Another "Night To Remember..."

The annual benefit dinner for The Kristen Ann Carr Fund, 'A Night To Remember,' was recently held at the Tribeca Grill in Manhattan and members of the Shore Fire family made sure not to miss the occasion. From left to right - Nick Baily's wife Rebecca Phillips, Brendan Gilmartin, Rebecca Shapiro, Rebecca's empresario husband Peter Shapiro and Nick Baily. Shore Fire President Marilyn Laverty, who was honored last year, and Director of Online Marketing Nancie S. Martin were also in attendance. To find out more about The Kristen Ann Carr Fund and its mission to fight Sarcoma click here.

Tina Dico Hearts New York and New York Hearts Her Back

Last night Tina Dico kicked off her U.S. tour with a sold out show at Joe's Pub. Not only did she play tracks from her latest 'Count to Ten,' but also songs from her impressive discography (she's got four records out in Denmark and two "tour" EPs).

I was blown away by her command of the audience -- it was just her and her guitars and everyone was on the edge of their seats listening to every word.

Perhaps the best (and funniest) part of the evening was Tina's introduction to "Night Cab." She said “I’m falling in love with New York City and I’m not sure I want to. Usually it’s just in and out, but this time I’ve been able to stay a while...” Needless to say, the crowd was very enthusiastic about this proclamation from the Danish-born, UK-dwelling singer.

NYC Blogger Jasper Coolidge captured some amazing shots from the show...

The State Of The Industry, In The County Of Kings

Thanks to friend and label-owner Daniel Glass, I recently found myself on a panel discussing the state of the music industry for a group of students at Brooklyn College. The seminar was part of a regular series of events that the college holds to give students a window into industries they might like to learn more about.

Welcome to the Student Center

I was joined on the panel by the esteemed Samantha Cox, the Senior Director of Writer and Artist Relations at BMI, Irving Fain, who handles online content at Clearchannel and their vast network of websites, and the aforementioned Daniel Glass, currently heading up his new project Glassnote Entertainment and well known for his tenure at Artemis, Universal, and many other record business highlights.

L-R: Daniel Glass, Samantha Cox, yours truly, and Irving Fain

We started off by sharing our paths to the music business, and while everyone had a different story, Daniel (an alum) had the most compelling tale for the crowd in attendance as he recounted his days as a teenager in the 1970's spinning records at Brooklyn College's radio station, a gig he got in part because of his fluency in "dance music and R+B" -- or what was beginning to be known at the time as disco.

But most of all the conversation touched on the many changes everyone has seen in the music world, and some predictions for changes to come. I was impressed as the floor was opened to questions, and the very first one asked about 360 degree record deals.

Daniel reported that in his recent convention trips this has been the number one topic of conversation, and he shared his opinion that the success or failure of such deals will really depend on the degree to which labels can add value to careers. According to Daniel, at worst it's just another way to get money from the artist, but when it's done right (and it often isn't) then it can represent a real partnership that's better for everyone, though he admitted that he was pessimistic about the prospects for 360 deals catching on.

The Audience At Attention

Irving touched on the ways that Clearchannel is reacting to the massive changes brought about by online music. He said they consider it a must for radio stations to react in a world where people are used to hearing whatever music they want, whenever they want it. He's been hard at work with their network of websites, which face the challenge of engaging users on the internet while continuing to support the core business of Radio.

On the publishing side, Samantha talked about the life of a publishing executive. As a publicist we often interact with the performing rights organizations only tangentially, but it's interesting how similar our jobs are. She recounted the challenge -- and the thrill -- of being a music generalist, needing to keep tabs on everything from whatever the next burgeoning scene in Williamsburg is to music being made by reggae artists.

Irving Hangs After The Panel To Take Questions

Everyone was eager to know where we saw the business going in the next 3-5 years, and we all had our chance to say something. I'd be lying if I said I knew for sure, but all of us found we had surprisingly similar opinions. It may be harder to sell records, it may be harder to to find a broadcast outlet that can really reach the majority of the country (unless you're Simon, Paula or Randy), but it's easier than it ever has been to find great music and listen to it.

It's arguable but I think there's as much great music being made now as there has been at any point in history. If anything we could look at the late 1990's as an abberation, a time we were post-media consolidation, but pre-internet. Artists with just one hit single were reliably selling millions of albums, sometimes tens of millions. If anything the current scenario -- marked by quality niche independent labels, some people with great ears at major labels, and lots of non-traditional ways to get music out -- isn't too different from the days when Sam Phillips was driving around the south trying to get DJ's to play a single by a new "R+B" singer from Tupelo.

