My New Years Resolution is to get back into reviewing that which I consume. To reprocess and reflect on what I observe and where I am.

So my parents live in what I call the suburbs because it's more romantic to say that than explain the countryside where I have seen the farms give way to mansions. Or I haven't seen, as most of this construction, including the renovations on my parents' home, happened while I was in Washington.

So while I am here at their house, between the move from Olympia and the move to Philadelphia, I try to take advantage of the big flat screen tv and the entertainment
1. The Devil and Daniel Johnston (documentary, 2005)
While I enjoyed Daniel's music immensley, I have never been a completist, nor have I spent too much time learning his mythology. My telling of the story was "he is crazy and made music in his parent's basement and worked at McDonalds". I had no idea he went to college, fell in obsessive love, crashed his dad's airplane, rolled into Austin with the carnival, or was on MTV in the 80s. Sadly the interviews with Daniel himself are mostly in the form of cassettes he recorded at various points in his life.

2. Concert.TV presents "Ted Leo and the Pharmacists"
Opening with a sweet cover of the Pogues "Dirty Old Town" I had high hopes for this. Unfortunately it is not a straight through concert, but interspersed with interviews and "commercial breaks" (what is that called, when the break is just to promote the station itself?). Now, I've been meaning to see either other film by Justin Mitchell (Songs for Cassavettes or the Death Cab documentary) but I just haven't gotten around to it. I suppose it is an easy enough formula...but I hate the artsy filming of indie bands. I like talking heads, I don't like footage of blurry fingers on keyboards or random bystanders looking unusual (or usual, oh there is a gothish chick, there is a black guy in a NYC t-shirt). I blogged instead of paying too much attention to Part I, so I'll let you know if I get to part II.

Merry Christmas: Santa on a Vespa

Sorry the video is kinda shakey. I wanted to enjoy the moment as much as I wanted to capture it. Sadly the video doesn't include the part where Calvin walked by singing loudly.

So much cuteness. I'm working on uploading lots of videos and pictures over the next few days. I kinda want to feel "done" when I leave.

Courtney's Good-Bye Mix
Saturday December 16th
with
Tullycraft
Math and Physics Club
and
Special Guests
Doors at 9, Show at 10
21+ $5
at the Clipper
402 East Fourth Ave.
Downtown Olympia WA
Club Info 360-943-6300
Pioneer Music

Hyperlocal and Hypertopical

I hung out at the Brotherhood tonight with the kind folks from Oly Blog and felt a very satisfying kind of in real life community while being surrounded by internet peeps. I lurk there, don't waste your time trying to see what I post. I did get to share several ideas I have for Oly centric stuff, and some of those may be happening with my input or the assitance of more permanent locals.

But I came home and checked the indiepop list to see some YouTube links to the first gigs of a fine indiepop band in England, and it really made me feel like an amazing wee part of an international pop underground. I mean, this band just played their first shows in the UK and I can see it in WA without going through some super obscure VHS trading circle from some fanzine I got in the city?

YAHHHHH I LOVE THE INTERNETS!!!!!!!! (I'm old, this stuff hasn't always been here)

Since I'm moving to Philadelphia, I will no longer have to fool myself that falafel tastes like scrapple and fried Spam tastes like pork roll. It doesn't. Now if only Tastykakes would get Isolated Soy Protein out of their ingredients I may be able to eat like a normal person.
So here is the musical content since I can't find an mp3 of anything relative except for that damn irrelevant Burning Airlines song
"Nobody bakes a cake as tasty as a Tastykake!"

(do-da-da do do doo doo doo-doo doo doo do-da-do)

no-bo-dy bakes a cake as tast-y as a tasty-kake

Another online music award voting site. Write in Athens Popfest as the criminally overlooked vote.

I'm an archetype, not a stereotype!
Questionable Content
I read 1-100 but had to stop for sleep.

Best Shirt Ever

IMG_1425.JPG, originally uploaded by Courtoly.

