 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Blogs - April 2010
April 9th, 2010 -
This is what I hope to be
doing when I'm not onstage.
Yo ho, fans!
This last Tuesday, We had a lovely time at 10 High in Atlanta. It was a swank little
joint with a tavern upstairs and live rock downstairs. They even had a little
camera that filmed the show downstairs so they could simultaneously show it on
the TVs upstairs. It was originals night, so we were treated to a nice rock sampler
platter. There was hard rock, reggae rock, and even sleaze rock (“Blood, Sweat,
and Beers”…magnificent). And of course there was our robust progressive blend
of rock. Sadly, Austin couldn’t make it because of their VERY strictly enforced age
policy. The show went on as a threesome, and it rocked. Everyone had a great
time.
As for our personal lives, let’s talk about employment. Yes, the dream of rock and
roll stardom is a grand one, but it has its price…literally. After being in the studio
and gigging for so long, all four of The Ron Jonsons are almost clean broke.
Besides that, I gotta make some dough to support my Smarties candy habit (so
yummy!). Butts has a job, I’m looking like a mad dog for one, and Spence and
Austin are even mentioning the possibility of getting a job this summer to cover
the band’s expenses. Every single one of you experienced musicians out there
knows what we’re talking about.
So here I sit, filling out applications and electronic resumes in the hopes that I’ll
get that special e-mail or phone call telling me that I’m going to get to be a
scientist for the rest of my life (and that’s what I’m trying to be, too!). “But Josh,”
you all clamor, “if you’re a scientist for the rest of your life, how can you be a rock
and roll star?” Well, that’s just the trick. As long as “Venue X” only gives us $10 a
night, we’re going to have to get jobs to support the band. But don’t worry; I
assure you that each and every member of The Ron Jonsons is not going to let
this band end anytime soon. We’ve been committed enough so far to pay for our
adventures out of our own pockets and we’ll continue that way if we have to! We’
re also starting to develop our marketing skills so we can get more people to the
shows and get more Ron Merch soon.
So at the end of the day, yes, getting jobs will take up some time and yes, it means
we won’t be able to put all our attention on band matters, but we will have money
to purchase equipment, merchandise, and gasoline and we are developing our
skills to begin making more dough (buy our album!). Why? Because we love it.
That’s it. We love being in this band and making music for you guys. So we’re
going to continue making music and putting on great shows for you guys, even if it
means we’ve got to put a lot more work into it. So keep on rocking, Ron Fans. We
won’t stop rocking for you anytime soon!
- Josh Bailey, The Ron Jonsons
This is what I hope to be
doing when I'm not onstage.
Yo ho, fans!
This last Tuesday, We had a lovely time at 10 High in Atlanta. It was a swank little
joint with a tavern upstairs and live rock downstairs. They even had a little
camera that filmed the show downstairs so they could simultaneously show it on
the TVs upstairs. It was originals night, so we were treated to a nice rock sampler
platter. There was hard rock, reggae rock, and even sleaze rock (“Blood, Sweat,
and Beers”…magnificent). And of course there was our robust progressive blend
of rock. Sadly, Austin couldn’t make it because of their VERY strictly enforced age
policy. The show went on as a threesome, and it rocked. Everyone had a great
time.
As for our personal lives, let’s talk about employment. Yes, the dream of rock and
roll stardom is a grand one, but it has its price…literally. After being in the studio
and gigging for so long, all four of The Ron Jonsons are almost clean broke.
Besides that, I gotta make some dough to support my Smarties candy habit (so
yummy!). Butts has a job, I’m looking like a mad dog for one, and Spence and
Austin are even mentioning the possibility of getting a job this summer to cover
the band’s expenses. Every single one of you experienced musicians out there
knows what we’re talking about.
