My (Long) Generations Review

[Jeremey]

Generations Review
** ½

Having unsuccessfully tried to comprehend the marketing and promotion strategy behind Journey’s new CD, Generations, I’ve given up trying to make logical assumptions and decided that the band must just not care that much about the distribution of the record. It seems that the decision to tour and support an unreleased CD, giving it out at (most) of the shows and distributing it overseas with a label bearing their top selling album’s namesake just simply was the easiest route from point A to point B. “Duplicate the CD, pack up the cartons and put them on the bus – Journeyswag and Wal Mart be damned, there’s only so many months in the summer, and we’ve got to make hay while the sun be shining!”

Unfortunately, the decision to stick by this plan no matter what may have resulted in a huge strike against the quality of the final product. While Schon toured the US and Europe with vanity project Soul Sirkus throughout the spring, the recording of Generations was apparently recorded in a few weeks in late spring, on the cusp of what must have been rehearsals for Journey’s mammoth three hour retrospective show. And while the quality of the performances on the record is top-notch, there is an underlying sense of urgency throughout Generations which never really allows the record to settle in with you in a way that earlier efforts had.

This is perhaps most evident in the production of the record. From the first track, “Faith In The Heartland,” it is clear there is something wrong with the mastering on this disc. Having enlisted the services of veteran producers Mike Frazer and Kevin Elson, it’s clear Journey was hoping for the velvet hammer feel of classics such as Frontiers and Escape. And while Generations most closely resembles the former in strength and character, the mastering of the project is the equivalent of pouring purple paint on a sleek black Ferrari.

To the point, much of the recording sounds like someone inadvertently sent the wrong test mix to the duplicator. Strokes of Elson’s genius can be heard in songs such as “Place In Your Heart” and “Out of Harm’s Way,” but the overall quality of the mastering EQ and compression is similar to listening to the record through an AM clock radio. The only circumstance I can imagine that would have allowed such a glaring misstep would be a hurried effort to get the product out the door in time for the shows in late June. It truly sounds as though it was mastered in a hacked version of WaveLab using factory presets in some 22 year old’s bedroom studio over the course of one beer soaked and bud infused weekend.

Mastering aside, there are moments of true genius on Generations, and moments of “What the hell could they be thinking.” Much has been made about the decision to use multiple vocalists throughout the record. While Deen Castronovo is a capable and compelling singer in his own right, he sounds remarkably enough like Steve Augeri to wonder why Castronovo was used instead of Augeri (though the track “Better Life” is certainly one of the highlights of the record). The inclusion of Jonathan Cain, Neal Schon, and Ross Valory makes much less sense. The band seems to have come to a crossroads during the making of the record – Down one path lay the Journey’s commercial legacy, which brought them millions of fans the world over, arguably at some personal and artistic expense. Down the other path lay the ability to carve a new, untested direction (save the obscure Red 13 EP) with little regard for commercial appeal or canonical reflection. It seems the band took a carefully plotted and safe trip down both pathways, stepping back into their own footsteps and taking care not to crush any butterflies along the way.

Thus the split on this record. Moments of brilliance (“Faith In The Heartland,” “Place In Your Heart,” “Better Life,” “Out of Harm’s Way,” and the ballads “Knowing That You Love Me” and “Beyond The Clouds”) are muddled with self indulgent, experimental tracks that (no matter what Journey die-hards might say) lack consistency and direction. One could imagine the spirit of Herbie Herbert in the studio shaking his head during the decision to include “In Self Defense” or “Gone Crazy” on the record. The commercial-savvy Svengali Herbert was always able to reign in Journey’s more indulgent moments and produce a top-notch and focused product. Their inability to edit the more oddball moments on this record results in an unbalanced and ultimately disappointing overall effort.

Perhaps just as baffling is the decision to front-load the record with Generations’ most powerful and enduring songs. While a bit more variety in the track distribution would still not have saved a few numbers from the “skip” button, it may have made for a more even-handed listening experience. As it is, the record takes a decided turn for the worse after Augeri-penned track 5, “Butterfly.” Maybe the idea was to mimic the experimental B-side mentality found on Frontiers. But tracks such as “Rubicon” and even the ham-handed stinker “Back Talk” still breathed the Journey mystique throughout – something that cannot be said for the dated “In Self Defense” or 90’s hair band paean “Better Together.” The head-scratcher here is the decision to leave off arguably more appealing tracks for the European and Japanese releases…While this decision may have rested in the hands of the distributors themselves, it still makes my brain hurt to think of what a stronger record this would have been with a few canny substitutions.

