Category Archives: Misc

FYI: Branching Out

A quick heads-up on some future posts. I’ve recently started writing for East Lansing Info (ELi for short), a “non-profit citizen-run local news cooperative” that provides “free, local, non-partisan, accurate news and information about East Lansing.” It’s a highly valuable news source in town, as our city is often overlooked by Lansing State Journal and State News except for MSU matters and municipal elections. I’m a daily reader, a financial supporter, and now a contributor.

I’ll likely be writing one or two articles per month, particularly when the school year is in full swing, though August will exceed that. I’ll be covering arts and government, though not evenly. I’m sure arts & music will be more my domain, but I’ll be assisting with city government reporting when asked and when there’s no conflict of interest. For example, to be perfectly clear, I won’t be writing stories on (SCENE) for ELi, as I’m too deep in the weeds. Between my various posts and public remarks and my serving on the city’s Arts Commission, one could even say I’m part of the story (however tangential). I’m sure my name would taint whatever article I wrote, even without any editorializing. (I’ve stuck to the available facts in my posts on this blog, but I clearly have a point of view.)

Now, I know that most of my readers aren’t local. But, occasionally, local nuggets have made it onto the blog when appropriate for various reasons, be it a concert I attended, a gig I played, or the Sturm und Drang of (SCENE) (which offers a case study of the shuttering of venues throughout the country).

As has been the practice (or non-practice, depending on how you look at it) on the blog for the past six years, I won’t turn my MT-Headed Blog posts into simple click-throughs to ELi. For ELi posts that have nothing to do with this blog’s usual content, both sites and worlds will continue to exist independently. However, if I’m reporting for ELi on something that’d work well here (or vice-versa), then I’ll engage in some cross-promotion. As an example, the next post after this will be an overly lengthy article I wrote for ELi. It needs truncating before publishing to their site, so my editor and I agreed to have me post the “tl;dr” & more musically weedy version here and the leaner “general” version there. (I imagine future cross-posts being analogous to this scenario.) Such posts will include disclaimers at the top.

Curation | 200

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Curation. It’s one of today’s many buzzwords, though the practice has been with us for a long time. In the days of old, Medieval monks curated ancient texts in the early universities and eighteenth-century Englishmen curated canonical musical works for so-called “Antient Music” concerts. Nowadays we’re curating everything: social narratives on Facebook et al., playlists on Spotify and Apple Music, photos on Instagram, listicles on Buzzfeed, and so on and so forth. Andrew Sullivan even tried, with the help of his editorial team, to curate the entire web for a decade and a half.

I at least hinted at curation with my thoughts on the early stages of Apple Music and Beats 1 Radio. My hope was that live radio and DJs would lead to some compelling listening. Save a few times I’ve tuned in to hear St. Vincent, Josh Homme, Q-Tip, and Elton John (of course), I for the most part tune out within 5 minutes. The three DJs who’ve been given prime focus just seem married to Top 40 fare, and I suppose that’s to be expected.

Part of my disappointment is personal, though, as a few radio DJs left quite an impression on an adolescent me. (Then of course there’s Howard Stern, but he transcended “disc jockey” decades ago…) Two immediately spring to mind (in chronological order):
• Andy O’Riley — A DJ formerly on the Grand Rapids rock station 94.5 WKLQ. I tuned into Outta Control Saturday Night every Saturday night at (I think) 10:00 PM, and the program ran until about 2:00 AM. It really was appointment listening for me. O’Riley played hard and heavy deep cuts — rarely were singles featured — loud and uncensored. (At that late hour, it was safe harbor on the airwaves.) Before the ubiquity of the internet, it was a great way for me to sample bands that were both new and new to me, everything from Slayer to Pantera to Cannibal Corpse to Type O Negative and everything in between. The show ended when I was nearing the end of high school. I remember O’Riley’s last show, as he announced it as such and played the heaviest, most aggressive songs as a result.
• Lazaro Vega — A DJ and jazz director at Blue Lake Public Radio (at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp), 90.3 WBLV, a position he’s held for decades and continues through today. (In fact, I’m listening via web stream as I type this.) His show Jazz from Blue Lake airs 10:00 PM – 3:00 AM Monday through Friday, with each night’s show featuring a different artist or composer. (Despite this spotlight, other artists were also played to break up and branch off from the feature.) And late nights featured the “Out on Blue Lake” segment, featuring more avant-garde territory. This offered a crash course in jazz history, styles, and artists throughout high school. In fact, the first jazz CD I ever got as a result of hearing it on the radio was in response to something Mr. Vega played on the air: Thelonious Monk’s Monk’s Blues, a rare disc with Monk + big band. (Yet another early Tom Scott seed planted in my brain.) Another (immediate) radio-inspired purchase was James Carter‘s Chasin’ The Gypsy, an album that remains a desert island disc for me.

