Subject: Re: Velvet Sundown

Look up the artist “Nick Hustles” on Spotify. This is clearly AI too. This person is using a 60-70’s Soul sound, but using lyrical content from today’s world. Pretty creative. 220k monthly listeners and 100k+ subscribers on YouTube.
 
Why are people bitching? They feel they deserve to know if it’s AI before they begin listening? Did they deserve to know Marshmello’s identity before listening to his music? There’s still a human behind all these AI creations and it takes creativity + managing several AI tools to connect everything together.
 
Eddie Laureno
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From: Stephen Knill
Subject: Re: One Step Ahead

After playing bass on Eric Carmen’s first solo album and realizing I wasn’t best equipped for the touring life (at 22) I went to work for PIKS Corporation who not only distributed Arista (Carmen’s label) but also Chrysalis, Splitz Enz label  As the junior promo man, I was given the tertiary markets. So I wandered off to secondary Ohio towns, western PA and and upstate NY. 

What a great education. People there played new records. Tommy Nast in Syracuse, Bernie Kimble in Rochester (RIP) Tom Teuber in Buffalo, Ted Utz in Utica and Garret Hart in Erie all played the first Split Enz album for me. Like WMMS in Cleveland, they decided what went on the air. 

I also got to work the Alan Parsons I Robot album for Arista. After the promising response to his previous album, Arista came up with a cool tastemaker event. They hosted listening parties with Alan and his songwriting partner, Eric Woolfsen, in small venues The album was played back in quad, (which was pretty new at the time,) to show off the album’s marvelous production. Not many people had those systems. But Eric Carmen did. So we hosted the event at his Cleveland apartment overlooking Lake Erie. The night was perfect. The sun was setting, the catering immaculate, libations flowed and the album was declared a hit. That was 49 years ago. 50 for Carmen’s first solo album.
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From: Trevor de Brauw
Subject: Re: The Pixar Flop

Both my six year old and my twelve year old have wanted to see this movie since we first saw the trailer over two years ago - but I had no idea the movie was out yet until I saw your newsletter. In fact, my eldest mentioned it just a couple of days ago saying that it feels like they’ve been advertising the movie forever now - and that’s a huge part of the issue here. The modern world moves too fast for endless marketing campaigns -  when potential audiences are marketed the same project for that long it either causes burnout and/or creates the psychic effect that the release is never really coming. Whereas a film like Sinners, which I only heard about in the month leading up to release, I saw in the theater first week.

Word of mouth will always be the most powerful driver, but marketing can work with a shorter runway since it approximates the feel of word of mouth.
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From: John Hyman
Subject: Re: The Titan Documentary

Hi Bob,

You have reminded me of a day in early September, 1974.  My folks offloaded me into Battelle and we said our goodbyes.  I was sort of stumped about what to do next, knowing that I knew absolutely no one.

I found myself in a line -- maybe by Old Chapel? -- to acquire sheets and towels from (do I have this right?) Foley's Linens.  

Anyway, a perfectly friendly fellow in line behind me tapped me on the shoulder and introduced himself: "Hi, I'm Court."  I had never heard of such a name.  I thought to myself: "I don't think I'm in Meriden anymore."

John
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Subject: Re: Lightnin' Strikes

?Bob, Thank you for writing about Lou. I had the pleasure of playing a bunch of shows with him. I was the drummer in Jay Traynor and the Americans . Jay was the first Jay . We did a summer of oldies revival shows and we were the house band for all the acts . Lou Christie , Little Anthony , The Drifters etc. I was 19 and I have to say Lou Christie was a trip . He would do his Karate kicks and sing falsetto like nobody’s business. When I ended up moving from Albany to NYC I first lived on 48th and 9th in Hells Kitchen. I ran into Lou on the street on day only to find out he lived on the same block . I stayed in touch with him over the years and he always wanted to know about new up and coming singers and bands . He was a very interesting person. I hope all is wellBob and hope you are healthy and happy .

All the best,
Dan McCarroll
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Subject: Mike Garson podcast

Bob,
 
I just had the chance to listed to your podcast with Mike Garson as the guest. I enjoy the one’s you do with people who I know but really like the ones with people I don’t. Despite having Bowie records and reading liner notes back in the day I didn’t remember his name though I had to have read it.
 
What an interesting story. Great job as always not asking the rote questions interviewers ask. There was so much there from his childhood to the roundtrip travel for a 10 minute piano lesson.
 
