Riding the Wave-Courtney Barnett

If you haven’t heard of Courtney Barnett yet, you will soon. This Australian based singer-songwriter is ready to ride the wave out of her home country into our homes. She is mega-talented in a number of different ways. The first thing you notice are her lyrics which are deadpan, funny, and serious, sometimes in the same song. I love the way she puts together her words. Here is the opening of “Avant Gardener” (have to love the title): “I sleep in late, Another day, Oh what a wonder, Oh what a waste, It’s a Monday, It’s so mundane, what exciting things will happen today”.  Then she delivers her lyrics in an ironic style with amazing phrasing. She punctuates her music with a killer guitar that at times can be psychedelic and other times can be subtle.  

Courtney started her career as a solo act in Melbourne. She then played guitar in other people’s band before stepping out on her own to play her own music a couple of years ago. She became the front woman of her own band writing her own songs. In 2012 she started her own label Milk!Records and released an EP titled I Got a Friend Called Emily Harris. This garage pop EP got her a lot of acclaim in her native country. She quickly followed up with another EP titled How to Carve a Carrot Into a Rose. The lead single “Avant Gardner” drew international attention. The song is a true story based on an anaphylactic panic attack she had during a heatwave in Australia. The song has earned a heavy rotation in a number of Triple A radio stations across the country. There has been so much buzz about Courtney that she has packaged her two EP’s into The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas. It will be released this April. Here is the song that will turn you into a Courtney Barnett fan. “Avant Gardner”:

Courtney recently came to the US for a short tour in February. She stopped by the WTMD radio station for an interview with the morning DJ (and my good friend and rock and roll comrade) Erik Deatherage for his Saturday morning show Sunny Side Up. Erik is one of the best interviewers I have had the privilege of listening to. His thoughtful questions always make the interviewee feel comfortable and relaxed. Courtney admitted to him that she is very shy (but not on stage). At a party she isn’t telling the story, she is the one listening. She said she takes the observer role and then tell stories through her lyrics and music her own way. If her double EP is an example of her stories, I can’t wait for more. Please check out her music and ride her wave as she is getting ready to put out a full length in the near future. Be the first one on your block to tell people about Courtney. 

Update: One of my all time favorite bands, and my favorite live band ever, Marah, has released a new album featuring song lyrics from a folklorist who lived in the mountains of Pennsylvania over 100 years ago. David Bielanko and Christine Smith of Marah brought together local players to provide music to the lyrics, including an 8 year old fiddle prodigy, to record this album old school style. It is recorded in Monophonic. So Marah! The album Mountain Ministrelsy is amazing. It steps back 100 years and yet keeps that Marah pure rock and roll flavor and attitude throughout.

The Merch Guy

“Hi, I’m your merch guy for the night”. This is my typical introduction when I meet my contact for working the merchandise table for bands. I then introduce myself with my real name rather than the service I will provide for the evening. However once the audience is in the venue, people refer to me by my job for the evening, “Hey merch guy, how much is the cd?”  “Hey merch guy, how large is a large tee shirt? Can I see it?” Lots of people have asked me just what does a merch person really do. I am writing this post to let you see what goes on before people come to the show and want to buy band gear.

I LOVE working merch tables. I love meeting and having one on one contact with bands coming through Baltimore. I love talking to the bands fans and meeting them. I consider it an honor and privilege to be trusted by a band to be a face of the band. I take the task seriously and professionally.

I got started by working with local radio station WTMD, working the merch tables for shows that they would put on. I found out that I had a knack for it and really enjoyed it. It has led to a second career for me. Over years of work you get to know bands, managers, tour managers, and club owners who trust you and will recommend you to other bands that come through Baltimore. Much of my references come from bands I have worked before.

Last month I had the honor to work for one of my favorite bands Clap Your Hands Say Yeah  when they came through Baltimore. This reference came from the club’s owner at the Metro Gallery  which is one of my favorite places to work. I connected with my contact from the band and set up a time to go to the club based on their load in. We met, loaded in, and then I go to work. I am there usually 2 hours before the doors open. For this night we met at 6:00 for an 8:00 doors show.

On this night I met Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (CYHSY) at 6:00 and after the load is when the merch table work starts. CYHSY were traveling with 5 different tee shirt designs (had both men’s and women’s), 4 or 5 cd’s, 2 vinyl and some other small stuff. The first thing is you have to “count in” the entire inventory. This means you must count everything they might sell. You have to count in every tee shirt size, cd, vinyl, totes, and whatever else they bring in. This takes a long time and I usually will count it twice to make sure of accuracy. You then mark the numbers on what is known as a tally sheet, which again lists every item they are selling that evening. This can be tedious but needs to be done.