So what’s the verdict? An uneven record that shines in spite of its lackluster mastering and the lack of any John Kalodner/Herbie Herbert A&R genius. It’s hard to critique the band and their efforts without calling out the legacy of Steve Perry, Herbie Herbert, and John Kalodner, who played such a role in the many defining moments of the band. Uber-fans will argue that Generations is another step in the continuing evolution of the band and its sound. True, Journey is greater than the efforts of any one or two or three band members, past or present – but don’t let the essence of that statement be misconstrued. To consistently challenge the essential elements of a brand will eventually run the risk of rendering the brand meaningless. In other words, terms such as “change” or “evolution” make no sense unless they integrate some point of origin. Evolution is, after all, survival of the fittest – would these songs such as “Gone Crazy” survive against Journey’s catalogue? Perhaps there’s a place for Generations’ brightest moments along side their greatest hits, but too many of the record’s missteps dilute the gene pool.

Rob Halford, vocalist for the band Judas Priest, recently reflected on his band’s enduring success in an interview with NPR’s Terri Gross. He said that after writing literally hundreds of heavy metal songs, the band found the essential components of what made a Judas Priest song successful, and managed to repeatedly mine those components while keeping their records fresh and appealing to their dedicated fan base. After thirty years, it doesn’t make much sense to reinvent the wheel. The result of Journey’s latest effort proves that, and though Generations is for the most part an enjoyable record with plenty for Journey fans to sink their teeth into, it falls short of their classic efforts and does little to advance the legacy of the world’s greatest melodic rock band.

Best Tracks:

The Place In Your Heart
Better Life
Out of Harms Way
Beyond The Clouds

Skip These:
Every Generation
In Self Defense
Better Together
Gone Crazy

[The_Noble_Cause]

One hell of a review, Jeremy.
Negative, but it's the kind of negativity that is butressed by corroboration and near incontrovertible air-tight argument. I love that (as opposed to the slapdash baseless variety which usually goes something along the lines of "too much guitar!" ).

I agree they put too many of the stronger tracks up front, but with a little re-arrangement, the album's flow could be much improved. I don't think people should skip the tracks you mention. "Every Generation" is a solid song and while the others can surely be labeled as unconventional or maybe even in the case of some, filler, they all have their respective merits. I advise only skipping songs that are horrible and for me that would be track 6. If only they interpolated the more melodic Euro bonus track somewhere between the relentless succession of harder edged tracks 8-10, I think it'd be a superior album.

What are ur thoughts on Augeri's solo contributions?
I think they suck.

[The_Noble_Cause]

. And while the quality of the performances on the record is top-notch, there is an underlying sense of urgency throughout Generations which never really allows the record to settle in with you in a way that earlier efforts had.

Not to come off daft, but what your saying here is a tad abstract for me, how does one infer a sense of urgency from listening to music?
Do u mean to say that some of tracks sound rushed?
Perhaps, the older albums seem better "settled in with you" because they are older and naturally you had longer period of time to get inurred to them.

As far as production matters go, I reccomend (if u havent already) listenting to the album on different systems. Some sound better than others. Arrival always sounded muddy to me, this sounds pristine and clarion.

[Jeremey]

Hey NC, thanks for your comments. I would only disagree that it is not a negative review, in that for every negative (and supported) observation, there is a positive side as well. Not that I'm trying to be wishy washy, but I do think overall there is no positive or negative, but insight and observation. As for Augeri's solo writing efforts, i would not say they suck, nor are they even the low points of the record. I think Butterfly is the stronger of the two, but I think both of them are a little bloated and much too long. I think that lyrically Augeri is conscientious about not getting too cliched in the Journey cliches of the past (burning fires, worlds apart, hands of fate, etc), but in doing so, he gets a little caught up in his own metaphors, especially on Butterfly. It's like the last 3 minutes of the song are just metaphorical bullet points, ie

• In a rage
• Tried to escape
• She's both wings tied

Rinse, repeat.

