8/22/2010
AMERICA'S IDOL
So, if you watch American Idol I guess I can understand why. It is a pretty cool show, and this is coming from a guy who is really not much into reality TV shows. I really enjoy music being a musician myself so I can kinda in some sorta way relate to the contestants on the show. I always really like the rockers because I am into rock music. I like the other artists as well don't get me wrong,but I like to see when a singer can rock out.
At first I hated the show, I watched it once and really didn't like it. I thought of it as ruining the music industry (as if the music industry hasn't already been ruined) I didn't really give it a chance at first. I might have watched for a few minutes before turning the channel. I finally got into a conversation with someone about it and I expressed my opinions and they said I should really give it a chance. So I did.
I did some research on the show, and learned about the judges. It took no time at all before I had a ton of respect for the judges learning the musical background of them and got completely sucked into the show. Randy Jackson is an amazing record producer and writer. He produced some of the biggest artists in the music industry. He also played in a lot of bands including Journey and he was the President of A&R at Columbia Records and he spent four years as the Senior Vice President of A&R at MCA Records.Simon Cowell owns a TV production and music company called Syco. With the help of Syco, Simon Cowell has helped the musical careers of various recording artists, including Leona Lewis and the group Il Divo. Cowell is also known for combining activities in the music and television industries, selling more than 150 million records and 70 top-charting singles both in the UK and United States throughout his 16-year stay with Sony BMG. We all know what Paula Abdules career is and was. And then another judge came along.Kara DioGuardi, She is an AMAZING song writer and producer with years of experience in the music industry. She is extremely respected in the biz and has written songs for Britney Spears,Christina Aguilera, Hillary Duff,Pink and Kelly Clarkson. She is an incredible singer and performer as well and owns Arthouse Entertainment, which is a publishing company.She has also won a ton of awards and received a ton of nominations.
I have so much respect for the big time music producers,engineers and writers.These people are what make the industry so great. Which is exactly why I was so excited when Ellen Degeneres came along to American Ido.She is an accomplished,....hmmmm....Wait a min. Oh thats right she is a comedian. She doesn't play an instrument, or sing, or produce records.Ok thats when It was time for me to stop watching. I can honestly say that with Ellen on the show I didn't watch one episode.Prior to Ellen I really got into the show. Now that Ellen left Idol I am ready to start watching again. Its not that I have anything against Ellen, Its just that If someone is gonna tell someone else how to sing or judge them on a panel. They better be a pretty good singer themselves and have the qualifications to back it up. How can someone expect an up and coming singer to have respect for the advice that was given to them by a comedian. Thats just the way I see it. So with Ellen out of the way I am ready once again for American Idol.
At first I hated the show, I watched it once and really didn't like it. I thought of it as ruining the music industry (as if the music industry hasn't already been ruined) I didn't really give it a chance at first. I might have watched for a few minutes before turning the channel. I finally got into a conversation with someone about it and I expressed my opinions and they said I should really give it a chance. So I did.
I did some research on the show, and learned about the judges. It took no time at all before I had a ton of respect for the judges learning the musical background of them and got completely sucked into the show. Randy Jackson is an amazing record producer and writer. He produced some of the biggest artists in the music industry. He also played in a lot of bands including Journey and he was the President of A&R at Columbia Records and he spent four years as the Senior Vice President of A&R at MCA Records.Simon Cowell owns a TV production and music company called Syco. With the help of Syco, Simon Cowell has helped the musical careers of various recording artists, including Leona Lewis and the group Il Divo. Cowell is also known for combining activities in the music and television industries, selling more than 150 million records and 70 top-charting singles both in the UK and United States throughout his 16-year stay with Sony BMG. We all know what Paula Abdules career is and was. And then another judge came along.Kara DioGuardi, She is an AMAZING song writer and producer with years of experience in the music industry. She is extremely respected in the biz and has written songs for Britney Spears,Christina Aguilera, Hillary Duff,Pink and Kelly Clarkson. She is an incredible singer and performer as well and owns Arthouse Entertainment, which is a publishing company.She has also won a ton of awards and received a ton of nominations.
I have so much respect for the big time music producers,engineers and writers.These people are what make the industry so great. Which is exactly why I was so excited when Ellen Degeneres came along to American Ido.She is an accomplished,....hmmmm....Wait a min. Oh thats right she is a comedian. She doesn't play an instrument, or sing, or produce records.Ok thats when It was time for me to stop watching. I can honestly say that with Ellen on the show I didn't watch one episode.Prior to Ellen I really got into the show. Now that Ellen left Idol I am ready to start watching again. Its not that I have anything against Ellen, Its just that If someone is gonna tell someone else how to sing or judge them on a panel. They better be a pretty good singer themselves and have the qualifications to back it up. How can someone expect an up and coming singer to have respect for the advice that was given to them by a comedian. Thats just the way I see it. So with Ellen out of the way I am ready once again for American Idol.
