Malletts Bay Music Blog

“How To Support Your Favorite Artist 

And Discover New Artists”

If you saw the movie Amadeus, the story of Mozart, you might have learned about his frustration with the Patronage system. Yes, those patrons were paying his bills and putting food on his table and wine in his goblet, but back then, those wealthy patrons also took license to not only oversee the projects they commissioned from Mozart, but also had the audacity to tell him how long a composition should be and what language his operas should embrace.  Today’s Patreon platform takes the idea of the old patronage system without the interference of the patron and helps the creator sustain and embark on new, creative projects.

Now who were those patrons in Mozart’s time?  They were nobility, bankers, churches, and rich merchants who commissioned works for special events.  The patronage system began way before Mozart’s time and was the norm for artists – musicians, sculptors, visual artists, and writers - but not always solely utilized by artists.  Even Galileo benefitted from the system.  

The Patronage System was like financial aid, giving support and encouragement to the artist or inventor to pursue their creativity and help them with financial stability.  For the patron, (derived from the Latin word ‘patronus’-one who gives benefits to his clients), it was an opportunity to showcase an artist or inventor, as well as a demonstration of power or wealth, but sometimes those rich patrons took license to convey subtle political messages.

Today we have a new form of patronage called Patreon, a platform that supports today’s independent artists by fans who believe in the artist and want to see the artist pursue their creativity through an on-going basis.  The differences between the old patronage system of Mozart’s time where each commission was a one-shot deal with too much interference by the patron, the newly established Patreon system is more about sustaining the creativity of the artist through an on-going basis. Today’s Patreon patron can opt to pay as little as $5.00 per month to as much as they want to support the creator.   And in return, the patron benefits from first hearing of a new song, or first view of a new video, or free music, etc.  But more importantly, these new patrons are supporting the on-going efforts of today’s creators rather than a one-off crowd-funding platform.

I get great joy when I send off a check to the heart association, or cancer research, or a friend or colleague in need where I’m not receiving anything back. I also enjoy backing artists for a one-off campaign on Kickstarter or PledgeMusic or GoFundMe.  But I get even more satisfaction helping to support an artist I believe in on an on-going basis, knowing the artist is now able to pursue creative projects that will go out into the world to make it a better place. I encourage readers to check out Patreon and help support new creativity.  

A few examples of musicians who are benefiting from this new platform are:

https://www.patreon.com/hayescarll

https://www.patreon.com/gregorydouglass

https://www.patreon.com/JesseCorrell

Learn more about Patreon:

Musicians should know what metadata is. Metadata is simply information stored inside an audio file. Musicians should input their metadata in their iTunes library before sending songs out to any licensing agency or music supervisor. Here’s how:

Right-click on a song in your iTunes library and scroll down to ‘get info’. Fill in the boxes—song name, artist, album title, album artist, composer, year, track, and disc number. There is a drop-down menu for ‘genre’. You might want to consider putting in a different genre for each song as they might not be all Alt-Pop, etc. BPM means ‘beats per minute’. I have an app called ‘Pro Metronome’ to figure out the beats per minute. Be sure your metronome is set for the correct meter (4/4, etc).

Under ‘grouping’ put the contact info for the company/person to contact for any potential licenses for TV/Film/Advertising whether it is you or an agency (Example: Song And Film, contact Glory at . . .  .). And finally, in the ‘comments’ box, put all writers of the song and the PRO they are affiliated with as well as the publisher and the PRO it is affiliated with. Unlike most countries around the world who have one PRO, the United States has three—ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. I would also recommend listing the record label (if there is one) and who owns the master recording for the mechanical license. Most independent artists own their own masters.

I only heard Ralph Stanley perform live once.  He was the opener for Alison Krauss.  I had heard his name in the past, but didn’t know much about him except for the fact that he was part of the soundtrack for the film “O Brother, Where Art Thou”.  His recent death led me to find out more about him.

Ralph and his brother Carter, known as The Stanley Brothers, were one of the first successful bluegrass acts after founding bluegrass father, Bill Monroe.   Now that name I did know.  Let me begin with a brief history of “Who was Bill Monroe?” and “What is Bluegrass?”

After a short stint with his brother Charlie (The Monroe Brothers), Bill created a new band called Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys.  They defined bluegrass as a genre that would influence many musicians to come.  The instrumentation consisted of vocals, mandolin, guitar, fiddle, bass, and eventually the banjo.  It was a mix of Appalachian folk music, gospel, and blues.  The style was technically demanding and more aggressive than what had come before.  Lastly, a more distinguishable characteristic was the rhythm.  Because there were no drums in a bluegrass configuration, the strings had to provide the driving rhythm using sixteenth notes in a duple pattern (1+2+) with a strong backbeat (think “chugga-lugga chugga-lugga”).

