As a part of my job, sometimes it is my responsibility to find local bands to open for some of our shows. I'm trying to get to know more of what the local scene has to offer, and so far I've come across some really great stuff. I think it would be a shame if I didn't encourage others to check it out. With that in mind, I've decided to make this "Meet the Locals" a semi-regular feature on my blog. Hopefully it will give me more incentive to reach out and find more local talent while providing new entertainment options for my eight dedicated readers. Today I will feature three bands from three genres, but I can't promise three every time in the future. For most of these bands, the only way to hear their music is to visit their myspace page. I realize that shows like "To Catch a Predator" have given myspace a bad name, but it is pretty cool that one website hosts profiles and 3 to 7 songs from 98.66% of bands in the world. If you want to hear what a band sounds like, typing www.myspace.com/bandname will usually answer your question in a matter of seconds.
Band Of Annuals
band of annuals myspace
One of the more talented bands to come out of Salt lake, it is nice to see that they are enjoying some level of success. As stated in previous posts, I've been really into alt country lately. If you need a good sampling of fantastic alt country, look no further than Band Of Annuals.
Alaska And Me
alaska and me myspace
I think these guys are half in Utah and half in Arizona most of the time from what I can tell, but I will claim them. The Format have apparently called it quits. If you are looking for a new indie pop band to fill the void, you can't go wrong with these guys.
The Playdead Movement
the playdead movement myspace
I will always love a soft spot in my heart for punk rock, but I think my taste for new bands is getting more astute. These guys have a street sound, and like their idols (Rancid, Operation Ivy, The Clash) they have figured out that good song writing is just as important as nailing your muttered vocals. They put on as good a show as I've ever seen from locals, and will be performing at the Rancid show in September.
19.5.08
16.5.08
I hang with Robots
Sometimes my time at work is spent animating robots that are programmed to advertise upcoming shows. These times are precious and cherished, and when they are over I just wish they would return.Apparently animated gifs don't work in blogger. If you really want to see it in action, visit the postfontaine myspace page.
9.5.08
Relax... It's Priceless
My friend Brad helped me gain appreciation for awesomely bad local advertisements when we were roommates in college. I just wanted to write a quick thought about a couple of classics, one new and one old.
If you've recently driven southbound on I-15 between 7800 and 12300 South, you've probably seen a billboard for Sandy City which states, "Relax, you're in the 34th safest city in America." That's right, 34th. I'm not a writer and I've never taken a specific marketing class, but I am pretty sure that somewhere in your marketing education you learn that 34th just does not sound good. Can you imagine a water cooler conversation like this...
"Hey Joe, how are your (insert sports team name) doing?"
"Fantastic! With the win last night, they moved up to 34th!"
There are a lot of cities in America, so 34th probably isn't that bad. I just can't imagine that somewhere along the line during all the planning process for the billboard that someone didn't suggest saying, "Relax, you're in one of the safest cities in America."
The second instance is found in a classic radio jingle. It is promoting a local copy machine middle-man company, Les Olson Company. For those of you who were able to catch this year's Super Bowl on T.V. in Utah, you were treated to the entire song including a music video with the jingle's star. It was as if the Les Olson people saw the Toby Keith wannabe singing his song for Big-O Tires, and said "now that's a commercial." It was truly something to behold, and it got me laughing way more than all of the multi-million dollar comedy duds of the day. The best part of the jingle is the part right before the chorus. She sings with all the feeling and emotion of an E.F.Y. soft-rock star, "Where good service isn't expensive, it's priceless."
I can see what they are getting at, but it's all wrong. To me the phrase suggests that Les Olson Company is a place where good service is a rare commodity. It isn't expensive (something that is available but costly.) It is priceless (something that is so rare, you can't associate a monitary value to it.) So it is a place where good service is incredibly rare.
I know they are all around, what are some other awesomely bad slogans?
