ChordStrike

Stranger Than Fiction Friday: Paradise City Retirement Fund

Somehow, between recording and prepping a new album, writing weekly advice columns and an autobiography, being a father and husband, former Guns N’ Roses bassist, Duff McKagan has founded a financial management firm for fellow musicians.

While recovering from a ruptured pancreas, brought on by years of hard partying, McKagan found himself thumbing through Gn’R financial statements and realized he had not a clue what the numbers meant. He enrolled in basic finance courses and later enrolled at Seattle University’s Albers School of Business.

"I'm not a financial planner -- I was just trying to figure this out for myself," he told Fortune. "I didn't want to be 60 years old and broke, having made all this money in my twenties...that was my simple goal.”

Now, 17 years later, McKagan has founded Meridian Rock, with the goal of informing other rockers about sound financial planning. He’s partnered with British investor, Andy Bottomley, and the two are currently interviewing financial planners.

McKagan hopes to demystify the finances of rockstars; those who are too embarrassed or uncomfortable talking to “suits,” but who will feel comfortable with McKagan. What makes Meridian Rock different, McKagan says, is its understanding of the industry; Meridian Rock's advisors will talk directly to the talent, in plain and simple terms. The company's three tenets, McKagan notes, are righteousness (i.e., not screwing people over), transparency, and education.

McKagan writes weekly columns for ESPN.com, and the Seattle Weekly, and pens “Duffonomics” for Playboy.com.

His book is titled It’s So Easy and Other Lies and his band, Duff McKagan’s Loaded, is set to release their latest album, The Taking, in mid-April. You can pre-order it here.

-[[I:Court]]

SoundUnwound's editorial team write about the latest big music news and quirky stories which catch the eye. We also post a selection of these news stories on Chordstrike; for much, much more, visit SoundUnwound.com, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon. Follow us at twitter.com/soundunwound.

Have the Grammys Lost Their Credibility?

The Grammy Awards are out of touch, contradictory and hypocritical a longtime music marketing executive asserted in this past Sunday’s New York Times. The charges were printed in a full page letter written by Steve Stoute wherein he criticized The National Academy of Arts and Sciences (NARAS), who presents the Grammy Awards.

"Over the course of my 20-year history as an executive in the music business and as the owner of a firm that specializes in in-culture advertising, I have come to the conclusion that the Grammy Awards have clearly lost touch with contemporary popular culture… Where I think that the Grammys fail stems from two key sources: (1) over-zealousness to produce a popular show that is at odds with its own system of voting and (2) fundamental disrespect of cultural shifts as being viable and artistic."

Of particular contention to Mr. Stoute are the Academy’s snubs of hip-hop artists and cultural phenomenons. Wrote Stoute, "We must acknowledge the massive cultural impact of Eminem and Kanye West and how their music is shaping, influencing and defining the voice of a generation." Further querying, "How is it that Justin Bieber, an artist that defines what it means to be a modern artist, did not win Best New Artist?"

Anyone who watched CBS leading up to the Grammys saw these artists in commercials, and Stoute condemns the Awards for understanding “cultural relevance when it comes to using Eminem's, Kanye West's or Justin Bieber's name in the billing to ensure viewership and to deliver the all-too-important ratings for its advertisers,” but not acknowledging their critical or commercial successes.

Lastly, Stoute challenges artists to refuse to be used for ratings, and to stop accepting invitations to perform until the Academy begins to uphold “its mission for advocacy and support of artistry as culture evolves.”

-Court @ SoundUnwound

SoundUnwound's editorial team write about the latest big music news and quirky stories which catch the eye. We also post a selection of these news stories on Chordstrike; for much, much more, visit SoundUnwound.com, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon. Follow us at twitter.com/soundunwound.

Music Videos: Entertainment or Advertising Platform?

 

Do you remember the product placement spoof scene in the movie Wayne’s World? Turns out embedded marketing has become an increasingly important revenue stream for both manufacturers and for creative industries’ financing, and music videos are the latest place for branded items to pop up.

Lady Gaga’s Telephone video was rife with consumer goods. Now it is Britney Spears’ new video for the ravey Hold It Against Me that is getting the treatment.