8/21/2010
TAKING THE TALENT AWAY- "A look at the music of today"
I can still remember it like it was yesterday, turning on those loud amplifiers and cranking out some guitar licks. The sound of the drums beating in my chest and the sound of the bass guitar hitting me so hard it almost knocked me over. Those sure were the days. If you wanted to be in a band you first had to learn your instrument well. Then you could do one of three things, find a working band looking for your particular instrument, find a band just starting out or start up your own band. You had to work at it and get good. Not just anyone could be in a band, it took something very special. You had to be very creative and you had to know how to really write a good song. It was a lot of hard work. Music today and the way its created is so very different than what most of us are used to. Those days of having something special are gone. Sure you must be a good singer if you’re going to sing a song, and you must be a good performer if you’re going to perform. In today’s music world there are still Producers just like there were many years ago. They just play different roles. Many years ago, a group would sing a song for a record company that the group wrote. If the company liked the song they would record it and release it. It would get radio play; it would sell, everyone made money. Today things work a bit different.
At any time during your car ride home from work you might put on the radio and hear a new song from an artist. You might think how good the song is and how talented the artist must be to write a song like that. The truth is most artists of today don’t write their own songs. Most artists of today will pay a producer to make them music. They then either write the words for the song or the producer will write the words. Once the song is recorded and the Producer is paid, that artist now has a song.Artists buy music and songs also from producers and companies,Its very different than how things once were. Music is mostly made with machines now-a-days and computers. It is usually not really the drums you are hearing on a song, it is usually a computer made replica of the sounds of drums. Now a day’s your looks play a much more important role in becoming an artist. If you have a good look and are young and hip with a great song, your chances of becoming a star are much greater than if you’re older and are over weight. You must have what they call the “complete package” in order to sell albums. A lot of times record companies already have a potential hit song waiting to be recorded, they just need to find a good looking hip performer to record the song and be the next super star. Where does this leave the talented musicians of the world? Is there still a place for them? This blog post doesn’t mean that no artists of today are talented. Some can sing very well and dance very well. Some are good writers. But if you want to become a super star today, talent is not the first word that pops into ones mind. Maybe all you need is a good Producer with a good computer who knows how to write a song. It makes me sad when I see a young girl or guy on stage, who is dancing and blurting out lyrics to a dance track. I can’t help but think what it would be like if that performer on stage were to pick up a guitar and play with some of the great talents of the world. I believe it would be a mess, because chances are that performer on stage really doesn’t know the theory of music. They are nothing more than an entertainer dancing along to a song that they didn’t write. .
A lot of exceptionally good rock bands never made it out of the garage or the basement. They never made it up on the stage. Some of the best guitar players in the world were never discovered. Some did make it on the stage only to play a few shows and give up. Some went further and played a few thousand shows all over the country, yet still never got their "big" break. On the other hand some dancers were given a song to rap over and made it big. Some of these performers made millions of dollars with songs that took no talent at all to create. Is this just a matter of being at the right place at the right time, or maybe knowing the right people? If this is the case I wish you all well and I am happy for your success. Let’s just not forget about the guy who works Monday-Friday 9-5 and spends his weekends on-stage performing for the night club audience. He probably has more talent in his pinky finger than most millionaire celebrity status artists of the world.
This blog post is in no way intended to put down the artists of today. It is not intended to say that ANYONE can do what they do, and it certainly is not saying that it doesn’t take hard work to be an artist in today’s world. It is just simply a comparison of how music was when I was young, to what it has become today. If you are an artist that dances and sings to a dance track and you play the piano or guitar and you know how to read music, I applaud you. If you do not know music theory I challenge you to learn it and understand your art. Learn the piano and the guitar. Learn how to write. It will only help you as an artist. I believe if you’re going to make your living doing something, you should know it well. If you’re going to be an artist then truly make art. Let’s bring back the talent.
At any time during your car ride home from work you might put on the radio and hear a new song from an artist. You might think how good the song is and how talented the artist must be to write a song like that. The truth is most artists of today don’t write their own songs. Most artists of today will pay a producer to make them music. They then either write the words for the song or the producer will write the words. Once the song is recorded and the Producer is paid, that artist now has a song.Artists buy music and songs also from producers and companies,Its very different than how things once were. Music is mostly made with machines now-a-days and computers. It is usually not really the drums you are hearing on a song, it is usually a computer made replica of the sounds of drums. Now a day’s your looks play a much more important role in becoming an artist. If you have a good look and are young and hip with a great song, your chances of becoming a star are much greater than if you’re older and are over weight. You must have what they call the “complete package” in order to sell albums. A lot of times record companies already have a potential hit song waiting to be recorded, they just need to find a good looking hip performer to record the song and be the next super star. Where does this leave the talented musicians of the world? Is there still a place for them? This blog post doesn’t mean that no artists of today are talented. Some can sing very well and dance very well. Some are good writers. But if you want to become a super star today, talent is not the first word that pops into ones mind. Maybe all you need is a good Producer with a good computer who knows how to write a song. It makes me sad when I see a young girl or guy on stage, who is dancing and blurting out lyrics to a dance track. I can’t help but think what it would be like if that performer on stage were to pick up a guitar and play with some of the great talents of the world. I believe it would be a mess, because chances are that performer on stage really doesn’t know the theory of music. They are nothing more than an entertainer dancing along to a song that they didn’t write. .