The next step, fun for me, is setting up the actual table or booth. You put out the band's gear to display in a way that is fun, easy to read, and catches the eye. You might hang shirts, make price lists, and creatively make the table as inviting as possible. While I do this the band is usually doing sound check which is always awesome because it is a concert for just a few. I so enjoy sound checks for it gives you a lot of insight to the band and what the show will look like that evening.

The doors then open up and you must be ready to go. The band has given you a “bank” or starter cash. As the audience comes in, many will come to the merch area and the selling begins. I will then spend the rest of the evening at the merch table selling and talking to people, pulling tee shirts, getting cd’s, showing off vinyl, all the time while being friendly and talkative. It helps to know a lot about the band so that you can answer questions that people might have. “What cd was that last song on?”.  “Is this the band that recorded the cd?”.  “Which is their latest cd?”.  For larger bands (Emmylou Harris, The Lumineers) or sold out shows (The Damnwells, Langhorne Slim, Dan Deacon, Wye Oak, Jukebox the Ghost) we may move thousand or so dollars in merch for a night. This means a lot of bending over to get shirts, vinyl, or trying to keep the stock updated in the few minutes when nobody is at the table. These nights mean I will not be able to see any of the show. On slower nights I can see parts of the show, which I always enjoy.

At the end of a night, after the headliner has finished, there is usually a last rush of people buying things as they leave. This is generally a very busy time and the merch area can get a bit untidy and sloppy. Once this last rush is over you then “count out.”  That is exactly what it says and opposite of counting in. You must count every item left, look at your opening tally sheet and find out how many items were sold. You figure out how much money was made and then you hope you match that number exactly. Many times you might be a bit off and most bands understand that when you count over 100 tee shirts in five different sizes, you might not have counted exactly right. Usually I am very close, if not exact. After the money is exchanged, I am then able to go home. By this time the band has packed up and the club is cleaned. This is usually about an hour after the last band has finished. To say the least, I usually get home very early in the morning.

I know that many bands I work for depend on the merch sales for a good percentage of their income. Bands offer compensation depending on the band. Some offer a percentage of sales for the evening, others offer a flat fee, and some pay by the hour. Because I have a full time job, I tend to try to take less money out of their pockets. I will trade cash for a t-shirt, a signed CD, and a ticket to bring someone in with me.

I also want you to know that the best way to support a band is to buy merch at the shows. When you do this the band gets a much larger percentage of money from sales then they would if you bought it from a store or a download. It also helps if you buy the merch with cash. This keeps them from having to pay for the credit card percentage the company takes. Many bands don't even offer a credit card purchase because they can't afford it. Also when you buy directly from them, they will be there to sign the merch you purchased. It doesn't get better than that!!!

I have enjoyed working with many bands over the years. Most of the people I have met have been very kind and grateful. There have been a few people who take themselves too seriously, but for the most part I have grown from the people I have met and the stories I have heard. I consider myself to be very lucky to be known as the “merch guy.”

In memory: I found out a few days ago that one of my musical idols recently passed away from cancer. His name was Charlie Chesterman who was the frontman for one of my all-time favorite bands Scruffy the Cat. This Boston alternative roots band was way ahead of its time and was the group that led me to finding out that there were great indie bands not signed to major labels. Even though the band has not put out anything since the late 80’s, I continued to champion them. While Charlie continued to have a career after Scruffy the Cat, for me he will always associated with this band. They were one of the best live bands I ever saw and I saw them a number of times. This is for you, and how I will always remember you, Charlie.

The Best of the Scene-Baltimore

We in Baltimore are fortunate to live in a city with a great music scene. A few years ago Rolling Stone  magazine named Baltimore the “Best Scene” in the country.  I know I am prejudiced (I live here) but I agree with the Rolling Stone declaration. We do have an amazing music scene here. Ten years ago this may have not been a correct statement, but today I believe that we do have a flourishing scene. We have many smaller venues that have opened up the past five years or so. Many of these venues support local bands writing and playing original songs or smaller touring indie bands. We have also had some larger clubs open that support a variety of larger touring acts. Ten years ago the larger touring acts wouldn’t come to Baltimore, but now many of these acts want to play here. A lot of this is because Baltimore supports all kinds of local music. It is a city that encourages the type of creativity that allows a band to be itself. Because of this attitude we have had a number of bands over the past five years signed onto major labels and are doing very well. The list ranges from Dan Deacon to Wye Oak to J. Roddy Walston to Beach House. All very different musically and style wise from each other, but all have the same roots and support in Baltimore. The signing and success of these bands has brought many music people and labels to Baltimore to check out the music and try and sign some new bands.  Lower Dens and Future Islands  are two bands that have been recently signed to larger labels.

