DeadJournalist.com's the (almost) daily blog

I Believe in Consonants: My Life Without an iPod

2007-11-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

Rather than work on my second interview with Nyles Lannon (which will be one of the best interviews to date), I decided to do something I had not done in quite a while: attempt to write an actual article.

I Believe in Consonants: My Life Without an iPod

Today, as I was looking through a six month-old issue of Paste magazine, I thought about how I never read music magazines anymore. Fifteen years ago, my dream would have been to write for one. But now, they just seem dated and constantly behind the curve - even the best ones. That's the reality of living in this digital age where your status may be dictated by which version of the iPod, or iPhone, you own.

Shocking admission number one: I do not own an iPod or an iPhone.

Shocking admission number two: I still buy compact discs.

Last weekend, on a trip to Target, my wife and I were discussing how we weren't, "iPod people." While it may be the greatest musical breakthrough since the Walkman, it seems like a waste of time and money. At least it does to me.

Believe me, I know how asinine that statement sounds. Millions upon millions of people have them. Apple reinvented itself with it. It makes taking your favorite music where ever you go as easy as carrying your wallet.

But still, the idea of spending $300 on an iPod?

It's not like I am anti-digital music. Far from it. I started downloading MP3s at college in 1997. What do you do when you have access to a T3? You use it. And when you can download 40 different remixes of The Cure's, "A Forest"? You do. When your college wipes your account and there is no way save your MP3s? You cry. When you get a real job and a dial-up internet connection and to try download MP3s? You stop.

Since I started DeadJournalist.com in March 2006, I've used it as a tool to realize my want to start a music magazine. But the music magazine is a music web site, and while I do have my fair share of readers, it doesn't exactly have the readership of Rolling Stone in 1973. But I evolved with technology just as I evolved with music.

So if I could channel my creative outlet to a technological form, what can't I take my music there?

Maybe it started when the iPod came out - just in time for Christmas 2001. It had been a rough year and I was starting over with a new company and a new career. I wanted one, but frankly, I couldn't afford an iPod. When you are living on Taco Bell and generic lasagna, investing in a MP3 player isn't the like the wisest of choices.

As the years went on, my pay increased and the iPod got bigger and better. I had bought a laptop, gotten high-speed internet, began downloading MP3s like it was 1997 all over again and even started deejaying using MP3s. One could have drawn a logical conclusion I had added an iPod to my list of depreciating assets. But I hadn't.

I could never shake the feeling that if I moved all my music to MP3 and sold my CDs, as several of my friends had done, I would somehow manage to loose my iPod and in turn, loose all of my music. But that could never happen, right? Plus, my music would be backed-up on a laptop, so what could go wrong? Sure, it sounds great in theory, but for some reason, I could never buy in to it.

So I kept doling out $10 or $15 a pop for compact discs, save when Tower Records and Blockbuster Music (or whatever it had changed its name to) had going out of business sales allowing me to spend $100 on 30 CDs. Before I knew it, a couple hundred CDs because a couple thousand CDS. It was CDs, CDs everywhere. CDs had become my tribbles.

With all the clutter, I began to think it might be time to change. I could go modern and get clean by ditching my CDs by uploading them to my laptop. I could then sell my CDs and get enough money to buy an iPod and still have a couple grand in my pocket. All I would need would be a month of weekends to uploaded music and I could be a walking television commercial for the iPod!

Shockingly enough, I kept putting it off, because it not only seemed like one helluva daunting task, but I really didn't want to commit a month of my life to music conversion. So, like many other "sounds good in theory" projects, I never got around to it.

Then September 2006 happened.

It was a Thursday night (the week after I took a Friday night off from deejaying and got a spur-of-the-moment interview with TV on the Radio). Sometime around 2AM a sharp, shrieking, metal-on-metal noise woke me and my future wife. Cue the nightmare.

It was my laptop. It was dying a long, painful death. With its death went gigabyte after gigabyte of MP3s that I had uploaded or downloaded. Despite a noble and partially successful attempt to reclaim the lost data from my sputtering hard drive by a friend in IT, much of the core collection had been lost or damage.

I was determined to recover. I bought an external hard drive and backed up my music. A catastrophe of this magnitude would not happen to me again. Famous last words. Two months later, my external drive shorted out causing me to loose my backed-up digital music collection. While I had backed-up the back-up on my new laptop, any remaining thoughts of converting my music collection to digital only gone with the wind.