While that's a little glib, I do think think they're valid contributions to the record.

As for mentioning the sense of urgency - What I meant was that I sense an urgency in the putting together of the record. That the tour was looming, time was short, let's just get it mastered...Okay, go ahead and put "In Self Defense" on there, just get it done. Maybe I'm wrong, it is a personal observation, but I did get to listen to the CD maybe 50 times in the past week.

Thanks again!

[heardonthestreet]

Too guitar driven? Was that the expression that evaded you,, NC?

[heardonthestreet]

In reference to Augeri's solos, NC,you stated, "I think they suck." Do you mean that they suck lemons, suckers or like a peppermint stick? That statement is not pristine or clarion and reeks of slapdash to me.

[The_Noble_Cause]

In reference to Augeri's solos, NC,you stated, "I think they suck." Do you mean that they suck lemons, suckers or like a peppermint stick? That statement is not pristine or clarion and reeks of slapdash to me.

I don't know why you are trying to subvert Jeremy's intelligent and thoughtful thread.
I'll do my best to give u what u want, in hopes that you'll go (and stay) away.

I had written at length many times already about what I find to be sorely missing from the Augeri-solo efforts on this album. At the time, I didn't feel like getting into the nitty-gritty of it all over again, but since you've asked for elaboration, I'll do my best to indulge u:

"Butterfly" is ok. It's a nice gentle little tune and I merely "tolerate" it. An unconventional subtle little ballad that would be more at home during the Rolie-era before the band was creatively pigeonholed into having each ballad follow the same boy/girl lovey-dovey bubblegum pop template.

In the case of "Believe", I find it vile in it's simplistic redundancy (its not even a song, as far as I'm concerned, more just a keyboard part that repeats mind-numbingly without end). Andrew claims "Believe" needs a hook or a chorus. However, I see it the other way around. It's a chorus in dire need of a song! The song is just one big hook on repeat; stating again and again...
"I believe in you believe in me"... ad infinitum!

I really was hoping this album would solidify Augeri's writing talent, sadly, it leaves it all the more suspect.

HOWEVER, his collaborations with Jon and Neal have produced real musical gems on this album, so that is good. More collaborative Cain/Schon/Augeri efforts like "Faith in the Heartland"and "Better Together" from here on out. The Augeri/Schon effort "Beyond the Clouds" is similarly phenomenal.

All in all I like every song (and actually LOVE quite a few) with the exception of Augeri's "Believe" which I find to be repetitous, seemingly unfinished lyrically, and insultingly vapid.

[Fernando Ramirez]

Rob Halford, vocalist for the band Judas Priest, recently reflected on his band’s enduring success in an interview with NPR’s Terri Gross. He said that after writing literally hundreds of heavy metal songs, the band found the essential components of what made a Judas Priest song successful, and managed to repeatedly mine those components while keeping their records fresh and appealing to their dedicated fan base. After thirty years, it doesn’t make much sense to reinvent the wheel. The result of Journey’s latest effort proves that, and though Generations is for the most part an enjoyable record with plenty for Journey fans to sink their teeth into, it falls short of their classic efforts and does little to advance the legacy of the world’s greatest melodic rock band.

Nice review. I think the reason JP is no longer as relevant as it used to be BECAUSE they repeatedly mine the tried and true components. Doing the same thing over and over does not make a release "fresh." Dedicated fan bases dwindle over time... there is a proven attrition. The only way to stay "fresh" is for the band to do something new. I'm guessing a lot of people want Journey to sound like they did in the past. But you know what? We've got ESCAPE, FRONTIERS, CAPTURED, and all the other albums to go back to whenever we want.

You wouldn't dare tell Bono to rehash the "essential components" of their successful music. Look at U2's output from day one to now. They are still socially and musically relevant to this day because they have kept re-inventing themselves.

The fact of the matter is I respect the band for wanting to do something different... something not of the norm. I think they want to prove that Journey's talent is diverse, and that not one part of it makes the band.