A lot of exceptionally good rock bands never made it out of the garage or the basement. They never made it up on the stage. Some of the best guitar players in the world were never discovered. Some did make it on the stage only to play a few shows and give up. Some went further and played a few thousand shows all over the country, yet still never got their "big" break. On the other hand some dancers were given a song to rap over and made it big. Some of these performers made millions of dollars with songs that took no talent at all to create. Is this just a matter of being at the right place at the right time, or maybe knowing the right people? If this is the case I wish you all well and I am happy for your success. Let’s just not forget about the guy who works Monday-Friday 9-5 and spends his weekends on-stage performing for the night club audience. He probably has more talent in his pinky finger than most millionaire celebrity status artists of the world.
This blog post is in no way intended to put down the artists of today. It is not intended to say that ANYONE can do what they do, and it certainly is not saying that it doesn’t take hard work to be an artist in today’s world. It is just simply a comparison of how music was when I was young, to what it has become today. If you are an artist that dances and sings to a dance track and you play the piano or guitar and you know how to read music, I applaud you. If you do not know music theory I challenge you to learn it and understand your art. Learn the piano and the guitar. Learn how to write. It will only help you as an artist. I believe if you’re going to make your living doing something, you should know it well. If you’re going to be an artist then truly make art. Let’s bring back the talent.
8/20/2010
A little about me-
ANDRE KANE-
For 10 years I worked as the Executive Producer and on-air personality of a number one rated Morning radio show, The Woodman in The Morning" on WSPK in New York’s Hudson Valley Region. Duties included Booking celebrity guests and handling all the behind the scenes work, along with working on-air as the "Class Clown". I developed and performed characters wrote comedy bits and stunts and wrote and performed songs for the morning show. I worked in the Creative Services Department of five radio stations including WBNR/WLNA, WHUD, WSPK and WXPK while maintaining my position as the Executive Producer of the radio show. Duties Included Voicing, producing and editing advertiser commercials for broadcast. I helped plan major promotions and events for clients, and put together marketing techniques for clients of the company. I worked on sound processing and designed audio projects for broadcast directly with clients. I produced music and audio elements for commercials. I also worked in the Promotions Department at WSPK which included setting up station events. In 2007 I took over as The Executive Producer and Morning co-host on WBPM NY. Duties include Promotions, Maintaining and updating station data base, writing show segment content, interviews, games, pop culture news and information elements. working directly with agencies and managers to schedule all Celebrity and non-celebrity appearances on morning show for broadcast and advertisement purposes and overall marketing of morning show. Also I handle all Public Relations of the show along with my partner and co-host Jack Hammer, as well as setting up all Media Relations for morning show events and broadcasts. I also develop creative content for the show, set up station promotions and events and maintain morning show website and handle station online marketing.
For 10 years I worked as the Executive Producer and on-air personality of a number one rated Morning radio show, The Woodman in The Morning" on WSPK in New York’s Hudson Valley Region. Duties included Booking celebrity guests and handling all the behind the scenes work, along with working on-air as the "Class Clown". I developed and performed characters wrote comedy bits and stunts and wrote and performed songs for the morning show. I worked in the Creative Services Department of five radio stations including WBNR/WLNA, WHUD, WSPK and WXPK while maintaining my position as the Executive Producer of the radio show. Duties Included Voicing, producing and editing advertiser commercials for broadcast. I helped plan major promotions and events for clients, and put together marketing techniques for clients of the company. I worked on sound processing and designed audio projects for broadcast directly with clients. I produced music and audio elements for commercials. I also worked in the Promotions Department at WSPK which included setting up station events. In 2007 I took over as The Executive Producer and Morning co-host on WBPM NY. Duties include Promotions, Maintaining and updating station data base, writing show segment content, interviews, games, pop culture news and information elements. working directly with agencies and managers to schedule all Celebrity and non-celebrity appearances on morning show for broadcast and advertisement purposes and overall marketing of morning show. Also I handle all Public Relations of the show along with my partner and co-host Jack Hammer, as well as setting up all Media Relations for morning show events and broadcasts. I also develop creative content for the show, set up station promotions and events and maintain morning show website and handle station online marketing.
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