I have had the fortune of working the merch table for many of these bands. Today I want to share some other bands currently working out of Baltimore who I think you should pay attention to. This represents a shift in our blog because all the bands we have previously written about, you could go to any good independent music store and purchase. These next bands you would have to dig a bit deeper to find. I will highlight their web sites so if you interested in buying their music, you can do so from their websites. I will also give a disclaimer in that all of these are bands I have worked on multiple occasions and all of them I consider friends. For you however, they are great musicians who are very talented and creative. They will also show you the depth of the music scene here in Baltimore.

The first Baltimore musician I want to highlight is singer –songwriter Caleb Stine. I feel Caleb is the heart and soul of the Baltimore music scene. He tirelessly helps others in the beginnings of their career. He offers advice, encouragement, and support to all who ask for it. He has helped a number of local bands by having them open for him and introducing them to the venue owners. Having Caleb’s stamp of approval can go a long way in this city. However, he is first and foremost a remarkable musician. Caleb is one of the most honest songwriters out there. This Colorado transplant has written songs about things he cares about whether it is homelessness or a lost love. His songs are deep, honest, and thought provoking. Enjoy a song from his last album “I Wasn't Built for a Life Like This” titled My Service Isn't Needed Anymore:

While his main style is Americana and folk, he is much more. He has played with a full band, solo, and plays with other groups as a guest artist. He spent part of last year in an Off-Broadway show in NYC about Woody Guthrie and has even worked with a local hip-hop artist Saleem Heggins. WTMD radio put these two together and challenged them to write 4 songs in 6 weeks. They not only did it successfully but put a full album together called "Outgrown These Walls". Their collaboration has produced one of our cities favorite songs titled (of course) Baltimore. Enjoy.

I hope these two videos show Caleb’s diversity. Who would have ever thought a singer-song-writer and a hip hop artist would ever get together and write music. They not only put out a album but have become the best of friends. This is who Caleb is in his heart and soul. He is always looking to the next musical step that makes sense for him. We are fortunate to have him in this city.

My next post will be a Part II  and look at some other Baltimore bands you should know about.

Triple A Radio- Radio For Music People

I am very fortunate to live in Baltimore and have an incredible radio station to listen to. WTMD is an amazing station that plays a wide variety of music. It focuses on an eclectic mix of music that totally boggles the mind and pleases the ears. It has very knowledgeable disc jockeys who are passionate and educated about many styles of music. To top it all off, it is commercial free and broadcasts 24/7.

The format WTMD plays is known as Triple A which stands for Adult Album Alternative. It is a wonderful format that will play everything from new current indie rock to a heritage artist to blues to soul. That is what you may hear in just one hour on WTMD! I had the pleasure of sitting down with Scott Mullins who is the Program Director at TMD. He told me that Triple A is a descendent of free form radio which was very popular in the late 60’s and early 70’s with stations like the legendary WHFS. The free form and progressive radio of this era had disc jockeys playing whatever pleased them. Many did not have a play list and they played whatever music struck them at that moment. You might hear Frank Sinatra followed by a deep cut from Steppenwolf. All of this was a reaction to the spirit of the times and a rebellion against Top 40 and Pop radio with very tight play lists.

In the 80’s this free form radio had all but died out due to having to pay bills through commercial advertising as dictated by a few companies like Clear Channel. They bought up a ton of radio stations, many in the same city or market once deregulation was legalized by Congress. Radio formats became tighter and it was harder for new bands and music to break in to get radio play. Triple A radio stations started around this time which made it possible for people who really love new, interesting, and intelligent music to be exposed to new bands. It gave bands some insight into the local music scene and helped them build an audience. REM and the Counting Crows are bands that come to mind that early Triple A stations helped build an audience for.

While currently many Triple A stations are commercial, there are some great stations that are Public Radio Stations. WXPN, WYEP, WFPK, KCRW, and WFUV are some of the best known ones. Scott said that many of the non commercial stations have much more open play lists than the commercial stations. He said that they are not beholden to sponsors and have the freedom to play a wide variety of music. There are many variations of non commercial Triple A stations. Most will customize to their local communities needs. Therefore a station like WFUV out of NYC will focus more on folk music while WXPN focuses on a more diverse musical universe. WXPN also produces one of the most successful syndicated national programs called the World Cafe. These stations are the only formats playing local bands in a meaningful way. WTMD plays the locals right with the national acts and also has a program Baltimore Unsigned that interviews local bands every week. Here is a short video produced by Maryland Public Television about Baltimore Unsigned.

