In the coming days we will take some time to reflect on the past year in Rock Town Hall. Expect nothing too self-congratulatory, but we’ll hit on a couple of highs, some surprises, and some fun flops. It shouldn’t surprise you if I try, once more, to get the last word in on a long-gone topic or revive a dead horse just long enough to give it its final beating. Or so I’d like to think. Chime in with your own unresolved issues. Chime in with your thoughts on where we’ve been and where we’re headed. Aside from the opportunity to pat us all on the back for a fun and insightful 2007, I’m hoping this also gives newer visitors to the Halls of Rock a chance to catch up on some things they may have missed.
If you’re not familiar with our history, our introductory post from January 12, 2007 is as good a place as any to get up to speed. As we moved from the “basement” of our original, private list to the harsh light of an open blog, a few new “handles” were assumed, a few treasured, regular participants dropped out, and a few feathers were ruffled. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! Within a short time, however, most of the wrinkles smoothed out as rock nerds let their freak flags fly with thoughtful reports from rock road trips, careful examinations of rock fashion trends, and cutting-edge work in extending our rock vocabulary (eg, The Power and Glory of Rock, Psychic Oblivion, Rock Crimes, and clarity about the already-established term Rockism). We even conducted an ongoing discussion of a Working Definition of a term being considered for inclusion in the Rock Town Hall Glossary. To those of you who participated in the establishment of these new rock terms, Mad Props! Rock critics have been running on empty in terms of rock-crit jargon in these balkanized, post-indie-rock times. Take pride as you see our work disseminate into the literature.
Townsman Hrrundivbakshi, a founding Rock Town Hall member from way back when, quickly adapted his distinctive voice to the blog, with everything from fun and games to searing, questioning pieces surrounding his personal Holy Trinity of Rock (eg, Jeff Lynne, Prince, and ZZ Top) as well as his demons (eg, hippies, Bob Dylan, Michael Stipe). HVB’s Thrifty Music series is another feature worth seeking out and exploring. Here’s to more god-forsaken, scratchy used records in 2008!
Every now and then we pooled forces and dedicated entire days in the Hall to a special theme. The KISS Army Reunion was one of the first such focused moments. The Hear Factor initiative was a series that stretched out over the course of a week, in which Townspeople blindly traded unmarked, anonymous mix CDs and then, along with those of us who downloaded the mixes, share their thoughts. It’s important to get out of our comfort zones now and then! Our 2007 GRAMMYS Bash was another early moment in which the blog came together. That night, it wasn’t so much the Main Stage pieces themselves that made the event special but the live Comments from Townspeople. I’ll reflect further on the Power and Glory of RTH Comments later this week!
Before I sign off on this first year-end reflection, may I direct your attention to Rock Town Hall’s cofounding father, E. Pluribus Gergely, and the designer of this site, The Back Office. The former, the curmudgeonly, truth-telling EPG, will always be my most-anticipated sparring partner. Although we agree on much when it comes to what really matters about rock ‘n roll and life, the stuff we disagree on provides ample opportunities for sharing, learning, healing, and general outbreaks of Mandom. The latter, including all those toiling away in The Back Office, has given Rock Town Hall its distinctive Look and helped culture its sense of adventure and, I hope, openness. If you’re gonna come up from the basement, it really helps to have someone to open the shades and freshen up the living room now and then.
If anyone’s watching what goes on around here, so be it. We’ve all seen enough of some overexposed rock commentators over the years. Move over Thurston Moore!
Coming soon: Townspeople Speak, Special Guests, New Voices!
