Marie Colvin

Marie Colvin had spent most of her professional life reporting the  news from war zones across the globe. Famous for her eye-patch which was there because of losing sight in her left eye in the conflict of Sri Lanka in 2001, she never let her injuries or the fear of being killed in duty slow her down. Getting the word out to the world about what was really happening  as was the case there in Syria today where the Syrian forces are killing everyone in Homs – was a story that someone had to be there to report , that  they are not just looking for rebels, they’re killing innocent babies, women and men it matters not. It was Marie’s to do and she lost her life bringing the truth.

We always try to just present you with the news of the music industry but sometimes as a responsible publication  we feel a need to give the readers our thoughts of the tragedies such as flooding, storms and Tsunamis that have taken lives and destroyed entire cities. Music is everywhere on this planet and anywhere that people gather there is song, there is art. Syria, Homs was no exception and it may be decades before the music ever replaces the sounds of gunshots. But it will come to pass  and the evil men and their deeds will have all but turned to dust and be accounted for in books and journals.

When a person aspires to be a writer and / or a reporter, it is all in or all out. One just knows what one’s calling is and they follow their destiny, even though it may place them in harm’s way. Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik lost their lives today reporting on the atrocities of yet another stupid war. Colvin was just on Anderson Cooper’s CNN program last night talking via satellite thousands of miles away. I would imagine he is feeling a terrible void for the loss of his friend and comrade, for Marie Colvin comes from a rare mold. One where the spirit is cast separate from the physical being for we are all born essentially the same, even the wicked men who killed Marie and Remi. It’s just that some of us work for the good, the peace, for a better earth and tomorrow.

Bruce J Maier / editor publisher / damngoodtunes

Musicians Who Help Others

Food for thought on this day. If you are a musician, in a band, a soloist, songwriter or someone who is in some way in the music industry, what might be some ways we could help others who are less fortunate than ourselves? Fund-raisers and charity dances or concerts maybe? Look around your own community and see if there’s something you could do with your own music that could really help someone in need. Sometimes just clean clothes, bedding or a place to sleep for a few days or a home cooked meal is all it takes to get someone back on their feet again.

that’s all for today,

peace

Whitney Houston – I… we will always love you

We are saddened by the loss today of Whitney Houston. Please read this excerpt from her biography courtesy of her official website:

 

 

 

 

 

The Guinness Book Of World Records lists Whitney as music’s “most awarded female artist of all time,” with an amazing tally of 411 awards (as of 2006) a tally that is certainly topped by her two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, and 23 American Music Awards, as well as MTV VMAs in the U.S. and Europe, NAACP Image Awards, BET Awards, “Soul Train” Music Awards, and so on. She received the Nickelodeon “Kids Choice” award (she was inducted into the “Kids Choice” Hall Of Fame in 1996), the Dove (Gospel Music Association) Award, and Blockbuster Entertainment Award. Whitney was inducted into the BET (Black Entertainment Television) Walk Of Fame in 1996; and received “Soul Train”‘s prestigious Quincy Jones Career Achievement Award in 1998.

True to her church upbringing, the Whitney Houston Foundation For Children Inc. was established in 1989 as a non-profit organization that cares for such problems as homelessness, children with cancer and AIDS, and other issues of self-empowerment. In June 1995, the Foundation was awarded a VH1 Honor for its charitable work. Funds have been raised for numerous causes involving children around the world, from South Africa to Newark, and generated over $300,000 for the Children’s Defense Fund as a result of a 1997 HBO concert.

Whitney’s tireless efforts have earned recognition from such organizations as St. Jude Children’s Hospital, the United Negro College Fund, and the Children’s Diabetes Foundation, all of whom have benefited from the heart and soul of a great artist and humanitarian. Singing to audiences on every continent, Whitney has won her worldwide following the old-fashioned way, digging deep down into her soul and finding common threads with her millions of fans.