So here I sit, filling out applications and electronic resumes in the hopes that I’ll
get that special e-mail or phone call telling me that I’m going to get to be a
scientist for the rest of my life (and that’s what I’m trying to be, too!). “But Josh,”
you all clamor, “if you’re a scientist for the rest of your life, how can you be a rock
and roll star?” Well, that’s just the trick. As long as “Venue X” only gives us $10 a
night, we’re going to have to get jobs to support the band. But don’t worry; I
assure you that each and every member of The Ron Jonsons is not going to let
this band end anytime soon. We’ve been committed enough so far to pay for our
adventures out of our own pockets and we’ll continue that way if we have to! We’
re also starting to develop our marketing skills so we can get more people to the
shows and get more Ron Merch soon.
So at the end of the day, yes, getting jobs will take up some time and yes, it means
we won’t be able to put all our attention on band matters, but we will have money
to purchase equipment, merchandise, and gasoline and we are developing our
skills to begin making more dough (buy our album!). Why? Because we love it.
That’s it. We love being in this band and making music for you guys. So we’re
going to continue making music and putting on great shows for you guys, even if it
means we’ve got to put a lot more work into it. So keep on rocking, Ron Fans. We
won’t stop rocking for you anytime soon!
- Josh Bailey, The Ron Jonsons
April 23rd, 2010 -
Pictured: The last known location of last
week's blog...also, the Hamster Dance.
Sorry about last week's absence of a blog. It got sucked into a black hole (trust
me). Here to pick up my slack is Michael Butts:
“Let no one say The Ron Jonsons aren’t fair. Let it also never be said The Ron
Jonsons don’t appreciate good irony. There are a number of blogs where I bash
the recording industry- something about their hollow, shallow greed for the
exploitation of bands and love of the almighty dollar. But the paradox that we as a
band want to tear down the very establishment that we seek to join hasn’t
escaped us (this is the irony part). So, to be fair to the music/recording industry
(this is the fair part), I present to you, the reader, in classic ESPN fashion-
The Top 5 Reasons You CAN’T Blame the Music Industry For Its Current State.
#5- Nirvana: I know, I was as surprised as you were, but you can’t get the credit of
building something up without tearing something down. Nirvana is widely
regarded as one of the most important bands of all time. They are the voice of
Generation X, the last true rock band, and their popularity is unmatched even 16
years after they disbanded (following the death of Kurt Cobain). But it is that exact
popularity that is hurting the music world. They set the bar so high that no band
since has been able to get remotely close. Like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones
and Led Zeppelin, Nirvana is just one of those bands that anchored the genre.
Since their disbanding, no band has (or probably will ever) be able to fill the gap
and anchor the entire genre down. Rock today is too splinters, segmented,
fractured, directionless, and with no Nirvana to glue everyone together, it’s likely
to remain that way.
#4- Consumer Culture: Buy! Buy! Buy! That’s all the world seems to be about
nowadays. It isn’t about what CD you like; it’s about what CDs you have. With
things like iTunes, Napster and the like, getting music is TOO easy. And too quick.
I’m not saying it has to be a treasure hunt (heck, I use iTunes for stuff!), but I think
music lovers have lost something by just point-click-buy. It’s like cooking- why
enjoy something that takes time and effort when you can just go to a drive thru
and get it now? Our culture just wants something because it’s there, not because
it has value. For proof, look no further than Wal-Mart: there are more Hannah
Montana toys/school supplies/bed sheets than there are CDs.
Any of these reasons hitting home yet? If not, here’s another.
#3- Musicians are no longer just musicians: Does everyone remember when
Brittany Spears went on the MTV Music Awards and gave a lazy, half-way
performance? Does everyone remember the next day when everyone was
making a big deal about how she acted and how she looked/dress? Now here’s
my proof- does anyone remember what she sang? Brittany Spears aside
(waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay aside!), musicians have now become fashion and status
symbols. The public wants to know more about how they dress/ what they eat/
where they go than what they sing. I’m not saying we should turn a blind eye, but
we should examine ourselves a little when someone’s outfit gets more attention
than their tour. There are many examples (2 of which I have already named) of
people being famous musicians more for the fact that they are pretty looking than
pretty talented. This isn’t new however- many swing bands in the 1930s and 40s
had attractive female singers to draw in a bigger audience...of males. However,
not only could they actually sing and add to the music, they were only PART of the
act, not THE act.