[Abitaman]

Good review indeed. I too like reviews that give a reason why they don't like something, or why they do.-ERIC

[Guest]

You wouldn't dare tell Bono to rehash the "essential components" of their successful music. Look at U2's output from day one to now. They are still socially and musically relevant to this day because they have kept re-inventing themselves.

U2 stopped reinventing themselves with Pop. Everything since has been a pale reflection of their former greatness. With ATYCLB and HTDAAB, they do indeed attempt to rehash elements of their successful tunes, despite what you say. There are 2-3 songs on each album that experiment a bit and attempt to move the band forward, but overall their efforts in recent years have been pretty lackluster, pretty U2-by-numbers.

ATYCLB is better than HTDAAB because it has a certain freshness to it (Elevation and some others are novel in their way). HTDAAB is just awful, though - Verdugo (a cheap foray into garage punk), Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own (a cliche-riddled fiasco), Miracle Drug (corporate- ballad crap), etc. So many turds, so few gems. City of Blinding Lights is decent, as are Love and Peace or Else (despite the trite title) and Yahweh. Everything else reeks of "been there done that" U2 cover-band crap.

It's beyond me why U2 are still considered relevant. I think it's due to an increasingly complacent musical audience. Or perhaps they just like Bono's hyperbolic persona. Personally, I'd prefer they titled their album How to Dismantle Bono's Sunglasses.

So I do agree that older bands need to be constantly reinventing themselves in order to be perceived as relevant. Journey did not prove itself as capable of reinvention on Arrival; I'm anxious to hear if they do indeed do so on Generations.

Good review, Jeremy.

[jrnyman28]

U2's HTDAAB sounded like a very weak retread of the great Achtung Baby! I have only listened to the CD twice...I just cannot get into it! But I know people that think it is a GREAT CD, or at least it was for a while. Not much "staying power" with that one.

[Jeremey]

Thanks for your responses!

You all should be happy to know I spent the past two and a half hours singing Journey music to about 3000 minor league baseball fans. Absolutely the best freaking feeling in the world, seeing crowds of people singing along the words to something (relatively) obscure like "After The Fall."

Fernando, I have to disagree with your assessment of Judas Priest. The Priest is a unique phenomenon, but in many respects a good analogy to Journey. U2 is not as true a comparison for reasons I'll get back to, but lets take a look at Priest and Journey. Priest created a genre - Heavy Metal was around before "British Steel," but in abstract and undefined niches. Priest was the first to take metal and mold it and pound it out into an identifiable icon. Metal is a genre that has a revolving door policy with their fans. While 15 year old boys do not for the most part continue buying Judas Priest records into their thirties, the music and the genre appeals to a very specific demographic that always manages to find the band and their music at the right time in their life. Judas Priest has managed to stay relevant to that subset of fans precisely because of their ability to give them what they want.

I saw Judas Priest a month ago and it was absolutely amazing. By the same token, I purchased their new CD (in an actual store!) - it was the first Priest CD I've bought in 20 years. But it sounded exactly like it was 1987 again and everything about the record was what it should be. Now, I'm not a revitalized Judas Priest fanatic, and I'm not listening to their old records or anything like that, but it was nice to know that they're still around and about 600,000 people like myself have bought their latest record.

U2 has a hip and sophisticated following, and much like the Rolling Stones or Paul McCartney they're always going to keep themselves "out there." Their audiences change and evolve, and they have kept themselves in the public eye constantly for twenty years. As much as anyone wants to argue the parallels of Journey and U2 - You can't do it. They are two totally different animals. To humor the discussion to a certain point, I will concede that U2 has reinvented themselves, though their past 2 albums have been stylistic throwbacks (to Joshua Tree and Achtung, Baby), so it's safe to say they've embraced that which brought them their success and continue to mine it. But they are a hipster band with an amazing ability to keep themselves in the news year after year....So no, the Journey connection doesn't seem to fit to me.

So, to bring the thread back to Journey. Some bands make dramatic, schizophrenic changes in direction, and they are called innovative, experimental, or able to "reinvent" themselves. Some bands try the same thing, and it could be argued that they've just run out of fresh ideas. Somewhere in the middle of those two extremes is where Generations lies, I think. As I mentioned in my review, it's important not to forget why people LIKE WHAT YOU DO, and keep that part of your artistic ego in check. I really dig bits and pieces of what they've done on Generations. I like listening to most of it, but if I wanted an Audioslave, ZZ Top, or Bullet Boys record, I wouldn't have bought a Journey record.