If you've recently driven southbound on I-15 between 7800 and 12300 South, you've probably seen a billboard for Sandy City which states, "Relax, you're in the 34th safest city in America." That's right, 34th. I'm not a writer and I've never taken a specific marketing class, but I am pretty sure that somewhere in your marketing education you learn that 34th just does not sound good. Can you imagine a water cooler conversation like this...
"Hey Joe, how are your (insert sports team name) doing?"
"Fantastic! With the win last night, they moved up to 34th!"
There are a lot of cities in America, so 34th probably isn't that bad. I just can't imagine that somewhere along the line during all the planning process for the billboard that someone didn't suggest saying, "Relax, you're in one of the safest cities in America."
The second instance is found in a classic radio jingle. It is promoting a local copy machine middle-man company, Les Olson Company. For those of you who were able to catch this year's Super Bowl on T.V. in Utah, you were treated to the entire song including a music video with the jingle's star. It was as if the Les Olson people saw the Toby Keith wannabe singing his song for Big-O Tires, and said "now that's a commercial." It was truly something to behold, and it got me laughing way more than all of the multi-million dollar comedy duds of the day. The best part of the jingle is the part right before the chorus. She sings with all the feeling and emotion of an E.F.Y. soft-rock star, "Where good service isn't expensive, it's priceless."
I can see what they are getting at, but it's all wrong. To me the phrase suggests that Les Olson Company is a place where good service is a rare commodity. It isn't expensive (something that is available but costly.) It is priceless (something that is so rare, you can't associate a monitary value to it.) So it is a place where good service is incredibly rare.
I know they are all around, what are some other awesomely bad slogans?
7.5.08
Sometimes There's No Official Ad
Sometimes when we do a show for a "smaller" band there is not an official poster or "admat" as we call it in the business. That leaves it up to me to make one up. It's always a fun proposition, but I'm always a bit rushed for time. Here's one I put together today. It's for a Japanese hard rock/psychedelic band called Boris.
27.4.08
Off With The Lights!
The blog was looking a little plain, so I put this header together. It's kind of big, but I like myself, a lot. So, It works. A lot.
I was reading my nephews blog about how his dad, my brother, had offered him money to bring his blood-glucose levels down. (My nephew has Diabetes.) It got me thinking about an early experience I had with temporal incentives...*
From my earliest days, I was impressed with the knowledge that money doesn't grow on trees. Finances in our home were a little tight (not surprising with eight kids in the family), but we always had food on the table and a roof over our heads. Despite our relatively thin resources, we enjoyed all of the modern middle-class amenities including a NES system complete with Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt. Brand New. When it was still the new thing. That was one christmas present that completely blew me away. I mean, those things are something like $100.
In my early childhood, $100 was a ridiculous amount of money. Lavish. It was precisely $100 that was the subject of a memorable lecture given by my father, Mr. Leon, to us children. He explained to us numerous instances during the past few months where he had entered a room where the lights and t.v. were on and no one was to be found. He then reminded us that he had asked us repeatedly to turn off the lights and t.v. when we leave a room. "Turn OFF the lights! Turn OFF the television!" T.V. is not a right, it is a privilege. Pretty standard stuff. I think half of us were sleeping.
Then, he brought down the house. He started by telling us how much he had been paying for electricity. It was a lot, way over $100. Alarms started going off in my head, I had no idea we were spending a fortune every month just to have the lights and t.v. turn on when we flipped the switches. While I was still reeling from this astonishing information, Dad acknowledged that his continual pleas for our compliance would not be enough in these extreme circumstances. He said he would make a deal with us kids. He said that if we brought down next month's electric bill below $100, we would all go out to eat... to the Sizzler! I may have lost consciousness for a second. My head was spinning in a mixture of euphoria, anticipation, and responsibility.
For those of you of the younger generation, in suburbia in the mid to late 1980's it didn't get much better than Sizzler. It wasn't much different than heaven. I had heard a lot about it. I had never actually been, but everything I heard sounded amazing. The Crowley's did not go out to eat. In addition to the aforementioned financial issues we faced, there was the problem of seating a family of our size, keeping the youngsters from punching each other, tipping the annoyed waitress, etc.