So that brings us to the moral of the story. I enjoy digital music, I really do. I like the remixes, the new artists and the rare tracks that are hard, if not impossible, to find on hard copy.

But I miss the rest of the experience. The album art; the joy of holding a tangible product in my hand while walking out of one of the dwindling CD shops; or the joy of coming home and seeing a package I ordered from online and ripping into it to see the latest additions to my collection.

And most importantly, I like knowing that if and when my laptop or external hard drive decides to die again, that I have to worry about far few songs being lost because I still have the original CDs or records or tapes cluttering up the place.

While I still want to have that room or basement that guys in their early twenties dream about - a room full of old music posters, old systems, old furniture and thousands of old records and CDs from bands that only a handful of people remember - maybe at some point down the line maybe I'll have a kid that will go rummaging through my CDs looking for a band that he or she has actually heard of from 30 years ago.

Regardless, I'll be able play a song and close my eyes and be at that place and time when I heard it for the first time. Who knows, maybe I'll be listening to that song on an iPod and not on the portable CD player I got from my parents for my high school graduation almost 15 years ago. Stranger things have happened. I did reference tribbles, and I never in a million years thought I'd ever make a Star Trek reference.

Swing Your Heartache

2007-11-13T16:41:00.000-08:00

I can not stop listening to this song. "Swing Your Heartache" has replaced "Roscoe" as the song I'm most likely to listen to ten times in a row.

More Legends Gone

2007-11-13T04:33:00.000-08:00

The past couple of weeks have seen a number of musical legends pass, and I want to take time to mention two that didn't get as much press.

First, was the loss of Porter Wagoner. An institution as host at the Grand Ole Opry, the man of a million sequent suits launched the career of Dolly Parton. As duet partners, they had a number of hits, but the song that i listened to the most on my dad's 8-track, was "Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark". It is easily on of the saddest songs in the history of country music. With his late career spike with Wagoneer and a show opening for the White Stripes at Madison Square Garden this past summer, Wagoner went out of top. It's just a shame, like most older country stars, he was forgotten about for so many years.

Last week, country music lost another legend when Hank Thompson passed. Best know for his hit, "The Wild Side of Life", which led to Kitty Wells. "It Wasn't God Who Made Honkey Tonk Angels" in the early '50's, Thompson was a honkey tonk legend. His band The Brazos Valley Boys, was voted the #1 Country Western Band for 14 years in a row. While he officially retired in 2007, he too had been nearly forgotten for many, many years.

As my late dad used to say, people see to always start dying when the sap is rising or falling. And that's the case this year as well with Norman Mailer and Robert Goulet passing. But they all lived a full life, and in the end, I guess that is all we can really hope for.

New Interview: A Sunny Day in Glasgow

2007-11-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

Check out this new interview with A Sunny Day in Glasgow (with MP3): HERE

Lies In Disguise

2007-11-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

back in the days when i was dj'ing, dj dj dylan would jump on stage for a set or two about once a month. he had more talent in his right arm than i did in my body. probaly times to or three as i think about it. his first project was as le castle vania, which led to a lot of touring and good pub. now, he has combined with blake miller from moving units (one of the best bands in the genre) to form lies in disuise. below is their first single "penis vs. vagina" the single, which hit music blogs today is from our friends at kissatlanta.com. enjoy.

New Interview: Young Galaxy

2007-10-31T19:29:00.001-07:00

Check out our new, exclusive interview with Young Galaxy!

DeadJournalist.com Exclusive Interview with Young Galaxy

Tonight: Manchester Orchestra at Drunken Unicorn in Atlanta

2007-10-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

One of Atlanta's new generation of national acts is back in town tonight at DU. In advance of the show, they will be screening their documentary at Aurora Coffee House/Criminal Records.

If you are a fan of the band, make sure to check out the show!

steve earle is, was and always will be, amazing

2007-10-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

nobody really reads this anymore, but if you do, you HAVE to heard this pitchfork interview with steve earle: .

i was probably 11 when i first heard "guitar town" and it is one of a handful of songs i know almost all the words to. (i could never be a singer or actor, i can't remember lines to save my life.) while there are thousands of more hardcore earle fans than i, i still consider him one of my all-time favs.

so please, i implore, take 15 mins and read the interview. if you think you knew steve earle, this interview will prove that you didn't.

and that's a good thing.

since no one is reading this anyway ... what i've been listening to

2007-10-03T16:29:00.001-07:00

i really don't think anyone is reading this, since i'm pretty much on hiatus, but if you actually decided to read this ...

here's what i've been listening to:

mew (not the new one, if it is officially out yet, but the one before it) - which is amazing;
office - i haven't been able to listen to it loud, which would help;
new pony club - see above
feist - another solid piece from miss ipod nano; and
battles - i know people love this album. i'm just not one of them.

anyway, so that's that.

