i was happy to get enthusiastic responses, but baffled about america -- what
will it take to get the american public educated on good music? yeah, i
know that people have responded on this thread, saying that our music
magazines will be the machines for alerting america, but those magazines are
out there and still, it seems as if it is the rest of the world
thirsting/seeking this type of music, and just a microscopic percentage of
young americans.
i'm not saying it's useless -- we should still attempt to promote it, but i
guess a lot of it has to do with music background/history. england and
japan have always had a deeper fascination and appreciation for american
funk/jazz, moreso than americans.
once in a while, though, you see that promotion has made a difference. for
instance, the coffee shop in my building has been playing a tape called "in
the mix" from the Acid Jazz label that was circulated around town. I saw it
in second hand thrift stores and restaurants being given away for free. and
i heard the gap playing a song off of an ubiquity explorations comp the
other day. the gap employee told me that they had received the tape from
their corporate offices to play. so sometimes, promotion works...our
efforts may seem futile, but they aren't.
----------
From: Matthew Robert Chicoine
To: Tony Reid
Cc: acid-jazz
Subject: Re: Pheonix Festival (England)
Date: Friday, June 14, 1996 12:35PM
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From: Matthew Robert Chicoine <scooby@umich.edu>
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To: Tony Reid <t-bird@salata.com>
Cc: acid-jazz@UCSD.EDU
Subject: Re: Pheonix Festival (England)
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--
Haven't posted in a few years, thought I'd take a minute. Word to Tony's
call for mutual support. At this point in time, this is exactly what we as
music fanatics need to be doing, supporting each other and like-minded
musicians, DJs, writers, etc... Basically, this extended family of heads.
This includes starting up your own shit. It doesn't matter how small or
big, get the word out, there's something going on. This is often a hard
thing to do when it does catch on. You start questioning people's
motives, but if they're exposed to something other than pop radio, go
with it. It will start to rub off whether they know it or not.
Speaking of the Phoenix festival, I was employed by Mean fiddler
productions two years ago, the agency that organized and promoted the
event. As an employee I got to go for free and spend the weekend. It was
quite an experience. Not on the same scale as a Reading festival or
Glastonbury, but it was something being able to catch the Roots, Outside,
Galliano, Herbie Hancock, Roy Ayers, Groove Collective, etc etc etc all
in one tent. Could it happen in the States? Questionable. Some people
here at University of Michigan tried to throw what they called
"Groove-apalooza". They fucked up right there with that name. Regardless,
they got Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Jazzhole, and some MCs that go by the
Mountain Brothers. Did it go over? Hell no. It was a free show, outside
on a beautiful day and they only got a few hundred unversed and
uninterested nimrods to stand around and pick their asses. It was a sad
scene indeed. It seemed to be a problem with promotion. Who out
there has figured out that it is ALL ABOUT HYPE? There are acts out
there who you haven't even heard yet who would destroy your mind, they
just don't have the press. We need more hype-machines like SNC, On the
One, Rap Pages, URB, etc. etc. Props to all spreading a message through
music and through press (e.g. M. Donaldson and the Orlando posse). Put
your town on the map! Thats the way to do it. Enough, already. Over & out:
Matt C
On 13 Jun 1996, Tony Reid wrote:
>
> Pe> _ why can't us sorry asses here in the US ever see the likes of a
> Pe> festival featuring such amazing talent as those lined up for the
> Pe> phoenix festival??? ...oh woe is america...anyone care to comment??
>
> more of us need to become promoters (and/or support the existing ones).
if
> we show these labels that we're willing to come out and see these groups
(and
> buy their records!) they will fall all over themselves to give us what we
> want. before "nevermind" went multi-platinum nirvana was just another
band
> from seattle (how many have heard of "bleach" the preceding album?). we
have
> to do that for a/j bands. i think by now "plantation lullabies" by
me'shell
> has finally gone gold, but she's about to put out another album. in the
> record-label world, that's too long. we gotta support our artists. if
you
> hear about an a/j club--GO! if you know about an a/j band playing @ a
> "non-a/j" venue, bring your friends/parents/dogs/enemies--pack the place!
> make them wonder what the hell is going on w/this "acid-jazz" thing and
how
> they (i.e. clubs/promoters/labels) can benefit from it. excuse me if i'm
> rambling, but my point is just we have to make all the non-hedz feel like
> they're missing out on something (they are, aren't they?).
>
>
> ... stereotypes dj crew-providin' the vibes 310 236 0141
>