[Fernando Ramirez]

Thanks for your responses!

You all should be happy to know I spent the past two and a half hours singing Journey music to about 3000 minor league baseball fans. Absolutely the best freaking feeling in the world, seeing crowds of people singing along the words to something (relatively) obscure like "After The Fall."

Fernando, I have to disagree with your assessment of Judas Priest. The Priest is a unique phenomenon, but in many respects a good analogy to Journey. U2 is not as true a comparison for reasons I'll get back to, but lets take a look at Priest and Journey. Priest created a genre - Heavy Metal was around before "British Steel," but in abstract and undefined niches. Priest was the first to take metal and mold it and pound it out into an identifiable icon. Metal is a genre that has a revolving door policy with their fans. While 15 year old boys do not for the most part continue buying Judas Priest records into their thirties, the music and the genre appeals to a very specific demographic that always manages to find the band and their music at the right time in their life. Judas Priest has managed to stay relevant to that subset of fans precisely because of their ability to give them what they want.

I saw Judas Priest a month ago and it was absolutely amazing. By the same token, I purchased their new CD (in an actual store!) - it was the first Priest CD I've bought in 20 years. But it sounded exactly like it was 1987 again and everything about the record was what it should be. Now, I'm not a revitalized Judas Priest fanatic, and I'm not listening to their old records or anything like that, but it was nice to know that they're still around and about 600,000 people like myself have bought their latest record.

U2 has a hip and sophisticated following, and much like the Rolling Stones or Paul McCartney they're always going to keep themselves "out there." Their audiences change and evolve, and they have kept themselves in the public eye constantly for twenty years. As much as anyone wants to argue the parallels of Journey and U2 - You can't do it. They are two totally different animals. To humor the discussion to a certain point, I will concede that U2 has reinvented themselves, though their past 2 albums have been stylistic throwbacks (to Joshua Tree and Achtung, Baby), so it's safe to say they've embraced that which brought them their success and continue to mine it. But they are a hipster band with an amazing ability to keep themselves in the news year after year....So no, the Journey connection doesn't seem to fit to me.

So, to bring the thread back to Journey. Some bands make dramatic, schizophrenic changes in direction, and they are called innovative, experimental, or able to "reinvent" themselves. Some bands try the same thing, and it could be argued that they've just run out of fresh ideas. Somewhere in the middle of those two extremes is where Generations lies, I think. As I mentioned in my review, it's important not to forget why people LIKE WHAT YOU DO, and keep that part of your artistic ego in check. I really dig bits and pieces of what they've done on Generations. I like listening to most of it, but if I wanted an Audioslave, ZZ Top, or Bullet Boys record, I wouldn't have bought a Journey record.

Where have you been Jeremy? Your posts are great. Believe it or not, I'm one of the people who has bought one of your band's recent DVDs.

If JP has somehow managed to sell 600k copies of their latest release, then that's news to me, and it says something important and relevant about JP.

JOURNEY's releases are really the best of what melodic rock have to offer. I mean, in the same way that you say JP has "stylistically" defined metal, then Journey has "stylistically" defined melodic rock. You could even argue that U2 has "stylisticaly" defined alternative rock. If these three bands are each sitting at the front row of their respective genres, so to speak, then comparing them to each other is indeed valid.

[Jeremey]

Hey Fernando, thanks for checking out the DVD!

Here's a big oops on the Judas Priest sales figures, I thought the record was certified gold already, which meant 500K units, but I just threw the figure 600K out there. The most recent figures I can find show Angel of Retribution at 135,000 copies sold, but that was only in May at the start of the tour, so I'm sure they got a big push from that. The record did debut in Billboard at #13, which still proves the band's relevance, and also keep in mind at least half of those JP discs sold were the premium "DualDisc" format, coming in at around $24 a piece because of the DVD included.