New Nyles Lannon LP

2007-09-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

Nyles Lannon is a fav of us here at DeadJournalist.com, and a few weeks ago he was kind enough to get us an advance of his sophomore solo project, Pressure.

We tend to think Lannon is an overlooked talent whose latest work is worth checking out. For more on Lannon, read our interview with him from last year at DeadJournalist.com.

Video of the Day: Geggy Tah

2007-09-04T17:27:00.001-07:00

Yes, you remember this song. Geggy Tah, "Whoever You Are"

Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007. Atlanta. The Rentals.

2007-09-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

What the crowd lacked in size (150+ish?), it made up for in passion for The Rentals - and Matt Sharp and company didn't disappoint by giving as max show. The band was energetic, fun and smooth as you'd hope an experienced band would be. It was truly one the of best shows I've seen, with Sharp being every bit the frontman one would expect.

The band's line-up (which included Shon Sullivan of Goldenboy filling in on guitar) was teaming with chemistry on stage. Matt Sharp, Rachel Haden, Sara Radle, Ben Pringle, Dan Joeright and Lauren Chipman exuded both enthusiasm and musicianship.

The band played through the three new tracks on their new EP, while playing a number of songs from their first two LPs. But, as one would expect, the best response was for songs from the 1995 debut, Return of The Rentals.

The band stayed true to the original versions of "Please Let That Be You", "Friends of P.", "These Days" and "Waiting" (which was the final song of their encore) but performed a slightly revised version of "Move On" as well as the version of "Sweetness And Tenderness" that is on their current EP.

At the end of the show (which ended as it began with the playing of a Nat King Cole song), it was announced that another Rentals album is in process and another tour is being planned for '08. Fantastic. More Moog, more trombone, more female harmony, more Matt Sharp and more Rentals.

Midlake Tour Schedule, new EP and Atlanta show

2007-08-31T04:44:00.000-07:00

We here at DeadJournalist.com are huge fans of Midlake (whose song "Roscoe" is #1 in our most played iTunes folder). The band will be making it's way to Atlanta next Tuesday at the Earl. Go show support to a band who deserves your support.

The band will also be releasing a digital-only EP on Sept. 4 with an accoustic version of "Roscoe" and three other songs. The EP, "Oak and Julian will be available at iTunes.

Track Listing:
1. Roscoe (Acoustic Version)
2. It Covers The Hillside (Acoustic Version)
3. Marion
4. Mornings Will Be Kind

Midlake Tour Schedule:
Tue - Sep 04 @ The Earl, Atlanta, GA

Wed - Sep 05 @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC

Thu - Sep 06 @ Black Cat, Washington, DC

Fri - Sep 07 @ Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Sat - Sep 08 @ Webster Hall, New York, NY

Sun - Sep 09 @ Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA

Tue - Sep 11 @ Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH

Wed - Sep 12 @ Metro, Chicago, IL

Sun - Sep 16 @ Austin City Limits, Austin, TX

Thu - Sep 20 @ Numbers, Houston, TX

Mon - Sep 24 @ Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ

Tue - Sep 25 @ Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

Wed - Sep 26 @ Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach / San Diego, CA

Thu - Sep 27 @ Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA

Sat - Sep 29 @ Doug Fir, Portland, OR

Sun - Sep 30 @ Crocodile Cafe, Seattle, WA

Tue - Oct 02 @ Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO

Wed - Oct 03 @ Jackpot, Lawrence, KS

My Summer Girl

2007-08-30T16:55:00.001-07:00

Please let that be you

Saturday night, Sept. 1, 2007. Atlanta. The Rentals. A driving force for 12 years. Bables unite!

E.D.30

2007-08-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

E.D.30 - Elvis Is Dead

Elvis Is Dead! The time is here again! The sixth annual Elvis Is Dead party will hit there year on August 17 at Park Grounds in Atlanta. See the flyer below for more information. Come by at 9PM go hit DSC or Lenny's afterward.