#2- Mass media: Very similar to number three, the paparazzi culture we live in
makes musicians more visible and thus less mysterious. Why should I listen to
the message of a song when I can just read the bands tweet about it? We are
becoming such a text based society that many have lost the ability to listen to an
instrumental song and pull feelings from it. Now I’m just as guilty as anyone, I hear
a good guitar solo and think “He’s good” not “I totally understand the frustration
he’s expressing through his instrument”. But I am trying to get better at it (jazz
definitely helps!). When was the last time a band released a track with no vocals?
All the energy and feelings came from what they musicians were playing. No, that
won’t fly today, you need a front man who can look good on a magazine cover
(which he’ll end up on more than a stage) to represent the bands image (which is
what people buy and not their message). And with the rise of things like YouTube,
a band can get their 15 minutes of fame before they can even realize it. And with
the mass media the way it is, that 15 minutes comes and goes like 5- there’s
always another band out there to exploit.
Are you ready? Here it is, the number one reason you can’t blame the music
industry for its current state….
#1- Technology: I just mentioned bands don’t put out instrumentals because they
need a front man for the camera, but that’s not the only reason. The other part is
because they suck at their instruments. “It’s ok, we’ll get it in editing” Why take
10 takes to get a part right when only 2 or 3 takes and a few mouse clicks are
needed? Why even practice at all, just edit everything and a band can sound way
better than they are? Why spend months working on songs when a quick record
of sub-par material can be rushed out the door? Technology has made it so easy
to make music that people who would never had made it in the music industry 30-
40 (20!) years ago are famous now. Heck, many bands in the Athens music scene
have records out and (whether they admit it or not) suck at their instruments! The
art, skill, talent that musicians used to need to produce fine music is gone. And it’
s not just the recording that changed. In years gone by, when you liked a song and
wanted to hear it again, you had to listen to the entire record over to hear it. That
meant ALL the songs on an album had to be good. Now if you want to hear a song
again, just hit the rewind or skip button. Song quality has plummeted! Bands just
need a good single for radio play; the rest of the songs can be utter crap.
Well there you have it. Hopefully these reasons have shed a little light on the
complex state of the music industry today. Of course, that doesn’t excuse the
industry for rushing headlong towards its current state, but to be fair, it wasn’t
totally their fault.”
- Michael Butts, The Ron Jonsons
Pictured: The last known location of last
week's blog...also, the Hamster Dance.
Sorry about last week's absence of a blog. It got sucked into a black hole (trust
me). Here to pick up my slack is Michael Butts:
“Let no one say The Ron Jonsons aren’t fair. Let it also never be said The Ron
Jonsons don’t appreciate good irony. There are a number of blogs where I bash
the recording industry- something about their hollow, shallow greed for the
exploitation of bands and love of the almighty dollar. But the paradox that we as a
band want to tear down the very establishment that we seek to join hasn’t
escaped us (this is the irony part). So, to be fair to the music/recording industry
(this is the fair part), I present to you, the reader, in classic ESPN fashion-
The Top 5 Reasons You CAN’T Blame the Music Industry For Its Current State.
#5- Nirvana: I know, I was as surprised as you were, but you can’t get the credit of
building something up without tearing something down. Nirvana is widely
regarded as one of the most important bands of all time. They are the voice of
Generation X, the last true rock band, and their popularity is unmatched even 16
years after they disbanded (following the death of Kurt Cobain). But it is that exact
popularity that is hurting the music world. They set the bar so high that no band
since has been able to get remotely close. Like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones
and Led Zeppelin, Nirvana is just one of those bands that anchored the genre.
