Bill's PurpleCrayon Blog
Bill's PurpleCrayon Blog features riffs galore about advertising, marketing, the Arts and just about anything else that happens to be on my mind at the moment.
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
WENT PHISHING LAST WEEKEND
I had never been to a Phish concert so, since this is their last tour before breaking up, we decided to drive to East Troy, Wisconsin, on Friday the 25th to see the first of two shows Phish was to play at Alpine Valley.
One word describes the experience: mind-blowing.
What an over-the-top audience! What a band with such complete mastery of its craft! In case you didn't know, Phish doesn't just play songs. They jam. On and on and on. The energy at Alpine Valley that night was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Talk about a Zen moment. A few times during the show it felt like no boundaries existed between the band and the audience. It was like watching a single entity moving in unison for nearly three hours.
The audience was way into it. But so was the band, the members of which frequently laughed and shared raised eyebrow glances at one another. Lanky guitarist Trey Anastasio looked like he was having a blast. Absolutely incredible.
What's even cooler, though, is that Phish -- like the equally talented, if even more quirky, group Primus -- offers downloadable concerts on their web sites a few days after one sees the shows. No kidding. Watch a concert, wait 3-4 days, download soundboard recordings in MP3 format of the entire show -- complete with CD cover artwork. All for just $9.95.
Pearl Jam made history by being the first band to do this a couple of years ago when they offered their entire 2000 worldwide tour -- every single show -- on 60 CDs.
I think that's a great trend. I hope more bands take the time to do this. Not only is it a wonderful way for fans to have a keepsake of the concert, it's also a nice way for the bands to make more money -- and thwart bootleggers at the same time.
Thank you for an unforgettable evening, Phish.
And, as one bumper sticker put it, "Pharewell."
Keep Purple!
Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.
I had never been to a Phish concert so, since this is their last tour before breaking up, we decided to drive to East Troy, Wisconsin, on Friday the 25th to see the first of two shows Phish was to play at Alpine Valley.
One word describes the experience: mind-blowing.
What an over-the-top audience! What a band with such complete mastery of its craft! In case you didn't know, Phish doesn't just play songs. They jam. On and on and on. The energy at Alpine Valley that night was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Talk about a Zen moment. A few times during the show it felt like no boundaries existed between the band and the audience. It was like watching a single entity moving in unison for nearly three hours.
The audience was way into it. But so was the band, the members of which frequently laughed and shared raised eyebrow glances at one another. Lanky guitarist Trey Anastasio looked like he was having a blast. Absolutely incredible.
What's even cooler, though, is that Phish -- like the equally talented, if even more quirky, group Primus -- offers downloadable concerts on their web sites a few days after one sees the shows. No kidding. Watch a concert, wait 3-4 days, download soundboard recordings in MP3 format of the entire show -- complete with CD cover artwork. All for just $9.95.
Pearl Jam made history by being the first band to do this a couple of years ago when they offered their entire 2000 worldwide tour -- every single show -- on 60 CDs.
I think that's a great trend. I hope more bands take the time to do this. Not only is it a wonderful way for fans to have a keepsake of the concert, it's also a nice way for the bands to make more money -- and thwart bootleggers at the same time.
Thank you for an unforgettable evening, Phish.
And, as one bumper sticker put it, "Pharewell."
Keep Purple!
Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.
Friday, June 18, 2004
CELEBRATING THE ARTS IN WEST MICHIGAN
There's a lot going on in West Michigan Saturday, June 19th!
In Grand Rapids: the annual Eastown Bizarre Bazaar. Lots of merchants, bands and fun in the sun. Show hours 10am-5pm.
In East Grand Rapids: Reeds Lake Clothesline Art Fair. Hours are roughly 10am-5pm.
In Saugatuck: Art Fair at Butler Street at Main Street. About 65 exhibitors. Show Hours 10am-6pm.
The PurpleCrayon crew will be at all three (obviously, not all at the same time) Saturday.
If you live in the West Michigan area, please do your best to get to these shows. We were at them last year and had a great time.
See you there.
Keep Purple!
Return to PurpleCrayon Direct.
There's a lot going on in West Michigan Saturday, June 19th!
In Grand Rapids: the annual Eastown Bizarre Bazaar. Lots of merchants, bands and fun in the sun. Show hours 10am-5pm.
In East Grand Rapids: Reeds Lake Clothesline Art Fair. Hours are roughly 10am-5pm.
In Saugatuck: Art Fair at Butler Street at Main Street. About 65 exhibitors. Show Hours 10am-6pm.
The PurpleCrayon crew will be at all three (obviously, not all at the same time) Saturday.
If you live in the West Michigan area, please do your best to get to these shows. We were at them last year and had a great time.
