I was able to ask Bob 1 ( guitarist from DEVO) a few questions...
1. Back in the day it took a band years to develop a fan base. Do you think programs like Spotify, Pandora, and downloadable music has help or hindered artists? B1- Both. Back in the day a band playing gigs and all their friends came to see them, and they brought their friends. It took a long time to break through internationally. Now people can just put a band together and just put crap on the internet and sometimes people can put stuff out that shouldn't even be playing, but it's also a lot easier to create a fanbase. 2. What bands/guitar players influenced you growing up? B1-Keith Richards, Pete Townsend, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Hendrix, and Jeff Beck 3. What is one thing people misunderstand about DEVO? B1-They think Devo doesn't have feelings. Devo has feelings too. 4. Zombie apocalypse scenarios are popular right now, but do you think one day the robots will get fed up and take over? B1-We can always hope so :-) 5. Do you see any of today's bands carrying on the Devo torch? B1-I hear different bands have different parts and sounds of Devo. Can't name any at the moment tho -Thanks again Bob 1 for this unconventional Q & A session-
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I remember when I was in high school you would hear a song on the radio and you just had to have it, but unlike today you would actual go down to this place called a "record store." I insert this slight sarcasm because many in this generation do not know what an actual record store looks like or even vinyl for that matter. They never experienced a world without computers and internet, cell phones, ipads, and digital music. I remember waiting all night for my favorite song to come on the radio and having my small finger ready to hit record to have it on tape. This was always tricky because you never knew when your song was going to play and wouldn't you know it, the damn dj would talk over the opening of the song. Ugh! That was the worst. Why are you talking? Stop talking and play my song so I can record it! I remember buying Morrissey's "Kill Uncle" on cd and it coming in that long cardboard package. At the time I was staying with my elderly Aunt and Uncle. She wanted to look at the cd package and said "Kill Uncle? That doesn't sound very nice. " Oh I laugh about it now, but I think I made some story up about the album title so they didn't think it was some sort of devil worshiping cd laced with family violence. I would ride my bicycle to the record store and buy the latest cds or some cool records. Now if you want a song you don't have to buy the whole album, which in price hasn't changed much, but some times you'd get that album where there were only 3 or 4 decent songs on it. That was a killer when you shell out twenty bucks and most of the album was crap. That is the advantage of digital music, you don't have to skip through all those mediocre songs. You just purchase the ones you want and you can listen to a snip of it before buying it. So this is obviously the advantage to the consumer, but is it to the artist? Many artists such as Nine Inch Nails create a landscape when they put together an album. It's not just a list of songs, put it on the album, and ship it out. Some of Reznor's songs are instrumentals that lead off in to other songs or give an atmosphere to the whole album. Many times it's like a movie soundtrack. The whole album tells a story. So if you were to purchase two songs you may miss the whole feeling and aspect of the album. I would think the artists lose out on the money they'd make off of a whole album as well. The ease of access to digital music has also raised eyebrows and the pockets of musician's lawyers. With illegal downloading taking even more money from an artist, you have to wonder was the digital revolution all that great for music? I do love being able to take my ipod with me and having all my favorite songs right in my hands. The days of carrying around a tattered cd folder is gone and all those blasted scratches and fingerprints everywhere! That is one thing I do regret when I was younger, I never took care of my cds like I should have. Of course, who would've thought that one day cds would be obsolete? Another advantage is not having to drive to the record store and see if they have the album you want in stock, which was always tough if you liked bands from outside of the U.S. You had to call ahead and order that cd to insure they would have it for you. Now you can download a song at 3am if you want. So with all of these advantages, there are still days where I miss going down to the record store and buying that new album. I also miss the days of just hanging out at the record store talking about music and about the latest drama that's going on in your life. Now with work, kids, and appointments it's hard to get the time to visit your old record store friends, To me, they are my family. I've known these guys since I was 15 and as a few have passed on in the years, it was all such great memories. You won't get that connection with your Itunes online store. That's what it's all about, that human connection. I fear as technology grows, that human connection will dissolve over time. Our minds will be connected via usb and not by true physical interaction. |
AuthorAngela Marie. I like writing. I like music. I have thoughts falling from my head. Archives
July 2018
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