Sunday, May 6, 2012

Eric Church - verreisst Reality TV und Nashville



Nein es war nicht der US-Praesident, der von der Titelseite des neusten "Rolling Stone" Musik-Magazins lacht, der sich mit seinen Interview-Aussagen in die Nesseln gesetzt hat. Dies gelang dem Country Saenger Eric Church, der nicht nur einige seiner Mit-Saenger, sondern auch Senioren, die eher traditionelle Country-Musik moegen, durch den Dreck zog.
Church, der am Donnerstag (3.5.2012) seinen 35. Geburtstag feiern konnte, aeusserte sich im Interview angriffig und eher profan. So wird er unter anderem zitiert, dass er seinen Gitarristen Driver Willliams beauftragte, die Heavy-Metal Instrumental-Songs von Pantera zu spielen, um sicher zustellen, dass aeltere Fans (Senioren) die Arenen vor Erics Show verlassen wuerden.

"Es interessiert mich nicht, fuer 80jaehrige zu spielen",  sagte er ohne Bedenken. "Die sind sowieso schon bald tot. Wenn ich mit meiner Tour wieder zurueckkehre, haben die alle eh schon den Planeten verlassen."

Im Interview laestert er auch gegen all die Reality-TV Sendungen, die den Fernseher ueberschwemmen:

"'American Idol' ist ueberbewertet und ueberall. Ehrlich, wenn Blake Shelton und Cee Lo Green (in der Show, The Voice (Die Stimme) sich in ihren roten Stuehlen drehen, kriegst man einen Vertrag mit einer Plattenfirma? Das ist Irrsinn. Ich frage mich, warum ein Kuenstler dies tun kann. Das ist kein Kuenstler." 


ja er selber wuerde nie an einer dieser Shows mitmachen.

"Wuerde es meine Integritaet anbelangen, da gaebe es keine verdammte Chance, dass ich dort sitzen (als Jury-Mitglied) wuerde. Wenn Deine Karriere von der Musik weggeht, dann ist es genau was es ist. Ich werde diesen Fehler nie machen. Und wenn ich verdammt nochmal am Verhungern bin." 


Mit diesen Aussagen setzte er sich in die Nesseln. Wie man in den Wald ruft, so kommt es auch wieder zurueck. Das Ehepaar Blake Shelton/Miranda Lambert sahen sich beleidigt. Miranda meinte auf Twitter, dass Erics Aussagen, sie, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood und Keith Urban zu Nicht-Stars degradieren wuerde. Sarkastisch fuegte sich auch noch ein Dankeschoen dazu, dass Eric mit ihr zusammen im Jahre 2010 touren konnte.
(Alle der erwaehnten Kuenstler haben in einer Form in einer Reality-TV Schau mitgewirkt.) Lambert ist die erfolgreichste Teilnehmerin der nun nicht mehr existierenden Schau "Nashville Star", obwohl sie sich dort nur als Dritte plaztieren konnte. Carrie Underwood gewann bei "American Idol" und Keith Urban war Teilnehmer eines "Toyota"-Wettbewerbs und spaeter ein Jury-Mitglied.
Mirandas Ehemann Blake, gab der Hoffnung Ausdruck "Ich wuenschte, dies miszuverstehen" und meinte spaeter einfach "Warum?"


Ein Presseagent fuer Eric Church musste die Wellen glaeten, Church entschuldigte sich bei Miranda, Kelly, Carrie und Blake, nahm aber seine Aussagen nicht zurueck. Kritisch gibt sich Chruch auch in der neusten Ausgabe von "American Songwriter" wo er sich unter anderem beklagt, dass die Leute der Plattenfirmen keine Ahnung der Realitaet haben.

"Jedermann sagt dir, dass diese Leute Industrie-Experten seien, aber Du lernst, dass die Leute, die an deine Konzerte kommen, die richtigen Experten sind."

Und dann kaut er wieder, was seit Jahrzehneten Nashville immer wieder angekreidet wurde, dass die Musik-Industrie dort kaum neue Ideen hat, und immer gerade kopiert, was im Moment erfolgreich ist.

"Das ist etwas, was Nashville immer versucht hat. Wenn etwas erfolgreich ist, versuchen sie es zu wiederholen indem sie anderen Kuenstlern sagen, 'hey versuche das Gleiche zu machen wie dieser Kuenstler'. Ich habe schlicht das Gefuehl, dass es so einfach nicht funktioniert. Der Erste der dort war, der den Weg geebnet hat... das ist immer am Schwierigsten, aber gibt dir auch die groesste Belohnung." 


