Where did the music go?

I was talking to a fellow music lover the other day about my heavy promotion days and how for the last two years, I've gotten so burnt out on music that I just stopped. Normally, I would attend as many shows as I could possibly balance during my work week, review time, writing time and fun time, but the fact that I've missed so many shows this year is simply a testament to the statement that "Music is boring me these days." Popular music, that is. Every commercial and new television show relies on calculated pop songs and soap opera story lines to hold any interest in the American audience these days. It's sickening. If you have "the look" (you know, young, pretty and dumb) and add some quality sound engineering no fine line exists anymore between talent and great marketing. Every musician is a product. Every celebrity, without a doubt, a product. I want to enjoy music again and experience the joy in listening and attending a live show like I did five and ten years ago, not a circus-sideshow-identity crisis kind of band/artist more concerned about their rider than putting on a good show. I don't want a pretty half naked dippy girl who can't discern music from her buttcheeks, let alone put out a good album. She should be standing on the sides of the stage. Remember the Whitesnake videos?
Talent transcends the makeup and the costumes and the shtick. Doesn't it? Everything seems a blur to me these days. Connoisseurs of music understand me. Love sees no genre. No insult to the commercial success stories, I dig the car commercials too. Come on, you know that Dirty Vegas song was fun for a minute! If they "sellout," so be it, they got paid. I am not mad at them. In fact, I am ready for more, because the genius that created the music to sell the stuff you buy is worth watching until something better comes along. Music lovers know you always go back to the good stuff, baby. The Motown. The Jazz. The Classic Rock. The 80s. It will all come back, but sometimes the rotation gets a little lighter, or heavier. Retail store Target figured it out. Props to their marketing team. If your music is crap, just know the population of the world is large enough that someone will like what you've done.

So, my boredom of today's music doesn't mean I haven't found some diamonds in the rough. I will be linking you shortly to a few of my current favorites, some of which are hitting one of my beloved venues, The Meridian. My boredom has resulted in my interest in other art, such as designers in fashion, interior design and communications. I would love to re-design the interior of the Meridian. Improve the lighting, improve the sound quality, fancy up the loo, provide better staging for the artists, pretty up the green room...oh yeah. But I wanted to introduce some readers to some other things I like to check out so come back soon.