RYTMI magazine Helsinki, Finland January, 2010 monthly guest musician column kolumni by Douglas Blair
Back to the source of music...
I love Jimmy Page. In the late ’70’s and 80’s, what did we kids have? LP’s? yes. 8-tracks, cassettes? yes. ‘Song Remains The Same’ concert movie? yes. MTV, CD’s? not quite yet, but coming... Creem and Hit Parader magazines showed all the glossy concert pics and told all the tour stories of drugs, fighting and debauchery(well, maybe not the drugs). There were countless groups, with a high level of mystery always surrounding them. Yet, only time would tell which would really leave a mark.
Fast forward to ’10. With the various Zeppelin bios and cool movies out now like It Might Get Loud, I’m finally seeing how f’in’ long and hard old JP worked, and how incredibly visionary and independent he was in conceiving of, then forming a group that changed everything. And further, what the group and its management did to create a roadmap, if you will, for touring bands to follow, right up until this very day, affecting all professional musicians, including yours truly. No small feat, especially in hindsight.
In some ways, this so-called music ‘industry’ is evolving now into what may become its best period ever, and one having more in common with its humble beginnings than the cash- and ego-bloated incarnations of decades recent. For early American country and rock music, and concurrently in early British scenes, technology’s limitations kept word from spreading very far about groups or performers. So, the hardy--the ambitious--had to ‘take it on the road.’ That was the only way for anyone to see you: the ONLY way to build a following.
Back to ’10. Everything’s digitized--and in turn free--and you can get it all online... Except real live performance--right there in front of you! Hence, touring is becoming the all-important promotion and advertising tool, culminating with what we do this all for-- to perform for an audience: highlights, mistakes and everything in-between.
I checked out about 25 shows last year. Many obscure but amazing talents in small venues--the best because you hear the instruments and the performers breathing, you sense their expression, often without amplification. But I also saw many popular bands, in giant venues, with massive productions, and massive audiences. Recently, I flew to LA to see my fave singer/songwriter in her Hollywood debut. Why? Because these moments are priceless--there is nothing better than having someone play for you, whether intimately or as part of a riot! To paraphrase John Mayer, true magic occurs when ‘you are in the same moment’ as the artist. Or, the audience...
I also played about 65 shows last year--in 23 different countries--experiencing the priceless feeling of connecting with an audience that loves the group, and relates deeply with the power and lyrical content of the music(it’s awesome to be on both sides of the ‘front row’). And as we contemplate our band’s future, touring increasingly appears to be one of our strongest assets, as it is with many of our contemporaries. When we stand beside the stage before every show, we feel like a football team, going out to win the ‘Superbowl’!
To an American musician, Finland is quite intriguing. It is as we’d wish America to still be--cool, hip, connected and ultra-prolific. Since first hearing Ville and H.I.M., I’ve discovered the ever-expanding web of the country’s musical and production talent, as well as the legendary walls of Finnvox, and the paramount experience of playing Tuska, Sauna and Ankka Rock fests. This group is proud to perform on Finnish soil, and to be part of its music scene. We have had several of our best performances here, so far from home. In the spirit of Jimmy Page and the other pioneers, we tour on into the future, and will never miss a chance of playing Finland!
Douglas Blair is the lead guitarist of the Los Angeles-based American rock group W.A.S.P., residing in Boston, and visiting Tampere’s Klubbi whenever possible...
