“My Circle” seems to fit Thomas quite well. She has a strong and confident presentation that belies her years. “Break Apart” succeeds on the strong drum beat and the great atmosphere added by the guitar. If this listener had to vote on early experience, the vote for “best Anna Thomas song” would go to “Break Apart.”

She was born in Memphis and now lives in the Dallas region. Her father played with bands and her musical heritage goes back to a grandfather who was a band director and session player in Memphis. Granddad played on Stax record sessions, including Elvis Presley, Isaac Hayes and The Box Tops sessions, according to information provided by Thomas.

She is currently working on a full-length CD and covers some of the better known artists. She plans to be at the front of a band for which she will provide vocals and keyboards. Thomas will be part of the Chick Singers Night at the Dallas House of Blues on June 21. A few years of experience and growth in her voice could make Anna Thomas a well-known name in the genre. She has the songwriting part down.

Anna Thomas on MySpace

Tags: indie, anna thomas, music, indie music, independent music

This is not complex music. “Who Have You Been Lovin’” is simply voice and acoustic guitar. The vocal is physically strong. Long’s voice is a bit “raspy,” a fact that won’t hurt him a bit. In fact, it adds to the feel. He gets some musical assistance from Ed Chisholm and Alex Starling.

“Penance Fire Blues” brings to mind some of the passionate folk/alternative work presented in coffeehouses during the 1950s and 1960s. Long’s guitar work is fine, a rolling finger-picking style that almost stands on its own. “Two Years Old” is in much the same vein as the previous blues tune. There is passion in this man’s singing and there are stories in his lyrics. Time will tell if those lyrics will stand on their own as poetry, as do the words of the great folk and country singers.

This listener wanted to hear “The Bounty of Mary Jane” just because of the title. However, the guitar style and vocal work keep the listener focused. “Dead and Done” aint’ no slouch either. This is strong stuff. We’ll try to catch him live on the way by.

Bobby Long on MySpace

Tags: music, indie music, indie, independent music, bobby long

Now we hear that MySpace Music (music.myspace.com) launched with four major labels, EMI, Sony, Warner and Universal participating with their catalogs. Sure, there is The Orchard, identified as an independent distributor, but something is wrong with the picture, in the minds of the true indie operatives.
Because of the backing of these major corporations and the advertising that is attracted to the MySpace Music world, songs are free, for all practical purposes. Now, it’s true that independent artists and self-produced singers may get some good exposure on this site eventually, and may benefit from the many users attracted to the site by big-name stars.

There isn’t enough space here to get into the legality issues, but some are concerned that the download price could be so low as to raise questions of price-fixing and collusion. I’ll leave that to the lawyers. But with major labels involved, the Web-based MySpace Music may already be a very valuable commodity.
For insight into how some of the indie folks feel about being left behind, read the excellent article from AP Tech Writer Rachel Metz. It’s an eye-opener.

Tags: whose space, independent music, indie, music, indie music

Read this statement from the well-known Taj Mahal, from the foreword of a book called The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Blues.

“The music business has changed. Its earlier incarnation was of music lovers who got involved in commerce. Just like everything else, that group of people has moved on, and what has taken over is a group of people less interested in the music than in the business. So, with marketing and the record companies and media consolidation, there’s less art for art’s sake.

Of course, that’s where indie music comes in. Independent labels and self-produced CDs, along with Web download capability, have helped spread music more quickly, and widely, than ever before. There is a small percentage of industry people who still rely on the major-label method. But the numbers in the indie world continue to grow, in a challenge to the status quo.

Tags: music, independent music, what’s the truth, indie, indie music

There is actually a Web site that uses this idea, and the phrase itself.

At www.want2bdiscovered.com budding artists can try to get exposure and publicity through the online world. This may not be much different from other music promotion sites, but at least the name and the “mission statement” put it at the grassroots level. Of course, this short review isn’t meant to be an endorsement of the site or what it offers. This is meant only to open another door in the music world.

The site claims to be able to get record deals and organize performances in front of thousands. The live streaming of “competitions and showcases” could help as well. The site does have an extensive list of performers.

Here’s what some of the promotional material states, “Want2bdiscovered.com has marketed this website to thousands of A&R reps, record labels, managers, promoters, producers & talent scouts so that your new music will get to the most important people in the industry. When someone in the music industry is interested in your music, they will contact us and we will provide them with your music and contact information or they can access your email address and/or phone number listed on your page. There is NO charge for creating a profile! It’s FREE for all Genres of music!!”

Tags: independent music, indie music, music, indie, want to be discovered, a&r

I want to offer a few thoughts on this wonderful gathering, though I do have a confession to make. When I started to think about some of the indie music festivals and concerts across the country, it was easy to believe that a “happening” city such as San Diego had a festival that had been running for many years, if not decades.

But as I have discovered, this beautiful city has enjoyed the indie fest just four times. That’s right; the San Diego Indie Fest began in 2005 and will mark its fifth year in 2009. I was a bit surprised by that. I don’t have time or room enough to explain why.

