My unwavering musical principles!

[BARON CORNY DOG]

I have no doubt I was even more of a boring asshole in my youth, but never harbored too many specific views. Sure, I’ve eased off of the no fretless bass or saxophone solos rules. And I’m sure there were others that still run through my mind. But my trip has always been specific antipathies. Jack White. Ian Svenonious. Ryan Adams. (non Birthday Party) Nick Cave. Archers of Loaf. And obsessive fans of things like Tom Waits or, say, Morphine, almost invariably aren’t going to lead me anywhere good. These defense mechanisms mostly did me right. I’m not really worried about it anymore.

[Bent Fabric]

For years, I went to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco. First with a friend and then with Toomanyhatz...

[sloopjohnc]

For years, I went to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco. First with a friend and then with Toomanyhatz...

A friend I've had longer - Hatz has met him. Minnie has met him. Quaco has met him.

You will never meet him.

[bobzilla77]

"Oldchella"

What did that thing cost?

I know our Jamie went (he's long gone from here, isn't he?).

I saw Jeff and Steve from Redd Kross on FB one of those weekends very sweetly enjoying all of the bands they'd bonded over as children and it kind of made me feel like this would have been a pretty kick ass experience.

Oh you could spend anywhere from $450 for a general admission to a couple grand for reserved seats, for the three days. And when they first went on sale, they were hard to get - sold out the first day.

By the time the second weekend arrived, you could buy reserved seats and pit passes off scalpers for about $200. But hotel rooms were still asking like $500 because they were all full for the festival.

Honestly at $200 for reserved seats, if I had a place to stay I would have done it.

I went to Arroyo Seco this weekend and just about collapsed from all the walking. It was seriously about two miles from my car to the stage, cuz we got there real late. I think I'm ready to add "No More Festivals" to my list of rules!

[Hightea]

My certainly are always wavering. Passed on all festivals this year except one day at clearwarer . Usually go to one of the bigger american festivals. However still go to 40 + shows a year. Costly now starting to slow down .

In regards on what to see when not $ issue. I have a few staples(u2,tori, Radiohead, Pearl Jam , Neil young (includes his solo guitar stuff was amazing at Carnegie hall few years ago) but now starting to stop.

Then again I don’t put a stop in anything I’ve never seen before or in a while. Plus some of these play whole album or alt line ups may get me there. Learned long ago not to pigeon hole a band been open to it all these days but am picky.

[pcqgod]

I almost never buy any punk albums recorded after 1990. Well, I mean I'll buy scuzzy, sleazy stuff like the Sinisters and New Bomb Turks, but nothing that whiffs of mohawks and leather jackets with slogans written on them and "Oi oi oi" etc. I have no problem buying retro 60's garage, retro stoner rock, probably anything retro. But not punk rock. Which means that somewhere it somehow still means something to me, in that I feel that only stuff recorded during a certain time period has any authenticity, I suppose. Or maybe that stuff seemed so inauthentic the first time around that I won't have a 30-years-too-late revisiting of it. Whichever.

[Phenomenal Cat]

I have far more special rules than I did when I was too young to have special rules. As already mentioned, the festivals - the Pitchfork/RiotFest/ShockTopPalooza a la carte experience (check your schedule - Public Enemy will be performing Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age at the food court at 12:30 sharp). I can't do music buffet-style. I don't like music outdoors (playing it or hearing it), and I don't like crowds. Perhaps I don't like live music anymore. My only standard now is that I can park near the venue (Milwaukee is becoming preferable to Chicago) and that there's a decent restaurant somewhere nearby. I pay tribute to the Masters (McCartney, Wilson, Gibb) and I will occasionally spring for a show if the group/artist is up-and-coming. John Grant in an intimate setting for $15.00? Sure. John Grant in a barn full of baseball hats for $35.00? Fuck that guy.

Hey - I'm posting at BCB!

[Bent Fabric]

Hey - I'm posting at BCB!

Do you KNOW, Mr. Cat...that I used to be so...whatever the fuck I was in my reasoning that I would buy all of these stupid tribute albums (late 80s/early 90s) as a sort of half assed "I'm not buying old music"/"These things are chock full of contemporary/unknown artists!" measure/compromise...when, assuredly, all I REALLY wanted was to hear the types of kick ass songs that were being covered on these things. You think I needed the fucking Judybats in my house when I could have just been listening to the actual 13th Floor Elevators?

[bobzilla77]

Yeah what the hell was that? I bought the Fast N Bulbous tribute to Beefheart before I owned any Beefheart records (probably for the XTC contribution.)

[Phenomenal Cat]

The Shonen Knife one was really good, though.

[clive gash]

There’s a whole generation whose introduction to Neil Young was a Henry Kaiser medley.

[naughty boy]

Yeah what the hell was that? I bought the Fast N Bulbous tribute to Beefheart before I owned any Beefheart records (probably for the XTC contribution.)

That XTC track put me off Beefheart for weeks!

[Phenomenal Cat]

I just PLAY a lot of shows, so they aren't high-entertainment for me anymore. I usually end up waiting for two or three bands to play before I get to go on, so my bullshit tolerance is low.

Times I've walked out on a band (part one) -

1) The drummer set up his drums onstage as we watched.

2) Female keyboard player looked like she couldn't give a fuck (this seems to be a thing with female keyboard players)

3) Singer wore a baseball hat

4) The guitarist was checking his phone messages onstage

5) Dave Davies was playing

6) The band was all set up and ready to play and then walked off one-by-one to get drinks

7) They played "Rockin' in a Free World"

8) "This is another 'newey'"

9) Bass player was seen eating a sandwich between songs

10) The guitarist complained about the monitors after every song.

[Bent Fabric]

Times I've walked out on a band (part one) -

If I'm narrating something that happened nearly 25 years ago, surely it doesn't matter that I was/am a dick. Yeah, one of the opening bands played "Rockin' in the...", but...they also played an extremely ineffectual, low wattage, "Now I'm embarrassed for all of us" version of "Pictures of Lily"...a song that we right then immediately agreed to open our set with in the most feral/hungry/swinging/brutal/"possibly understands the power of the Who" version we'd ever play.

Assuredly petty, but...at that stage of life, drawing those types of lines in the sand was downright life affirming.

[bobzilla77]

Times I've walked out on a band (part one) -

OK here's a rule. If you are going to do a song about how hard it is to make it in show business, KNOW HOW TO PLAY YOUR FUCKING INSTRUMENTS. Otherwise all you are singing about is your absurd sense of entitlement to attention and money. IE don't complain about paying dues when you ain't paid shit, ain't even learned the first note of your own fucking song.

[pcqgod]

Singer wore a baseball hat

[Phenomenal Cat]

Singer wore a baseball hat

It wasn't Paul Simon.

[Rayge]

Two other unwavering lifetime principles I just thought of: never knowingly have any truck with any act that includes either a Scientologist or an Ayn Rand fan. No good will come of it, and your soul might just die.

[toomanyhatz]

any act that includes...a Scientologist

Good rule, but I'm not willing to lose the Incredible String Band (both principals during their time in the band, but only Williamson is still a...is believer the right word?) or a very fertile period of Miles Davis (Chick Corea).

[Rayge]

any act that includes...a Scientologist

Good rule, but I'm not willing to lose the Incredible String Band (both principals during their time in the band, but only Williamson is still a...is believer the right word?) or a very fertile period of Miles Davis (Chick Corea).

Neither of those a loss to me, of course, because of other unwavering musical principles - no Brit hippies and No Fucking Trumpets (no, not even James Last)