Savvant Music - Are you guys still in the US?

Cormac Neeson - No, we’re not. We’re actually back in rainy Ireland, cold rainy Ireland. We were back halfway through last week. We were in Austin then we went on to Los Angeles for a few gigs and also to meet some producers with our next album in mind. So, ah, yeah, we’ve had a bit of a comedown I’d say. Going from SXSW which was absolutely amazing and then that was our first time in LA, and that was, what a great time, so now were back to bread and water at home here trying to get some more new material right there. We’re going to do the next album hopefully at the end of April, start of May time so we’re just getting all the stuff together.

How did it go in LA, your shows and meetings with potential producers for the album?

It was amazin’, our heads were spinning, but we met like nine or ten producers ….so, it was a lot of information and it kinda took us a few days to get home and get our thoughts together and to really start to compute everything that went on, you know? But the gigs were great, and we played The Viper Room, and we played a venue called Spaceland. And we got a surprisingly good crowd at both the gigs, actually, we weren’t really expectin’ anybody to turn up except for the people that we had invited, but a few people had heard of us on the Internet and … that was a welcome surprise you know. We just enjoy the whole American vibe and have a good time when we’re there.

Are The Answer planning any additional U. S. touring?

The priority at the moment is to get the second album recorded, and we’re gonna be going out most likely to L.A. to do that, so we’re gonna be there most of May, June, July time, and then as soon as the album’s done and dusted I think we’re gonna have a September release date, touch wood, so we’ll do a few festivals in the summer time and then get straight into the touring… I would imagine that America will be pretty far up there priority wise, so … everybody should keep their ear to the ground.

What’s your dream or vision for The Answer? Where do you see yourselves taking this group?

Right now I would say what’s going through our head every moment of every day is this next album. You know we want this to be an important collection of music. Our first album wasn’t even released in the States. I think we’ve sold a hundred thousand plus records in the UK, Europe and Japan, so we really feel that we want to make the next step on this record. First of all, get a release in the States and move it from a hundred thousand to a couple of million all bein’ well. [Laughs]

We enjoy the life that we’ve got. We’re making music and we’re living off our music so want that to continue and to continue for quite some time, so it’s important that we deliver a really good second record, and I think we’ve definitely got the songs to do that.

Who writes your music?

We all do. All do together, and as opposed to, you know Lennon and McCartney partnerships where usually one guy wrote it and both of them put their name to it, we actually all do our fair share of the writing. And generally what happens is we’ll go into the practice room, all start to jam through different ideas that the boys have had, maybe one or two or whatever, and then we’ll get them all out into the open and we’ll all carve them into songs, make sure they’re nice an’ interestin’ and make sure that there are a couple of hooks in there and we’ll do it that way.

Alternatively, sometimes Paul will come out to the practice room with a verse, a chorus and a bridge – the bare bones of a song and he’ll give it to me first, and I’ll write some lyrics and stick a melody over it, then Mickey and James will jump into the equation and everybody will throw in their fifty cents worth, and by the end of it we normally have a pretty decent song … So, there’s usually two ways we do it, but both of which are quite democratic, I think, compared to the way a lot of other bands that we know do things.

What kind of places do you guys get your inspiration from? I thought it was kind of interesting that you have this really excellent song “Preachin’” that’s about a Baptist minister, right, and here you are these nice boys from Northern Ireland. What makes you write a song about a Baptist minister?

Well, you know, I mean, Northern Ireland has had it’s share of religious contention. … I don’t generally like to play that up too much. It is what it is, in our opinion. We’ve all lived through it, but it can’t help influence, I suppose, some of the things I’m gonna write about. But from a lyrical perspective, I always prefer people to ask… I mean, you don’t ask about individual songs because I’m really open minded, but it comes to inspiration, I could write lyrics from a story I’ve read in the paper, I could write lyrics about a person I’ve met, about an event I’ve witnessed on the news or first hand. Pretty much anything that turns my head I’ll kinda go and write a song about it.

“Preachin’” is available on iTunes

So, what did get you to write this song about a Baptist minister?