Scott said that a song in heavy rotation at WTMD will get played about 15 times a week while a Top 40 station might spin a song up to 50 times a week. You can see which station you will get more of a musical variety.

For those of you who are reading this and are jealous of a WTMD, I have great news for you. In this age of technology you can stream most of these stations on your computer. Many of these stations also offer an app for a smart phone. I know that WTMD offers one for free, so even when I leave Baltimore, WTMD is still with me. I encourage you to download this app and become a member of the station. You can click here to get to the home page of WTMD. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see links for the free mobile apps. This way you will always have great music to listen to no matter where you are. Who needs satellite radio when you can have a WTMD right at your fingers? WTMD’s slogan is “Radio for Music People.” They can easily be your music station also. Tell them Fletcher sent you.

No ghosts in this jukebox-Jukebox the Ghost

The call comes to the Jukebox the Ghost camp from the David Letterman show. They want to know if the band can play for the Late Show in less than 24 hours. The band has wrapped up production of their new CD and is scattered around the East Coast. However you don’t pass up this opportunity to perform and reach so many people on national television. They agree and all get to New York for the taping. They are excited to perform the single “Schizophrenia” from their about to be released CD Everything Under The Sun. They get to the studio early in the morning; do a few rehearsals, and then the final tape. When I asked them if they were nervous they said that it all happened so fast they didn’t get a chance to really think about it too much until after the final taping. The performance was great and really helped the CD sales a few days later when the CD was released.

The first time I heard the song “Hold It In” on WTMD radio I was hooked. It has the most infectious beat and rhythm of any song I have heard in years. Listening to this song should make you an immediate fan. I give fair warning in that you won’t be able to get it out of your head. It will be a great introduction to this amazing and fun band.

Ben Thornewell (piano/vocals), Tommy Siegel(guitar/vocals), and Jesse Kristin(drums) formed the band in 2004 while they were all at George Washington University in D.C. Even though they all come from different musical backgrounds, they hit it off immediately with a sound they call “piano rock with indie pop”. After college they decided to see what they could do musically. They put out their first album “Let Live and Let Ghost” on their own in 2008. Jukebox has toured constantly and opened for many bands including Ben Folds, Guster, and Barenaked Ladies. They have gotten a lot of notice and recently signed with the label Yep Rock who just released the new CD of great tunes this month.

Here is their Letterman video of the single “Schizophrenia”

I have had the pleasure of working the merch table for many of their shows and getting to know them as people. They are all really kind and considerate guys who deserve everything they are getting. I couldn’t be happier for them and I hope that you will listen to them and support them as they come to your area.

Indi-rock-Goldspot

Hello everybody. My name is Fletcher McNeill and like Larry I am a teacher in my 50’s. I have known Larry for quite a while and was very happy when he decided to do this blog. I am thrilled when he asked me to do some postings which I will be doing at least once a month. I am very passionate about current music to the point where I volunteer at WTMD radio in Baltimore, which is a non commercial station that focuses on a lot of new bands. They really are “Radio for music people”. Check them out on their stream at WTMD. I also work merchandise tables for a lot of national bands that come through Baltimore. This way I get to hear and meet a lot of rising indie bands, many of them who I will write about.

I am starting out with a band that you need to listen to, Goldspot.

Born in the States, grew up listening to Bollywood soundtracks, spent time in New Delhi, and influenced by the West Coast indie rock movement, Siddharta Khosla is paving a way for himself and his unique sound. He has referred to his band as Indi-rock. Goldspot was formed in Los Angeles 5 years ago. They put out their first album “Tally of the Yes Men” and released a few singles “Friday” and “Rewind” from that album that did very well in England and India. Goldspot has just released their new album titled “And the Elephant is Dancing”. Every song is solid and memorable. Siddharta delivers his lyrics with a great warmth and believability. Each tune is melodic, memorable and catchy. Every song is the type that will get into your head and you will be humming it all day. Not a weak or filler song on the album. They use amazing instrumentation with everything ranging from guitars (both American and traditional Indian) to harmoniums. You will hear Siddharta’s influences that range from Kishore Kumar to the Beach Boy’s. The new album has this great wall of sound captured in the studio. What is great about the band is that they can produce the rich sound live. Enjoy this recent live performance of “Call Center Girl” at KCRW radio from their new album and I encourage you to get involved with this amazing band that deserves your ears. You won’t be sorry.

Siddharta is spending this summer getting ready for his upcoming marriage. We all wish him our best and look forward to touring the album in the Fall to a venue near you.