Bill and his boys (which incidentally included Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs) established the standard for technique, instrumentation, and repertoire for this new form/style of music known as Bluegrass.  (It is said that it was disc jockeys and fans that named the style after the band name, but using one word instead of two.)

As mentioned earlier, The Stanley Brothers continued the more traditional side of bluegrass using banjo (Ralph’s claw-hammer style of banjo picking) and guitar (Carter) with Carter-family inspired vocal harmonies.  They eventually called themselves the Clinch Mountain Boys.  The brothers would go on recording and performing together until Carter’s death in 1966.  With the encouragement of his fans, Ralph continued to write, record and perform without his brother until his own recent death.  The brothers are in the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and have influenced artists like Dwight Yoakam, Emmy Lou Harris, and Ricky Skaggs, to name a few.

Give a listen to some of the tracks on the album ‘Shine’.

I don’t watch an exorbitant amount of television, but I have been hooked on the CBS show, ‘Blue Bloods’ since the beginning.  I’ve been pondering why that is. I’m not Catholic, Irish, or in law enforcement, and I don’t drink Scotch Whiskey.  So why the infatuation with this show?  Could it be that:

* I have always been a fan of Tom Selleck (but not a fan of his support of the NRA)

*I love a good detective show (my friends say I could have been a detective due to my poker face)

*I love the family dinner scenes (it reminds me of my youth when my family and all of my father’s siblings and their families would descend upon my paternal grandparents farmhouse every Sunday at noon for a big feast and lots of fun (although water and lemonade was served rather than wine)

*I love the fact that the adult members of the Reagan family (who are all involved in the law in various capacities but often come into conflict with each other) can have major arguments, but still respect and love each other unconditionally at the end of the day (you know the old saying-”You can choose your friends, but not your family”)

*I love the fact that the storyline often reflects current issues, thus hopefully convincing the viewers to think about both sides of the issues (usually the show ends on a hopeful note, therefore leaving me hopeful)

Bow with his new invention--The Bojotar

Reasons why you should know who Bow Thayer is:

*A new record on the horizon produced by a 3-time Grammy winner with credible guest appearances *An official video with bonus tracks to be released in conjunction with the new album release *The inventor of the Bojotar now being manufactured by Eastwood Guitars *Co-founder of the nationally recognized Tweed River Festival *A prolific writer with full ownership of an extensive discography including "Spend It All" featuring the legendary Levon Helm *A personal/professional studio with an online series of bands performing live from the studio *A backing band gearing up to tour in support of the new album *A solid history of recording and touring

Bow Thayer has been singing and writing songs for as long as he can remember. Making music is who he is. He has lived up to his “reputation as a sublimely gifted artist” by pursuing a creative vision that seeks to lead Americana music into the future. Finally gaining national recognition, American Songwriter Magazine says this "one-time Levon Helm compatriot is the best artist to come from New England in recent years."

Bow made a name for himself in Boston with 7 League Boots, a rock/reggae band that shared the stage with the likes of Fugazi, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Pearl Jam. Fifteen years ago he made a life-altering decision to leave the city for the Green Mountains of Vermont. It was there that he explored the Delta blues playing slide guitar for the original Elbow and began a relationship with the banjo—both in the bluegrass group, The Benders, and on his own—that continues to this day.

Bottom of the Sky, his 2010 release, reached #40 at Americana radio. At one point it was the second most added title, trailing  Wanda Jackson's well-publicized comeback with Jack White, and outpaced new music by the likes of Iron & Wine and The Decemberists.  In 2012 he released Hindsight, a retrospective of his more popular tunes that had been released between 1995 and 2012. It also received a fair amount of airplay.

Bow Thayer's most recent studio recording, “Eden" (2013), written almost entirely on a five-string electric banjo and co-produced by Grammy Award-winning engineer Justin Guip, was released to widespread critical acclaim.  Eden is an observation of society’s self-inflicted wounds. Despite lyrical themes detailing man’s degradation of the planet, Eden provides listeners with hope for the future. On Earth Day 2014, Bow released his first live album, "Eden - Live at The Chandler", that also marked his final release with his band Perfect Trainwreck who have been at his side for the last three records.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/eden/id606698027

Bow is moving forward with his longtime drummer, Jeff Berlin, and a new cast of musicians as he explores the creative potential of his self-designed stringed instrument, known affectionately as the "Bojotar"-a new stringed electric instrument combining elements of a resonator guitar, banjo, and electric guitar.

http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/airline-bojotar-black/

Having played with such music luminaries as Levon Helm, John Hiatt, Booker T, and Ringo Starr, Bow has seen his fair share of travel across the United States and beyond and plans to do more while supporting his records that feature his tales, truths and fantasies about the human condition.