There's a nice article (the cover!) on our good friend Preston Craig in this week's Creative Loafing. I've known Preston for about five years now, and went from a patron of the original *KISS* and DSC to having the pleasure of DJ'ing with him for a couple of years at DSC. He's a good guy and a good friend and I'm proud of the success DSC has had.

Be there this week after Elvis is Dead.

Bands you should check out (new or old):

Winterkids
80's Babies
The Rentals

If you enjoy "traditional" country music check out Take Country Back. An excellent read with lots of great videos. Here's how I define traditional country: country music radio wouldn't play it. If you are looking for an artist to research in the genre, check out Billy Joe Shaver. He wrote outlaw hits in the '70's and has been making amazing music since. He did some work with his son in the '90's as the group Shaver. Enjoy.

It was the late-90's. Every band had a number in their name ...

2007-08-05T16:06:00.000-07:00

ten years removed from the onslaught that was alt-rock bands with numbers, let's look back at some of those hit-makers. the only parameters are that the band had to form in the 1990's (that means no U2, UB40, nine inch nails, etc.). in no particular order:

311
marvelous 3
eve 6
16 horsepower
3 doors down
galaxie 500
4 non blondes
7 mary 3
stroke 9
remy zero
zero 7
matchbox 20
mc 900 foot jesus
blink 182
sum 41
apollo 440
powerman 5000
30 seconds to mars
third eye blind

add to the list ...

6th Annual Elvis Is Dead

2007-07-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

farwell tom snyder

2007-07-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

you'll be missed.

80's Babies

2007-07-27T04:18:00.000-07:00

In Kroger a couple of week ago a dude walks up and hands me a CD. It's been a while since I got hit with grassroots marketing at a grocery store, so away the CD went until getting in the car to drive home. In a rare move, I decide to check it out. In goes the disc and out comes 80's Babies. It was pretty decent dance/hip-hop. Then, this morning, who's getting played on XM? Yup, 80's Babies.

New Interview! Thee More Shallows

2007-07-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

The site is coming back slowly, and so with that lovely intro, the interview with Thee More Shallows is up. So check it out.

Park Grounds

2007-06-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

If you live or work in Atlanta (or if you are in the area) check out Park Grounds - a great little coffee shop/dog park in the Reynoldstown area.

Along with coffee, they offer a nice array of homemade baked goods, cereals and teas and an outdoor area to bring your pup for a little outside action.

Sound like a plug? Yeah, it is. But, despite the fact the shop's owner is a friend, I can say that two of the best cups of coffee I've had in Atlanta were from Park Grounds.

Just do yourself a favor and check it out yourself.

Web site: Park Grounds

sorta, kinda on hiatus

2007-06-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

if you read this site regularly, or if you are reading this for the first time, you've probably noticed that there haven't been any new interviews up in almost a month. i believe there's a saying, something along the lines of, "music is for the youth". while that isn't completely true - there is some merit to the concept.

a good friend of mine, who is my age, asked me yesterday what i had been listening to lately. my reply? nothing, there's simply been no time. even when there has been time, there hasn't been the drive to dive into a new cd and listen to it for hours. for the past eight months, i've been hoping that it would change. despite some blips here and there, it hasn't.

DeadJournalist.com was my next-generation way of staying in the music. i did not intend to let it languish as a time capsule; and especially not since readership was at it's zenith. reality is reality, and the reality is i'm not sure how much time i'll have to devote myself to the site in the upcoming months.

there are two three interviews that i only need to post, and six band made commitments to do interviews. i hope to complete these, at the least.

in the meantime, thank you for reading the site. i hope you've enjoyed the interviews. and hopefully, the laws of physics will get the site back in motion soon.

i hate technology (i'm sorry hail social)

2007-05-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

i complete the hail social interview, two weeks after i started it, only to have dreamweaver crash as i was adding the last photo to the article. when i restarted the program, none of my changes (which were saved throughout the process) had been saved.

so rather than start over tonight, i'm cussing technology.

Hail Social Interview; Site Updates

2007-05-17T05:27:00.000-07:00

Computer issues have struck again as Dreamweaver has been crashing each time I try to update the Hail Social interview. I'll try again tonight.

Next Up: Hail Social

2007-05-11T04:33:00.000-07:00

The interview with Hail Social is in and will be going up soon.

It's either feast or famine with me these days. There are a number of interviews going in and coming out as quickly as I can get on them.