It’s kind of take it’s leaves from a lot of the things that the old blues artists would sing about back in the day of delta blues music, you know Robert Johnson, Son House and all people like that. But I must say, I just kind of saw some comparisons between what they were singing about - obviously completely different context to our own - but I thought to myself, I suppose if we start singing about a Baptist church over in Ireland it could mean something completely different to what the old blues men were singing about, but I thought it was a really nice kind of duality there you know… And Paul came in with a nice specialty guitar one day, and we all took it from there.

We caught The Answer’s gig in the Kerrang! Showcase at Latitude 30 in Austin, Texas during SXSW 2008, where fans were jumping up on stage with the band. We thought you handled the crowd amazingly well. How did you feel about it?

It was a good crowd. As you know the SXSW gigs can sometimes be kind of overrun by industry, and they don’t generally create that nice an atmosphere for a rock and roll band, but that particular gig did catch the essence of a good rock and roll show. It was a fun gig.

Which of The Answer’s songs do you like the best?

I’m allowed to start plugging the new stuff, am I? We wrote a song that we actually played at the Latitude 30 … called “Comfort Zone.”

That’s a song that … starts off a bit more laid back than some of our songs, but builds all the way through it. It’s the first song that we’ve written in DADGAD, you know, which also I find very interesting because it’s actually a turning that a lot of Irish traditional guitar players, which I’m also interested in, are playing. So when ever Paul and I [started playing] around this kind of DADGAD idea, I think everybody just kind of jumped on it immediately and got really excited about it all, and it was one of these songs that came together, you know. We played through it a couple of times late in the day, and then I drove back to Belfast and actually stopped by the side of the road because I was, you know, humming it to myself the whole way home, and I got the bare bones of a lyric in my head. So I pulled over by the side of the road and scribbled down the lyrics! [We looked at it the next day to see how the lyrics fit] the music and in this case it really slotted down nicely and everyone got very excited. It was one of those nice moments in the creative process. You know, it wasn’t too much of a struggle, it all came together and at the end of the day we had this beautiful song … to use for the next record.

And I suppose off the first album, I really like “Come Follow Me” and “Under The Sky.” “Under The Sky” actually would probably be my favorite off the first album because it was one we actually completed in the studio on the day. You know, we weren’t going in with a complete song, and again, it was one of those moments whenever it just kind of came together. I think the type of music we write and play kind of lends itself to that type of organic, natural feel where we’re not kind of breaking each others back trying to make things work. You can play around ideas all day, all week and at the end of it you have nothing to show for it– it should come easier than that, and “Under The Sky” was one of those that did.

“Come Follow Me” is available on iTunes

“Under The Sky” is available on iTunes

“Rise” (the first album) is available on iTunes

You’ve played with some amazing groups lately — The Rolling Stones, The Who, Paul Rodgers …

Yeah, yeah! Deep Purple as well. We’ve been lucky [in our support roles]…The biggest one of all was obviously The Stones. We played a gig with them at Belgrade in front of 80,000 people… in Belgrade, Serbia … Since the war, they’re still quite new to these big rock gigs - they had a lot of fun and everybody’s so crazy about the music and the fact that The Stones bothered to go there. It was a really nice atmosphere, and by far and away the largest crowd we’ve ever played in front of.

From a showman’s point of view, Mick Jagger’s definitely a … legend and that, you know. Paul Rodgers … he actually got up and played a couple of songs with us… and that was real highlight because he would be my favorite singer in the world… I would be heavily influenced by his type of singing. But from a front man just controlling a large group of people, there’s nobody better at it, I’m convinced, than Mick Jagger you know. I thought The Stones would be great and that I’d really enjoy it, but I was absolutely blown away by it! And most of that is Mick Jagger’s charisma - it’s just a sight to behold.

How long have The Answer been together as a group?

Seven years

And, if you don’t mind my asking, how old are the members of the band?

We’re all in our mid-twenties.

Well, seven years probably seems like a really long time to you guys, but from a rock and roll perspective these days, you’re still a pretty new group and yet, you guys have a really, really great presence on stage.

Thanks, thanks, I mean, It’s something that wasn’t always there, … I think we’ve spent more time together than [with] family, friends and strangers put together for the last seven years, so we got to the point where we know what each other’s going to do up there, and it’s nice because it means the boys can go off on a jam at some point and it doesn’t all fall apart like it maybe would have done in the early days, you know. … We’re all very comfortable with what we’re playing on stage and we just get up there and make sure that we enjoy it, relax and have a good time.