Needless to say, the declaration was monumental and unprecedented. It coincided with a wave of optimism and determination to change. Dad reassured us that the goal was certainly within reach and that it was up to all of us to monitor and take responsibility.
The new opportunity loomed over my every action. "Turn OFF the lights! Turn OFF the television!" I heard his voice like Pavlov's bell every time I left a room. I found myself touring the house hunting for wasted electricity, and snuffing it out every time it reared its ugly head.
As I remember, it took us two months to bring the bill down, but we did it. The wait was almost unbearable, but the day finally arrived. Accomplishment, pride, reward, valor, and an all you can eat salad bar: all for the price of a few flipped switches.
What's your parental incentive story?
*I invite my siblings who were a little older at the time to clarify or correct details of this story.
I was reading my nephews blog about how his dad, my brother, had offered him money to bring his blood-glucose levels down. (My nephew has Diabetes.) It got me thinking about an early experience I had with temporal incentives...*
From my earliest days, I was impressed with the knowledge that money doesn't grow on trees. Finances in our home were a little tight (not surprising with eight kids in the family), but we always had food on the table and a roof over our heads. Despite our relatively thin resources, we enjoyed all of the modern middle-class amenities including a NES system complete with Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt. Brand New. When it was still the new thing. That was one christmas present that completely blew me away. I mean, those things are something like $100.
In my early childhood, $100 was a ridiculous amount of money. Lavish. It was precisely $100 that was the subject of a memorable lecture given by my father, Mr. Leon, to us children. He explained to us numerous instances during the past few months where he had entered a room where the lights and t.v. were on and no one was to be found. He then reminded us that he had asked us repeatedly to turn off the lights and t.v. when we leave a room. "Turn OFF the lights! Turn OFF the television!" T.V. is not a right, it is a privilege. Pretty standard stuff. I think half of us were sleeping.
Then, he brought down the house. He started by telling us how much he had been paying for electricity. It was a lot, way over $100. Alarms started going off in my head, I had no idea we were spending a fortune every month just to have the lights and t.v. turn on when we flipped the switches. While I was still reeling from this astonishing information, Dad acknowledged that his continual pleas for our compliance would not be enough in these extreme circumstances. He said he would make a deal with us kids. He said that if we brought down next month's electric bill below $100, we would all go out to eat... to the Sizzler! I may have lost consciousness for a second. My head was spinning in a mixture of euphoria, anticipation, and responsibility.
For those of you of the younger generation, in suburbia in the mid to late 1980's it didn't get much better than Sizzler. It wasn't much different than heaven. I had heard a lot about it. I had never actually been, but everything I heard sounded amazing. The Crowley's did not go out to eat. In addition to the aforementioned financial issues we faced, there was the problem of seating a family of our size, keeping the youngsters from punching each other, tipping the annoyed waitress, etc.
Needless to say, the declaration was monumental and unprecedented. It coincided with a wave of optimism and determination to change. Dad reassured us that the goal was certainly within reach and that it was up to all of us to monitor and take responsibility.
The new opportunity loomed over my every action. "Turn OFF the lights! Turn OFF the television!" I heard his voice like Pavlov's bell every time I left a room. I found myself touring the house hunting for wasted electricity, and snuffing it out every time it reared its ugly head.
As I remember, it took us two months to bring the bill down, but we did it. The wait was almost unbearable, but the day finally arrived. Accomplishment, pride, reward, valor, and an all you can eat salad bar: all for the price of a few flipped switches.
What's your parental incentive story?
*I invite my siblings who were a little older at the time to clarify or correct details of this story.
25.4.08
Not Much Jazzy About Utah
So, I can't say I'm a big Jazz fun, but I do enjoy watching the occasional game. The team name still kills me. If you had a National survey of which states had the most ties to Jazz music or reminded you most of Jazz music, where would Utah rank?
Let me climb off of my soapbox for a minute to talk about last night's playoff loss to the Rockets. It was a late game, but it kept me up and kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end. Both teams fought hard, and it could have easily gone either way. That's what makes the playoffs great, the players actually play really hard. During the regular season, it seems like everyone is on cruise control. I just have 3 thoughts to share. I was only able to catch the fourth quarter, so they all relate to that.