P.S.
Und bereits ist eine neue Reality-TV Musik-Schau in Planung. Bei E! Television sollen in der Schau "Opening Act" Kuenstler gefunden werden, die fuer Jason Aldean und Brad Paisley die Konzerte eroeffnen koennten.

Meine Meinung
Eric Church hat in einem gewissen Rahmen recht, all diese Reality-TV Schaus haben nichts mit dem regulaeren und dem Ueber-Leben der meisten Musiker, die ihre eigenen Songs schreiben, ihre Aufnahmen oft mit kleineren Budgets machen, mit einem Wohnmobil (Van) auf Tour sind und so versuchen im Musikgeschaeft mit ihrer eigenen Idee und Musik Fuss zu fassen. Dem gegenueber steht der sofortige Plattenvertrag, ein gewisser Sound, ein Image, ein Tour-Bus, jemand der dich kleidet, ein anderer der dich choreographiert, damit die Tanzschrittchen waehrend dem Konzert alle am rechten Plaetzchen sind.
Wie auch immer der Name der Reality-TV Schau, "American Idol", "The Voice", "America Got Talent", "Nashville Star" oder nun neu "Opening Act" appellieren meist an das kleinste gemeinsame Vielfach (KGV) der Musikindustrie. Ja einigen Kuenstlern gelingt es wirklich daraus ansprechende Karrieren zu starten, aber dies sind eher die Ausnahmen, die die beruehmte Regel bestaetigen.
In der oft klein-karrierten Nashville Welt wird solche Opposition kaum geduldet, solche Ausbrueche schaffen dir nicht unbedingt neue Freunde. Der grosse Charlie Rich war einer der ersten, der das am eigenen Leib erfahren musste. Nachdem er an der CMA Awards Schau den Briefumschlag des gewinnenden Unterhalter des Jahres, John Denver aus Protest waehrend der Fernsehsendung in Brand steckte, gelang er im naechsten Jahr (1976) nur einmal in die Top-Ten der Country Hitparade.
Ja die Country-Musik hatte immer ihre Rebellen, ihre Outlaws; Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson und andere, aber diese waren an einem Punkt in ihren Karrieren, wo sie Nashville den Ruecken zukehren und so das System ignorieren konnten. Zu dieser Zeit war dies noch moeglich, mit der heutigen Konzentration im Musik-Geschaeft, wo ein paar wenige Firmen den Ton angeben, was am Radio gespielt wird oder nicht, ist dies schwerer. Vielleicht muss Church das Wirtschaftsmodell, der Red Dirt oder Texas Country-Musik studieren, um so dem Fliessbandausstoss von Nashville auf Wiedersehen zu sagen.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Darryl Worley: Back from Afghanistan, Recording, On the Opry and Chatting


Darryl Worley is a busy man these days. He just flew back to the States, after again visting US troops in the Middle East, making stops in Kuwait and Afghanistan. Back in the studio, he's working on his new, 7th album. Today (5/4/2012) he will grace the stage of the Grand Ole Opry as a guest. On Monday, he will appear in "Country Music Chat" on Twitter. 

I haven't heard any buzz this big about Darryl Worley for awhile, so I had to do some fact checking for the artist who had 3 number-one hits in his early career, "I Miss My Friend" (2002), "Have You Forgotten" a year later and "Awful Beautiful Life" in 2005, the last two ones co-written by him, with Wynn Varble and Harley Allen respectively. I always considered Worley being one of the more traditional artists in these modern times, liked his sonwriting, as well as his traditional-tinged baritone delivery, in line with artists like Aaron Tippin, Keith Whitley or even Lefty Frizzell. 

After that most of the labels the Tennessean, who grew up in Hardin county, signed with, were short-lived. Country singer Neal McCoy-owned 903 Music ran out of money. So he joined his former DreamWorks producer, James Stroud on Stroudivarious Records. An album later, "Sounds Like Life" the label changed name and Darryl was looking for a new home again. 

He is now signed with Tenacity records, and is supposed to release a new album "One Time Around" in June of this year. A first song from this album, a co-write with Brett James, "You Still Got It" peaked low at #52 in the country singles chart. Too bad, the good-feel, B3-soaked song about reaffirming an existing relationship, "Baby you still got it, and I still want it" deserves better than this, but what do you expect from today's radio stations. 



You can buy his current single "You Still Got It" on itunes. 



I think "I Need A Breather" should have a chance on becoming a huge summer hit, with it's easy-living groove:
"I need a breather, a sweet senorita,
Writin' my name in the sand,
I need a break from this job and this angry boss man."

According to the weekly indie country news channel "Inside Music Row," Darryl feels confident, that his new album "One Time Around" has no fillers and that every song could actually be a single, he also lauds a bigger sense of creative freedom and more of an organic way in recording as a hope for the success of his 7th album.



