Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Open Letter to Steve Morse & Scott Iwasaki - Ernie & The Automatics

Every time I hear or read someone uses Ernie & The Automatics and Blues Rock in the same sentance the twitch in my eye lid hits overdrive and a throw up in my mouth...

Fortuantely for me, and this blog, I have a buddy who likes to push my buttons and hands me my soap box. The letter below went out to Steve Morse of the Boston Globe and Scott Iwasaki of the Deseret News. I probably shouldn't hold my breath while awaiting a response.

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Good afternoon.

I hope this message finds everything in your world well, at your convenience, I would appreciate the opportunity to communicate with you.

Having read your recent review of Ernie & The Automatics Low Expectations disk I am left wondering if either payola is not yet dead or if we are in fact listening to two separate bands/disks. Though Ernie Boch Jr is an accomplished businessman, strong marketer, accomplished amateur musician, philanthropist with his "Music Drives Us" foundation and from every indication seems like a nice enough guy, to associate him or The Automatics with blues rock is utterly ridiculous. Understanding s I,IV,V progression does not a bluesman make.

When you have the ability to own your own label, pay for your own disk, hire your own band and keep them on salary, own your own booking/marketing company, rent out concert halls, or have actually owned radio stations before you can not produce blues rock. Blues and blues rock music are about the cathartic experience of struggle, when you don't have to struggle, you can't make blues or blues rock. Ernie & The Automatics are nothing more pop music, churned out by yet another large corporate entity.

Thanks for your time, I await your response.

Best regards,

Georgetown Fats
Boston Blues, Brews, and BBQ Blog

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1 comment:

  1. Good morning Georgetown Fats!

    I tried to email you a response, but for some reason it got kicked back to me.

    So, here is my reply via comment

    Thank you for your email. It’s nice to know someone is reading, even way out on the East Coast.

    I see that you have an issue whether or not Ernie & the Automatics is blues rock.

    In my story, I didn’t call the music “blues rock.”

    It was Billboard Magazine that catagorized and charted the album a blues album.

    I called it a “blues-based rock album.”

    That may be a no-brainer, because the classic-rock sound has a base in the blues.

    I hope that clears some things up.

    Take care.

    Scott Iwasaki
    Deseret News music editor
    30 E. 100 South
    Salt Lake City, Utah 84110

    ReplyDelete