Sometimes it's great to be proven wrong. If we were right ALL the time we wouldn't have our sometimes narrow perceptions challenged, our minds wouldn't be as open. This week I've been proven wrong and in spectacular fashion.
For years I've listened to many artists, musicians/engineers and others in the music industry talk about the "Nashville Sasuage Factory". How most of the records that come out of there sound bland, homogenised and made to order. How the musicians there play essentially the same ole parts over and over. I've been a willing participant in these conversations time and time again. Until now....
I'm here at the moment producing (with Sam Hawkesly) an album for the Harmonators and 2 EP's for Jessica Jade-Bruce and Brooke Schuberth as part of the Nashville Recording Package I put up on my website a while back. We've spent the last 4 days recording the band tracks for these artists. Same group of players, same mic setups for each act. What I've experienced has been truly magical. These players right from the start have given their heart and soul to these songs. Once they realised that Sam and I weren't here to make carbon copies of whatever they'd done the day before they were off. Suggesting often brilliant chord and arrangment ideas, freely experimenting with different sounds and working and sculpting their parts until they were completely satisfied that they'd given their very best (even when Sam and myself thought they'd long since gotten there) . I was concerned that because we're using the same players for each artist that they would all sound too similar. Wrong again. After 2 days of tracking the modern country sound of the Harmonators they shifted effortlessly to the pop/soul sound of Jessica Jade-Bruce. One track had a funk groove so deep Sam and I were even compelled to dance (not with eachother of course)....a rare and not alltogether pleasant sight.
Now I'm not suggesting for one second that this is the only good record to come out of Nashville.....There are hundreds of incredible records made in this town every year. What I have learned out of this more than anything is that people want to be inspired no matter where they are or what they do. If you give someone the right conditions, the right encouragement, put the right people around them and you get down in the trenches with them then you're going to see that person truly give the best of themselves.
Sam and I have managed to create that this week and I am truly grateful for the experience. Cannot wait to come back and do it again! Thank you Nashville
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The ARIA Problem 11/08/2010
 
I admit, I didn't watch last night's ARIA's. Faced with a choice of that or Season 1 of the HBO series "ROME" I chose the latter. Judging by the overwhelming negative response on facebook today it appears that I made the right choice. 

I do feel sorry for the organisers. Mark Pope's been in the industry a long time and I'm sure he has nothing but the best intentions but he is under enormous pressure to deliver one thing and one thing only........ratings. When you're on TV that's the be all and end all. How can a night that should be about recognising excellence in music work hand in hand with the ratings driven TV industry? It's impossible. The organisers have tried and tried hard for years to put on a good show for the industry AND the viewers at home but that means serious compromises and the end result is a watered down awards night. Perhaps the biggest tragedy is that worthwhile categories like Country, Blues/Roots, Kids, Jazz, Classical, Adult Contemporary etc get shamefully ignored. Are they any less worthy of recognition than Pop? ABSOLUTELY NOT! But look at it from the organisers or Channel 9's point of view. Who on earth out there in TV land is going to sit through a 5 hour awards night??? 

Elton John MC'd the ARIA's some 20 years ago. At the end of the night he implored them to "never televise this event. you will ruin the best awards night I've ever been to" (or words to that effect) So what can be done about the ARIA's and the terrible reputation it's got?? 

I believe I have the solution.....DON'T TELEVISE THE AWARDS. Make it INDUSTRY ONLY. Put ALL the categories back in. The once neglected winners get their moment, everyone will have more than 30secs to thank those who deserve to be thanked, everyone gets good and drunk/fed,  put on a couple of special performances, basically everyone has a great time. 

But what about reaching out to the main populace? What about the exposure and increased sales the winners get from a televised event? EASY. Put on an aria winners concert that can be televised live the next night where all the winners and some other nominees get to play live and not just one song either. We're in the MUSIC industry so let's play to our strengths and give the people what we're good at.....MUSIC!!  I'm sure there's enough people out there that would pay to see Julia and Angus Stone, Washington, Guy Sebastion, Temper Trap etc etc all play their hits in one concert. During the set changes, show the highlights and winners from the previous night. It'd be fantastic!
Best of all everyone wins. ALL the winners get the recognition they deserve, the industry reclaims it's right to have it's awards back, the winners get to showcase their wares to a national TV audience, the punters will get some good entertainment and I'd actually support my industry instead of watching a HBO series on DVD
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