I’m not one to toot my own horn, but for the benefit of all of us who take part in making Rock Town Hall the joyous time-wasting, truth-telling music-discussion blog that it is, I feel it necessary to claim appropriate credit for our collective role in encouraging spirited, personal rock blogging and other online communications. I feel it necessary to make the claim, since no other media outlets are doing so, that Rock Town Hall Is the John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers of Rock Blogging.
This, of course, makes me the John Mayall of Rock Blogging. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be known as the Eric Clapton of Rock Blogging—or even the Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Jack Bruce, or Mick Taylor (other notable rock legends who honed their chops playing da white man’s blooz under Mayall’s leadership) of the genre—but if my acceptance of the Mayall role enables you to fly higher then so be it. Few things give me more pride than seeing your original works appear here or elsewhere. The same goes for when I see you post a link to a funny rock video or piece of news on your personal Facebook page rather than sharing it directly here. The more the merrier. Not all of your friends enter the Halls of Rock, but it’s the Lord’s work we do and all of God’s children should benefit from our riches.
Facebook is a weird beast, isn’t it? Sometimes I’m uncomfortable with knowing all the virtual activities my friends are up to, but I can see when a couple of you who had no prior personal history before Rock Town Hall become Facebook friends and conduct your own rock discussions “off campus,” so to speak. Knowing that the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood we have cultured carries through your day makes me feel warm inside. I bet Mayall felt a similar sense of warmth when his band members spent their downtime from the Bluesbreakers plotting their next course of action, either forming their own bands with other Bluesbreakers or latching onto an established band with a powerful manager and better commercial prospects.
I’m not the type of person who waits by his Inbox, anticipating Thank you notes from Townspeople whose byline now graces legendary rock fanzines and other well-heeled media outlets. I sense your gratitude whenever I write you to congratulate you on a newly published piece at your new communications home base…
OK, listen: I’m having some fun, but what I really want to do with this thread is take a few minutes to analyze the Hall’s development by region. As some of you know, Rock Town Hall started its life as a Yahoo Group with a small group of members culled from my personal music friends and a few other music enthusiasts I’d communicated with through other listservs, primitive blogs, and even old-fashioned snail mail. As a result, the original regional bases of strength were Philadelphia (my hometown and the home base of longtime music cohorts like cofounder E. Pluribus Gergely, andyr, chickenfrank, tvox, machinery, geo [and his old buddy, al], dbuskirk, saturnismine, and General Slocum as well as a slightly younger crop of music scenesters, such as Oats, cdm, dr john, Scott Rodgers, and Rock Psychic Allen Merry) and Washington, DC, where two of my old friends and bandmates went to college and where I befriended their college friends, including hrrundivbakshi, mockcarr, Rick Massimo, and mwall. Although some of those DC contacts had split that area for greener pastures, for purposes of this analysis they will be considered part of the “DC crew.” A peak back at the old Yahoo Group archive would certainly remind me of some other oversights.
Boston also had a stake in the founding of Rock Town Hall simply because Boston is such a great rock nerd town. I think The Great 48, for instance, a key founding member and trouble maker, was already settled in that town after having passed through 47 other states when our old Yahoo Group got underway. California also supplied some original members, including the future prime mover in our current blog format, sammymaudlin. Back in those days, I recall, West Coasters sometimes felt it difficult to keep up with the early bird pace of the East Coast centers of, well, power is not the right word, let’s say hot air.
Then there were a few key regulars based in their own outposts, most notably BigSteve (then in New Orleans), Berlyant (then in New York), and The Great 48’s virtual buddy, pudman13, who I believe is still in Ohio. I hope I’m not giving away any damaging personal details, by the way. I’m just fascinated by how we’ve come together and how we’ve developed over time. My teenage son, for instance, thinks nothing of having a network of gaming buddies from around the globe thanks to XBox, YouTube, Skype, and god knows what other instantly gratifying means. When I was his age the concept of a pen pal was a big deal. In the ’80s, when I used to book little tours for my band and try to get our records reviewed, it took a lot of legwork to address and mail packages and to attempt to reach an Oregon college station’s music director by phone during his 10:00 pm west coast time shift. But I digress…
Since we founded the original Yahoo Groups list in late 2002 and moved to the blog format in early 2007, much has changed, yet much (as would be anticipated based on my cliched phrasing) remains the same. The Philadelphia branch continues to be strong, with newer members, such as shawnkilroy, Oats recruit alexmagic, tonyola (I believe he’s Philly based) [turns out he’s stationed in Miami! – ed] and others replacing those who have drifted away (eg, saturnismine and sally cinnamon). This regional group’s impact has been felt in the local rock media with Townspeople launching their own blogs, writing for other blogs and local newspapers, friendly local blogs designing their own Concert Listings icon based on our iconic guitar-wielding Townsman, another more insular local blog kindly directing traffic to our site whenever they mention Baby Flamehead, Philadelphia’s daily newspaper site running pieces that are likely informed by our reports (not that we don’t do the same based on their work!), the rolls of Facebook friends ballooning, and an auspicious lack of feature coverage for the blog itself by the local media that benefits so greatly by our work. Clearly, what we’ve got going here is too hot to handle!