Without getting too far afield, I mention all this because O’Riley’s and Vega’s curating of bands and artists during their evening shows informed and shaped my adolescent listening habits (and by extension my adult ones too). Vega is on public radio and therefore more safe, but O’Riley and his ilk are an endangered species these days thanks to the national Clear Channel takeover of yore. Local and regional tastes and curation supplanted by a national, one-automated-playlist-fits-all approach. And now we’re relying on algorithms online. (Yeah, Apple Music features human curation, but Apple Music itself is to “meh” for me to really burn the calories to dig through it.)

And then there’s this blog. This is my 200th official post (not counting various drafts, abandoned or otherwise). While I won’t turn this into a sentimental retrospective, the milestone is worth highlighting, if for no other reason that it’ll make it the third “200-centric” post after those on Wagner and the saxophone. When I first started this over six years ago, it was more or less a repository of musical screeds. I expected few people would see it, and I had no plan. After a year or two and some fits and starts and receiving some unexpected links, I put more time and effort into it. All these posts and years later, I’m still without the time I’d truly like to dedicate to it, but I’m glad that it’s still going. I have many notions all the time (e.g., starting a podcast, but I’d thought about it for 5 years and not done it), but the blog is one of those things that actually persists. And now there’s a body of posts to point to for…I don’t know what. But there they are. And along the way I’ve done some curating of my own.

For starters, I’ll go out on a limb and say that this is the only site in which you can find in-depth posts by the same author on (in no particular order) Wagner, Dave Matthews Band, Einstein on the Beach, and Dave Liebman. And the two longest posts are about local politics and the DMB fan base, respectively. So that’s something. Of course, many other topics are covered, and ECM is likely the other big through-line. But, again, some folks don’t like the diversity of posts. It’s why this blog isn’t really linked to from any niche or topic directory (e.g., The Big List of Classical Music Blogs), and that’s just fine. Styles and topics change, but the one constant is me, and I’ve curated my own little corner of the web in a sense. My pet causes and pet peeves, favorite artists and album and concerts, and brainstorms are all in one place. And, as a bonus, folks read the posts (some more than others, of course).

Where I’m going with this, aside from simply mentioning this is post #200, is that this blog shall persist. Blogs in general are dying more than they’re growing. (Even The Dish, my go-to site each morning, rode off into the digital sunset earlier this year.) Old and new media seem ever more hesitant to feature longform writing (even though people prove time and again that if it’s compelling it’ll be read). And while I don’t think of this site as the bastion of longform writing or journalism, I have done a good job (I think) of avoiding simply having a post be just a link to another site as a way of piggybacking traffic as a middle man. Social media is good for that, but not here. I hesitate to call the blog a “body of work,” but it’s a body of something. There’s probably 200-300 pages of disparate material here. What that means is anyone’s guess, but I shall happily continue to add to it, continuing my curation post by post.

[For those that do read all of the posts, I hope you’ve enjoyed the break from the local (SCENE)metrospace coverage. You’re welcome. That was intentional; I didn’t want this “milestone post” to be yet another in that saga. (Though I do have some more to post, I’ve intentionally held off the last couple weeks for various reasons. The last thing I want is for my municipal obsessions to take over this site.) But, more importantly, thank you for continuing to visit.]

($CENE)

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A very quick update. Since my last post, the (SCENE)metrospace online accounts have, I believe, officially been transferred to AAHD hands. I mention this because, on July 17, it was finally announced that the space is closed for renovations until September. That, and the contact information has been updated on the main website. And yesterday – possibly earlier, but I saw it via social media then – the call for submissions for the gallery’s next/first exhibition was posted. A couple thoughts:

For “hitting the ground running” (the phrase I heard used in meetings this spring), I’m a little surprised that the call for submissions for the first show is now, in the latter half of July, two months out. Although, I’m guessing that’s partially why the opening’s date has been pushed back a week to September 18.