Billboard points out that in the video, Spears, a Sony artist, can be seen in front of a Sony television, and few up-close shots of the Sony logo that are perhaps more subliminal advertising than brand placement.

The video also has close-ups of Make Up Forever brand of eye shadow and Spears' Radiance brand of fragrance. On one of the Sony monitors Spears can be seen browsing Plenty Of Fish’s online dating site; a placement for which Plenty of Fish paid handsomely. Earlier this week, it was disclosed that Spears was paid $500,000 for product placement in the "Hold It Against Me" video. According to a New York Times article, the placement was arranged by the Kluger group, whose chief executive Adam Kluger told the Times to his knowledge Plenty of Fish is the only paid placement in the video.

Billboard also notes that "Hold It Against Me" director Jonas Akerlund too directed the product-heavy video for "Telephone," which also featured Plenty Of Fish, which seems, well, kind of fishy.

-Court @ SoundUnwound

SoundUnwound's editorial team write about the latest big music news and quirky stories which catch the eye. We also post a selection of these news stories on Chordstrike; for much, much more, visit SoundUnwound.com, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon. Follow us at twitter.com/soundunwound.

Thurston's Lesson For Sonic Youth

If your kids aren’t already noisy enough, why not take them to a lecture explaining the artfulness of white noise? This Sunday, April 11, precocious young music lovers can make their way to Partners & Spade Gallery in New York City for a very special hour-long event featuring Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore. For a mere $30 attendees will be able to listen to Moore presenting “A Dissertation on White Noise,” though quite what the eight-to-twelve year-old target audience will make of the subject matter is anyone’s guess.

The event forms part of the gallery’s Avant Garde Preschool series, which aims to nurture the interests of the upcoming generation in art, though it seems likely that the event might be anticipated rather more eagerly by the parental chaperons. The preschool series of events is the brainchild of Andy Spade, a co-owner of the gallery who is also the father of a – probably achingly art-aware – 4 year-old.

As for Moore, he is due back on the road with Sonic Youth on April 16, when his grown-up fans in Barcelona will surely honor him with a more ecstatic reception than the bewildered eight year-olds of New York.

--Hazel @ SoundUnwound

SoundUnwound's editorial team write about the latest big music news and quirky stories which catch the eye. We also post a selection of these news stories on Chordstrike; for much, much more, visit SoundUnwound.com, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon. Follow us at twitter.com/soundunwound.

Nude Erykah Invites Character Assassination

What is the purpose of a music video? Is it just a vehicle for a song, is it to gain the artist attention, or should it be an artistic statement of its own? Erykah Badu achieved all three with her video for new single "Window Seat," which shows the soul star strolling through Dealey Plaza, Dallas, shedding her clothes, and then falling as if shot on the same spot where President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

Some commentators have criticized the clip as distasteful, and Badu could have faced up to a year in jail if she'd been caught and arrested for public nudity. But most fans and bloggers seem to like the video, which was shot in one take a few weeks ago. "I tied it in a way that compared the assassination to the character assassination one would go through after showing his or her self completely," Badu explained to Dallas Morning News.

"She was already prepared to deal with whatever consequences because she knew she believed in what she was doing," director Chike told MTV, adding that bail money had already been collected in case the police had arrived. And amid all the talk about the rights and wrongs of the video is the news that Badu's fifth studio album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), is out this week. She's a shrewd lady.

The video can also be viewed at Erykah Badu's official website here, it is censored but don't watch it if your boss is looking over your shoulder!

What do you think of the video, and of Erykah's new album?

--Ally @ SoundUnwound

SoundUnwound's editorial team write about the latest big music news and quirky stories which catch the eye. We also post a selection of these news stories on Chordstrike; for much, much more, visit SoundUnwound.com, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon. Follow us at twitter.com/soundunwound.

'Stylo' Steals, Eddy Alleges

It’s that time again: time for another plagiarism claim!

The newest protest comes from 80s reggae star Eddy Grant about the first single from the new Gorillaz album Plastic Beach. Grant has consulted his lawyers alleging that there are “substantive similarities” between the current Gorillaz single “Stylo” and Grant’s 1983 track “Time Warp.”

