The Jared Scharff Band at Arlene's Grocery

i met up with jared, kevin, phil and some new faces (as usual) at arlene's grocery last night, threw back a few and watched drama unfold. unfortunately, i didn't even get to see the show, they went on late (surprise, surprise) and i had another appointment. however, as seems to happen daily here in the city, i met several extraordinary persons. in fact, this whole week has been so productive. i'm so close to finding what i'm looking for. it's definitely been like some sort of life goal, i guess it is in a way. a challenge, a heated race with myself.

the point of this rant? the conversations i had with two "industry" individuals - an a/r rep from warner brother records, and a rep from ascap. conclusion: major labels have been reduced to mere marketing engines. rather than a full service station, huge million dollar corporations are insignificantly that: cash, bank accounts who "decide" what the rest of the world shall deem as aural art. you've heard this all before, it's been boiling for ten years now. it's just nice to hear the "industry" finally admit it too... the power now truly belongs to the people. independent art is in it's infancy, between the new-found, literary and journalistic power of the blog, independent music distribution companies (like ADA, IODA, The Orchard and CDBABY), and more interest by the fans themselves in what the "little guys" are up to, independent art is at the threshold and it's exciting.

final thoughts: i love this town. it hooks you up like no tomorrow, but if you have any seed of "spin" or pretense or fake confidence, it chews you up and spits you out like something from a Jim Henson film... i'm going to go watch Dark Crystal... that film freaked me out at seven years old...