I would agree that there is the similarity between JP and Journey that I tried to bring together - They both defined their genre...Though I think U2 transcends a genre, I wouldn't qualify them as alternative...mainstream rock is pretty accurate, though again, I would say that U2 is one of the very rare and timeless acts such as Dylan, The Stones, etc, they can't be compared against anyone else, they are a genre unto themselves.

[Abitaman]

Hey Fernando, thanks for checking out the DVD!

.

What DVD is that?-ERIC

[Jeremey]

Hey Fernando, thanks for checking out the DVD!

.

What DVD is that?-ERIC

Hey Eric, it's the Recaptured Vol II DVD we had for sale for a couple weeks back in April before Schon and Cain's publishing company threatened to take all our money.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Hey Fernando, thanks for checking out the DVD!

.

What DVD is that?-ERIC

Hey Eric, it's the Recaptured Vol II DVD we had for sale for a couple weeks back in April before Schon and Cain's publishing company threatened to take all our money.

Jeremy, was ur Journey cover band the one that was to be featured in a cover band-themed documentary only to run into similar legalistic troubled waters?
Can't remember if it was u guys or not.

[Jeremey]

No, that was ESCAPE out of L.A. We are based out of Virginia, we play from Indiana/Ohio through southern Georgia.

[Jeremey]

May I also say that I saw that movie on Sundance Channel a few months back, it is called "TRIBUTE." And everyone in that movie seemed to be an absolute nutcase. I don't know if that was the intention of the movie makers, through editing, etc...or if that was really how those bands were, but I can say for the most part us in Frontiers are very stable guys.

[The_Noble_Cause]

No, that was ESCAPE out of L.A. We are based out of Virginia, we play from Indiana/Ohio through southern Georgia.

Ahh, I stand corrected. Sorry.
In their case, was it Schon & Cain (like with ur band) or was it Perry or all three that prohibited use of the Journey material?

[Jeremey]

No, that was ESCAPE out of L.A. We are based out of Virginia, we play from Indiana/Ohio through southern Georgia.

Ahh, I stand corrected. Sorry.
In their case, was it Schon & Cain (like with ur band) or was it Perry or all three that prohibited use of the Journey material?

Can't answer that, I have no idea. I do know one of the film makers said that even though they gave Steve Perry a lot of money he ultimately did not agree to let them put the music in the film. So I don't know if it was him, or even if they got a chance to clear the rights through Schon and Cain.

[Red13JoePa]

A tour-de-force of a review and thread. Though like the others, I feel Jeremy's review was more negative than positive, I can live with it because of the emperical data provided. Strongly disagree with your stance on Every Generation as in spite of Cain's somewhat Journeyman-like vox, that song is one of the 3 that carry the record for me in addtion to FITH and TPIYH. The lyrical ideas on EG capture me and the music for lack of a better phrase KICKS ASS. Also I see optimism from Jeremy's viewpoint of Journey as currently construed despite his disapointments with the material. Agree with your urgency assessment as some of things felt tossed together. That may only be because of what we now know in hindsight....But then again, this ablum has yet to be officially released anywhere in the world yet and Neal has already intimated that the giveaway may end up being more of a working version of a masterpiece in the making than the final cut. PS: I think Schon's overall work on this album is the best guitar work on a rock album in 2005.

[Abitaman]

Hey Fernando, thanks for checking out the DVD!

.

What DVD is that?-ERIC

Hey Eric, it's the Recaptured Vol II DVD we had for sale for a couple weeks back in April before Schon and Cain's publishing company threatened to take all our money.

Are we talking the group Frontiers? I have a cd from them. Bought this year. It's pretty good. Didn't know they had a dvd.-ERIC

[Jeremey]

Hey Fernando, thanks for checking out the DVD!

.

What DVD is that?-ERIC

Hey Eric, it's the Recaptured Vol II DVD we had for sale for a couple weeks back in April before Schon and Cain's publishing company threatened to take all our money.

Are we talking the group Frontiers? I have a cd from them. Bought this year. It's pretty good. Didn't know they had a dvd.-ERIC

yeah, eric, this is jeremey with frontiers. thanks for buying the CD...i have to say in retrospect i think the CD fell short in comparison to the audio on the DVD...also, playing-wise, as a group you get better the more you play. I'd love to record some of our shows right now as we've been playing every weekend since early june right now and are firing on all cylinders.

at some point i'd like to make all the audio tracks from the DVD available for free download from our website. i just don't want journey sending me any more certified letters.