Since their disbanding, no band has (or probably will ever) be able to fill the gap
and anchor the entire genre down. Rock today is too splinters, segmented,
fractured, directionless, and with no Nirvana to glue everyone together, it’s likely
to remain that way.
#4- Consumer Culture: Buy! Buy! Buy! That’s all the world seems to be about
nowadays. It isn’t about what CD you like; it’s about what CDs you have. With
things like iTunes, Napster and the like, getting music is TOO easy. And too quick.
I’m not saying it has to be a treasure hunt (heck, I use iTunes for stuff!), but I think
music lovers have lost something by just point-click-buy. It’s like cooking- why
enjoy something that takes time and effort when you can just go to a drive thru
and get it now? Our culture just wants something because it’s there, not because
it has value. For proof, look no further than Wal-Mart: there are more Hannah
Montana toys/school supplies/bed sheets than there are CDs.
Any of these reasons hitting home yet? If not, here’s another.
#3- Musicians are no longer just musicians: Does everyone remember when
Brittany Spears went on the MTV Music Awards and gave a lazy, half-way
performance? Does everyone remember the next day when everyone was
making a big deal about how she acted and how she looked/dress? Now here’s
my proof- does anyone remember what she sang? Brittany Spears aside
(waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay aside!), musicians have now become fashion and status
symbols. The public wants to know more about how they dress/ what they eat/
where they go than what they sing. I’m not saying we should turn a blind eye, but
we should examine ourselves a little when someone’s outfit gets more attention
than their tour. There are many examples (2 of which I have already named) of
people being famous musicians more for the fact that they are pretty looking than
pretty talented. This isn’t new however- many swing bands in the 1930s and 40s
had attractive female singers to draw in a bigger audience...of males. However,
not only could they actually sing and add to the music, they were only PART of the
act, not THE act.
#2- Mass media: Very similar to number three, the paparazzi culture we live in
makes musicians more visible and thus less mysterious. Why should I listen to
the message of a song when I can just read the bands tweet about it? We are
becoming such a text based society that many have lost the ability to listen to an
instrumental song and pull feelings from it. Now I’m just as guilty as anyone, I hear
a good guitar solo and think “He’s good” not “I totally understand the frustration
he’s expressing through his instrument”. But I am trying to get better at it (jazz
definitely helps!). When was the last time a band released a track with no vocals?
All the energy and feelings came from what they musicians were playing. No, that
won’t fly today, you need a front man who can look good on a magazine cover
(which he’ll end up on more than a stage) to represent the bands image (which is
what people buy and not their message). And with the rise of things like YouTube,
a band can get their 15 minutes of fame before they can even realize it. And with
the mass media the way it is, that 15 minutes comes and goes like 5- there’s
always another band out there to exploit.
Are you ready? Here it is, the number one reason you can’t blame the music
industry for its current state….
#1- Technology: I just mentioned bands don’t put out instrumentals because they
need a front man for the camera, but that’s not the only reason. The other part is
because they suck at their instruments. “It’s ok, we’ll get it in editing” Why take
10 takes to get a part right when only 2 or 3 takes and a few mouse clicks are
needed? Why even practice at all, just edit everything and a band can sound way
better than they are? Why spend months working on songs when a quick record
of sub-par material can be rushed out the door? Technology has made it so easy
to make music that people who would never had made it in the music industry 30-
40 (20!) years ago are famous now. Heck, many bands in the Athens music scene
have records out and (whether they admit it or not) suck at their instruments! The
art, skill, talent that musicians used to need to produce fine music is gone. And it’
s not just the recording that changed. In years gone by, when you liked a song and
wanted to hear it again, you had to listen to the entire record over to hear it. That
meant ALL the songs on an album had to be good. Now if you want to hear a song
again, just hit the rewind or skip button. Song quality has plummeted! Bands just
need a good single for radio play; the rest of the songs can be utter crap.