How long have you been with your label, Albert Productions, and how has the label impacted you as a group?

A good question… I think coming up to two and a half years, I’m gonna have to guess it.

[The relationship is] working pretty good, I have to say. They’re one of those labels that you know in this day and age that they’re a rarity in that they believe in giving bands time to develop and mature and reach their peak rather than demanding it from the very offset…

You know, we’re watching so many major labels fall into a whole world of trouble and going bust, and bands getting dropped or getting tied to their contracts and really having a horrible time of it. But we’re quietly working away in the background. We believe we’re quite secure in our position within the label, and we think we’re a large part of their plans which is all so a great feeling. Ourselves and the label are all kinda getting our heads together and really looking forward to making this next album, and hopefully as I say turning a few heads, and hopefully the label and ourselves will do well from it, you know.

Were you all in any bands prior to The Answer?

We were all in bands before this one, and where we live we’ve all been brought up … a couple of us were taken out of Belfast at an early age, and myself and James plus Paul … have lived in the countryside our whole lives. Where we were brought up there’s not much else to do but start a band, or develop a drinkin’ habit!

We’ve all been in bands from age 14 upwards, but none of the bands really we took even half as seriously, obviously, as we take The Answer. It wasn’t until the four of us stepped into a room together we realized exactly the kind of music we wanted to play, and how seriously we wanted to take it, and how much of our lives we wanted to dedicate to that thing, ya know? And, so it was great, I wouldn’t change it for the world … but I’m glad we all met each other.

How did you meet?

I was actually in New York, whenever I’d left school and went to New York to work, you know, … I got a letter from Paul and Mickey sayin’.. they’d heard of me from singin’ in another band and that they were starting a rock and roll group and that if I was coming back to Ireland any time soon to look them up and come round and try out for the band. As it turns out, I was goin’ back to go to the university in Belfast like a week later, and whenever I did this on the first word of my first lecture I ended up sitting beside Paul Mahon, who was doing the same thing in the same degree as me, which was completely bizarre! And on a strange, strange twist of fate, and we got talkin’ obviously, and we realized who we were and “Ah shit! You sent me a letter in America and, all right, you’re Paul!” And we arranged a practice the following Saturday, the boys picked me up… We played some… covers and … everything just felt right! So, we got James on board shortly after that on drums, and that was that, you know?

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As we signed off the phone, I’m thinking that Neeson’s final words to me were meant for all of The Answer fans. He said, “Thanks for your support, darlin’! We appreciate it.”

You can buy all of their current albums on iTunes, but as yet the physical albums are only available in the United States as imports (you can order them from TheSavvantStore.com, but as imports, they are pricey). The Answer’s new album is expected out this fall, and they are working on obtaining US distribution.

Download The Answer albums on iTunes

Sparks started off her set with Cold War, the lead track off her latest album, Under This Yellow Sun. This song starts out with a nice guitar hook that immediately grabs you, and follows through with gripping lyrics that bring home a cold but personal story of failing relationships.

According to the buzz in the bar, Chris Kirkpatrick from N’Sync was somewhere in the back of the bar and the staff was entertaining said celebrity by setting off alcohol fueled pyrotechnics (where is the Austin fire department when you need them), which must have been disconcerting for Sparks as she pounded out her set on an acoustic guitar, but if that was the case then she hid it well!

I met Tori Sparks almost four years ago at a Future of Music Policy Summit where we were introduced by songwriter’s advocate Fred Cannon (Sr. VP, Government Relations at BMI) of who told me she was going to be a star. Sparks is still young and polishing her style, but it’s clear that Cannon knows his stuff. Sparks is a “Do-It-Yourself” artist with her own record label Glass Mountain Records. Search for Sparks on YouTube and you’ll see her recording “Under This Yellow Sun” in the studio and spending 9 hours screening tee-shirts, along with videos of interviews and performances. You’ll also find Tori Sparks on the cover of the April/May 2008 issue of City at Night Magazine.

That Friday night in Austin, Sparks set covered range of songs from her new CD (Under This Yellow Sun) which is a real gem. Bob Carnahan has already lost his copy of the album to his wife who confiscated it for her commute to work! We also saw Sparks perform at the Colorado Music Summit last year in Denver, Colorado, where she put on an exciting and passionate performance to a house of about 15 people, undaunted by the size of the audience, and engaging every single one.