Second, there’s a financial concern. I’ll admit that I was a bit surprised to see an entry fee for submissions. However, I’ll concede that that’s the way it often goes for applications for exhibitions, conference, college and grad school admissions, and the like. So, while I’m a bit surprised by this, it doesn’t bother me as much as it does some others. AAHD’s reasoning, when pressed via Facebook: “Project-related expenses range from the professionally designed full-color catalogs created for our open call juried exhibitions to the recently upgraded lighting and flooring in the gallery.” My immediate thought upon reading this was that in-house printing of promotional materials was touted as one of the cost-saving virtues of having MSU’s AAHD run the space instead of the City. This was highlighted more than once. I wonder if the City charged submission fees? If not, it’s just one more financial avenue not explored before claiming financial stress…

Although, that’s not what really caught my attention. What did is a new facet of the lease agreement slipped into the submission call (emphasis mine):

“(SCENE) Metrospace is free and open to the public, with the exception of some special programing [sic].”

Now that’s a surprise. All discussions and debate centered around the venue remaining free and open to the public with no mention of “special programming.” Rereading the operating agreement last night, the relevant part is even highlighted:

“MSU is operating the gallery independently and in its sole discretion. MSU intends to continue to offer opportunities, at not cost, for the general public to attend the exhibits and events on average of approximately 20 hours per week.”

Does “we [MSU] will not charge” now mean “free opportunities will be available”? Does this mean that “special programming” is anything outside of those standard 20 weekly hours? So, for instance, a special talk or presentation on a dark day or after hours can come with an admission fee? Does a musical or visual performance count as such? If so, that’s curious, considering such performances will be done by students and/or faculty.

We’ll see…

My intention was to stop posting about (SCENE)metrospace after the recent lengthy write-up, however there continue to be curious turns. Considering where things stand, I do hope that this new arrangement works out and benefits the community — it’s certainly better than the space becoming another tanning salon. But things are off to a rocky start…

—

UPDATED 07.25.15: I’d like to follow up on a couple items and offer some clarification. Since originally posting this article, I’ve been in touch with a number of folks and thought it’d be worth adding to the “public record.”

1. Charging admission for “special programming.” It’s been suggested by a few that by charging admission the artists/performers will then be paid. This of course is 100% fine by me, and something I fully support. I have a long, consistent record of supporting paying for music/art and compensating artists. This is not at all my gripe when considering “special programming.”

When it comes to charging admission, my concern is that AAHD will receive money for their curating the gallery on the City’s (i.e., our property taxes, etc.) dime. In meetings earlier this year, I even suggested, more than once, that, had (SCENE) considered charging more consistently and more often, we may have avoided this current boondoggle. (Unlikely, considering the very weak financial argument from the City — CofEL just wants to “get out of the curating business.”) What’s more, I asked multiple times on the public record whether AAHD had the financial stability and infrastructure to run the gallery with its current budget/funding. I certainly hope “special programming” is unrelated to that point.

Furthermore, regarding “special programming” – a term that right now is vague at best and only really means “not a weeks-long visual exhibition” – all of those will be in-house (AAHD itself or other MSU departments), somewhat academic in nature (i.e., student performances, etc.), and limited to 6-8 per year. If there are different plans now in the works, then that’s a whole different story, but right now I’m suspicious of language from which I infer that MSU will be reaping the financial rewards while CofEL essentially foots the bill. Now, if AAHD brings in a guest artist to speak or present, etc., and charges an admission which then fully goes to the guest presenter, that’s one thing. But if AAHD is going to be skimming off the top for student groups and the like, then that’s quite another.

I know that it seems odd for me to be suspicious of something I theoretically agree with, but right now I’m just seeing the agreement/plan substantially amended in the first month.

2. Submission fees. It looks like (SCENE) didn’t charge submission fees for open calls in the past (h/t to David MacDonald). Again, very curious. And, again, it’s related to AAHD’s financial infrastructure. I know that toner and other print materials can be pricey, but are the number of catalogues and other promotional materials contingent upon the amount of submission monies received? Ditto physical and cosmetic maintenance.

(SCENE) Postmortem, In Brief

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And now a couple items to briefly follow up on (SCENE)metrospace. (For my own 4,000-word take as well as a comprehensive collection of links to local news stories, click here.)