1. There were 3 or 4 really horrible foul calls against us within a 30 second span at the beginning of the 4th quarter that put us in the penalty with about 9 minutes to go. The free throws added up and contributed to our losing the contest. The call against Harpring was especially puzzling due to the fact that Battier pushed off and then threw his forearm into Harpring's face.
2. Deron Williams last second shot should have been a pass. He made a great drive down the lane and drew two Rocket defenders with him. This left Carlos Boozer wide open on the other side of the basket. It would have been tough to get him the ball from where Williams was, but we've all seen him do things like that. Fake a shot then scoop it underneath to Boozer for an easy dunk. Instead, he went for a fade away layup that was blocked. He at least could have attacked the basket and drawn a foul with a chance to win on free throws. That being said, he played a great game, and hind sight is always 20-20.
3. Can we not find a better color commentator than Ron Boone? He's had 15 years or so to get acclimated to his job, and I think it's clear he's not improving. Everything that came out of his mouth was either extremely obvious or completely wrong. "The Jazz need a stop here," Boone says as the Rockets bring the ball upcourt with a 4 point lead and 38 seconds on the clock. Ya think? Ron, your job is to tell us how the Jazz should tactically go about getting the stop that everybody knows we need. After the Jazz lose, "This gives the Rockets home court advantage." No it doesn't. The Jazz won two games in Houston, meaning that if the Jazz win their remaining two home games, they win the series. Houston will have to win another game in Utah as well as both their games at home to win the series. So, let's review - who has home court advantage for the remainder of the series? Surely there's a former player or coach that we can convince to take part in our broadcasts that can add some real insight, isn't there?
Let me climb off of my soapbox for a minute to talk about last night's playoff loss to the Rockets. It was a late game, but it kept me up and kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end. Both teams fought hard, and it could have easily gone either way. That's what makes the playoffs great, the players actually play really hard. During the regular season, it seems like everyone is on cruise control. I just have 3 thoughts to share. I was only able to catch the fourth quarter, so they all relate to that.
1. There were 3 or 4 really horrible foul calls against us within a 30 second span at the beginning of the 4th quarter that put us in the penalty with about 9 minutes to go. The free throws added up and contributed to our losing the contest. The call against Harpring was especially puzzling due to the fact that Battier pushed off and then threw his forearm into Harpring's face.
2. Deron Williams last second shot should have been a pass. He made a great drive down the lane and drew two Rocket defenders with him. This left Carlos Boozer wide open on the other side of the basket. It would have been tough to get him the ball from where Williams was, but we've all seen him do things like that. Fake a shot then scoop it underneath to Boozer for an easy dunk. Instead, he went for a fade away layup that was blocked. He at least could have attacked the basket and drawn a foul with a chance to win on free throws. That being said, he played a great game, and hind sight is always 20-20.
3. Can we not find a better color commentator than Ron Boone? He's had 15 years or so to get acclimated to his job, and I think it's clear he's not improving. Everything that came out of his mouth was either extremely obvious or completely wrong. "The Jazz need a stop here," Boone says as the Rockets bring the ball upcourt with a 4 point lead and 38 seconds on the clock. Ya think? Ron, your job is to tell us how the Jazz should tactically go about getting the stop that everybody knows we need. After the Jazz lose, "This gives the Rockets home court advantage." No it doesn't. The Jazz won two games in Houston, meaning that if the Jazz win their remaining two home games, they win the series. Houston will have to win another game in Utah as well as both their games at home to win the series. So, let's review - who has home court advantage for the remainder of the series? Surely there's a former player or coach that we can convince to take part in our broadcasts that can add some real insight, isn't there?
22.4.08
KNEES ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE
I looked at my knees the other day for the first time in a long time. Let's just say 18 years of soccer have left the skin on my knees nothing more than a mass of scar tissue. As ugly as my knees are, I can honestly say I don't regret a single scar.
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