You can also check out Tori Sparks on MySpace and Facebook. I’d recommend catching her act the next time she’s in your town.

Cormac Neeson the front man and lead vocals for The Answer, gives incredibly soulful, bluesy life to this band’s repertoire of really awesome rock songs. He is sexy, mesmerizing and he sings with an intensity and grace that just leaves the crowd yearning for more, song after song. Neeson engages the crowd in a personal and entrancing fashion, making each fan feel like the gig is only for him or her.

But this band is a lot more than a great front man!

Michael Waters lays down a rock solid bass line that keeps everyone rocking and rolling and dancing to the beat. He’s great on stage, enchanting the crowd with an easy going smile and the confident stance of a real pro.

Paul Mahon on guitar puts together some scorching licks and some smooth blues riffs that largely coalesces the amazing sound of this group. Mahon isn’t (yet) a guitar god, but he integrates the music and fits in as part of the band. This is so critical to young bands who often play as a group of individuals, rather than as a collective artist. The Answer feels like a band. They’re not about an individual or a solo, but, I think, about the music. Which is incredible, by the way!

On drums, James Heatley rocks the place with a rock beat and a groove that a lot of big name bands should envy! It gets back to the fact that this group plays together as a fusion of artists, rather than as four individuals. The whole group is tight and hot and rocks the place. Heatley plays a driving beat, energetic and electric.

But it’s not just about the way these guys play live, even though their live show is phenomenal. These guys write some great songs. One of their newer songs, “Comfort Zone,” is all the things we look for in songwriting - a moving melody, lyrics that turn the soul inward, a great hook, and a groove that has everybody dancing. The melodic guitar hook in this song catches you right away, but then the lyrics start to sink in, and the refrain of “Discomfort I wait for you” and “I don’t need a lifetime when a moment will do” penetrate your senses and your actually start to not just hear and see the song, but to feel the music in your soul. That’s good rock and roll, babe. That’s what it’s all about.

The song “Preacher” had me wondering how a nice boy from Northern Ireland (Neeson) could channel a southern Baptist preacher (while still overflowing with sex appeal). I also loved the beautifully melodic high sustained message “I have met my maker” at the end of “Never to Late.” I had chills in the midst of the hot, impassioned and inspired crowd.

Speaking of the crowd, this audience was totally engaged, all they way to the back corners of the room. Everybody in the room was moving and rocking and totally mesmerized by this band. They had the crowd nailed - musically, spiritually, visually and emotionally. Guys were jumping up on stage, trying to get closer, to be even more a part of this incredible experience.

The Answer is off to LA tomorrow, but I hope to be able to chat with them later today and bring more details to our Savvant Music pages about this stunningly passionate, enthralling and talented group. We’ll definitely be adding them to our recommendations page, and following their progress. If you get a chance to see these guys, go! Don’t miss The Answer!!!!

The Answer is

• Cormac Neeson - Vocals
• Paul Mahon - Guitar
• Michael Waters - Bass
• James Heatley - Drums

Find them at:

• www.theanswer.ie
• http://www.myspace.com/theanswerrock
• or on Facebook.

Reed’s music carries such an emotional impact that you cannot help but go along for the ride as he lulls you into introspection with intensely quiet emotional vocals then drives you to awareness breaking into compelling rock rhythms and sound that bring you to a peak of empathy with his message. Reeds guitar solo yearns for your understanding of the bitterness and hopelessness reflected in the lyrics of the song, but also counters melodically with shreds of desperate hope and understanding gently woven into the music.

“It’s emotional music. One of the things I love about rock.” said Reed, “It’s so emotional.”

Throughout the interview, Reed gave somewhat caustic mention of the mainstream industry’s ongoing criticism of his music, reminding us that reviews of the album “Berlin” proclaimed it as “the worst album ever” and the “most depressing” music ever. Reed said, “I understand people don’t like everything you do, but to not like it because of the subject matter, that’s pretty narrow minded.”

Reed went from sardonic to hilarious as he went off to ask if people in Texas didn’t know how to turn off their cell phones and then promptly segued into cow-tipping. Now, that pretty much disconcerted Willner, but he rolled with the punches!