See you there.
Keep Purple!
Return to PurpleCrayon Direct.
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
MUST HAVE WALKED 50 MILES...
This past weekend I was in Chicago for the massive BookExpo America (BEA) convention, which is billed as the place to be for "Publishers, Booksellers, Librarians, Rights Professionals, and anyone else involved in the buying or selling of books and related products."
In addition to seeing such people as Gene Hackman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kathie Lee Gifford, Lemony Snicket (author of the children's series titled "The Series of Unfortunate Events"), Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul) and many others, I was also fortunate enough to wander the aisles near and far (and, believe me, McCormick Place has many far aisles) and meet interesting authors and publishers whose wares caught my eye.
A few examples...
Levi Wayne, who has written a book called Wisemen: The Awakening that launches a proposed series of thrillers in the vein of Koontz and King. I'm just starting Wisemen but so far I'm intrigued. You can find Levi's book on Amazon.
Jan O'Meara, owner of Wizard Works, a publisher that specializes in books about Alaska (a subject near and dear to Elisabeth's heart, being a native of Anchorage). (Wizard Works, PO Box 1125, Homer, AK 99603.)
Katherine Scherer & Eileen Bodoh, authors of Gratitude Works (www.gratitudeworks.com), a delightful book of "memories, insights and inspiration."
Dr. John E. Mayer, whose whimsical book about COWs (people, he says, who suffer from Center Of the World syndrome) was appropriate for the overstuffed convention center. (It's amazing how many COWs one can find in Chicago!)
All in all, the BEA convention was a lot of fun. Tiring, but fun. I swear I walked 50 miles -- all through McCormick Place as well as up and down Michigan Avenue a few times.
Anyway, please visit the individual sites from these people and feel free to spread the word about them. They're talented, passionate people who deserve your patronage.
In other news...
PurpleCrayon Direct is about ready to make the Art fair circuit this summer, so watch for us out on the road.
Keep Purple!
Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.
This past weekend I was in Chicago for the massive BookExpo America (BEA) convention, which is billed as the place to be for "Publishers, Booksellers, Librarians, Rights Professionals, and anyone else involved in the buying or selling of books and related products."
In addition to seeing such people as Gene Hackman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kathie Lee Gifford, Lemony Snicket (author of the children's series titled "The Series of Unfortunate Events"), Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul) and many others, I was also fortunate enough to wander the aisles near and far (and, believe me, McCormick Place has many far aisles) and meet interesting authors and publishers whose wares caught my eye.
A few examples...
Levi Wayne, who has written a book called Wisemen: The Awakening that launches a proposed series of thrillers in the vein of Koontz and King. I'm just starting Wisemen but so far I'm intrigued. You can find Levi's book on Amazon.
Jan O'Meara, owner of Wizard Works, a publisher that specializes in books about Alaska (a subject near and dear to Elisabeth's heart, being a native of Anchorage). (Wizard Works, PO Box 1125, Homer, AK 99603.)
Katherine Scherer & Eileen Bodoh, authors of Gratitude Works (www.gratitudeworks.com), a delightful book of "memories, insights and inspiration."
Dr. John E. Mayer, whose whimsical book about COWs (people, he says, who suffer from Center Of the World syndrome) was appropriate for the overstuffed convention center. (It's amazing how many COWs one can find in Chicago!)
All in all, the BEA convention was a lot of fun. Tiring, but fun. I swear I walked 50 miles -- all through McCormick Place as well as up and down Michigan Avenue a few times.
Anyway, please visit the individual sites from these people and feel free to spread the word about them. They're talented, passionate people who deserve your patronage.
In other news...
PurpleCrayon Direct is about ready to make the Art fair circuit this summer, so watch for us out on the road.
Keep Purple!
Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.
Friday, June 04, 2004
HEADS UP, GRAND RAPIDS! THE WORLD'S GREATEST GUITARIST -- AND BEST LIVE BAND -- IS PLAYING AT THE INTERSECTION SATURDAY NIGHT, JUNE 5TH!!!
It's true. The guitarist is Phil Keaggy. The band is Glass Harp.
The concert is unforgettable.
We saw Glass Harp last night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the famous Shank Hall (famous because it takes its name from the iconic movie This is Spinal Tap). Front row. Center.
To put it mildly, we were stunned.
Absolutely blown away.
Dumbsruck with mouth-dropping awe.
I've seen a lot of bands in my day. The most magical -- at least until last night -- was Trans-Siberian Orchestra. TSO's Christmas show is a yearly must-see.
The most accomplished has to be King Crimson or Peter Grabriel. Both bands feature world-class musicians.
Yet, I have never seen a performance like the one last night. Glass Harp, by comparison, made all other bands seem like American Idol contestants.