In an email to the British music magazine NME, he explained “My song sits almost note to note with their release and is a blatant rip off. ‘Time Warp’ is a very popular song and has been a staple of the DJ scene for many years and I feel total disrespect from Gorillaz and their management company, especially as they are an established act.” Neither Gorillaz nor their label E.M.I. have commented on the situation as of yet, but the argument has already spilled into the public domain with fans of each artist taking a side in the debate.

Still, there is something of a silver lining: Coldplay fans across the globe are breathing a sigh of relief that plagiarism lawyers currently have other artists to concern them.

As is now customary, a helpful Youtube user has uploaded both tracks back to back so we can compare:

And while we're here, if you haven't seen the official Bruce Willis-starring video for "Stylo" yet, we suggest you head over to YouTube to see it, cos it's really cool.

Do you think Eddy has a case? Or do you think it's just a coincidence?

--Hazel @ SoundUnwound

SoundUnwound's editorial team write about the latest big music news and quirky stories which catch the eye. We also post a selection of these news stories on Chordstrike; for much, much more, visit SoundUnwound.com, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon. Follow us at twitter.com/soundunwound.

LOST: All the Songs*, All in One Place

Looking for the perfect soundtrack to your Dharma party? Need something to spin for your final-season soirée? Now you can have all the songs featured in *Seasons 1-5 of Lost with just one click.

The producers of Lost have some pretty diverse tastes, and the 71 songs included here include cuts by Patsy Cline, Perry Como, Petula Clark, the Pixies, and Puccini, just to name a few.

So check it out. Sample tracks 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42, or download the whole MP3 playlist in one click. (We'll update the playlist with the songs from Season 6 after the finale on May 23.)

     --Jason Kirk

Hope for Haiti Now

Download the Hope for Haiti Now benefit album featuring live performances from last night's star-studded Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief telethon.  

All proceeds from the album sales will go to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, the United Nations World Food Programme, and Yele Haiti Foundation.

In addition, all proceeds from the special studio version of "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)" by Jay-Z, Bono, The Edge, and Rihanna will go to Partners in Health.

 

Haiti Earthquake Relief

Sosúa, Dominican Republic (Tuesday, January 12) -- I was on the balcony, three floors up, when suddenly I felt a powerful urge to throw up. Then my chair began to sway. When I looked across the alley and saw the laundry lines in full swing, I knew we were in trouble.

As we all fled out into the street, the air of general panic was palpable. Over the next few hours, via spotty cell phone connections, those of us huddled together in the street, half a mile from the beach, realized that the entire island had shaken. Tsunami warnings were issued for Hispaniola and Cuba.

As time passed, power was restored, and news crept in, we realized that Port-au-Prince had borne the brunt of the earthquake. The significant Haitian population in Sosúa took to weeping openly in the streets, though in the scramble to pack and gas up vehicles for a possible sprint inland, none of us yet knew how bad things really were.

Tuesday night passed in a slow haze of fatigue and disbelief. One of the lucky ones by far, I got out the next morning, leaving Santiago airport as originally planned. It wasn't until the plane landed in Miami Wednesday afternoon that I saw televised footage of the immediate aftermath in Port-au-Prince.

Back in Seattle, it was heartening to see Amazon making it easy for customers to donate directly to Mercy Corp, and I was lucky to attend a Thursday-night fundraiser at Waid's, a great local Haitian joint.

Musicians, of course, have been quick to lend their voices to the call for mass generosity in service of the nascent relief efforts. In a written public statement, Maxwell made an important point: "[S]ending cash is the best way to help right now. The easiest way to do it is through text messaging, but other ways to help include donating to organizations such as the Clinton foundation, Unicef, [and] Red Cross ... There are links to those charities here: http://www.musze.com/."

Wyclef Jean's Yéle Haiti Foundation moved with laudable speed, offering regular updates on its own efforts, three ways to donate--the easiest is to text "YELE" to 501501 (a $5 donation)--and beneficiary status for a series of emergency benefit concerts featuring Patti Smith, Living Colour, and many more at Manhattan's City Winery (January 20-25).