Reed also fielded some questions pre-submitted by the audience. When asked which other album he’s like to re-create today, he mentioned “Magic and Loss,” saying that he valued that contribution as modern rock rarely has dealt with the issue of the loss of a friend. Willner added the insight, “Depressing music can be very healing.” That might sound trite, but I think it’s a wonderful point, and emphasizes again why Reed’s music has been so influential and world changing. In a later panel this same day, the amazing songwriter Shawn Phillips commented that when you write a song about a relationship with another person, you can change a few people, but when you write a song about a relationship with your inner-self, you can change the world. I think Reed’s music is a stunning example of the truth of this statement. (Check back later today for more on Shawn Phillips, both in the panel and his music showcase last night.)

When asked if the way he writes songs has changed over the years, Reed articulately responded, “No.” Fortunately, he went on to elaborate. Reed actually studied acting and film in college, but felt that he wasn’t that good. He started reading to music in his early days, and that became a song. (That explains some things to me…) Reed spoke about the early days of punk, and how he saw it form from people who couldn’t play R&B because they hadn’t heard R&B growing up. So when he played in an early punk band, the group focused on that style, and actually fined each other for playing a blues riff!

Reed talked about how he loves the aggressiveness and steel of punk. He said, “All that young guy stuff — That’s punk. And it’ll exist forever. Where else are they gonna put it? It’s there, or jail.”

Returning the issue of songwriting, Reed said, “I try not to think. Thinking won’t take me where I want to go. I rely on instinct.” And an awesome instinct it is! Despite his dry, sardonic demeanor, Lou Reed is incredibly articulate and well spoken. And like most songwriters, he is incredibly intelligent. So, if the only thing you got from the mainstream media’s coverage of his SXSW interview, then you should know that there’s a more to Lou Reed than his very quotable pith “I have a BA in dope and a PhD. in soul,” the latter seeming to be the main message in many of the headlines.

Another issue that Reed was very passionate about was that of sound, and the lack thereof in the mp3 format. Reed says that if you like good sound, you have to have a good recording unit, good speakers, a good mic, a good amp and so on. If the guy making the record cares about good sound the cost goes up. If you don’t care about sound, then you have mp3. Reed summed it all up with this pithy comment, “It’s like making it easier to make things worse.” Reed did later return to the issue of technology in some more positive aspects, however, saying “The level of intelligence and integrity mixed in with the computer is opening up whole new avenues of music.”

I walked out of this interview with a newly enhanced appreciation for the intelligence, integrity, emotion and passion of Lou Reed. He is the kind of artist that we at Savvant Music are looking to find about to make the next earth shattering changes in the world of music, and this interview was an inspiring reminder of the significance and righteousness of this cause. Thanks Lou!

Irishman Foy Vance followed Neilsen-Chapman with his one-man show in which Vance filled the room with a full band’s worth of music through the magic of looping. While the looping gimic has been around for a long time, Vance is a master of putting a song together such a way that you don’t even notice how it’s done. Vance layers harmonies and rhythms during interludes that bring increasingly complex melodies, harmonies and groove. As he builds the background harmony, Vance goes from deep baritone to a beautiful high falsetto climbing another interval after each verse. The result is an ever increasing tension and structure that ends with him down on his knees pleading “please don’t go”. It’s great breakup music. I was so carried away in the emotion of the song that I didn’t even notice that while he was down on his knees, he was shutting down the loops (on the floor) to fade the out the song.

Vance showed he could fill the room with music even without the loop machine with his new song asking “How can you break a heart that’s already broken?” This song absolutely gave me goosebumps. A beautiful melody, wonderful chords and rhythms had me asking to buy a CD with this song on it after the gig (no such luck - it’s a brand new song, so you’ll just have to catch him live, but I still got a CD!).

Finally, Belfast rock band The Answer, just blew the place away in a fantastic acoustic guitar set. The incredibly georgeous Cormac Neeson fronts this band with searing, highly emotive vocals with harmonies and a classic rock groove and smoother melodic acoustic riffs from guitarist Paul Mahon and bassist Michael Waters. Drummer James Heatley was on the sidelines for this acoustic gig, but they’ll be in full force at their showcase this Friday. I loved Neeson’s smooth voice in the earlier songs, then with a rocking gospel sound in “Preachin’”. Late in the set they apologize for their lack of experience doing an acoustic set! Huh? The Answer was awesome, and I can’t wait to see them again and in full-rock mode. You’ll hear a lot from this group in the near future! Be glad!

