Dregs 2017…40 years from Free Fall

So there is a whole history of the band somewhere, or maybe I will write it, but in 1977 we released our first album, Free Fall. Or as Steve used to call it ‘Eerf Fall’ because of the way they made the cover look. (See the silly cover here). I say ‘they’ because the record company and especially the people in LA treated us like a bunch of hicks from the south, and dressed us up, and came up with the whole thing,

Anyways, prior to that we had been kicking around Augusta and the south since 1975 when all the guys graduated college, and I had dropped out having lost a year or so somewhere…We played all over, slept on many floors, had many crazy experiences, blah blah, someday to be recounted with all the inaccuracies of memory impacting the accuracy of the stories. Anyways, it was actually an awesome time, as we finally felt we were getting some vindication and making headway signing with a major label and having a real release under our belts. The band at that time was Steve Morse. Rod Morgenstein, Allen Sloan, Steve Davidowski, and me.

So why am I writing this? Well, this particular configuration of the first commercially recorded band is still around, and we all got together at Steve’s studio in Florida to jam on the old tunes for a couple of days in early January. It was just fantastic to reconnect and play through some of the great compositions that Steve wrote even back then at such an early age. We sort of sucked a bit sometimes, but then again we also sort of sounded great! The short of it is that we all agreed that we could put something together that would be presentable to play these songs live again for an audience. So there is a lot to be worked out, and hopefully it can be, but there is nothing solid yet. Hoever, just the fact that we all did this, and of course, we just played some freakin’ awesome music was so cool and inspiring.

Below is a shot of us at dinner on the last evening:

 

Standing – David Sloan (Allen’s son), Allen Sloan, Rod Morgenstein, Steve Davidowski. Seated, me and Steve Morse

3 Movies – The Lives of Others, Fast Food Nation, Factotum

The Lives of Others - A german film made in 2006 with some excellent acting, story, and score. It is always refreshing to come across something that is just not stupid in it design and aspirations. This is a complex movie that highlights some complicated emotional situations that can take place as a result of crazy external circumstances. It takes place 4 years before the unification of Germany (1985) which already seems like ancient times. I had not explored the meaning of what it must have been like living in West Germany during what I consider 'modern' times...anyway, it is basically a suspenseful drama so watch it if you are in a thoughtful mood. And did I mention I really liked the score?

Fast Food Nation - a really good, if depressing movie. I hesitated for a long while because I didn't want to be confronted with a lot of animal gore. There is some, but it really is minimal and necessary. I really like Richard Linklater's movies so I had to see it eventually. Another complex movie that can take you out of your own little world and give pause for thought about how other people live.

Factotum - I wouldn't say it is a great movie, though I did watch it in all its depressing glory. I had a fascination with Charles Bukowski in the late seventies and early 80's. He seems a little less interesting to me now...but the score to this movie is just great (and they are his lyrics actually).  I had never heard of her but Kristin Asbjørnsen wrote it:

So it has come to this for the music biz

Is anybody stupid enough to believe this crap:

“Hit Song Science™ provides immediate feedback on your song´s potential for commercial success and instant legitimization in the market for high-scoring music.

Do you want help choosing the best channels and markets for your music and which of your songs have the best chance for success?

The Music Universe™ helps you understand the hit potential of your songs within different markets and niches, and includes targeted promotional features to help your music gain visibility with audiences who already like your sound.”

Oh wait, yeah…this could actually work on that bunch of mindless drones that actually buys American Idol cd’s…or fans of ‘modern’ country music. What’s really weird is that I actually DO believe it is possible to analyze and pattern match songs against previous hit song drivel. I mean Clive Davis among others could do it… Click “here” to barf.

Oh, and just to add to the list of really stupid things I’ve seen on the web lately, this one is way at the top. This comes from a CBS ‘news’ site, what a freaking joke. You have have to watch a really stupid ad promoting alcoholism (fitting somehow) but after that you get get to hear “Kim Kardashian – Reality TV Star” (BTW I did NOT make that up). The byline reads:

“in a revealing interview with CBSNews.com, ultra-famous reality TV star (my emphasis) Kim Kardashian discusses, among other things, her new turn in a special summer Nivea challenge to help fight against cellulite.”

I feel kind of sorry for her as a human being, this is just not right, and she is obviously clueless. And after all, she is leading the fight against cellulite, having suffered with it herself…gad…I cannot believe I am putting this here, but here’s the link.

Food Inc.

A Couple of years ago I read Michael Pollan’s Omnivores Dilemma and it really affected me. Anytime there are strong opinions, there will be strong arguments made. Still, I can’t help but this one is correct. In my experience, although everyone is affected deeply by the food industry, this is a topic most people are way too busy to think about and most people I broach the topic to are ‘fine’ with the status quo.

Now for those of you who have lost your attention span for reading anything more than two minutes long on a web page, there is a movie(!) about this important topic.