Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

g8trcarol · Post by **g8trcarol** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 12:28 pm

Hey Pat,

It was a whole CD, "Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes: Live at the Greek"
they did a whole album cover (awesome job, too!). We are big fans, too.

Peace,
Carol

sheryl · Post by **sheryl** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 1:12 pm

g8trcarol wrote:Oh boy, Sheryl, we have much in common...

I would like to see them in it, and I do think they had a good run in the limelight...my issue is, what the heck does it take to get them noticed again? Don't shoot me for the reference, but Duran Duran had a brief second coming, as did Van Halen, and Led Zeppelin (which in some ways never went away) has also enjoyed a revival of late. Of course it helps when you have another relatively popular band doing covers of your songs (referring to the Black Crows) but what is the magic bullet that gets you back into the public eye? By the way, did any of you know that Lynyrd Skynrd has a great CD out called Vicious Cycle? They are also flying just under the radar...still doing great shows!

Peace,
Carol

I think all it would take to get them noticed would be for them to actually TELL someone that they're out there. When silver lining came out i knew nothing about it. I listened to radio a lot at the time and had no idea. i hadn't heard a word. I was amazed when I walked into a store and found that cd sitting there under "new releases".
I heard the single played once or twice, and that was basically it.
I know Dan and Dave did a few promo things, and there was the football thing, but who knew, other than already existing fans, that that song was soul asylum?
There was no real marketing, no real indication that there was any kind of push to let the general listening public know that there was new music out there. Anyone who wasn't already interested in them and actively looking for news about them didn't hear a peep.
With a wealth of great music on that record, they released only one single and in my opinion it was one of the weakest songs on there. No followup.

Despite a pretty active online clamoring for more, nothing much happened in that respect either. Indifferently updated Myspace. Promises of merchandise that never materialized. Talk of interactive this that and the other things that failed to appear. There was a whole lot that could have been done, and no shortage of people offering to help make it happen, but nothing ever panned out.

I got the feeling that they were staying under the radar on purpose, especially given that the reaction to their live shows, by people who hadn't heard them since the 90's, was really favorable. A lot of people were very happy to have them back. It was the band that didn't come across as seeming all that interested in being noticed again in any kind of big way.
Of course that could be a misperception on my part, I know this. But that's the impression I was left with. The shows they do they really seem to do for their already existing fans, and themselves. They never come across as a real attempt to sell themselves to anyone.

pathorses · Post by **pathorses** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 1:34 pm

g8trcarol wrote:Hey Pat,

It was a whole CD, "Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes: Live at the Greek"
they did a whole album cover (awesome job, too!). We are big fans, too.

Peace,
Carol

Thanks, I'll definitely check it out! Had no idea......

The Black Crowes are playing here next month for some USC football "spring game" thing. I'm going! Saw them in Asheville last year (year before?) and several times before back in the day. I'm glad they're back together!

Thanks Carol,
Pat

Sometime to Return · Post by **Sometime to Return** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 6:49 pm

Sheryl; I couldn't agree with you more concerning your statement about just letting people know you are out there. Here is your quote; I am terrible at using a computer, I hope this works.

I think all it would take to get them noticed would be for them to actually TELL someone that they're out there. When silver lining came out i knew nothing about it.

Going back to the December 23, 2005 show I have seen every show in Minnesota; I think that is somewhere around 10-11 shows. Anyways; the only time that Dave or Dan for that matter even mentioned anything about a new cd was the July 8th, 2006 show in Rochester...3 days before the cd actually came out.

Dave didn't exactly make a big deal out of it either. He just said "we have a new cd coming out Tuesday; please buy it." That's pretty much a direct quote and that's all he said.

Playing live shows is what makes them so great. Great marketers or promoters; they are not.

CrazyLittleWoman · Post by **CrazyLittleWoman** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:43 pm

Sheryl: You're right about their indifferent efforts at promotion. After I renewed my interest in SA last summer, I began checking their official website (the one through Sony) and their MySpace page to see if they were coming to KC.

They came in October and I only found out about the show because I saw a billboard in my neighborhood, which seems to have been done by the local charity event organizers. After I saw the billboard (and got my ticket), I repeatedly checked both the official site and their MySpace page for a show listing. It was NEVER listed. The other fans I chatted with before SA came on said they found out about it in much the same way.

One of the other fans told me that SA had played The Voodoo Room earlier in 2007, but that he only heard about the show after the fact. (I hadn't seen anything at all about that show.)

He also said he heard attendance at the other show had been pretty bad. The audience in October was fairly small as well. The crowd could be measured in dozens. Granted, in October Elton John and Wilco were playing in town on the same night. Still, a greater attempt to get the word out might have resulted in better attendance.