You can catch these last two bands during SXSW at these showcases:

The Answer plays at Latitude 30 this Friday, March 14 at 12:45am (well, technically it’s Saturday, but really it’s a Friday night gig…).

Foy Vance plays that same night at Buffalo Billiards at midnight.

Bob and I were walking down 6th Street here in Austin on our way to a SXSW party, and as we walked past Nuno’s we heard some awesome blues guitar coming out the door, and decided we’d stop in after attending some sxsw “official” parties. Best idea we had ALL night, maybe all week! We stopped in a few hours later and the blues coming out the door were so incredibly soulful, rocking and pure we couldn’t believe it –then we recognized the pianist, whom we’d seen with Kenny Wayne Shepard last year - the legendary, grammy award winning Pinetop Perkins!

No wonder the blues were so deep and rich, because this man knows how to lay it down, and does it effortlessly. As he rolled through these amazing blues you don’t really realize the man is in his mid-nineties, because he’s as young and vibrant in his music as the young guys he’s playing with only with that incredibly old soul that only a true blues man can have.

According to local Austin songwriter, Lee Duffy, Pine Top was displaced during Katrina, and has settled down here in Austin where he’s been taken in as one of their own by the Austin music community. And I couldn’t resist getting my picture taken with the amazing Pinetop Perkins. He’s certainly still got his mojo workin’!

My vision is that Savvant Music will be influenced and really guided by the people who have always told their friends and neighbors about new cool, awesomely hip music. You know, the guy who always seems to have heard of the best groups or the chick who has tickets for the hottest concert because she knew they were great before anybody else did… A lot of these people are writing blogs now, and others are out there in chat rooms and fanzines still telling their buddies about great music via word of mouth. Some are disk jockeys playing late at night or early in the morning when the corporate monoliths aren’t mandating pop playlists from hell.

Well, these are the people we need to nurture and grow into a community which helps us find, support and promote great music of all kinds. And here’s what I learned at SXSW yesterday will help us to do just that.

The panel “Knowing the Audience: Improving Communication Between Artists and Fans” was made up of Steven Sesar, VP marketing and business development at WooMe, Ron Bloom of PodShow and WooMe, Slava Rubin, founder of Indiegogo, Raymond McGlamery, managing partner of Zen Mediagroup/Buddylube (trying really hard not to guess what that means), Vinvin, a french filmmaker and Steven Stokols, CEO and Co-Founder of WooMe.

During this session, McGlamery was waxing eloquently about the information overload coming from social networks and commented, “After awhile you get so much crap you just start deleting it all. You don’t even care if there’s a good band in it… Myspace is no longer a reliable source.” And I have to wonder… was MySpace ever a reliable source for good music? I don’t think so! Maybe at first you could at least get a feel for bands with a good “buzz”, but what does that tell you about whether the music is good? Not much, I’d say!

Ron Bloom commented that there are millions of internet-based programs including blogs, podcasts and internet radio, and there is a layer of people within those programs who are passionate about playing the music you love. Some may have 1000 listeners, may have a million. Once you get past 1000 listeners, you are talking about a show or program the size of an average radio station. Bloom recommends that we cross promote our music between these programs. Find the people who are promoting great music. There are some incredible broadcasts out there. Wow, Ron! That’s exactly what I’m thinking, and exactly why we started Savvant Music. Let me add that there are so many broadcasts, pod casts, video blogs, etc about music, that it becomes rather difficult to find the good amongst the ever increasing pile of, well, not-so-good. That’s where we at Savvant Music are looking for help from the savvy music community! What are the best programs out there? Who has the best ears, and who always recommends the best artists, no matter what the genre? If you are one, or if you know who they are, please share you knowledge here! Leave a comment! I’ll be on those sites tomorrow checking them out.

In fact, while I’ve diverged to this topic… If you know of any really incredible artists we should check out at SXSW 2008, please let us know asap!We check back on comments all day long and are dying for input on what artists to go see this week!

