Tom Petty Makes Me Think Like An Old Dude
// August 13th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Music & Entertainment, Technology
I’m about to sound really old so here goes…
“They just don’t do it like they used too…” I’m talking about music. Music in general. The recording, the band, the sound, the writing, the live show, the professionalism… Bands these days are trying hard to stand out for 5 minutes. Many have a gimic or are trying to think about that one thing that can launch them to stardom. Now I don’t blame the bands. Currently we have access to hundreds of thousands of bands online. We also have access to their fans telling us to listen to this one and that one. Again, not knocking the band or the fans- I’m guilty. I try to share good music and artists that may otherwise go undiscovered by my friends.
The process of writing great songs, being in a band, building a following and working your ass off to get noticed has moved to sitting at a computer, recording pieces/ideas (not days in a basement rehearsing) of a song, finding followers on one of the many social media networks, uploading a song to sell THEN start thinking about how do i play a live show and we should probably learn these songs as a band soon… Yes, I know that is a bit of an exaggeration, but if you’re in a band you probably know what I’m talking about.
Wait! What does this have to do with Tom Petty??? I’m getting there I promise. I’ve been to a ton of shows in this short life of mine (a way of saying I’m still young). My first show was Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the early 80′s at Starwood Amphitheater right outside of Nashville. I remember it vividly. It was awesome. Crosby Stills & Nash actually opened up for Tom Petty last night… so it came full circle for me.
So… Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. I’ve been a fan for a long time. I own most all his albums. Last night I saw him live and it just hit me- ’They just don’t do it like they used too…”. Petty has written hit after hit after hit and continues to put on an amazing show to back up those hits. He’s the total package- he doesn’t have a gimic, he doesn’t change his sound every album to match what is out currently and he just does what he does. Rock.
I’m not saying that Tom Petty is the only guy who has this figured out. There are a lot of great artists and bands out there doing this. This is just something that stood out to me last night.
Here’s a question. Do bands like Tom Petty, U2, Rolling Stones, Metallica and other ‘supergroups’ have an advantage since they went through the old school music system? They had heavy radio and video play back in the day when that was one of the only ways to discover new music. Has the internet and new media outlets changed the music game that much? I say, yes. I’m not complaining- it’s a fine line. I love these outlets and discover great music that I’d otherwise not find but sometimes I just want great music that is consistent, real and a true reflection of who the artist/band is.
What do you think?
Yes. I’ve given up my iPhone. Don’t get me wrong. I liked my iPhone. A lot. However, from a personal and business position I had to evaluate more factors than “is it an iphone?”.
It seems that Facebook has created mass hysteria with it’s ever changing privacy policies. Granted Facebook’s privacy policy is longer than the United States Constitution… and that’s without all the amendments. Pretty long @ 5,800+ words, eh?
So I’ve been asked multiple times why I didn’t wait for the 3G version of the iPad. Simple answer. AT&T.
As I sit here on my new iPad I’ve read tons of posts and questions wondering if the iPad is all they are making it out to be.
Not really. I love it. It’s one of my favorite plugins ever. It’s a freebie too… if you are using WordPress and want a great plugin for your site during this awesome time of year. You can download it here-
This morning 