I've noticed my entries tend to have thin threads connecting them unintentionally, as I should probably save up my ideas and make a rambling connected post instead.

Alas, I saw Rikky from the Besties had this shirt and I wanted one. So I ordered it from sorryimissedyourshow.com

best shirt ever.

The Besties

Vote for the Besties in this silly corporate contest so they can ride a tour bus around NYC instead of the subway.

I'm little

IMG_1151.jpg
Originally uploaded by lesabrisabri.

Sometimes I forget how little I am. This is from the Athens Popfest this summer when we were all singing Minor Threat's "Cashin In" with Bunnygrunt. Can you spot me? Hint: I'm wearing 3" heels.

Capitol Theater, March 16, 1997.

Some Gorgeous Accident
Tullycraft
Bunnygrunt
Kind Dog
Bis

Calvin got onstage with Amelia and Pete of Heavenly (aka Kind Dog) and performed Wanna Be. And here is my gift to you since I am finally digitizing these tapes.
Wanna Be

I'm a smart cookie. In procrastinating my homework I hooked up my iMac to my stereo and figured out how to dump cassettes to CDs. This means my very awesome 10 year old bootleg collection will be digitized. I'm wrassling with how to share this stuff, aside for making riot grrrl cds for the teenagers in Yelm. That should do the trick.

This is the modern world...and things I never imagined in the 90s

Kurt Cobain Dethrones Elvish as Highest-Paid Dead Celebrity

Movie about 1999 WTO Protests in Seattle in the works

Before I go to bed. I saw Calvin Johnson, D+, Karl Blau, and Mt. Eerie play at the Unitarian Church in Philly tonight. I have to take back some of the things I said in this blog earlier about Mt. Eerie, because tonight he sat down and played a straight set and it was lovely. Heck, I would have even liked a little more theatrics as long as it's not the stop start I'm writing this song onstage kinda stuff I'd been seeing him play for the past few years. I think Karl really stole the show though. He has such a big heart and an impressive vocal range and seemingly boundless creativity with the Kelp monthly label he runs. It was nice to see Washingtonians on the East Coast, so even if I'm here a while, I'll always feel like I have two homes.

So in my travelling woes I forgot that the last book in the series of Unfortunate Events came out last week, with a cd from the Gothic Archies of all the songs from the audio books + some. So I present to you, thanks to Paul Shrug for the bulletin,

Stephen Merritt on Fox Atlanta

Further Proof of the Wormhole between Mid 90s Mix Tapes and My Life at 27

Friday night was a bit surreal to say the least. I went to see Rose Melberg play with Pants Yell!!! and Brown Recluse Sings (I think that was Herbie's band's name). Andrea from My Favorite was singing with Rose. Now, I only got to see My Favorite once in their fourteen year career because they rarely made it to the West Coast and never played in Olympia, but after I saw them live last summer they went from "band with that amazing single that got me through high school" to "band I love for presenting me with the alternate view of what my life may have been like if I went to NYC instead of WA after high school". Rose holds a similar place in my heart, although I am guilty of using her lyrics as weapons of mass obsession and generally focusing on one song that I will listen to on repeat over and over and over again ("Golden Gate Bridge" and "Love You More"). The thing is, there were five years of me having adventures with boys who were obsessed with the Softies (and being obsessed with boys who had adventures with the Softies), ending in feeling like the coolest girl ever when she gifted me a t-shirt and cd at Ladyfest 2000, and then she dissapeared and went off to make babies and live in Canadia, and I was okay.