I recommend Catholic Relief Services, and here's why.

However you can, please give.

     --Jason Kirk

Chip Kidd's Killer Rolling Stone Cover

Peep the cover of the most recent issue of Rolling Stone. It's nothing if not an object lesson in the powerful simplicity of graphic design done right. No surprise, I suppose, since the cover was conceptualized by Chip Kidd.

For those who don't know of Kidd, he's most highly renowned for his book-jacket designs, in which medium he reigns (among the living) absolutely unchallenged. His Work: 1986-2006 is a superlative greatest-hits collection culled from two decades' eye-popping book jackets and worth every penny.

Then again, maybe this issue's perfect cover should be a surprise, given that the former bastion of music journalism has lately taken to featuring incomparably horrible covers like last issue's inexplicable image of Shark Boy winning a wet t-shirt contest.

As for what's between the sheets, well, RS's look back at the '00s is predictably loaded with slavish applause for Radiohead's Kid A ($7.99 today!) and nearly everything U2 and Bruce Springsteen did, touched, or thought since the turn of the millennium. Ho humbug...

     --Jason Kirk

Pink Floyd and Seattle: Another Decade in The Wall

Seems hard to believe, but The Wall by Pink Floyd was released 30 years ago today, November 30, 1979.

And, even harder to believe, the WTO protests in Seattle, also known fondly as The Battle in Seattle or N30, started 10 years ago today, November 30, 1999.

Both of these N30 anti-establishment zeitgeists featured elements of rioting, burning rubbish, and gas masks. Coincidence? I think not.

Pink Floyd, 1979:

Seattle, 1999:

--Lucas Hilbert

Whoah There, Adam Lambert

Adam Lambert has broken free of his Idol chains, and last night at the American Music Awards he unleashed his new, sexed-up image during a performance of the title track from For Your Entertainment (which is out today, incidentally). Dancers on leashes, dancers getting their heads pushed into Mr Lambert's apparently not-so-private parts, Adam snogging a band member... The video is certainly turning some heads.

It's not quite Christina Aguilera debuting the "Dirrty" video, since we knew all along that Adam wasn't of the safe and sweet school of pop thought, but I'd say he did manage to pull out a bit of a shocker - particularly when he grabbed the keyboard player and somewhat forcibly made out with him (talk about band members going above and beyond the call of duty).

Unfortunately the video has already been yanked from YouTube, but The Huffington Post has close-ups of all the highlights (or worst offenses, depending on your perspective). Here's one:

What do you think -- next Madonna or next has-been?

-- Courtney Powell

Christopher Walken Performs Lady Gaga's "Poker Face"

Our friends over at Armchair Commentary posted this awesome video of actor Christopher Walken performing Lady Gaga's "Poker Face."  I'm a Lady Gaga fan, but I have to say--nobody does it like Christopher Walken.  Check out both Walken's version and the original Gaga music video below.

--Bri Nguyen

2009 CMA Awards: The Best & Worst Moments

Another year of CMA Awards has come and gone and Chordstrike is here to vilify and praise the worst and the best of "Country Music's Biggest Night." Without further ado...

Top 10 Worst Moments:

1. Taylor Swift's "mature" opening show performance replete with a stripper pole and black spandex (or was it leather?), not to mention, her voice was flat and off key.
2. Carrie Underwood does "Cowboy Casanova" looking strangely like Christina Aguilera circa 2003. The presence of synchronized dance steps and costumes proves yet again that the contemporary country genre is anything but Country.
3. Sugarland wins Duo of the Year and asks Brooks & Dunn if they want to come on stage to say anything. The awkward and uncomfortable look on B & D's faces was oh so palpable.
4. Sugarland performs another wannabe tear jerker song which leads this viewer to ask, "whaddu I gotta dooooo to keep from listening to youuuu?"
5. Kenny Chesney - another CMA Awards Show, another blue shirt and pair of gray pants. And he went way off key, saved only by Dave Matthews appearing on stage to rescue him from his own warbling.
6. Video screens flashing lyrics word for word during a few of the performances. Did I forget to turn off my close captioning?
7. Lady Antebellum win the Vocal Group of the Year award followed immediately by a TIAA CREF commercial that features a Lady Antebellum song. This makes for the quickest sellout story in Country Music history.
8. Brad & Carrie are interrupted by an Little Jimmy Dickens rambling about a Taylor Swift video. I know it was supposed to be a play on the Kanye thing, but it didn't come off quite right.
9. ABC's lame attempt to promote their new show "The Middle" by using the show's stars as award presenters, along with their painful attempt to link their show to the "common family" epitomized by Country Music. Yea, nice try.
10. Brooks & Dunn perform with ex-ZZ Top member making it the one and only geriatric retiree performance of the night.