Back to the panel… Steven Sesar reminds artists to also remember to engage with your fan base. And Vinvin told us what we all should know — today, if you’re not on the internet, you’re dead. Vinvin recommends video blogging for artists. This enables fans to feel that they really get to know the artist — meet his cat, watch him play guitar. As an example, he mentioned Deepak Chopra - Chopra doesn’t need to talk to his fans, but he does, because it makes a difference to existing fans, and enables him to reach new people.

Steven Stokols pointed out that it’s the internet users who really want to engage with the artists. For example using Meebo where the artist is actually talking to you. And of course, he then plugged his company WooMe as being even better. I’ll have to look at WooMe more closely. The only thing it really asked me when I signed up was if I was interested in Girls or Boys or both. Does this mean it’s a dating site? I told it girls and boys, because I’m looking for people who care about music and I don’t care what gender they are!

McGlamery pointed out that in the mainstream music industry today, the record labels often force bands to do fan interaction work and that makes artists unhappy and resentful, especially when they don’t really see the value. Artists need to be sure the labels are using your site in a way that the you and your fans real benefit and appreciate. He claims that most artists really don’t search out and understand the fan interaction technologies, especially the bigger they get!

Ron Bloom pointed out that in the old days music was packaged in albums, and the album told a story from the music, to the artwork on the cover, to the liner notes on the inside. Now the technology online enables us to deliver these stories in a different way to our fans, if we but chose to do so! You can provide fans with a short, unplugged version of a song you’re working on - let your fans see what you’re working on; let them contribute to the second verse!

With today’s tools, independent artists have a real advantage — Blooms says “If you want to make a living as an artists, there’s no better time in history to do it.” Bet we could have some interesting discussions around that comment! But, in general, I think Bloom is right on!

McGlamery wrapped up by reminding artists not to underestimate your power to participate in that dialog between you and your fans.

Well, there was also a really cool panel called The Weird Turn Pro: Crowdsourcing For Creatives from Derek Powazek, CEO of Pixish and Fray, but I’m already late for today’s sessions so I have to run! I’ll be back with more soon!

Cheers! from Anny

Now, there must be about 400 blogs out there tonight (I don’t know, I didn’t count them) blasting Ms. Lacy’s performance, and if you’re interested in the gory details, see any of the links below. Several of the bloggers seemed to feel that the problem was that Lacy is female and was being discriminated against as such, or that she isn’t a geek, so didn’t know how to ask geek-relevant questions.

Lacy’s problem with the crowd at SXSW was not that she’s not a geek, nor that she’s female (although the hair twirling was a bit weird…). The problem was that she is a poor interviewer. I started really searching for one truely open quesion about 15 minutes into the interview, and did not hear a single question from that point on which left Zuckerberg anything to say but “Yes, Sarah, I do agree with your presumption of what I’m thinking” or “No, Sarah, I am not aligned with the words you just tried to put into my mouth”. I thought Zuckerberg did an admirable job of trying to actually provide his own answers to some Lacy’s closed questions, but she responded by interrupting him and didn’t really appear to be listening to what he actually said.

I also think Zuckerberg did a fine job of politely suggesting (subtly at first, then more directly later) that she ask him a question, but she never took the hint. The audience, however, did take the hint and was very pissed off by the time took a more direct approach. At his suggestion that she actually ask him a question if she wanted him to answer, the crowd erupted in applause (some standing) because most of us were terribly frustrated and had been for the duration of the “interview.”

Another big problem was that Lacy seemed to want to tell us her opinion of what was going on at Facebook, about what happened when she talked to Zuckerberg (and how bad an interviewee he was despite her valiant efforts ) and about her book about Zuckerberg (which I’m not going to link to, because it pisses me off that incompetence might breed links to Amazon in this case). Frankly, I wanted to hear Zuckerberg tell us about Facebook. Instead, we heard Lacy telling Zuckerberg what she thought he should say.

What may have most contributed to the crowd turning so ugly, however, was that most of the people there have a lot of respect for Mark Zuckerberg, and Lacy’s behavior during the interview was really quite disrespectful, condescending and inattentive to this brilliant young man that so many here at SXSW admire. She interrupted him constantly, she criticized his short answers to her closed (or sometimes pre-answered by Lacy) questions, she told a story about him being so nervous that he sweated profusely, and she referred to an executive he’s hired as the “token grown up” at Facebook. I thought that was a pretty in your face insult to Zuckerberg, but maybe I’m just sensitive. But so was the crowd. So there you go.

