PROTEST SONG...

The question was posed on line recently, “How come there’s no good songs about the war?” The quick answer is “Because no one’s been writing any.” There are rules for writing protest songs, and they’ve been mostly ignored. I decided instead of lecturing, I should just go write one, to show how it’s done. And while driving to see my fambly this weekend, I did that.

The rules, by the way, are simple. You don’t rant. You don’t even express an opinion if you can avoid it. You grab a good, poignant image and you beat people over the head with it and let ‘em come to their own conclusions. (People like jumping to conclusions anyway. It’s one of their favorite exercises.) And if you’re non-specific enough, you can avoid being rendered irrelevant by the evening news.

So here’s the song. It proves, by the way, that you do not have to have convictions in order to be able to express them. Remember, politicians do it all the time.

Oh, and I did answer the question, “How come there’s no good songs about the war?”

[4/4, mod. two-step]

NO ONE WRITES GOOD SONGS ABOUT THE WAR
--J. Wrabek

1.
When Johnny joined the Army, all the hometown folks wasd proud;
They hung his picture at the grocery store;
Now the picture’s edged in black, ‘cause he isn’t coming backAnd no one writes good songs about the war.

CHORUS:
About the war…. About the war….
Does anyone recall what it was for?
Send the kids off overseas, and they come home to rest in peace
And no one writes good songs about the war.

2.
Everyone remembers Katy as the girl who fixed their car;
She was gonna run the station when Dad got old;
Dad works the place alone since they sent Katy’s body home
And no one writes good songs about thw war.

CHORUS

3.
In the park, they’ve built a stone for all the kids that can’t come home;
It says we’re proud of them forever more;
They wrote the names real small, so they’d have room to list them all
And no one writes good songs about the war.

CHORUS

REPEAT FIRST LINE OF FIRST VERSE TO END

©2007 J. Wrabek dba Outside Services Ltd. All the usual rights reserved just in case.

I did perform the song at the Wild Goose Sunday night, and wasn’t sure anyone liked it. Did hear Tuesday night, when I went to a new open mike in Ashland, from one young fellow who said he did. And did hear there a would-be Dylan (complete with the harmonica and Afro), doing protest songs that weren’t any good—because they were rants. Might be some point to the song after all.

ABOUT PROMOTION...

I was going to talk about writing (I’m working on a “here’s how it’s done” protest song), but let’s talk promotion instead. I don’t know much about promotion—just learning as I go along.

I’ve done two solo gigs in this area thus far; both went well, and the venue owner wants me back (good), but I’d like to increase the size of the crowd. That’s kind of my responsibility. The venue owner, bless him, doesn’t know marketing. An ad in the paper (and it probably wasn’t a big one) probably doesn’t cut it.

And he’s not alone. There are a bunch of venues in this area that are attempting to improve their bottom lines by scheduling live music. It’s a good idea, and obviously the independent musicians (like but not limited to me) are interested. But the crowd’s gotta show up or it’s going to be perceived as not working.

So how does one reach them?

Well, start with the fans. I do have some fans; never added ‘em up to see how many there are, and I’ve never stuck their names all in one place so I could tell ‘em about upcoming gigs (for instance). Maybe the first step is to do that. Next gig, send ‘em all an e-mail saying “C’mon down and bring your friends.”

Posters. I can design posters (did one for the last gig), but one’s gotta do something with them. It’s not enough for the venue to have one in the window. In some towns, you’ll see concert posters up on every downtown light pole and wall (and my poster should join them), but in other towns, you don’t see any—maybe city ordinance, maybe just local culture. In those latter towns, maybe the route to go is hit up the music stores, give them a poster (and maybe also a CD to play).

It may not be enough, though. I appeal to a niche market (can you say “original” and “country music” in the same sentence?). I don’t see them, but I’m sure they’re there—Medford may have 100,000 or so people, but there are still square dance clubs, and an old-time fiddlers association, and the biggest concert act to come to town this year was a country-music band. Most of the musicians I know are frustrated folkies or would-be rockers, but I may just be hanging with the wrong crowd.

So that’s the next challenge. How to identify the people who ought to want your music, so you can tell them that it (and you) exist.

UPDATES: The practice with “Screaming Gulch” actually went well, and I think they want me back. New venue—a coffeehouse in Central Point, 10 miles north of here; Southern Oregon Songwriters did a “showcase” there, and it drew a big crowd. Owner said he didn’t like country music, but ended up complimenting me on one of my songs. Had a band to play with (lead guitar and mandolin). This week, there will be music Sunday night, Monday night, and maybe practice Wednesday night. It’s really time to go into the studio, but I don’t think I have a band ready yet.

Joe

"ALICE" RETURNS FROM WONDERLAND...

Well, the gig went pretty well. It was shorter than I planned (I’d figured an hour, but they told me when I got there it’d be half that), and even with all the publicity about the show starting at 8:00, people still really didn’t begin to show up until 9:00—old habits die hard, I guess. Only two people came specifically to see me (though there were others who knew who I was). Didn’t sell any CDs (though on the basis of a half-hour performance, I wouldn’t buy any, either).

And there was good news, too. (There is always good news. Maybe that’s this week’s lesson. Whether you see the cloud or the silver lining depends on your viewpoint.) “Screaming Gulch,” one of Johnny’s bands, played after I did, and they really needed a lead player; Johnny’s a good rhythm player (guitar and banjo), and they had a competent rhythm guitarist, but no lead. Even when Don Maddox (that’s The Legendary Don Maddox, last surviving member of The Maddox Brothers and Rose) played fiddle, they could’ve used somebody to fill in the spaces.

I found out afterwards they do have a lead guitarist, but he has “commitment issues”—i.e., he can’t show up all the time. So I suggested me. They practice Wednesday nights at 8:00, and I can mostly do that. Playing lead guitar for the country dance in Rogue River may have been good practice for this (and I’ll plan on going to the dance next Tuesday night so I’m good and prepared). And “Screaming Gulch” does play mostly country music.

Reportedly, there’s a new open mike, in Central Point (10 miles from here) Saturday afternoons at 3 p.m.; I’m in town this weekend, so I’ll go. Southern Oregon Songwriters “showcase” that night, too (at Johnny B.’s), the Wild Goose Sunday night, the country dance Tuesday night, Screaming Gulch Wednesday night. Great time to catch a cold (I have one of those, too). Time for new strings also, but I won’t do it with all that playing going on. Following week, maybe.

Last Tuesday, instead of playing at the dance, I went to Delonde Bell’s CD release party in Ashland; good crowd—and nice show (I bought one of his CDs, something I almost never do for anybody). I’d like to do something similar when my next CD is done.

Joe