Top 10 Best Moments:
1. Darius Rucker wins the New Artist of the Year award and is the first African American artist to do so, as well as his acceptance speech.
2. Carrie Underwood dissing Kanye West to the tune of "Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Kanye."
3. Zac Brown Band's cover of "Devil Goes Down To Georgia."
4. Jamey Johnson's subtle and understated acceptance speech for Song of the Year, including the link between our grandparents and Veterans Day to "In Color."
5. On stage banter between Brad and Carrie, including the comment about "George Straight plus eight."
6. Kid Rock and Jamey Johnson perform "Somewhere Between Jennings and Jones" to thankfully feature some traditional country for the night!
7. Miranda Lambert's bass player with the white suit and mohawk. So Country Punk!
8. Lady Antebellum on-stage performance reminiscent of an old duo between Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
9. Darius Rucker does his version of crowd surfing during his performance. We loved those lip syncing fans that couldn't quite get the lyrics right.
10. The huge psychedelic flat screen ceiling lights hung above Keith Urban during his performance.

What did we get right or wrong?

--Lucas Hilbert

2009 CMA Award Winners

Congratulations to this year's winners at the CMA Awards Show. The list of winners includes:

Entertainer of the Year: Taylor Swift
Female Vocalist of the Year: Taylor Swift
Male Vocalist of the Year: Brad Paisley
New Artist of the Year: Darius Rucker
Vocal Group of the Year: Lady Antebellum
Vocal Duo of the Year: Sugarland
Album of the Year: Taylor Swift, Fearless

To celebrate, we're offering a free MP3 download by a CMA Award-nominated artist (code: CMAAWARD).

Browse all the winners, nominees, featured artists, and more in our CMA Awards Store.

     --Jason Kirk

Adam Lambert Releases Album Art

Now, I'm not the biggest Idol fan, but I saw this just-released album cover for Adam Lambert's upcoming release, For Your Entertainment, and it kinda blew me away. I'm really not sure what to make of it--I feel simultaneously drawn to it and vaguely horrified:

What do you think?

--Alan Wiley

New Band with Thom Yorke and Flea

News from the Department of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot...

In case you haven't heard, Radiohead's Thom Yorke just launched a new band with Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Joey Waronker, Mauro Refosco, and longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. Apparently without a name, they played a few shows in LA recently. So who made it out to see this group? Please regale ChordStrike with a review of the show.

     --Jason Kirk

La Roux: Interviewed

Earlier this summer, on one of the hottest days in the history of Seattle, I sat down with Mercury Prize-nominated artist Elly Jackson, half of British electronic pop sensation La Roux, before one of just a handful of stateside club shows she played prior to her band's domestic release. With her partner-in-music Ben Langmaid, the 21-year-old Ms. Jackson has created one of my favorite records of the year, La Roux's self-titled debut, which made its much-anticipated appearance on American shores just this week.

With a bevy of UK top 10 singles ("Bulletproof," "In For The Kill," "Quicksand"), critical acclaim, and superstar status across the pond, La Roux is poised to make a big splash here in the states. We talked about songwriting, the '80s, and the band's international potential, among other things. Check out the interview below.

--Alan Wiley

Interview: Matt McCormick Discusses Music's Role in New Film

Part of Portland indie film darling Matt McCormick's heart has always belonged to the music scene. In between creating and screening his own experimental film projects, managing international film label Peripheral Produce and directing the PDX Film Festival, he's found time through the years to collaborate with musicians, compose soundtracks for some of his own short films, and direct music videos for The Shins, Sleater-Kinney, YACHT and other acts.