I can’t say enough about the growth of our Boston branch. Although The Great 48’s treasured hipper-than-hip insults are but rare morsels handed out between his surely more fruitful interests, newer members from the Boston area, such as bostonhistorian and misterioso, have upheld the region’s reputation for knowledgeable, articulate rock lovers. One day I hope to find myself headed to Boston on a business trip, at which point I intend to organize a night out with our Beantown branch.
Our California contingent has also grown since sammymaudlin’s deepened interest in 2007 and the addition of outstanding contributors like the House of Royale and trigmogigmo. I predict big things for California in the second half of 2012.
Our independently stationed Townspeople, including latelydavid, pudman13, the relocated BigSteve, and our Canadian correspondent, cliff sovinsanity, have held up their end of the bargain, although I do miss Main Stage contributions from our former Canadian correspondent, nothvancoveman, and our Australian correspondent, mikeydread. Other Townspeople from points unknown continue to chime in on a regular basis, and I salute you.
The one region I need to take to task is the once-vital DC contingent (relative newcomer from that region, funoka, who I don’t believe is an old friend of the orginal DC crew, excluded). I count on hrrundivbakshi as much as anyone in these Hallowed Halls. Although still capable of producing pieces of piercing insight, our Master of Fun and Games has slipped, both in terms of quality and quantity. There are whispers that married life has changed him or that The Man is keeping him down at work, but we know better. Like his heroes Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, Prince, and Billy Gibbons, HVB needs an occasional kick in the ass. Consider this post my right foot!
As with any strong playmaker in any sport, teammates feed off their leader. When hrrundi’s game gets back to its usual high standards I am confident he will create opportunities for the witty mockcarr, the erudite mwall, and the soulful Massimo. The Townsmen have much to offer, but they don’t typically create shots for themselves. The dynamic of the original DC4, as they were never known, depends on HVB distributing the rock, putting his mates in a position to make plays. I don’t mean to single out my man, but rather to use this example of the DC4’s presently dysfunctional group dynamic to illustrate the reliance we have on each other. Da blooz, to get back to my original John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers analogy, is a living music that depends on the strength of any current set of musicians listening to and playing off each other.
I thank all current and former Bluesbreakers and welcome future members!
Thanks for this backward glance o’er travel’d roads.
But wait a minute, wait a minute. Wait a doggone minute. If this is the John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers of rock blogging, and you’re Mayall, this makes me…what…Coco Montoya? Hank Van Sickle? Can we rethink this metaphor?
I was shocked–shocked–to learn that people have a life or existence outside of this blog. But, then, je ne parle pas facebook.
As for Boston: Mod, you may consider yourself to have the all the privileges of an honored guest. But for the love of Mike, don’t call it Beantown or the aforesaid privileges will be stripped away in a public ceremony on the Public Garden and you’ll be run out of town an a rail and sent back to Cheesesteakastan whence you came.
Anyway, remember, life is just a slow train crawling up a hill. But, hey, you knew that already.
OK, so no Beantown. I thought it was supposed to endear me to your deeps. I’m reminded of the reaction I got in San Francisco, when I dropped the term Frisco as often as possible.
I suppose that when you were in France recently you went around telling people how much you love Gay Paree?
Right, while wearing a beret and striped shirt! Someone’s been giving me false impressions all these years.
Maybe this is a more apt metaphor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o59S7C1nYfc
We’re all a blended family with some periodic squabbling, occasional solos, a retro focus, and some groovy fashion ideas.
Mod, would you like to be Greg or Marcia?
Exactement.
Apropos of nothing, but this just kills me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w13Vpt074Qc&feature=related
Sniff, a tear just rolled down my cheek. I love you all.
http://youtu.be/Y-pxgUyC_V4
First of all, was that Joannie Love Chachi theme song actually broadcast before each episode? I must have blocked that out if I ever watched that show. Late-period Joannie was a serious turn-off.
Ladymiss, I think I’d like to be the poster tube in this scene, especially beginning at the 7:21 mark. Chickenfrank, this one’s for you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgY5Jw8IaGs
I have no recollection either! I am sure I watched that show at least a few times, but I have no memory of the opening or of much else about it other than the fact of its existence.
Wow. I don’t think I’d ever seen Lobo. I am, uh, almost speechless and don’t know where to begin. (And that’s just focusing on the hair, mind you.) But I know if you enjoyed that as much as I did you’ll want to see him singing Me & You & a Dog Named Boo, too. Lobo would have made an awesome guest star on the Brady Bunch. Ah, what might have been.