To subvert a famous Paul Simon lyric, the music business may suffer some growing pains from time to time, but the music thrives.

Wayfarer Jay Nash Visits New York

Our client Jay Nash was in NYC Friday to play a solo gig at The Living Room. And play he did, to a rapt packed house, many of whom were mouthing the words to "Wayfarer" from his upcoming release 'The Things You Think You Need' - which won't even be out until May 20th! (Guess they've been to Jay's MySpace page.)

Since the temple of knishery was nearby, I picked up a few for pre-show snacking, and LA-based Jay got instant New York cred by exclaiming, "Are those from Yonah Schimmel's?" before devouring several.

Here's Jay onstage:

And with Shore Fire's Cali Green:

I Made You A Muxtape

This post is a month late, but Muxtape is the coolest thing ever. It's a new social networking site that launched in late March. Super simplistic and free, it's a forum where users are given their own URL and can host a 12-song streaming mixtape on their own muxtape page. Muxtape describes their service as "a simple way to create and share mp3 mixtapes." It's as simple as that.

You could...make a muxtape for yourself or for your friends. You could make a muxtape as a bday gift, or maybe send one over to mom next Sunday. Bands can even make their own muxtapes with their own songs on it. You can also download a Muxtape application which will save mixes on your desktop.

I made one. So did my favorite website, Soul-Sides. Apparently Sasha Frere Jones joined in on the fun, too.

Stomping In New Orleans

Just got back from New Orleans where I was working at the Ponderosa Stomp. Two nights of insane rock n' roll is their motto, and it's spot on. The music started around 6:30 each night and didn't finish until about 3:30. Musical highlights were numerous: Wardell Quezergue's set with Mac Rebennack (aka Dr. John), Jean Knight ("Mr. Big Stuff"), Tammy Lynn, and Tony Owens; the incredible delta blues of Louisiana Red; supercharged rockabilly from the Collins Kids; Eddie Bo showing us a history of funk; the Tail Dragger (a Howlin' Wolf protege) crawling onstage; Barbara Lynn ("We Got A Good Thing Goin'"); and the highly energized ? and the Mysterians; and many more.

The beauty of the Stomp is that it's all there at once and you can literally see and hear the connections between blues, rockabilly, swamp pop, girl groups, surf, funk, soul, gospel, garage rock and psych. The downside is that at any given time, there are often two or three amazing acts playing; it's an embarrassment of riches! Other amazing moments included joking around with Roy Head ("Treat Her Right") and eating a new dish called Pasta-laya backstage with Stomp organizer Grace Callahan. Congratulations to Stomp curator Dr. Ike on an incredible festival. My advice to you? Start planning a trip to New Orleans in late April next year.

Here's Bill Kopp of SKOPE Magazine following an interview with the Green Fuz.








Here's Mac Rebbenack, better known as Dr. John, sitting in during the Wardell Quezergue Rhythm & Blues Revue, one of the highlights of the Stomp for me.










Curator Dr. Ira "Dr. Ike" Padnos was interviewed by Phillip Rollins of MTV.com's Street Team at the Louisiana Museum Cabildo.







Here's swamp blues legend Lazy Lester (original singer of the song "Ponderosa Stomp"), New Orleans electric bluesman Little Freddie King, and Mrs. Samantha Padnos (Stomp organizer and Dr. Ike's wife).







Here's Lester, ? (of Question Mark and the Mysterians) and yours truly backstage.

P-Stomp, Day 1

It's no secret that the average age of the performers at the Ponderosa Stomp is well north of your average festival. Collectively though, these artists put on a show that's more unhinged, more high energy, more insane (!!!) than comers half - or even a third - their age.

Day One of the P-Stomp was a runaway sucess. The first ever slate of P-Stomp day panels (held in the historic Cabildo building on Jackson Square, where the Louisiana Purchase transfer took place in 1803) drew SRO crowds. My favorite panel featured southern guitar legend Travis Wammack, who told the audience that his other passion is rattlesnake hunting. With a slingshot!

The P-Stomp itself was a marathon nine hour blowout. Here's a few highlights:


Former Shore Fire client Mary Weiss had the crowd in the palm of her hand. She played lots of Shangri-Las songs, including my fave, "Out in the Streets." Yeah!


