by Jay Mouton
posted June 10, 2007
Well, it’s the second night of Riverbend 2007, and I’m already checking with the fans to find out information about the various artists I’ve had a chance to hear. My usual night starts off about 6 p.m., takes me through the evening, and allows me to listen to a number of acts during an evening — I enjoy listening to the music. I like to share what I find with others, and that’s the primary reason I try to concentrate on the positive aspects of the acts that I hear.
A few years ago I caught an up-and-coming act, Pat Green, and I mentioned that, from the music I’d heard, he seemed to have had a “bad night.” Well, I got an boatload of mail from fans that, basically, told me I was full of, well, you can insert your favorite cuss word and that’ll suffice. As irony would have it, none of the individuals that bothered to write to me, had caught that particular show.
I learned several things about fans, music, and reviews that night. I learned that fans often defend their idols even when the idols let them down. I learned, as I’ve oft quoted Dizzy Gillespie, if it sounds good (to the fans) — it is good! And, last, I learned that if I simply don’t care for an artist, I don’t review them — in other words, as my mother used to tell me, if I don’t have anything good to say — don’t say anything at all! Okay, one for good, old Mom.
While I won’t dwell on negatives, I will tell you that other than the Riverbend promotional info, and a quick glance at Chris Daughtry’s website, I knew nothing at all about the man (or his band). I didn’t know that he had been on American Idol (I’m not anti-Idol, I simply have never had an interest in the show), I didn’t know that he had a double-platinum CD in 2006, and I didn’t know he was a star. Well, I learned a good deal at his show tonight.
It’s a misconception of many musicians that grind their respective hearts out in nightclubs all across the USA that stars being made by the media is a new thing — it isn’t, and to my knowledge, it never has been a new thing. In fact, I’ve read publicity on musical acts as far back as Franz Liszt. Publicity is simply how the word gets out, and virtually every band I’ve ever been in used various ways to “get” their names out there. Mick Jagger was quoted, as saying there was no such thing as “bad publicity.” When The Beatles first released a record (a vinyl disk, from days of yore) in the USA (on Swan records) it never made it into the Top 40. It took nearly another year, and over $50,000 in publicity from Capital Records (an unheard of amount in 1964) to create and launch The Beatles — the rest is musical history. Nobody knows for sure if The Beatles would have become the phenomenon they were had they not been, slightly, manufactured with the greenback. Still not convinced? Check out The Beatles career in England before they became overnight sensations there (their manager, Brian Epstein, was thought to have bought most of the copies of The Beatles earliest records in order to launch that ship.
What is he driving at?
Chris Daughtry’s rise on the American music scene is what I’m driving at. I’ve heard people knocking so many of the acts that air on Daughtry’s launching pad — American Idol. My point is — why? If somebody is entertaining enough to keep millions of Americans watching a television show month after month, and year after year — they must be, by default, well, entertainers.
I’m not claiming that every artist that lasts nine weeks on American Idol is the caliber of your average Mozart (can I use the word “average” in the same sentence with Mozart?), but there must be something that sustains the ears of the masses. Remember Abraham Lincoln’s theory that you “can’t fool all of the people, all of the time.” Enough said.
Chris Daughtry’s Riverbend debut impressed me in the simple fact that he seemed to exude the confidence that most of the biggest musical artists I’ve ever seen have had to do. It’s important to remember that Daughtry is not just a guitar player and a singer — he’s an entertainer! As far as I’m concerned he did a heck of a job entertaining the many thousands that showed up to hear his music, and watch his show. His band possessed power and showmanship, Daughtry’s songs were of a level that I found fairly impressive, to say the least. I’ll admit that I really liked his song, “Over You.” Frankly, my friends, it’s a darn good song. That said, I suggest that everybody that enjoys Rock & Roll check this man out — I believe you may just thank me.
Jay Mouton
wholerest58@comcast.net
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Photograph by Wendy King
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