Glass Harp is a legendary trio that got its start in the late 1960s and broke up when Phil Keaggy left the band in the early '70s to pursue a career in Christian music. They made three highly regarded albums before disbanding.
The band reunited a couple of years ago for a few concert dates and now they're doing a limited tour. And when I say limited, I mean limited. Just a half dozen dates: Milwaukee last night, South Bend tonight, Grand Rapids tomorrow night and a handful of others elsewhere.
Last night, the three musicians in the band -- Keaggy, Dan Pecchio (bass) and John Sferra (drums) -- became a seamless, improvisational monster. Their three-hour set was replete with forays into uncharted musicial territory. Smack dab in the middle of a song -- or towards the end just when you thought they were wrapping it up -- they'd suddenly veer off into an extended jam that more often than not became a dizzying display of technical virtuosity.
Not to mention just plain fun.
You could see it on their faces. They were having a blast.
No one plays guitar like Phil Keaggy. No one. In his hands, the guitar becomes a living thing. Forget Clapton. Say good-bye to Hendrix. I have no idea how Phil's mother birthed him. He plays like he was born with a guitar already in his hands.
If you want to see one of the most exciting live performances of your life -- fronted by a guitarist that many consider to be the best in the world -- please don't miss Glass Harp at The Intersection Saturday night, June 5th. Or anywhere on their too-brief tour.
Granted, the 5th at The Intersection is tomorrow night.
But if you can't go, tell your friends. If your friends can't go, have them phone their friends.
Pack the place with as many people as you can.
You will never forget this show. I promise you. It'll become legendary in your family's history, a nearly mythological story passed down from generation to generation. No one will believe a band such as Glass Harp actually existed in 2004.
You'll have to buy a t-shirt at the concert just to prove it to everyone.
I cannot recommend Glass Harp highly enough.
However, in case I was too subtle, I'll make myself crystal clear:
DO NOT MISS GLASS HARP!!!!!!!
Keep Purple!
Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.
It's true. The guitarist is Phil Keaggy. The band is Glass Harp.
The concert is unforgettable.
We saw Glass Harp last night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the famous Shank Hall (famous because it takes its name from the iconic movie This is Spinal Tap). Front row. Center.
To put it mildly, we were stunned.
Absolutely blown away.
Dumbsruck with mouth-dropping awe.
I've seen a lot of bands in my day. The most magical -- at least until last night -- was Trans-Siberian Orchestra. TSO's Christmas show is a yearly must-see.
The most accomplished has to be King Crimson or Peter Grabriel. Both bands feature world-class musicians.
Yet, I have never seen a performance like the one last night. Glass Harp, by comparison, made all other bands seem like American Idol contestants.
Glass Harp is a legendary trio that got its start in the late 1960s and broke up when Phil Keaggy left the band in the early '70s to pursue a career in Christian music. They made three highly regarded albums before disbanding.
The band reunited a couple of years ago for a few concert dates and now they're doing a limited tour. And when I say limited, I mean limited. Just a half dozen dates: Milwaukee last night, South Bend tonight, Grand Rapids tomorrow night and a handful of others elsewhere.
Last night, the three musicians in the band -- Keaggy, Dan Pecchio (bass) and John Sferra (drums) -- became a seamless, improvisational monster. Their three-hour set was replete with forays into uncharted musicial territory. Smack dab in the middle of a song -- or towards the end just when you thought they were wrapping it up -- they'd suddenly veer off into an extended jam that more often than not became a dizzying display of technical virtuosity.
Not to mention just plain fun.
You could see it on their faces. They were having a blast.
No one plays guitar like Phil Keaggy. No one. In his hands, the guitar becomes a living thing. Forget Clapton. Say good-bye to Hendrix. I have no idea how Phil's mother birthed him. He plays like he was born with a guitar already in his hands.
If you want to see one of the most exciting live performances of your life -- fronted by a guitarist that many consider to be the best in the world -- please don't miss Glass Harp at The Intersection Saturday night, June 5th. Or anywhere on their too-brief tour.
Granted, the 5th at The Intersection is tomorrow night.
But if you can't go, tell your friends. If your friends can't go, have them phone their friends.
Pack the place with as many people as you can.
You will never forget this show. I promise you. It'll become legendary in your family's history, a nearly mythological story passed down from generation to generation. No one will believe a band such as Glass Harp actually existed in 2004.
You'll have to buy a t-shirt at the concert just to prove it to everyone.
I cannot recommend Glass Harp highly enough.
However, in case I was too subtle, I'll make myself crystal clear:
DO NOT MISS GLASS HARP!!!!!!!
Keep Purple!
Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.
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