Bow has been known to throw one hell of a party, too. Maybe you have heard of Tweed River Music Festival?  The 2015 festival is slated for July 31-August 2, 2015.

Bow is devoting his life to spreading music wherever he goes and hopes you have the chance to catch an earful. Visit Bow’s website at: http://www.bowthayer.com

SAM CREIGH JOINS THE MALLETTS BAY MUSIC ROSTER

In April 2014, Sam Creigh released his second album “Wanted Man”.  It, like his previous album “Green Mountain Flyer”, is a rich collection of original songs, as well as some covers. He describes the songs as country-folk portraits of people and their relationships with each other and with the land of rural America. Since moving to Vermont in 1987, Sam has honed his singing and guitar-playing skills of the stages of festivals, farmers’ markets, taverns, and ski areas throughout Southern Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as summertime performances in west-central Minnesota.  After a performance at the 14th Annual Roots On The River Festival in 2013, promoter Ray Massucco commented, “Sam has written some truly great songs, and he has a very professional stage presence, with a warmth and personal touch that makes him a crowd favorite.  He is certainly one of the incredibly talented local musicians who make up our very vibrant music scene here in the southern Vermont area”. Sam’s songs are crafted so that they work when performed solo, or when arranged with a full band as on his two albums.  You can take a breathtaking fall foliage ride with Sam on the Green Mountain Flyer at this link: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsdcL58vgNg 

Visit Sam’s website at www.samcreigh.com for more info including song credits, lyrics, and photos.  

ADLAI WAXMAN JOINS THE MALLETTS BAY MUSIC ROSTER

    Adlai Waxman is a singer, songwriter,musician and composer from Burlington, VT, originally from Toronto, Canada by way of Nashville, TN. His 2012 EP Circumstance and Dreams EP spent two weeks on the 2012 CD BABY Rock Americana chart. Previous recordings such as his 2009 release Down at Joe's, was nominated for a Just Plain Folks award for best male singer-songwriter album 2009. 

Circumstance and Dreams is a collection of six new original songs and was co-produced by George Marinelli (founding member of Bruce Hornsby and The Range and current guitarist for Bonnie Raitt) and Vince Santoro (drummer for Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell and current drummer for Mary Chapin Carpenter). Waxman, Marinelli and Santoro are responsible for all of the instrumentation on the album. No additional sidemen were used on the project. Just three guys in a room recording quality music!

 “Waxman’s melodic sensibilities instantly channel the stylings of Randy Newman, Steely Dan or Joe Jackson filtered through a mature Ben Folds”


- Ian Nathanson/Metro Toronto

 www.soundcloud.com/adlaiw

 First, the News--

Three songs from the new ‘Twists & Bends’ album were recently featured on WOS Radio (Women of Substance):

     “Come East”—Amber deLaurentis

     “Tell Her”—Lisa Piccirillo

     “Just Like Dorothy”—Casey Dubie

The radio podcast show is a big hit on iTunes.  You can access those by going to:

http://www.wosradio.com

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/women-of-substance/id939201604?mt=2

“Come East” is at #4 on the top 10 Broadjam list for Americana/Folk.  Several songs from the ‘Twists & Bends’ compilation have been airing in various parts of the US, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. 

 Call to Action--

Call your favorite radio station and request a song from the album!  Also, if you want to support local music, purchase the album and/or a Twists & Bends T-Shirt at the website:

http://www.mallettsbaymusic.com

Your money supports what we do at Malletts Bay Music on behalf of local artists.

The music can also be purchased at iTunes or CDBaby.com or locally at Pure Pop Records and Apple Mountain Gifts.

AND NOW, UPCOMING LOCAL SHOWS--

     Catch Lowell Thompson this Thursday at The Monkey House in Winooski, VT!  I’m sure he’ll be playing tunes from the brand new album.

  Bow Thayer coming to Chandler Music Hall!

Bow Thayer
--Friday, February 6, 7:30 pm
General admission: $19 or two for $35, price includes one drink from the cash bar and snacks.

