File: April 2010
Tuning Up
It’s April, so that means Guitar Month in IE! While we were foiled in attempts to snag a certain shaggy axeman for our cover story (don’t worry, the album ain’t much), we felt like we could take a tiny break with our Hendrix coverage last month and the imminent Crossroads Guitar Festival bonanza coming in June. That said, our string-friendly advertisers have gone all-out this year, and a number of contests are underway nationally. We mentioned last month’s Guitar Center gambit to get you in the studio with Slash (ends April 30th), as well as the Air Guitar Championships at Metro on the 15th. Until the 12th, death-metal braineaters Cannibal Corpse are hosting an online venture to net a BC Rich V Pat O’Brien model, which could be delivered to you on the 29th at the band’s House Of Blues show. The first 1,000 entrants in the 2010 U.S.A. Songwriting Competition (deadline May 28th) receive three issues of Guitar Player, and real guitarists everywhere finally get a victory in the gaming world, when Seven45 releases “Power Gig: Rise Of The Six String,” a “Guitar Hero”-styled sim where plug your actual instrument into your X-Box or what have you. It ships this fall.
THE NICE (‘N LATE) PRICE
Well holy, effing shit. More than a decade after Napster crippled it and nearly 20 years after it arguably should’ve started happening, Universal has announced that it will drop most of its CDs’ prices to $10 or less. Why? Maybe people will buy more physical albums. Ya think? (It will also put CDs on par with downloads.)
The reduction will be made possible by a cut in the label’s profit margin, which it hopes will be offset by a surge in sales. For years, the major labels have resisted this change because industry rank-and-file refused to sign away their percentage, steadfastly refusing to acknowledge that any percentage of nothing is nothing. Music retailing has always been the reverse of other manufactured products, in that new items are discounted upon release, but then marked up through perpetuity despite promotional overhead ceasing to be an issue. The movie cartel figured this out and quickly lowered the price of old DVDs.
While there is an element of too little too late, the real madness is rumored anger at competing labels Sony, EMI, and Warner Bros. They won’t kneel, so they’re gonna have to bend over.
CRITICAL M.A.S.S.
The Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company has been performing cutting-edge plays for 24 years. Now its space at the corner of Broadway and Sheridan Road is also a place to discover new musical artists. M.A.S.S (Mary-Arrchie Sound Series) has been presenting live music, including the indie-rock band Ol’Boy, Americana/punk singer/guitarist Garrett Santora, and singer/keyboardist Natalie Grace Alford. Artist-in-residence Ol’Boy will be a frequent M.A.S.S. participant, performing with Granny Frost and The Dirty Diamonds on April 12th, and with Audio on April 19th. M.A.S.S. is also hoping to snag touring bands who might want to use the space for after-show or acoustic gigs. Portions of the proceeds will help fund the Mary-Arrchie, which is a non-profit theater company. Acts looking to be part of M.A.S.S. can contact Carlo at info [at] maryarrchie.com.
– Terrence Flamm
BRICKS & MORTAR
You don’t know how long we pleaded with our DVR, hoping to record “Store Day” on April 17th. Fortunately, we stared at our Post-It long enough to realize it wasn’t a reminder to set a timer, but a holiday! Record Store Day returns this year as an annual means for you to tell your local disc hut that you not only know it’s still there, but you love it. As usual, artists and record labels have arranged collectibles and store-only exclusives (no big-box Best Buys or Wal-Marts) that’ll make you forget all those episodes of “Sin City Diaries” you DVR’d. Smashing Pumpkins will let fans pre-order the Teargarden By Kaleidyscope Vol. 1 EP and receive a black-light poster. (L.A. fans get a special in-store performance.) Factory 25, which sported the You Weren’t There Chicago-punk DVD, unveils vinyl reissues by DA and Tutu & The Pirates only available the 17th. Sub Pop has special Soundgarden, Beach House, Dum Dum Girls, and Happy Birthday releases, and EMI will peddle a John Lennon Singles Bag and a 180-gram set of Sex Pistols‘ Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Swindle. Find more at Recordstoreday.com
ALBUM WE WON’T BE REVIEWING:
AC/DC
Iron Man 2 (Columbia)
AC/DC refuse to let their songs be individualized for iTunes nor compartmentalized on a formal best-of, yet sneak their second greatest-hits set out as movie soundtrack (see Who Made Who). Plus, no “Dirty Deeds.”
— Steve Forstneger