Well, in a little over a year I've seen her play seven times:

1. that gallery in Vancouver with P:ano (since she hadn't played in five years it seemed like a wonderful occasion)

2. Bellingham Pop Fest spagetti dinner (Tullycraft were playing the fest, so of course I was there!)

3. Olympia Eagles Hall ballroom with Math and Physics Club (Charles and I set up the show)

4. Vancouver BC opening for Belle and Sebastian (because I wanted to see Belle and Sebby three nights in a row and Rose opening was the deciding factor)

5. in store with Calvin Johnson and mini-Softies reunion (because I love Calvin too)

6. Olympia Midnight Sun with Jenny Jenkins and Onyx (I put on this show!)

7. Tritone in Philadelphia, Friday night

So living out in the middle of nowhere (literally, about ten miles away from the nearest Starbucks, which I know is not like the Midwest or something) as a fangirl teenager a typical fantasy of mine would be something like "Bikini Kill's tourvan breaks down in front of my parent's house and I get to sit in the kitchen with Kathleen Hanna drinking coffee while phone calls are made to try to get the tour back on the road".

So somehow during the night it was decided that Rose and her entorage would like to stay at my house. So around two a.m. we pulled into my parent's driveway and I snuck the band upstairs past my sleeping parents to the guest bedrooms on the second floor. And after we settled in, it was a little wierd to think "Dear God, these women are my riot grrrl heroines, and we're all grown up and things are going to be okay, even in this corner of suburbia. Thank you."

Unfortunately I had such a busy day ahead of me I didn't have time to make breakfast so we made do with fancy coffee machine coffee. Then I was off on other adventures....

(My inner 17 year old is so jealous of me, now if I could only always look as cute as these ladies and get through library school like Andrea)

WTF? Okay, you may know that among my many passions for music, the intersections of copyright law and online media is one area that I really would love to work in some day. So Soundexchange is an organization that has been collecting royalties on behalf of musicians for streaming music that is used online. The bullshit is they "can't find" some of the musicians to give them their payments. So please, if you know musicians or the people who support them, check the list of who is owed money from Soundexchange and makes sure they get their due.

Hope all is well out in Tweevil land. I've got sixteen boxes of cds to catalog for a massive sale, I'll post about it here so I can collect my affiliate fee :)

Yadda Yadda Crayon cd yadda yadda Lois in the library yadda yadda Yoyo is moving out of the Capitol Theater yadda yadda....come on, is anyone reading this?


-------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: jack endino
Date: Sep 25, 2006 11:46 AM

FYI, any musicians out there who released records in the past decade or so... Soundexchange is an entity set up by act of Congress some years ago to collect streaming royalties on behalf of recording artists (internet and satellite radio, NOT downloads). Hardly anyone knows how it works, and they don't make it easy. There is info at Soundexchange.com but you'll need patience to figure it out. However... you may be owed money. It's total horseshit that they JUST published the list of unpaid artists on the website. Here's some info. Good luck.
Jack Endino


An Exchange with SoundExchange on Unpaid Artists

By FRED WILHELMS

SoundExchange is the sole entity that collects and distributes license fees for digital distribution of recordings; primarily satellite radio services and Internet streaming broadcasts (but NOT downloads). Over the years they have collected money for thousands of artists who don't know about it.

Several years ago, John Simson, the Executive Director of SoundExchange, asked for my help in finding these people. I work primarily with veteran artists and have proven pretty proficient at finding people. Despite my constant prodding, SoundExchange never put me to work, and I finally washed my hands of the project when John told me he could give me the list of "unfound" artists, but only if I agreed to a Non-Disclosure Agreement. In essence, I could find out who they had money for, I just couldn't tell anyone they were on the list.

What happens to the money they can't pay because they can't find the person to pay?

They get to keep it themselves. Nothing succeeds like failure.

In my email this morning was the following note from Simson:

Fred:

Given your concern on this issue I wanted to notify you that, after SoundExchange Board approval, we have posted a list of all performers who are oweð royalties from the period February 1, 1996 to March 31, 2000 and which are subject to release under Copyright Office regulations regarding undistributed royalties.

The list is on the website. Please call me if you have any questions or any ideas regarding our continuing efforts to locate featured performers.

Thanks in advance for any assistance in locating addresses or other contact information for any of the performers on this list.

