"Format" - Style and Form
"What Fresh Hell Is This?!?!"
As we approach some milestones here on Michael Acoustic, a change in how I go about writing the two weekly posts feels a little overdue.
So. On Thursdays. the format will still include links, but those along with my commentary will be aimed more at the songwriting, recording, production and release elements I often talk about, and with articles and insights about the music industry/business (the “biz”). I’ll keep the “memes and stuff” (though these may be shorter and may appear on either Thursday and/or Friday, as topical to the subject matter), and the “odds and ends” and John Prine quotes sections here as well, and we’ve certainly not seen the last of the Shameless Self Promotion section, either(!).
In the “Regular Friday Posts” I’ll include links that are more specific to the history of, and playing and performing on, guitar and I’ll probably include more content that’s related to music theory on Fridays as well - I think the intersection between theory and performance is an extremely important one and I’ll try to emphasize that connection in that context. I’m not an expert or instructor in any of those subjects, but I’ve learned a great deal from those who are, from practical experience, and from reading and listening widely to a large number of eclectic sources. I’m a little torn on the “Bonus Round” section. I originally started it to engage with my readers, and no one ever does in the comments (which is not me being whiny, just sayin’ - and I don’t really mind, since it keeps me learning new stuff), but I like doing it, and the idea of highlighting music that’s interesting and the discussion on how to play the song yourself is kinda fun for me. For now, I’m keeping it, but moving it down on the page and starting off with my commentary and observations. I’m keeping the Mika The Cat section, at least on weeks where we have new subscribers and that’s one of the milestones I’ll soon be writing more about. So, yeah.
I think these changes to the format of the two weekly Michael Acoustic posts may better fit the specific interests of my readers, but please continue to engage with both and if you’re feeling it, with me by leaving a comment (at this point I’m happy to let the steadily increasing subscriber and view counts guide me, but I don’t want to discourage comments either). I’m very interested in meeting my readers and subscribers where our interests intersect, and I’m going to continue to feature links to other Substack writer’s posts, though those may now appear on either the Thursday or Friday posts (or both!) depending on how the subject matter relates more to one or the other day’s emphasis.
Oh, and the disclaimer section’s staying too (Ed. You can take the bar membership out of the retired laywer, but the lessons of a legal education remain….).
(Ed. Questions? Comments? That’s kinda what the comment section is for, but if I had a suggestion for the greater Substack powers it would be to offer a direct message option, though I can see where that could get problematic as well. Meh.)
Disclaimer: This Substack is free, always will be, and I receive no compensation or other benefit (except the unsolicited, occasional, and much appreciated shoutout from readers and other Substackers!) from any of the people or companies I link to or write about. Note some images and other material may be copyrighted by the original author or composer and appear here under the “Fair Use” doctrine. Link: Fair Use. Note: I do not use any form of “Artificial Intelligence” in writing Michael Acoustic. It is possible that some external sources that I link to or quote do use or contain AI generated material.
Michael Acoustic
Today’s John Prine quote:
“Bewildered, bewildered, you have no complaint. You are what you are, and you ain’t what you ain’t.”
Some “Biz” Links for today:
An article about producers and “staying current”
From the Disc Makers blog, they’re on fire lately - a great blog and I think publicly accessible.
Yeah, don't be "that person" in the studio
Song Copywriting (Ed. I know I’m kind of a broken record on this subject. Recently I’ve been getting cold calls and emails from some peeps telling me they want to “purchase my catalog” - well, my catalog is not for sale, and I assume they got my contact info from my publicly accessible copyrights or my PRO. Annoying, but holding copyrights makes it easy to ignore/block them or at worst tell them to either pay my royalties or their lawyer fees for the infringement lawsuit…)
From American Songwriter Magazine (I think this one is publicly accessible and not behind a paywall, but…)
Songwriting And Writer's Block
Disc Makers CEO Mr. Tony Van Veen always has good stuff:
Good info from ASCAP on “cue sheets”. Cue sheets are to sync licenses for TV, movies, commercials, etc., what setlists are to public performances. Both will get you paid royalties due, just from different sources. Make sure all your information including copyright references, work/recording codes, UPC codes are included with everything you write/record/produce.