Well there you have it. Hopefully these reasons have shed a little light on the
complex state of the music industry today. Of course, that doesn’t excuse the
industry for rushing headlong towards its current state, but to be fair, it wasn’t
totally their fault.”
- Michael Butts, The Ron Jonsons
April 30th, 2010 -
Thanks, Ron Fans,
three years of rockage!
Well, folks, the Hartwell Dam Run is this weekend and you know what that means!
The Ron Jonsons get to play a nice outdoor gig in the lovely new spring
weather…unless it rains, of course. But it means something else. The Ron
Jonsons are also another year older.
Our more devout fans already knew this, but the 5th of May is more than Cinco de
Mayo for us. It also marks our first public performance under the name “The Ron
Jonsons”. As of May 5th, The Ron Jonsons will be 3 years old (squeeee!). This is
always a good time for us to look back and see what we’ve done in the last year. I’
ll scroll through the past blogs and hit the highlights between 5/5/09 and 5/5/10:
Butts totaled his car!
We won 2nd place at the 2009 CAGUTS Battle of the Bands!
www.theronjonsons.com opened for business!
We rocked the Mall of Georgia THREE times (and we’ve got two more ready to
go)!!!
Ron Merch debuted to the public with TWO different colors of T-shirts (and that’s
still all there is…for now)!
Work began on The Ron Jonsons’ first album (and is nearly complete)!
The Ron Jonsons Newsletter kicked off (go sign up for it on our webpage)!
I got Photoshop!
We’ve begun breaking into the Atlanta music scene!
So we’ve been busy little boys this past year. Our Junior year is shaping up to be a
good one as well. We’re planning for our album to come out this year (keep you
fingers crossed…) and we’ve got those two Mall ‘o’ Georgia gigs coming up! With
any luck, we’ll get more Ron Merch out to you guys as well. Anyways, if you’re
feeling up to getting up at 7 am to come watch us this Saturday at the Hartwell
Dam Run, we’d love to see you there!
Thanks to all out fans that have kept us going for 3 years! We couldn't have done
it without you! Here's to many more...
Catch you peeps later,
- Josh Bailey, The Ron Jonsons
Thanks, Ron Fans,
three years of rockage!
Well, folks, the Hartwell Dam Run is this weekend and you know what that means!
The Ron Jonsons get to play a nice outdoor gig in the lovely new spring
weather…unless it rains, of course. But it means something else. The Ron
Jonsons are also another year older.
Our more devout fans already knew this, but the 5th of May is more than Cinco de
Mayo for us. It also marks our first public performance under the name “The Ron
Jonsons”. As of May 5th, The Ron Jonsons will be 3 years old (squeeee!). This is
always a good time for us to look back and see what we’ve done in the last year. I’
ll scroll through the past blogs and hit the highlights between 5/5/09 and 5/5/10:
Butts totaled his car!
We won 2nd place at the 2009 CAGUTS Battle of the Bands!
www.theronjonsons.com opened for business!
We rocked the Mall of Georgia THREE times (and we’ve got two more ready to
go)!!!
Ron Merch debuted to the public with TWO different colors of T-shirts (and that’s
still all there is…for now)!
Work began on The Ron Jonsons’ first album (and is nearly complete)!
The Ron Jonsons Newsletter kicked off (go sign up for it on our webpage)!
I got Photoshop!
We’ve begun breaking into the Atlanta music scene!
So we’ve been busy little boys this past year. Our Junior year is shaping up to be a
good one as well. We’re planning for our album to come out this year (keep you
fingers crossed…) and we’ve got those two Mall ‘o’ Georgia gigs coming up! With
any luck, we’ll get more Ron Merch out to you guys as well. Anyways, if you’re
feeling up to getting up at 7 am to come watch us this Saturday at the Hartwell
Dam Run, we’d love to see you there!
Thanks to all out fans that have kept us going for 3 years! We couldn't have done
it without you! Here's to many more...
Catch you peeps later,
- Josh Bailey, The Ron Jonsons
