Karma Police: Radiohead and Lara Del Rey Face Off

Amy X. Wang, who is not very adept at concealing a grudge against theft accusations towards hip hop, has written yet another article for Quartz with a blatant, not very subtle agenda that skimps on facts (there is no Radiohead vs Lana Del Rey lawsuit as of yet), equates court results with industry standards (ex: failing to note how some instances in which Led Zeppelin escaped a punitive verdict have nothing to do with music but legal technicalities), links to articles as iffy and badly sourced as her own, and has the fucking temerity to call all of jazz “essentially a study in plagiarism”. Fuck, feels like a headache coming on.

Unfortunately, only us music geeks take this sort of thing seriously but we've always been irked by and called out folks whose writing can be kindly and euphemistically referred to as "problematic", reaching a large audience under the imprimatur of respectability that a serious publication grants their nonsense, mainly because it spreads misinformation at best; and at worse plain ol' ignorance.

Radiohead’s Lawsuit Against Lana Del Rey Shows How All Music Is Stolen

The Mayfield Four - "No One Nothing"

He's been the frontman for Slash's solo project, the sans Scott Stapp version of Creed (AlterBridge), auditioned to step in for Robert Plant in the mighty Zep, and is now about to release his first solo album. But powerhouse vocalist/guitarist Myles Kennedy once shone brightly in this late '90s Washington state quartet which, sadly, never found a wide audience.

Here's hoping Kennedy's solo endeavors bring him closer to his roots.

Meet The New Boss

The major labels' power over the streaming services is proof that those who said record companies were dead didn't know what they were talking about.

Cut-throat, billion-dollar companies just don't fade away because the landscape has changed and a new paradigm has been established. When you have that kind of money you can change the landscape and fuck with the paradigm. But the artists (songwriters in particular) are still being screwed.

 The more things change...

Today in Music History (January 4):

1967 - The Doors release their self-titled debut album, featuring their breakthrough single "Light My Fire" and "The End" with its Oedipal spoken word section.

1968 - UCLA announces that students pursuing music degrees would have to study the music of The Rolling Stones who, in the university's estimation, have made such an important contribution to modern music.

1986 - Irish singer, songwriter and bassist Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy dies of heart failure and pneumonia after being in a coma for eight days following a drug overdose.

2001 - Madame Tussaud's Waxworks in London reveal that Oasis singer Liam Gallagher has placed third in 'The Most Hated Characters' list of exhibits, behind Adolf Hitler and Slobodan Milosevic.

2006 - Johnny Cash's house of 35 years, near Nashville, Tennessee, is purchased by The Bee Gees' Barry Gibb, who says he plans to preserve the house to honor Cash's memory. Unfortunately, the house burns to the ground during renovations in April 2007.

Today's Birthdays include...jazz giant and guitarist extraordinaire John McLaughlin (76); guitarist, bassist, singer/songwriter Brian Ray, best known for his work as current bassist/rhythm guitarist for Paul McCartney (63); New Order frontman Bernard Sumner and Wilco guitarist Nels Cline (both 62); former R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe (58); Cocteau Twins guitarist/keyboardist Robin Guthrie (56); and Portishead vocalist Beth Gibbons (53).

Eminem Hits 45

What happens to an artist who is considered one of the all-time best at what he does, has received numerous accolades and awards (including an Oscar), and is filthy rich, but finds himself at the age of 45 in a genre that has little respect for its elders? (Lest we forget: when LL Cool J told us not to call it a comeback he was 22 years old.)

Despite recognizing his talent the dude has always rubbed us the wrong way and so, for the sake of impartiality, we've chosen not to review his new record. But he's outraged enough at POTUS45 to openly dis him in an angry yet righteous way and has enough of a sense of humor to sample Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights, so that's cool. We need our artists to step up. Oh, and, yeah, he uses samples...the kids will probably pass on this.

Gary Lucas - "Jack Johnson" / "Ghostrider"

On this covers medley, the former Captain Beefheart guitarist pairs his take on Miles Davis' "Right Off" (from the Jack Johnson album) with an instrumental version of the lead-off track from Suicide's self-titled debut. 

Brilliant.

HIRED GUNS [2016]

Even though it does feature producer David Foster, guitarist Jay Graydon, and members of Billy Joel's 1976-1986 backup band, among others, the doc slants heavily towards hard rock and metal which, truth be told, are not the most common areas for hired guns to be found. (Adding some interviews with pop, R&B and, yes, jazz sidemen would've painted a more complete picture of the business.)

Enjoyable, nonetheless.

Today in Music History (January 3)

1967 - Having received a US Army draft notice, The Beach Boys' Carl Wilson refuses to be sworn in, saying he is a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. 

1969 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience appear on British TV performing "Voodoo Child" and "Sunshine of Your Love", the latter a tribute to Cream who had just broken up a few days prior. 

1972 - Pink Floyd begin rehearsals for the 'Dark Side of the Moon' tour. 

1987 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first female artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

2014 - Phil Everly, one half of the Everly Brothers, dies of complications from lung disease aged 74, in California. 


Today's birthdays include...Songwriter/producer and Beach Boys collaborator, Van Dyke Parks (75); Mr. Stephen Stills (73); producer/arranger and Led Zeppelin bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones (72); and Teenage Fanclub guitarist/vocalist Raymond McGinley (54).

Music Publisher for Top Artists Sues Spotify for Damages

You just knew that when a heavy hitter like Pharrell got $4K in streaming revenue from a worldwide smash like “Happy”, shit was gonna eventually hit the fan. Here we go... 
[Spotify Hit With $1.6 Billion Lawsuit From Publisher Representing Tom Petty, Neil Young, Others]

Dumbfounded by Smartphones

Don't know how to address this, but if people want to spend their time at a show they paid good money to attend gazing thru their phones, what does one have to say to that? But it's safe to assume, as a consequence of this, many performers will adopt a lackadaisical attitude towards the audience and treat shows like a rehearsal. Which is understandable, since these guys have long risen from the level of playing at a bar or restaurant where people are too busy chatting and carrying on, and expect people to pay attention to the performance they are offering. 

What they perhaps fail to grasp is that today's concert audiences care less about the music than being seen at the show or the subsequent bragging rights that go with having attended the show. 

Welcome to 2018.

2018