So it's not surprising that McCormick recruited some musically-minded friends to collaborate in his first full-length feature film. James Mercer of the Shins and Carrie Brownstein of the recently disbanded Sleater-Kinney play the lead roles in Some Days are Better Than Others, and Portland-based Matthew Cooper, better known as Eluvium, is scoring the film. The trailer was released this week. Watch it below for a taste of the four Portlanders' collaborative work.

Matt was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about the roles that music--and musicians--play in Some Days are Better than Others.

How did you decide James and Carrie were right for the two lead roles?

There were a lot of factors. The storyline of James' character actually derives from a music video I made for the Shins a long time ago ("The Past and Pending") and throughout the writing process I sort of had his image as that character. I also had worked with him on a couple other video projects and knew he was good in front of the camera, so when the time came to cast the film I gave him a shot to audition and he nailed it. Carrie originally came in to audition for a smaller role, but she asked if she could also read for the bigger role (Katrina) which she also nailed. The character Carrie plays works at a local dog shelter, and in real life Carrie works at the Oregon Humane Society, so she had a very acute understanding of the story line.

What did they bring to the table as musicians that made them interesting to work with, or different from actors without that background?

I have worked with so few actors that it's hard to say, but Carrie and James are both very smart, creative people who I think were able to bring a larger artistic sense to the process. It really just felt like one big artistic collaboration.

You've scored some of your own short films in the past - how did you approach the scoring of this film, and how did you decide to work with Matthew Cooper?

Matthew Cooper (who performs under the name Eluvium) is kind of a hero of mine. I recently met him and we realized we were mutual fans of each other's work, and it almost seemed like we were just destined to do this project together.

Several other local musicians appear in the film as well. How did that evolve?

There are some little bit parts that musician friends of mine played, but nothing too serious. I guess a lot of it comes down to the fact that I just have a lot of friends who are musicians, and it's always fun to work with them in one way or another.

Watch the just-released trailer for Some Days are Better Than Others here, find out more on the Some Days are Better than Others site, and check out more of Matt McCormick's work (including music videos for the Shin's "The Past and Pending" and "Australia," as well as Sleater Kinney's "Jumpers") on Matt McCormick's site.

Some Days are Better than Others (trailer) from matt mccormick on Vimeo.

-- Courtney Powell

Do Song Lyrics Fit the Times?

While browsing through the October 2009 issue of Psychology Today magazine, I came across an interesting blurb titled "Pop Goes the Bubble: Song Lyrics Fit the Times," by Sophie Chen.  According to the blurb, Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" was popular this year not just because it's catchy, but also because we happened to be going through an economic recession when it hit the airwaves. 

The blurb goes on to reference the soon-to-be-published work of professors Terry Pettijohn II of Coastal Carolina University and Donald Sacco Jr. of Miami University of Ohio.  Pettijohn II and Sacco Jr. looked at the correlation between hit songs and socioeconomic conditions from 1955 to 2003.  The results of their study showed that "popular songs dealt with more meaningful themes at times when socioeconomic conditions were threatening.  Lyrics also focused more on friendships and romances; in hard times, people feel a stronger need for close relationships."  The blurb goes on to provide an interesting snapshot of the #1 Billboard singles during a few key years:

• 1997 (Asian financial crisis): Elton John: "Candle in the Wind"
• 2000 (Stock market peak): Destiny's Child: "Independent Woman, Part I"
• 2006 (Slowdown in housing market): Daniel Powter: "Bad Day"

There may be some truth to this data, but I'm not sure if I fully buy the research team's conclusion.  If "Independent Woman, Part I" were released today, I'm inclined to think it would still be a hit single.  After all, Beyoncé's similarly-themed "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" was released this year (in the deepest throes of the economic downturn, coincidentally), and not only did it peak at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it also became Beyoncé's highest-selling song in the U.S. to date.

So what do you think--are song lyrics really a true reflection of economic times?  Or is this Psychology Today report just a load of pseudo-scientific twaddle?

--Bri Nguyen