Good-Bye Etta James 1938-2012

Etta James sang some of the finest blues we will ever know. This legendary music icon who gave us a lifetime of extraordinary music passed away last week at the age of 73 after a battle with leukemia. Her legacy includes a long list of chart topping pop, rock, soul, and jazz in addition to the blues. She did it all. Her signature was that unmistakable style and sound that could pull the life right out of every note she sang. And she sang to us for literally decades with a singing career that spanned more than 55 years. Her music wowed my parents generation in the 1960s  just as it does today for my own children who always have her music on their I-Pod play lists. Her sound simply transcends time.

A long list of awards recognizes the achievements for her many years of hard work. The Blues Foundation of Memphis, TN, supporting blues music and its heritage, have nominated James for a Blues Music Award nearly every year since their beginning in 1980. And she has received some form of their Blues Female Artist of the Year award 14 times since 1989 and she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001. Her sound was recognizable even as she crossed music’s genre of styles for which she also holds 6 Grammys and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 as well as the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2001. The list of awards goes on and on.

Her recorded music will help sooth our soul as her sound lives on. But Etta James, we will miss you terribly.

Kris Edem

Food & Tunes – new section of the webzine!

 

There is a nostalgic if not magical place called Port Townsend that is situated on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State where it’s deep water port and abundance of resources and natural beauty abound. The somewhat eight-thousand resident population swells at times from the tourists and part-time Seattle visitors who come to this place to enjoy the quaint shops filled with hard to find imported toys from Europe, antiques, records, books and so much more. But it is not the peaceful walks down Water street or the gazing into the Puget Sound, viewing and touring historical homes and buildings that are the main attractions, for it is the Art and Music which is the lifeblood of this community although also known for live theatre and events such as the Brewfest, Rhody Festival and the Shrimpfest among others. Music is a vital part of the livelihood of Port Townsend and in particular one venue The Upstage stand out above the rest for it’s constant contribution to the local music scene with live entertainment several nights a week including Blues, Jazz and Classical and an open mic Mondays. The Upstage boasts a beautiful grand piano on its center view stage with visibility form virtually any seat in the house. The wooden dance floor, excellent acoustics, ambient lighting and wall art provide an warm environment for concerts, bands and entertainers. Known for many years as a Blues and Jazz establishment, The Upstage has welcomed nationally known touring acts, greater Puget Sound area Blues artists and local talent which, by the way, there is a lot of! And let’s not forget the food….And this writer will let you know that I had what I believe was the very best Pizza I have ever had in my life and that’s a tall statement because I use to work in pizza places in my earlier days and am a pretty fair cook. But this, a Mediterranean Chicken Pizza was absolutely delicious with it’s paper-thin crackery crust and I believe Asiago cheese …oh man, I’m salivating! They serve many other wonderful things on the menu like Cajun, Balkan, Russian, & Indian cuisine so there is no limit to how one might satisfy the palate while listening to some of the best live music within three-hundred miles! And lets not forget to mention the great brews, fine wines and total hospitality from owner Mark Cole and his entire friendly staff who will make your experience at The Upstage and Port Townsend a total ” magical ” memory! That just about covers it ! Now here’s  how to find The Upstage:

923 Washington Street

Port Townsend Washington

98368

Phone: 360.385.2216

 www.theupstagerestaurant.com

If you like this review you may find it in it’s entirety with additional photos:

http://www.damngoodtunes.com/Food___Tunes.html

Learn The Basics with Linda Harborth

Linda harborth - Contributing Journalist

Just like anything else in life – learn the basics. Practice what you learn. This is your foundation. Learn song structure. Join organizations like NSAI and local groups. Reach out and find a mentor or two. Learn to network. Take songwriting courses and buy foundation books. You need a library of inspiration to fall back on from time to time. I also like biography books about musicians. There are hidden gems in them. Find your groove….be it an emotion, a fabulous song or a thought in your head. Write it down before it flies away. Have a working file of all of these. Find a time every day to sit down and write. There will be times when nothing happens – so be it. It’s the effort made everyday. Write, write, write. Then put it away – let it simmer – then re-look with fresh eyes. Some of my work has taken years before it was ready to be recorded. Don’t rush – let the work tell you when it’s ready. Build a catalog of your work. Be part of the world. Become a people watcher. Try new things. Listen to the radio. Find out why you love certain songs and hate others. Use that song as your inspiration – to figure out how you can change the lyrics/music to be yours. Listen more and talk less. Listen to what others suggest – give it a try – but if it’s not working for you, listen to your inner you. Learn what makes “you” tick. Spend time alone. Always have a recorder or pen and paper with you. Don’t ever think you know everything about this craft. It’s a life time adventure. Writing is my therapy. It’s a love/hate relationship. This is probably the hardest field to choose. You will have many more negative comments or worse yet – no comments than successes. Learn to live with it and go on. There are some really flaky people in this field. Take time to decompress, eat right, get enough sleep and don’t be too hard on yourself. Give yourself time. Time to think, understand and sometimes just “be”. You are a work in progress. Find your balance, Complacency or stress will both kill your spirit. Strive for excellence but accept your failures. Learn from your failures. I need to have a goal. It helps me stay focused. There’s a saying, “You don’t learn from your successes. You learn from your failures.” Find out what you love and are good at and hire/find the best of the rest. Above all, remember the golden rule – treat others the way you would like to be treated yourself.

Contact Linda: lsharborth@gmail.com

ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2011

Dario Plevnik
Artist of The Year

When we first heard about Croatian musician and composer Dario Plevnik back in 2009 we were taken by his beautiful melodies as we are still today. But there would come to be much more to the story of Dario that would not appear here in our publication until now.

It would be difficult for most of us to understand, let alone to tell about the part of the world where Dario and his music comes from. Many of us are too young to even remember the Bosnian war and most of us have never seen a war happen in our homeland as Dario Plevnik has seen and even felt the pain of imprisonment with members of his family and of his town.

What shapes us as human beings? What makes us who we are as artists and musicians? What is it about our surroundings and environment that gives us “soul” that others feel when we play an instrument? There are a multitude of answers to these questions but for Dario it was all of this and more. This man has great pride in Croatia and there is nowhere else he’d rather be than there in the home that he built with his own hands and with his beautiful wife, Darija. She, their daughter, his family, friends, his home and his country are what inspires him to play music and to write from his heart about what he feels and what he thinks. To have come from a war-torn country and to see it blossom back into the Eden that it is today is a miracle and an epic of survival. For a writer of music or a teller of tales, there is something compelling about the events of the world and of mankind’s evolution through war and peace and his continuous search for spiritual perfection. Dario Plevnik has managed to blend and forge all of that history of the past and to merge it with the glory of the present – into some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard.

This writer has had the privilege of knowing thousands of musicians and artists in my lifetime, and a great number of them have come from this publication. Usually time is premium and there is only so much we can do and so many to serve that we do not have the luxury of flying all over the world and having the pleasure of meeting these artists in person who live in countries outside the USA. With Dario Plevnik I knew form the start there was an amazing journey about to unfold, and that would be that he and his wife would become important friends, more like family to me. We have sent so many e-mails back and forth over the past couple years that we know much about each other. And, thank goodness for the internet and Skype, we have been able to visit face-to-face! I have been on a virtual tour of Dario’s home, the home that he rebuilt a few years ago with the help of his wife and closest friends and family. It is a lovely home with large exposed wooden beams, chandeliers that he made himself and many other masterful touches. His studio at home is his domain – the place where he spends many long hours creating, recording and editing. Dario has become a great producer and engineer besides being an incredible musician and I am sure that many people would pay great sums of money to sit with Dario and have him produce their music. Right now though, Dario’s own compositions are being noticed all over the world and it is only a matter of time before his hard work will pay off in a big way.

We have never had an Artist Of The year before and the criteria was not limited to having a CD ready to go and being retail ready. This person must possess humility and grace and is someone who cares about the planet, it’s people and his family. In other words, we were seeking someone who would be a good neighbor and friend, yet someone who has it in his heart to share his art with anyone who will listen and not just so he can be paid to perform. Someone who is driven to the degree that there is nothing else he would rather do than to make music. This is not a hobbyist, this is a true professional artist. And for Dario Plevnik, the music does not come because there is a deadline to meet. He does not work at a song factory. True inspiration comes to him perhaps divinely and he acts upon that inspiration and creates intricate and memorable melodies.