First, (SCENE)metrospace officially became the curatorial domain of MSU’s Dept. of Art, Art History, and Design this past Monday (07.06.15). Just see the following stories for more info (all with highly positive spin from the City of East Lansing and MSU, of course):
City of East Lansing press release (curiously released — and buried — on a Friday afternoon that itself was an historic news day, particularly in this city)
MSUToday
WILX (local NBC affiliate, complete with spelling errors in the title…)

Beyond those articles, how else would you know that AAHD officially took control of the space this week? Good question. I mean, for all intents and purposes, the gallery has been shuttered since mid-April. No “closed for renovation” signs or anything. Just occasional articles and press releases. And locked doors and darkness. So I walked by the space today just to see what was going on, since the most recent round of press releases made it seem that MSU would be in there, guns blazing, getting ready for its debut show that is still two months away (09.11.15). (That’s almost five months from the end of the last show, also an MSU exhibition. So much for keeping the space open during the summer…) I saw no signs detailing the upcoming September show or mention of a renovation. In fact, I saw no MSU presence whatsoever. Instead I saw a City of East Lansing van and some folks inside gathering chairs that I assume belong to EL:
(The posters in the window aren’t related.)

If nothing else, East Lansing now has a matching set of dark, empty, (SCENE)metrospace venues, as the original, long-blighted (SCENE) is a mere blocks away:

Neat.

With much of this now in the past, I can say that there is one “consolation prize” in all of this. As an example, at this past Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the (SCENE) divestiture was referenced once each by three separate people (one public commenter and two Councilmembers, one of which being the Mayor) in three different parts of the meeting. The Mayor, who championed the divestiture, referenced it as an example of the City tightening its belt (while continuing to subsidize the space). Although, he coyly only mentioned the dollar amount and not the space itself. The other two references, however, were more explicit and done in a context of the City having lost something of value. In that regard, I can say that those of us who aggressively questioned and criticized this deal throughout raised public awareness at least a little bit, at least to the level of it now being a potential talking point and a form of shorthand when referencing the City’s recent fiscal decisions (and not always positively so). It’s a drop in the bucket, but a drop more than what we had.

(Photos by yours truly.)

Streams Galore II

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Curation. The buzzword of the hour. It’s the impetus behind so much we experience these days, particularly as everything becomes more niche.

It’s supposed to be the great strength of Apple Music — human-curated playlists (as opposed to automated algorithms) to bring you new, interesting sounds; live DJs on Beats 1 Radio to taken you down the road less traveled. However, I have yet to really be blown away by Beats 1 Radio and the curated playlists (the latter of which I’ve only skimmed lightly, admittedly). Beats 1, to me, appears to be the Clear Channel sheep in hipper, edgier alternative wolf’s clothing. Rick Dees may be absent and Delilah‘s been traded for St. Vincent, but the overall formula remains. Three separate times over the last few days I’ve tuned in to hear that song from The Weekend that Apple has been pumping. Other times I’ve been greeted with Pharrell, Adele, and myriad other hit paraders. Last night, during the Grateful Dead’s intermission (broadcast live on SiriusXM), I listened to the last half of Q-Tip’s Abstract Thought, which I quite enjoyed. However, it took me a while to figure out what show I was listening to, as there’s no user-friendly way to find a full Beats 1 Radio schedule, particularly via the desktop. I just happened to come across this article after a few searches, and I did manage to find this via poking around Apple Music on my iPhone (though it’s still not straightforward). And that’s to say nothing of Apple Music’s near exclusive focus on pop music. Yes, I love pop music (in the broad sense of the term), but it’s gross to see the “Classical & Jazz” category in the radio section. Pure lip service. The few jazz playlists I’ve come across are all right at best. And, of course, the biggest drawback of digital-only music is the lack of liner notes. Who’s playing what? Who wrote what? When and where is this from? Woof.

The saving grace comes from an expected source (for me): Trent Reznor. I’ve not written about him or Nine Inch Nails much on this blog, but I do hold him in a special place. I absolutely adore The Fragile, an album that I only appreciate more as time passes (“La Mer” is such a gem), and Reznor’s film scoring for David Fincher is truly top notch. I’m glad to see him getting some more widespread/mainstream recognition these last several years. As far as Apple Music exclusives go, the instrumental remix of The Fragile is a heavyweight for me. That’s worth the first month’s subscription fee, but, at this point, if the option to purchase it comes about – a nice companion to Ghosts I-IV – I’d rather just buy the remixed album and opt out of Apple Music. Having Reznor at or near the creative helm does give me hope, but we’ll see…

I’ll continue to give it a shot, but I’m not holding my breath.