Regards,

John

This was my reply:

John,

Thank you for the note.

I have already seen the list on your website. This is truly a prime example of "too little, too late." I understand why SoundExchange waited so long to publicize the list. It is, or at least it should be, a major embarrassment to the organization, and to everyone who has publicly said what a good job the organization has done finding people.

If my comments sound harsh to you, they should. You and I know how SoundExchange has failed to keep its promise, and how much more could have been done to prevent this injustice, and I just cannot put a positive spin on this.

In the first two hours after I had the list, and even before I had gotten completely through the "A" entries, I found five people you and your staff were not able to find in six years. And just so I'm clear on this, these were people I did not know when I started the search. At most, it took three telephone calls to find a current contact and pass on the information about registration. I actually came up with one by checking Directory Assistance in his hometown.

Sadly, there is no way I can spend the time necessary before the deadline to do everything I could to see that SoundExchange does the job it was given. There are just too many people on your "unfound" list, and I have clients who need my immediate attention. All I can do is reach out to as many people as possible in the limited time left and hope that my efforts start a landslide that swamps your office before December 15.

I may be wrong, but I suspect that, with the publication of the list, SoundExchange has abandoned any proactive efforts to locate the "unfound." I hope, for your sake, that after the deadline, you never hear one story about an artist being unable to afford a prescription, or getting evicted, and then you discover they were on the forfeited list. That prospect haunted me during my AFTRA days, and it still bothers me that I didn't do enough to prevent it from happening over and over again.

I truly wish there was some penalty that SoundExchange would have to pay for not finding people. Instead, the organization profits from its own failure by getting to keep the money it should be paying out.

That's a disgrace. Every time you deposit your paycheck, or get a bonus, or give one to someone else for a "job well done," or even expense a lunch, some of that money is coming from artists who never knew it was there because SoundExchange didn't find them in time.

I know the search was not easy, and that there was really no possibility you were going to find everyone, or even almost everyone. You and I know, however, that SoundExchange didn't do all that it could to cut that list to size. I think you are a good enough man to realize the scope of this failure, and I hope that it eventually impels you to do whatever it takes to make SoundExchange responsive to those it is supposed to serve. Today, for artists, the organization is nowhere close to meeting that goal.

Fred

Here's the list of the people they can't find:

http://63.236.111.137/jsp/unpaidArtistList.jsp

I've been circulating the following message. Feel free to forward it to any mailing lists, message boards and telephone poles in your neighborhood.

AN URGENT MESSAGE TO RECORDING ARTISTS

SoundExchange is the entity that collects and distributes broadcast royalties from digital distribution of music. This includes streaming Internet broadcasts (not downloads) and satellite radio services. These royalties have been payable since February 1, 1996. If your music has been played on the Internet since that date, you are entitled to a share of the royalties.

On December 15, 2006, any royalties that are unclaimed for performances up through March 31, 2000 WILL BE FORFEITED.

If you, as an individual or as a member of a recording group, are not registered with SoundExchange by December 15, 2006, you will lose all rights to your royalties earned before March 31, 2000.

There are thousands of identified artists who will lose these royalties unless they act before the deadline. SoundExchange has listed these "unfound" artists on their website.

http://63.236.111.137/jsp/unpaidArtistList.jsp

Take the time to read the list. If you are on it, follow the instructions for filing a claim. It costs you nothing and it does not take much time. If you register now, you will receive the unclaimed royalties and will received future royalties automatically.

Friends and families of recording artists should also check the list. If you know anyone on there, PLEASE LET THEM KNOW IMMEDIATELY. You will note that there are a number of deceased performers on the list. If you know any surviving relatives, let them know about this.

This money belongs in the hands of the artists who created the music.

http://63.236.111.137/jsp/unpaidArtistList.jsp

Fred Wilhelms is a lawyer who represents musicians and songwriters. He can be reached at (email deleted by JE)