No Philly here. I actually live in Miami, Florida.
Two things I now know about Lobo after reading his wikipedia page that I did not know before: 1) supposedly was in a band with Gram Parsons in Fla. in the early 60s called the Rumours (Parsons must have been about 15 or 16!) and 2) he’s still big in what used to be called The Orient.
Whaddayouknow! With you, latelydavidband (and his long-lost buddy, mickavory), and jungleland2 (another Georgian, I believe?) we can at least form a Grapefruit/Peachtree division.
I thought there were a few townsfolks from Minnesota.
I think underthefloat is still there, but you’re right – it may be funoka who’s got roots up that way. I would have still categorized him in that region but recently he disclosed the fact that he owns season tickets for the Washington Nationals.
And let’s not forget the excellent Hank Fan, somewhere in Seger Country!
We’re deficient in the Euro division. Didn’t we have a crazed German dude for a short while? I miss mikeydread’s Australian perspective too.
I’ve been trying to shake mickavory from retirement. He’s a school teacher in real life, so he’s living the good summer life in the Big Easy. However, you know you can always count on me…
TB
I think we did briefly have a German. How about the original Thunder Down Under, the guy who used to turn any post into an opportunity to complain about digital compression?
You’re solid as a rock! As at least one other Townsman could tell mickavory, summertime spells R-T-H for those in the teaching profession.
I think northcoveman’s disappearance coincided with his wedding. In his last entry, he was asking for song recommendations for the reception. That was about a year ago. Maybe he’s having one of those Merchant-Ivory honeymoons.
And what about Mowgli and Toynutz? I imagine them being from the same region.
You mean he married Helena Bonham-Carter? Not bad…
Man, we’re all living in Seger Country, and don’t you forget it! Workin’ and practicin’!
I also seem to remember some guy from Detroit who had an axe to grind about being a professional musician, but also something about techno (?).
Actually we attract surprisingly few crazies. Or we attract only people whose craziness is within our own parameters.
One of my favorite RTH eras was when we had that interlude about progrock pin-ups, and lots of new people appeared here briefly. Then we went back to ‘normal.’
I do miss sally cinnamon though.
Mr. Royale just chimed in that “everyone wanted to be under Jan’s sweaty armpit.” He also noted that Mike appears to have been separated at birth from Robert Pollard.
I wasn’t watching the time carefully, but I assume Mod was referring to when Alice takes a firm grip on the poster tube. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
I forgot about him! The “professional musician” types are always entertaining – and that’s not a cut on participants who are or have been professional musicians, such as the overlooked (in my tribute – not in my heart) mrclean and gregg.
Good point about Mike Brady and Robert Pollard! And good to know that chickenfrank and I were not the only Townsmen to have reached a new level of understanding when that episode aired!
I’m up (or down) for going out when Mr. Mod hits town. Are you in Boston proper misterioso?
I exist only in cyberspace.
The Hall is a great place that all y’all have built. I’m in awe of the knowledge here, and it has been very welcoming to a recent hanger on such as myself. If you land in the “Frisco” bay area, drop me a message, and maybe we can lure the Royales out, too.
The “avatars” are great in their brevity. My current favorite is CDM’s, which I interpret as either Billy Joel or Peter Gabriel, angry or grimacing, and wearing a TNG starfleet uniform jacket. So much information to misinterpret in so few pixels.
Can I be a kiss-ass for a minute?
John Mayall had some great bands and some great band members but outside of his ability to attract said members did he have much else to offer?
Mr. Mod, you are no John Mayall! John Lennon got a few good members into his band and was also a huge talent in his own write.
You, Mr. Mod, are the John Lennon of bloggers!
Trigmogigmo – are you in the city or thereabouts? Going to any live shows soon?
Twins fan at heart — but now a Nationals season ticket holder residing in Northern VA, in the shadow of Wolftrap.
Kiss-ass!
Could John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers be the worst lip-sync’ing band of all time?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLzYBTIDYO0
Close across the bay bridge from the city. For whatever reason, I don’t manage to get to many shows, though I would like to more often. I suspect there’s some kind of events calendar online I should be monitoring or subscribing to. Right this moment, I have no idea what shows are on the way!
I’ll say! It’s like the lip-synching equivalent of that production technique Brian Eno supposedly did with Adrian Belew on Bowie and Talking Heads albums, when he told him to crank up and play whatever he wanted for so many measures without hearing the backing track he was being recorded soloing over.
Improper.
Thanks, Trigmogogmo. I searched quite a bit for that picture of Mr Joel as the Angry Young Man.
I would have single out Cherguevara as having the name and avatar that most consistently crack me up.
Or it could just be Billy straining to squeeze out his latest offering.