Legendary rockabilly sibs The Collins Kids Tore. It. Up.


Wildman Roy Head moved so fast I still couldn't get a good pic of him. Even with flash!


Backstage with "Mojo Hannah" herself, Tammy Lynn. Tired, but happy.

Down At The Union Hall

How much do I love my job? Yesterday I attended a pre-P-Stomp rehearsal for Wardell Quezergue's Rhythm & Blues Revue, at the New Orleans Musicians Union and was one of roughly a dozen people who saw history first-hand.

Known as the Creole Beethoven, Wardell is one of the great architects of the New Orleans groove. He has arranged historic sides for Fats Domino and Professor Longhair, not to mention out-of-towners like Paul Simon and Willie Nelson. Though now blind, his ears are sharper than ever, and yesterday he presided over a rehearsal that included Jean Knight belting out her monster hit "Mr. Big Stuff" and, in the pic below, Tammy Lynn tearing up her classic "Mojo Hannah."

That's Wardell in the center of the frame with his back to the camera, white hair, plaid shirt. On the drums? Zigaboo Modeliste, arguably the greatest percussionist ever to hail from the Crescent City. On the piano? Yep, Dr. John, who's scheduled to play a special P-Stomp exclusive set of his early Mac Rebennack material.

Wardell & co. hit the stage tonite at the House of Blues for the first night of the 7th Annual Ponderosa Stomp. I can assure you from first hand experience, it'll be all killer, no filler.

Murakami at the Brooklyn Museum

© Murakami is something I’ve been looking forward to since I heard about the exhibit’s premiere at MOCA in Los Angeles. I probably would have traveled anywhere within three hours by plane, train or automobile to see it, so it was somewhat of a relief to find out it was coming to the Brooklyn Museum, which is only a three minute walk from my apartment (yay Prospect Heights).

Takashi Murakami is a genius making some of the most provocative art anywhere in the world today (take that, Damien Hirst!). Accessible but endlessly complex, Murakami’s work is instantly recognizable and charming (even when it’s disturbing) and heavily influenced by manga and anime from his native Japan.

You may already be familiar with his work, even if you don’t recognize his name. Murakami designed the cover of Kanye West’s latest album ‘Graduation.’

Check out the video of Mr. Pointy (on of Murakami’s characters) arriving in Brooklyn:



© Murakami is currently at the Brooklyn Museum through July 13.

Prince Is A "Creep"

If you were at Coachella this past Saturday night, chances are you saw this: Prince playing Radiohead's "Creep" as part of a two-hour set. And chances are that I envy you.

Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?

I do, and I couldn't be more excited to be back. I'm in town for the 7th annual Ponderosa Stomp. I arrived Saturday morning, and so far the trip has been a blur of incredible music and insane meals (more on that in a minute).

Neither a torrential downpour or a misspelled sign (see above) kept'em away from the P-Stomp showcase at the Jazzfest fairgrounds on Saturday. Thousands turned out to see unsung legends Lil Buck Sinegal, Dennis Binder, Tammy Lynn, Roy Head, Archie Bell and others.

Unforgettable moment: Roy Head warming-up backstage just before going on. A cross between Elvis and Bruce Lee. The above camera-phone shot doesn't begin to convey this man's whipsmart energy. The audience totally ate it up. A woman threw her panties onstage!

Speaking of unforgettable, here's a quick checklist of dishes I've eaten in the past 48 hours: crawfish beignets, duck po-boy, cochon de lait (roast pork) po-boy, pizza with andouille sausage and jalapenos, eggs florentine with fried oysters, praline bacon, soft shell crab po-boy, and turtle soup. I feel kind of gross now that I think about it.

Edwards Makes It Four For Letterman

Kathleen Edwards was in town for her fourth appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman (seen below outside the studio with Mark Satlof, Matt Hanks, her manager Patrick Sambrook and Diana D' Angelo). At a convivial dinner after the taping, Kathleen reminisced about some of the other bookings...the time she pulled off to the side of the road waiting to see if a last minute offer would come in for that day (it did) and the memorable booking that had her on a marathon 13 hour bus ride from Toronto during a blizzard to make the show. By now, Letterman feels like home.

A Swell Morning With The Swell Season

Last Friday Matt Hanks and I joined Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova at GOOD MORNING AMERICA for a performance as part of their Friday concert series. Though I have the Once Soundtrack on constant rotation on my ipod this was the first time I have seen them perform the songs live. I must say if you find the music moving on record or in the film just imagine how powerful it is from just a couple of feet away – absolutely incredible! After their performance Matt and I grabbed a photo with the lovely duo in the green room.