This should be a must listen for anyone who wants to be a musician or artist. It’s a lesson in the hardships of following a dream – the guy played with so many stars and bands and yet was forced to refinance his home to survive at times. True commitment to his art.
 
People like him make the world a more interesting place. Good work.
 
Neal H. Bookspan
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From: Kevin Korchinski
Subject: Re: Tyler Childers At The Hollywood Bowl

Bob,
First off, I'm a Childers fan - honest writing,  great songs.
I live in Saskatchewan,  Canada’s ultimate flyover province.  I was listening to a Childers Playlist last summer - yes Spotify -  and noticed he was playing Calgary.  I checked and the Saddledome was sold out already  - 16,000 plus. I had heard zero and there was no Canadian tour, even just the usual suspects.
I checked in with an ex-label colleague in Calgary and she commented it sold very fast.

I wish Canadian promoters would pay more attention - there are a lot of these "Americana" type artists that could so well here - at least soft seaters - rather than a bar in Billings. Maybe once the Canadian dollar gets more normal...

Kevin
Regina, SK
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From: John Hartmann
Subject: Re: Brian Wilson

Bob; Genius is not task specific. If Brian had chosen to be a cobbler, Lady Ga Ga would be sporting his boots today. I was The Beach Boys television agent, at the Morris office, from '63 - '66. If they did TV I would be there as part of the team.  Brian was at the height of his musical skills. He was very warm, fuzzy and huggable.  

He invited me to visit him and Marilyn at their home. It was during the piano in the sandbox and Brian in the bed era. He came alive in the studio. I watched in awe as he cut a single note out of "Help Me Rhonda," by eye with a razor blade. Computers have a hard time doing that.

We will forever bear the weight of his absence, and luckily we will have the music to soothe the pain.

As ever, Hartmann
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Subject: Re: Brian Wilson

Wonderful tribute Bob...thank you. I followed the same path through that era, and the BEACH BOYS music that you describe so well. As an Air Force family in late 1962, my Dad was stationed at Vandenburg AFB on the coast near Lompoc, CA, after living 3 years in Omaha.  I remember kids in Omaha saying "You're gonna see the Ocean!" when we left. I got a transistor radio that Christmas, and California did have that something! At some point I borrowed a neighbor kid's old acoustic guitar and began picking out single-note instrumental surf music we heard on local radio from the likes of Dick Dale and The Del-Tones and The Ventures and The Surfaris, but the BEACH BOYS were the top, and I loved those records along with all the other kids in Junior High! We had our own music to listen to now, beyond the Johnny Mathis, Della Reese & Patsy Cline music my folks were into, let alone Elvis and the "Frankies"! We experienced the Kennedy assassination there in California and watched Jack Ruby kill Oswald on live TV, and listened on the radio as "Cassius Clay" defeated Sonny Liston for the Heavyweight Title. And then we watched the BEATLES on the Ed Sullivan Show! These are intense memories all connected to our "life in California" at the time! 

I could never have predicted that 2 years later we would be stationed in London England and I would go on to meet Gerry & Dan, who loved the BEACH BOYS as well, at an American high school and forming a band together. Graduating in 1969, our band morphed into AMERICA with vocal harmony being a key element and ultimately meeting the BEACH BOYS in person for the first time when they performed in London, including Brian who was not performing with the Boys by then, but he did travel to Holland for a short time while the Boys were recording the album "Holland" and we performed with them along with new members Blondie Chaplin & Ricky Fataar...Dennis was there but Ricky was helping out on drums as I recall. Brian was very withdrawn and shy on that first meeting, but we got closer over the years. 

We returned to the U.S. in 1972 with a hit single and album, settling in California, and began a long history of touring and bonding with the Beach Boys over the next 50 years! During those decades, Brian was active of course but reclusive. We loved Carl and he and Mike kept things on track in the ensuing years with Al always being solid, along with Bruce and the fantastic band mates they put together. We had a great time with all of them, band and crew, over the years. Then when Brian did eventually return to performing with the Boys and doing his solo tours we would have some good times with everyone! The last time was a successful tour of Australia in 2016. The stories are limitless...

And at the center of that music was always the inspired mind of Brian Wilson, and we were awe-struck and privileged to be around him and that body of work during those times...and still are! Rest in Peace dear Brian.  Thanks Bob...Dewey Bunnell 
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From: Laurel Fishman
Subject: You probably already know about this, re: Velvet Sundown

aicommission.org/2025/07/ai-band-the-velvet-sundown-used-suno-is-an-art-hoax-spokesperson-admits/

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