Last night was the annual music fiasco called The Grammy Awards Show. With the exception of the performance by Eagles with Jackson Browne doing "Take It Easy" and a vocal duet by a male & female duo whose name I didn't catch the show was pretty much a waste of time. Hollywood vampires with Alice Cooper, Joe Perry & Johnny Depp was a possible highlight but the vocals were incomprehensible. The sound man needed to go back to school for mixing lessons. Other than that most of the performances reminded me of the teen idol days before the British Invasion of the early '60's. All flash but no substance and very little if any talent to show. A musician friend of mine once said concerning a band that played at a festival we were both attending: "Flash pots and laser beams don't make up for a lack of talent and poor musicianship". Last night was an example of both!!! Some of the performances were alright but just alright doesn't do it for me these days. I need music that is going to make me stand up and take notice, not only music but extend that idea to all forms of art and media.

Working at a non-commercial college radio station I am exposed to quite a number of  artists who will never get airplay on the big boy radio stations simply because they don't have a record deal with a major label. These artists, to me at least, are the ones who are actually making an impact on the culture around us. They are the ones who are playing in joints like the Rockwood Music Hall, The Bitter End, The Mercury Lounge, The Living Room in New York City and places like Jammin' Java in Virginia, Club Passim in Boston or Schuba's in Chicago. The ones who are out there playing for gas money from a tip jar or a cut of the door. These are the ones, you can tell from their performances, who have a fire in their belly and are not just going through the motions. If you want to hear the best music being played these days then check out your local college radio station and hunt down the places where the bands that you hear on those stations play. You'll be glad you did!!!