Bow Thayer and his band will perform new songs from his new album, along with old favorites. Bow is an accomplished and prolific songwriter who cultivates influences from the worlds of rock, blues, folk, prog, bluegrass, and anything and everything in between to produce music that is heartfelt, soulful, and uniquely his.

Bow's most recent studio recording, "Eden", was released in 2013 to critical acclaim. Eden is an observation of society's self-inflicted wounds. Despite lyrical themes detailing man's degradation of the planet, Eden provides listeners with hope for the future. Bow held an album release party on Chandler's main stage in January 2013, and the live recording, "Eden--Live at The Chandler" was released in April 2014. Tickets: 802-728-6464 

  Support local music!  

Cheers,

That's right.  You've heard of Gray Thursday and Black Friday.  I wanted to name Saturday (besides Small Business Saturday) Purple Friday.  Why?  Seth Godin wrote a great book titled Purple Cow.  Anyone trying to become a better entrepreneur should read it.  The basic premise is having a remarkable product and then marketing it in a remarkable way. 

I'm not sure this is a remarkable way to market our new music compilation project, but I believe we have a remarkable product.  I wanted to put the artists that I work with in the studio and record brand new songs. It took a year of fundraising, writing and recording to bring the project to fruition.  I'm very proud of the work done by the artists and our awesome producer, Colin McCaffrey, and engineer, Lane Gibson Sr. This Saturday, on our Purple Saturday, you can do a bit of holiday shopping right at our website or on the apps page of the Malletts Bay Music Facebook page.  We have the new album, Twists & Bends, in physical or digital form as well as Twists & Bends T-shirts (Small through 2X). You can also purchase the music at iTunes or CDBaby.com Your purchase does not put money in my pocket.  It helps support the work we are doing on behalf of independent artists here in Vermont.  So go forth and purchase to your hearts content and feel good about it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers,

Glory

While working on the railroad with his Dad, Jimmie was exposed to traditional country music, black folk blues of his native Mississippi, and ballads of the railroad workers.  He had a distinct vocal style and was often referred to as “America’s Blue Yodeler” as well as “The Singing Brakeman” and “The Father of Country Music.”

At this year’s Americana Music Awards ceremony held in Nashville last month, I was pleasantly surprised to see the association pay tribute to Jimmie Rodgers as part of the musical legacy of Mississippi.  My Mom used to sing his rendition of “Frankie & Johnny”.  While we were in the midst of recording “Twists & Bends” (Various Vermont Artists) this past spring, I woke up one morning thinking that we ought to include this song on our album.  It would be the only cover song on the album, but it would help to introduce vocalists Taryn Noelle and Juliet McVicker who deliver a western-swing version of the song. 

Give a listen to this cover version streaming at:

Dear Friends-

A few days ago I posted that I had a big announcement coming soon.  Well here it is----

I have officially launched my very first Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a new compilation project and I am super excited about it!  As many of you know, my Bluebird Promotions biz was started to help promote indie artists, mostly based here in VT, in a variety of ways.  I've already made progress getting Vermont-made music into the hands of music industry folk and I think this amazing compilation will help further my quest.  It's going to have 14+ brand new tracks and I've already heard a few of those tracks and can't wait to share them with you.  Please consider pledging. We've got some great rewards/incentives for your pledge.  Wouldn’t it be awesome if you heard a Vermont-made song in a TV show, or a movie, or an advertisement and knew you had something to do with it?  Go to this link to find out more and make your pledge today!  Thanks a bunch!!

I'm sure many people don't recognize the name Pete Seeger, but I'll bet they have probably heard and even sung some of his songs like "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" and his rendition on the biblical text "Turn, Turn, Turn" later popularized by The Byrds. The folk songs of Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, and The Weavers (led by Pete Seeger) were quite popular with the college crowd during the 1950's. In fact, The Weavers covered Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene" shortly after his death.  It went on to become the number-one hit for 13 weeks! This helped popularize folk music. But the political paranoia of the day forced folk music out of the limelight.  However, it did influence those to come--Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Peter, Paul, and Mary.  We owe a lot to Pete.  He was a troubadour who told it like it is.  May he rest in peace.  Please visit the music of Emily Nyman who covered some of Pete's songs on her 2011 release "Peace Offering".  Check it out here:

“So expensive to tour! Just had a rather depressing meeting with tour manager. Record sales low (across the industry) really impacting me.”

-Imogene Heap, RCA recording artist and Grammy Winner (from her Twitter account)