Other Voices:
This is a great repost of an earlier post by our friend Steve Goldberg at the Earworms and Song Loops Substack! Aimee Mann has always been a favorite of mine, she’s on my “Six Interesting Songwriters I’d Like To Have A Tasty Beverage With” list (there are more than the seven of us around the table in the imaginary room, but the list of folks refreshing our drinks and waiting for someone to get up in order to steal their seat is pretty cool, too…..). I was fortunate to see her at a solo performance several years ago - long after her ‘Til Tuesday days, but I certainly would have loved to have been at one of those performances as well.
Some memes and stuff:
You can open each image in the gallery separately in a new window by shift-clicking on it, though it may work differently on different devices - they may appear as a gallery or top to bottom.
Shameless Self Promotion Section:
My song is out! “Long Road Back” (click on link for streaming options)
Looking Ahead: Working on the second single now, though a rather nasty ear infection and subsequent course of antibiotics had me dragging a bit over the past few weeks, and a resulting and irritating, though fairly minor case of tinnitus is not that much fun either….
It’s Odds And Ends (with a bit of a plea)!
Today’s entry is a reader suggestion, please help me out with other suggestions, otherwise this section ends up being my own rando choices!
(Ed. I keep a list of performers, bands artists, singer/songwriters (especially!) who are maybe a little out of the mainstream, underrated, obscure, maybe didn’t get a break they needed. I usually stay a bit ahead of the list, often finding some interesting bands/artists on other social media. At the moment I’m really busy recording and otherwise preparing for the release of my second single and I’ll admit to not being able to listen/read as widely as I normally do lately. There are several “underrated” playlists on Spotify that I could draw from, but I’d much rather hear my readers’ suggestions for underrated or obscure artists who deserve attention. Please don’t be shy about leaving a note in the comments, or on Substack Notes!! Thanks!)
Today’s underrated or obscure artist:
Helmet
(Ed. Yeah, Helmet is a band that’s not likely to make it into my “Bonus Round” section, but when a reader suggests a band that’s maybe out of my genre, I don’t judge, it just goes on the list….)
“Helmet is an American alternative metal band from New York City formed in 1989 by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton. Helmet has had numerous lineup changes with Hamilton as the only constant member. Since 2010, the band has consisted of Hamilton, drummer Kyle Stevenson, guitarist Dan Beeman and bassist Dave Case.
Many critics cite Helmet as an alternative metal band;[2][27] however, the band has been categorized under many genres, including post-hardcore,[28][29][30][31][32] noise rock,[33][29] experimental metal[34] and post-metal.[32] Jim Farber of the New York Daily News has jokingly labeled Helmet as "smart rock".[35] Their music is characterized by repetitive, syncopated, staccato guitar riffs, often in unconventional time signatures, and almost always in a minor key with drop-D or drop-C tuning. The guitar sound is heavily distorted and dissonant, with choruses that often involve guitar feedback waves. Helmet has been described as a "thinking man's metal band"; according to Hamilton, the term came from original drummer John Stanier because he once heard an interviewer say it.[36]
Eschewing the traditional metal image of long hair and black clothing, the band stood out with their preference for simple T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers, and short haircuts. Their atypical look was referenced in an episode of Beavis and Butt-Head, in which the pair's commentary on the video for "Unsung" included the lines "That drummer looks like a regular guy" and "If you, like, saw these guys on the street, you wouldn't even know they were cool."[37]
Credit: Wikipedia Link: Helmet
(Ed. - FWIW, I’d take a Beavis and Butthead reference to my stuff any day…)
Cheers, and keep playing!
Michael Acoustic
“It’s never really final - you just run out of things you can bear to change…”
Thanks for the shout-out, Michael! Aimee is definitely on my top 6 dinner guest list too! And I also love that you wrote about Helmet -- an unexpected treat!