Enough about the Sarah Lacy train wreck.

On to what Zuckerberg actually did say in the few opportunities afforded him…

Zuckerberg reiterated his theme of Facebook is about communication, not valuation and buyout opportunities. He emphasized his mission to build a platform uponwhich world problems can be solved. It’s a big bold statement, but I admire the man for thinking big. It might be rare for many of us to actually have a significant impact on world problems or social issues, but if no one thinks about tackling big issues then no big issues will be conquered ever…

In support of this mission, Facebook has started to launch the platform in differnt languages with a Spanish language version recently launched and a French language version to be launched within a week.

Zuckerberg also very candidly discussed privacy issues that are percistent and challenging for Facebook. Zuckerberg feel that Facebook must give people full and very granular control over what information they share and with whom they share it, and that most of the issues to date have been a result of insufficient user control in these areas. Zuckerman suggests that trust is a key element of Facebook’s design, and that features will support and enable users who have demonstrated trustworthiness to communicate faster and with more people. So, for example, while a user may be limited in the number of invitations they can issue, the more people who accept your invites in Facebook, then the more invites you offer. This being based on the assumption that you are a responsible inviter. (Is that a word? I didn’t think so.)

Of special interest to me was the question regarding rumors of negociations by Facebook for music play and sales integration. Zuckerberg claimed not to know (right…) and said they were “talking with people” about alot of things, but that “he has nothing to talk about.” Hmmm… sounds like something could be going on, but he was pretty evasive.

At one point Zuckerberg was asked about whether Facebook drove a very high valuation as a possible barrier to an undesired buy out, Zuckerber said it’s not that Facebook is trying so hard not to be bought, “it’s just that we’re not focused on that. We’re focused on building an application.” And he reiterated that the vision of communication and connection is what is really important to him. This made me really like the guy. Because I feel very much that way about my company. It’s not about becoming a billionaire (although that wouldn’t suck). It’s about making a difference in the world.

I think it’s a shame that Zuckerbergs message may have been clouded under the smoke from Ms. Lacy’s poor interviewing skills. I hope we can walk away remembering the important stuff, but I’m guessing the train wreck will be much more remembered than the comments. Oh well.

Here are some links if you want to know more about the SXSW Interactive Interview-Slayer Revolt — you won’t find much about Zuckerberg’s message there, I’m afraid, and I disagree with some of their conclusions about exactly what went wrong, but here they are…

The Underwire by Lewis Wallace

Master of 500 Hats - Dave McClure

YouTube video of the clueless Ms. Lacy demonstrating a distinct lack of poise and empathy in a post-train-wreck interview.

The Buzz Machine - Jeff Jarvis-this one at least gives some insight into the message Zuckerberg was trying to communicate.

The problem is, they’re hard to find! At SXSW even industry “outsiders” such as we are likely to get “tips” on artists to see — after all, most of the attendees are there to promote themselves or someone, but the tips we get tend to fall into one of two categories: “buzz” bands that everyone “hip” has heard about, or “pet”: bands being promoted by themselves, their management, their friends or their label. The problem with the latter is that it’s so hit and miss, mostly miss. And “buzz” bands are the industry darlings — not what we are looking for here at Savvant Music.

Another option is to listen to hours and hours of online samples provided by the good folks at SXSW and hope you find something interesting, preferably fascinating. Then, if you do, hope (often in vain) that they’re decent live!

This might make you wonder why we bother, but the truth i that this is the problem no matter where you look for music. The reason we go to SXSW is that there are so many bands there (around 1700 showcases) that the filtering and discovery process is marvelously compressed (and often exhausting).

And this is why we are here ad what you need us for — to help filter through all this music and to find those special artists, overlooked by the mainstream industry — artists you’ll be really revved to hear, that blow your mind.

Meanwhile, if you know some really amazing artists we should be sure to look at this coming week at SXSW, please let us know! You can comment here on our blogs, or you can send me email at: anny (at) savvantmusic.com!

See ya in Texas, y’all!

Anny

If you’re wondering, “Who are you guys?” then follow the link or click on my photo to travel to the Savvant Music “About Us” page where you can find out more about us and what we’re all about!