[Rockindeano]

i just don't want journey sending me any more certified letters.

Ok, you got my attention. What letters? Are you performing without permission?

I find it absolutely hilarious that Old Creak Bones can get off his wrinkled ass, and worry so much about what you guys are doing, rather than promoting his own band. God, he irritates me. I wish he would return my phone calls.

[Jeremey]

i just don't want journey sending me any more certified letters.

Ok, you got my attention. What letters? Are you performing without permission?

I find it absolutely hilarious that Old Creak Bones can get off his wrinkled ass, and worry so much about what you guys are doing, rather than promoting his own band. God, he irritates me. I wish he would return my phone calls.

no, not the performing aspect of it.

the DVD...you have to have a synch license to make a DVD...i made the mistake of promoting the DVD being naive thinking we could just pay compulsory rights for the use of the songs. i guess i promoted it to the wrong people at some point, because within 2 weeks i got a certified letter from schon and cain's publishing company telling us to stop selling the DVD and apply for synch rights - Which are thousands of dollars. being just a little band from backwoods VA, and that we sold less than maybe 25 copies or so, it was ridiculous to think we could afford to pay licensing as though this was a distributed major label release. so I called them and told them we made a mistake and wouldn't sell it anymore. at which point they told us to send them all the money...funny conversation:

publisher: "send us all the money"
me: "what money?"
publisher: "all of it. all the money you made."
me: "we didn't make any money!?!"
publisher: "that doesn't matter, you need to send us everything."

also, we had to take all bits of video off our website completely...which is unallowed, because our 50 sec clips are considered fair use to promote our show. every tribute band in the world has video clips on their website. however, we don't have any money, so legal battles are pretty much a moot point. needless to say, i replaced the video on our site with a hilarious clip of kitty cat bloopers! visit our site to check it out!

anyway, it needs to be said, this was NOT SCHON AND CAIN that did this. the companies that administer these publishing rights are the ones that contacted us, and I am sure neal schon or jonathan cain doesn't even know who we are. the publishing company, in recouping the $360 we made (or whatever, that's a hypothetical number) can bill schon and cain for $3000 for the time they spent chasing me down and sending letters. it's how they make their money.

lesson learned, whatever...no hard feelings, we just don't want them to come back.

[Red13JoePa]

That's gross. I think the guys in the band would be happy or bemused more than anything else.

[Fernando Ramirez]

Holy shit! SO MY DVD IS A LIMITED EDITION!

No, it was a cool DVD. Great for us folks here in Texas who can't head out to your neck of the woods. If you guys were playing here in town, I'd be there for a lot of gigs. The band is talented. I wish the video had used more than two camera angles, but I can understand it was a labor of love and there probably was no budget. The band sounds tight, the show was good, and the band is very faithful to the material.

I would recommend the DVD to others here, but i'm sorry to hear you can't sell it anymore.

[Jeremey]

Holy shit! SO MY DVD IS A LIMITED EDITION!

No, it was a cool DVD. Great for us folks here in Texas who can't head out to your neck of the woods. If you guys were playing here in town, I'd be there for a lot of gigs. The band is talented. I wish the video had used more than two camera angles, but I can understand it was a labor of love and there probably was no budget. The band sounds tight, the show was good, and the band is very faithful to the material.

I would recommend the DVD to others here, but i'm sorry to hear you can't sell it anymore.

thanks nando, you are very right about it being a labor of love. the video was very homegrown, but our camera guy did a great job...it was actually only 1 camera angle, so i'm glad my creative editing and production made it bigger than it was...actually, the audio without the video is much less distracting and i hope to get that audio out there someday soon....

[SuiteMadameBlue]

Couldn't you "give" the DVD away with a purchase of one of your t-shirts (if you sell t-shirts). Then technically you wouldn't be selling the DVD. I know a band (one that does covers) that does this at their shows, so "technically" they're not selling their DVD. The t-shirts are just a little more expensive.

I checked out your website, very nice and nice pictures too