His latest album is called Croatian Waters and it will be released within a few weeks on the Reve Records label of Las Vegas Nevada. There have been some discussions for Dario to make a world tour, beginning in North America primarily on the college and University levels where people are starving to know more about the music, art and cultures of other lands. He would be happy to do so but has admitted that he loves his family so much and his country so dearly that he would not want to be away for too long, Who could blame him?

Dario’s songs evoke pictures in one’s mind of grassy fields, pure stream waters and gentle lakes, farms, blues skies and a happy and proud Croatia that has healed from it’s wounds and has chosen to live life to the fullest. The ten tracks on the album really took me on a journey I must say, because they were so easy on the ears and free of clutter. Recorded only with a classical guitar and drums, no Bass, keys or over-processing, the music pulls you in and within three seconds you feel that nothing is missing at all. In fact, the melody of each song finds its way to your mind, flowing directly into your heart. A wonderful artist with so much love in every note he plays. A true master, a sweet man and a keeper of the dream, Dario Plevnik is a one of a kind musician and a most deserving Artist of The Year!

Bruce Maier

Something Big

Something Big is about to happen for the December issue of Damn Good Tunes! We are going to publish yet another new and dynamic feature that everyone is going to LOVE ! Watch in the next few days to see it happen.

Meet Diego Ruelas: LA Correspondent

Meet our newest team member, Diego Ruelas who will now be in charge of our Los Angeles music department. Diego is a talented musican and has been involved with the LA music scene for several years. Check out Diego Ruelas’ first article and interview of  new Rock group Dead End Amelia. Their high quality vocals and modern beat, totally cool overdriven guitar sound is no-nonsense. Their underpolished perfection comes across as a band that has the raw factor but the deception is in how intricate the music really is, which takes mass rehearsal, talent and desire. See Diego’s first article this month in Damn Good Tunes!

The ATM I Mean, American Music Awards

Oh my God! You have got to be freakin’ kidding me! I am so glad I missed the first half of the most absurd awards show I  have ever seen, the AMA’s. Drake…that’s a male duck, not an entertainer or even a mediocre rapper. What’s up with this guy and all the press he’s getting? Where are they getting these clowns? And speaking of clowns – LMFAO ( Shwartz should say ) is a non-talented group of circus rejects who watched a lot of early Cheech and Chong and maybe some Village People and Richard Simmons thrown in there somewhere too! You give a kid some crack and a $200 Casio keyboard and sign them to the next record deal. That’s all you need to do because apparently talent is not a prerequisite to getting on national television, ripping off your pants to show a smiley face over your underwear while dancing like a spaz. Yes, I said a spaz. OK, I’m tired of being Mr Nice Guy and not telling it like I see it so if you don’t like it, read someone else’s blog.

It’s times like these when I almost am ready to give in and say that the music business has gone to hell in a handbag, but then along comes Adam Levine and Maroon 5, Katy Perry , Gaga, Bruno Mars and a very deserving Taylor Swift all proving that there is indeed hope for humanity and the art of real music. Oh there will be some of you who will scorn me and say I don’t know what’s happening in the music anymore but that’s not true. In fact I know just exactly what is happening – a lot of crap being dished out to make fast dollars off of bad karaoke singers, lame hip-hoppers and fake DJ’s and boobs! These acts will be tossed out on the road like a small-time con who might have tried to rip off a 1960′s Casino. These ruthless fast-talkers with great ” connections “  can get it played nowatamsayin? Tomorrow will just be another batch of cookies from the cutter and no one will give a sh.t who they were in a year. On the other hand, a songwriter like Bruno or Taylor Swift are quite redeeming and they give hope right back to an otherwise lost music world. Thank heaven’s for Ying and Yang! There has to be balance I know and  tell myself every time I have to sit through  a grueling program like this atrocity. Excuse me while I go meditate and invision a world where all the new music is performed by real musicians and songwriters who are worthy of our praise and record purchases.