Let the people responsible speak. “The San Diego Indie Music Festival is the brainchild of Alicia Champion, president and founder of Champ Records, and Danielle Lo Presti, president and founder of Say It Records.”

Or, how about these words from a local observer of the scene. “With little down time between acts, its unique setting, and that impressive talent lineup, this festival looks to be one of the premiere indie music events on San Diego’s annual musical calendar, and shouldn’t be missed by any music fan.” Bart Mendoza, San Diego Citybeat.

As with another festival from the west coast, Pickathon, in Oregon, the San Diego gathering may be one that calls for a road trip!

San Diego Indie Fest on MySpace

Tags: indie, indie music, music, independent music, san diego indie fest

I hit upon his name when I read a blog connected with the Glastonbury Festival held in Pilton, Somerset (southwest England). This festival features a variety of music, from rock, alternative rock and indie rock to hip-hop, reggae and electronic.

Runewitsch is spreading the word about some of the projects he is working on or interested in and making an effort to hook up with like-minded folks. The crowd at Glastonbury seems as if it would be a ripe proving ground for a budding creative account manager.

According to his information, a project called Hidden Depths is attracting such indie and alternative names as “Warp records, Dj Yoda, Luke Vibert, Jarvis Cocker, Arctic Monkeys.” The focus seems to be on small venues, one of which was Soho Revue Bar. (The Propellerheads showed their stuff their.)

The Glastonbury was the scene of some serious Liverpool-area work. Some of the reviewers thought The Wombats were one of the best attractions at the 2008 festival, which attracted 170,000 people by some reports. There were some “bigger” names there, such as The Verve. It would only make sense that Runewitsch would try to hook up with some of the managers, acts and listeners at the Glastonbury. Maybe he’ll become one of those established “creative account managers” that really does something good for the up-and-coming.

Tags: rupert runewitsch, indie music, indie, music, independent music

While I am sympathetic to the idea behind this, I’m not sure how far I can go with putting “indie” under the genre heading along with jazz, blues, rock, classical, etc.

The word “genre” comes from the French language, by way of Old French and Latin. To put the definition quite simply, genre means “a kind.” That is, genre is a kind of music. The dictionary definition of “genre” is this: a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique, or the like (dictionary.com).

So, is “indie” a kind of music? Not if you judge by the numerous kinds or styles that have the word “indie” in their marketing, MySpace or public relations information. Bands from genres as varied as folk, rock, ambient and industrial, to name a few, consider themselves firmly entrenched in the indie camp. Could you take all of these various kinds of music and put them under one umbrella, then place them alongside the traditional genres, or the accepted genres? I don’t know the answer.

So, is indie music a class or category of artistic endeavor? The debate will continue, along with the battle of terminology that makes some music “alternative” and other music not an alternative to anything.

Tags: independent music, indie, genre, music, indie music

Over the past couple of decades, we have heard politicians cry out, “It’s the economy, stupid!” They claim to have our best interests in mind. (Yea, right!!!)

My cry would be, “It’s the Web, baby!!!” Why? A simple search for information on independent music turns up more than 6 million places to look for such goodies. In the interest of true research, I went not to the first three or four sites on the first page of the search engine, but to page 5, page 10, page 15, page 20. Lo and behold, there is good stuff even that deep in the pile.

For instance, I came upon some print and online magazines that do a credible job of interviewing individuals in the music industry who are not billboard beauties or rock pretenders. These publications, electronic and otherwise, focus on the poets and musicians, you know, those men and women who really feel something and can tell the street people what it’s like. (And the street folks believe it ‘cause it’s true.)

So, in digging down into the search engine I discovered an old friend, creativecommons.org. I like this definition from their site: Creative Commons defines the spectrum of possibilities between full copyright — all rights reserved — and the public domain — no rights reserved. Our licenses help you keep your copyright while inviting certain uses of your work — a “some rights reserved” copyright.

I even read a blog there that asked where the music slump was. The point being that the big guys (bean counters etc.) aren’t making enough (greed) while the independent music scene is exploding with great music and truth.

Told you creativecommons.org was a good site.

Talking on the Web on MySpace

Tags: independent music, indie, talking on the web, music, indie music

While this seems a bit of a stretch, the folks there must be doing something right, because the station celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. This writer grew up on rock-and-roll tunes coming out of a small radio tuned to an AM station. In the early 1960s, around St. Louis, Missouri, that station was KXOK, AM 630. Johnny Rabbit was the on-air personality.

So I guess it’s not a real stretch to expect AM radio to put out some good tunes still. Many of the regular visitors to these independent music pages will get a mild thrill from visiting www.radio1190.org, and checking out just what some good minds can do.

For example, the Web site’s CD of the Month for September is the full length debut by the Kasai Allstars entitled “In the 7th Moon, the Chief Turned into a Swimming Fish and Ate the Head of His Enemy by Magic.” I like the sound of that!

Various judges and comparison have named 1190 KVCU the best radio station around. Others have dubbed it the best “new music” radio station. In either case, it might be worth checking into.

Independent Air on MySpace

Tags: music, indie music, independent air, indie, independent music