Updating these sites seems like the least they could do to bring in some fans. Besides, I'm worried I might miss them if they come back to KC.

Sometime to Return · Post by **Sometime to Return** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:58 am

Not to beat the "lack of promoting themselves" to a dead horse; I feel that I need to add to this one more time.

They played a benefit show in Waseca, Minnesota last summer for a "relative" of Tommy Stinson. (Terrible/ disgusting storyon why there was a benfit concert.)

Anyway; they played like at 4pm. I found out about it by accident; that evening when I was talking with someone at the Dave Pirner and the Volunteers concert that night at the Cabooze. A little pulbicity somewhere would have been nice.

I was "hot" when I found out about the missing this show. This would have been a perfect show to take the kids to; it would have made their summer. I can confidently say that I have the only 2 and 4 year old anywhere who know the lyrics to every song on "GDU."

I can't imagine playing in front of a dozen people in KC being that much fun for a well established band like Soul Asylum.

sheryl · Post by **sheryl** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 10:37 am

So, the question remains: Why don't they tell anybody? Why do so many shows go unlisted? Not only can it not be a ton of fun for the band to play to a mostly empty house, but it's really disappointing when fans find out they missed a show they would have happily gone to.

Some things may remain forever a mystery.

CrazyLittleWoman · Post by **CrazyLittleWoman** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:00 pm

Sometime to Return wrote:I can't imagine playing in front of a dozen people in KC being that much fun for a well established band like Soul Asylum.

First of all, it was MULTIPLE dozens, but sadly probably not a full one hundred people. I, too, can't imagine it was much fun for the band. That's why I'm worried they might not come back to KC. (I'd really HATE to have to drive to St. Louis for a show. You'd have to be from KC and be a Mizzou grad to understand how much I HATE St. Louis.)

SA appeared as part of a charity event. The venue (an airplane hangar, very cool) was divided into a VIP area in the front and the riffraff section in the back. (Guess where the SA fans were.) Once SA started playing, about half the VIPs left. Most of the rest left after the open bar in the VIP area closed. Their loss was the fans' gain, however, as one of the guys in the VIP area let the riffraff down front.

It must have been demoralizing for the band, although the guys seemed gracious and didn't seem to be giving a lackluster performance. Dave even thanked us for coming out to see them instead of Elton John or Wilco. I certainly hope they felt better once the enthusiastic part of the audience was finally down front. On the other hand, they didn't come back for an encore despite chanting, pleading, clapping, and stomping for more (and Dave did make a remark about the "lovely sound system" that seemed a bit sarcastic).

If there had been more publicity for the shows even on their website or their MySpace page, there might have been more KC fans in the audience. Most of the riffraff I chatted with mentioned checking both sites periodically for show announcements, but the KC show was never listed in either place.

Rebel Yell5 · Post by **Rebel Yell5** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:14 pm

philipgar wrote:This brings up a good point, which probably should be moved to off topic, but What bands do you think truly belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but have been denied a spot (check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ro ... _inductees to see all members).

Here's my list (in no particular order):
Jethro Tull
Gram Parsons
Replacements
Big Star
Richard Thompson

Some of these are in my opinion huge oversights of the establishment (most notably Tull and Gram), but all on this list have been very influential and deserve to be considered (although, while I could see most of these bands making the hall some day, I have doubts that they'd overlook the record sales of Big Star and let them in . . . )

Phil

We could name bands all day! like The Stooges, Kiss, Iron Maiden, Mats, MC5, Chicago, The Small Faces, Mott the Hoople, Free, New York Dolls. I have a huge list I and others believe should be in. I hear Jann Wenner has made the hall very political and too much like current version of Rolling Stone in the picks for the HOF. It is going to be very flavor of the week before you know it.

Rebel Yell5 · Post by **Rebel Yell5** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:26 pm

I don't under stand the low key promotion. I know if they listed the shows where they could be found it would definitely gather interest. So thanks for the site guys and keeping these shows up to date. It is better than Pollstar.

As far as merchandise woes go. I also recall being snuffed by a SA roadie( who for this story will remain nameless, I do know which guy it was) when saying hello post show after the gear was packed up and people were hanging out near the back stage entrance area. In this particular instance I asked where the merchandise for sale was. This was at the winter 06' SA show at First Avenue. (It was not Blake BTW) He told me (and seemingly very agitated) that there would be an online store coming very soon. I hear he is normally nice too, but I digress. My point, no online store and I know alot of us here would buy if there was one!

I have a perfect place near my house in West Dundee, IL called the Clearwater Theatre. Local H just played a night there, the Smoking Popes the week before that, Edgar Winter did a show there and last week Leon Russel. It would be an awesome venue for SA. I am contacting the theatre to suggest they try to book SA. It would be cool.