look hard enough. It'd be nice to see the radio stations and celebrity news networks take 3 minutes a day to showcase some fresh talent that aren't sponsored by mega corporations. Yet.