Selling Out (a rant)

I hate this expression. It is commonly used in a negative fashion to refer to well marketed bands or artists that are making big fat stacks of money. I say more power to them. As I see it, any artist that is looking for a record contract is trying to get paid to play music. I respect that.

Some artists make music for themselves, that is not easily understood or appreciated by others. Fine. Some make music specifically for the enjoyment of others. Great. Neither one is inherently better than the other. Some people create music to release their inner demons. They have every right to do so. If they want to share these feelings with their friends, even better. If their friends think it is good enough that they would pay money to hear it, sounds fine to me. If a large corporation thinks the song would help sell boogers on a stick, and the person has no problem with it, then neither do I. It shouldn't bother the fans either.

Unless you grew up with an artist or band, they were probably already making money off of their music before you had ever heard of them. They might not have been raking in the dough, but were most likely signed. Just because a band has become popular does not mean they have lost their artistic integrity. Get over it.

Welcome

Welcome to my Blog. I hope this to become a place for discussions of all things musical, from CD reviews, to concert happenings, to artist updates I find intriguing. My plan is to review any new CD I buy, and any concert I attend. Since I am a family man and do not have unlimited resources, I will fill in with reviews of albums I already own.

I have no formal music training, unless you consider the 30 minutes a week or so we did in elementary school. I have attempted to play guitar/bass, but have never even had a glimmer of success. I couldn't carry a tune singing if my life depended on it. I do, however, have the utmost respect and admiration for those that have the talents and showcase them well. I grew up in a small town where there was not a lot to do, so I listened to the radio. Constantly. When i got old enough I started going to concerts. I was hooked. In my bachelor days it was rare for me to go more than a month without traveling several hours to see a big show. I could not even begin to count how many bands I have seen.

I would love to hear from local artists that want a review.
I will listen to anything once, a second listen has to be earned.
I will be honest.
I will only review albums I have obtained legitimately. (I reserve the right to review things that my friends have purchased, as long as they got it legally).