After his return from overseas, Darryl also re-posted his video "I Just Came Back From War," another co-write with Wynn Varble, on his own video channel on YouTube. a strong song dealing with the aftermath of war, and pleading for some patience for service personnel's readjustment into society. The song was originally released on the 2006 album "Here and Now."




If you want to twitter-chat with Darryl, you can do it, this coming Monday (5/7/2012) at 8pm (CST) on Jessica Northey's "Country Music Chat" (#CMChat). If you can't wait till then, here's another video of Darryl "Tennessee River Run" (Darryl Worley/Steve Leslie) and here's a link for tonight's Grand Ole Opry on WSM-AM show. 



Sources: http://www.darrylworley.com, @DarrylWorley, Grand Ole Opry, http://www.facebook.com/CountryMusicChat 

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Eric Church risks a big lip!



No it wasn't POTUS, who graces the new cover of Rolling Stone, who risked a big lip that got him into trouble. It was country star, Eric Church, who not only blasted fellow performers but also the senior fans loving more traditional country music.
Church who turns 35 tomorrow (5/3/12) lashes out in quite frank and profane tones. He's quoted as to tell his guitarist, Driver Williams to play Pantera instrumentals before their own set to clear out older fans.

"It didn't interest me to play for people who were 80 years old," he says flatly. "They'll be dead soon anyway. By the time you come back on tour and play again, they'll be gone."

In the piece he also has a tirade against all the reality music shows that clutter the TV:

"It's become American idol gone mad. Honestly, if Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green fucking turn around in a red chair, you get a deal? That's crazy. I don't know what would make an artist do that. You're not an artist."

and yes, he does not wish to be part of one of these shows"

"If I was concerned about my legacy, there's no fucking way I would ever sit there [and be a reality-show judge]. Once your career becomes something other than music, then that's what it is. I'll never make that mistake. I don't care if I fucking starve." 


That did not sit very well with the Shelton/Lambert couple. Miranda tweeted on her account, that his quotes don't make her, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban a star and then she sarcastically thanks Eric for being part of her 2010 tour.
(All of the mentioned acts have at one time in their career either participated or won a music reality show). Lambert being the most successful "Nashville Star" participant, although she only finished third, Carrie Underwood taking the crown at "American Idol" and Keith participating in a Toyota contest and being a guest judge.
Miranda's hubby Blake, simply stated "I wish I misunderstood this." and later tweeted "Why?"


Well according to his publicist, Eric Church apologized to Miranda, Kelly, Carrie and Blake but did not take his statements back. Church is also pretty outspoken in the upcoming issue of "American Songwriter" where he states that the people at the record labels are out of touch with reality.

"Everyone tells you these people are industry experts, but you figure out that the real experts are out there in front of you every night."

And he re-iterates, something which has been said about the Nashville scene for decades, that the industry seldom has new ideas and just tries to copy what's ever successful at the moment.

"That's something Nashville always tries to do, though. If something is successful, the try to repeat it by telling other people, "He do what that guy did." I Just don't think it works that way. The first one who there, the one that cuts that path... it's always the roughest path, but I think it's got the most reward at the end."

P.S.
A new music reality show is planned for E! Television, the competitors are to be found on the internet and one of the judges is supposed to be Brad Paisley.

IMHO
Eric Church has a point, all these reality TV shows have nothing to do with the real life and struggle of "most of the" musicians, who write songs, record on a small(er) budget, tour in vans and try to make a living with their own original music, instead of being set-up with an immediate deal, a sound, an image, a tour bus, a fashion nanny and a choreographer who makes sure all the dance steps are in the right place. Whatever the name of the reality show, it doesn't matter, "American Idol," "The Voice," "America Got Talent" or the now defunct "Nashville Star" cater to the lowest denominator in the music biz. And yes some artists may actually come up and establish themselves as true artists, but these are the exceptions to the rule.
But in the close-knit industry that country music still is, rants like this do not make you any friends in the business. Charlie Rich was one of the first ones who had to learn this the hard way. After burning the winning envelope for John Denver, who won "CMA Entertainer of the Year," Rich's singles produced just one Top Ten hit the next year (1976).
And yes country music always had it's outlaws, Cash, Jennings, Nelson etc., but they were to a certain degree defying the system or even turning away and at this point in country music history, that was still possible. Unfortunately it is not anymore, when a few companies decide what's on the air and what's not. Eric Church may have to learn the business aspects of Red Dirt or Texas Country Music and say goodbye to the assembly line, that Nashville these days more than ever is.