First Act's Walker on Fox's "Happy Hour"

Our friend and former Shore Fire employee Jeff Walker, in charge of marketing for the musical products company First Act, came to town yesterday to tout the company's new earth friendly guitars on the Fox Business Chanel program "Happy Hour." The show films live at the Bull & Bear, in the Waldorf Astoria.

Here's Jeff with co-host Rebecca Gomez, who's checking out the First Act Bambusa, just before the start of his segment.


And here's the other co-host, Cody, holding First Act's Adam Gardner model, getting prepped to go on, with Shore Fire's Maggie Poulos looking on.

It's Another Party Time at Shore Fire

It's not all fun and games at Shore Fire. Oh, wait maybe it is. But seriously, celebrating staff birthday's is a longtime tradition here. Today is was Staten Islander Chris Tallie's turn to blow out the candles on a delicious carrot cake.

Battle of the Bands!

Some of you know how crazy we are about our Wii, and about the raging Guitar Hero battles that go on after hours at Shore Fire HQ. Now there's a new contender for our musical game affection: THQ's Battle of The Bands.

A combination of "rhythm action skill and weaponized instruments," according to the promotional site, the game features cover versions of 30 licensed songs, available in any of the following five musical genres: Rock, Country, Marching Band, Hip Hop and Ranchero. And I'm thinking I've just gotta hear what "Blitzkrieg Bop" (charmingly misnomered "Blitzkrieg Bob") sounds like Ranchero-style or "Insane in the Brain" à la Marching Band!

See some of the gameplay at IGN.

Record Store Day

Record Store Day is tomorrow, April 19. From the official Record Store Day website: "On Saturday, April 19, 2008, hundreds of independently owned music stores across the country will celebrate 'Record Store Day.'" Hundreds of indie shops are participating in the celebration with in-stores, specials and other events, so go visit your fave tomorrow and spend a couple bucks. I'm going to stop by Other Music, where several guest DJs will spin. Hopefully an original pressing of this will turn up - an album that I spent hours looking for at the '07 WFMU Record Fair.

Why a "Record Store Day," you ask? Read about it here.

Spring Fashion News

We love our friends at Ropeadope, who besides offering stupendous music to the masses, also make really excellent t-shirts. They were kind enough to send Chris Taillie and me a couple, and since Chris is already a paragon of fashion and I am a onetime model, we thought we'd show them off.

Thanks, Ropeadopers. May a thousand Experiments bloom!

Spring Sounds at Shore Fire

It's been warming up over the last few weeks here in NYC, and there are signs of spring everywhere. The farmer's market is back. The trees are green. And there are once again bands playing in the courthouse plaza across the street.

We see (and hear) it all here- rock bands, gospel choirs, drumlines, high school bands... but the first official plaza concert of 2008, which i'm listening to through my open office window, is a surprisingly good smooth jazz band. And by band, i think it's actually just one guy with an electric guitar and some backing tracks.

I've been enjoying myself trying to identify the songs he's playing. So far i've recognized
"Ignition" by R. Kelly (a bold choice)
"Brick House" by the Commodores
"K-Jee" by MFSB (from the saturday night fever soundtrack- I'm both ashamed and proud to have gotten that one)
"Could it be I'm Falling in Love"- The Spinners
"Ain't Nobody"- Chaka Kahn

As it's now lunch, i think i'm going to go down and have a look at the magic close-up.

My New Favorite Restaurant in Brooklyn

So the Krauser family legacy runs pretty deep in Brooklyn. My father was raised here, and my grandfather actually had a hardware store on Atlantic Avenue. I recenlty found out from my Dad that the store was at 81 Atlantic.

After a little sleuthing, I discovered that the new tenants are the Mark Satlof approved Moxie Spot, a great little restaurant that is very kid friendly. What I also discovered (and what makes me more than a little excited) is that when they bought the building and stripped the paint off the sign that was up, they found the old "Krauser Hardware" sign underneath! And then they made it into a table!



That's me in front of the Krauser table! Nat the owner decided the old sign was so cool he wanted to incorporate it into the space. he's also got the "Hardware" part of the sign up on the wall.


And Lost City has a picture of the sign after they uncovered it.

So anyway, go eat at the Moxie Spot and think of me and my family when you do. The Krauser legacy comes full circle in Brooklyn.