Glastonbury
posted Feb 8, 07:06 PM by Rick WebbFile under: Festivals , Overseas
I randomly signed up for the ticket lottery for Glastonbury a few days ago. I’ve never been, and it makes me sad, really. I know I’ll hate the camping but hell, I should go one time in my life, right?
Imagine my excitement, then, when my hero Leonard Cohen has been tapped to play Glasto this year, along with The Verve, British Sea Power and Neil Diamond. Okay, yeah man, bring it.
I suspect I won’t go, I suspect the rumors of a leonard cohen tour will pan out, and I’m seeing BSP SXSW and The Verve Coachella, but… still.. it’s a nice coincidence and it definitely puts Glastonbury on the map this year.
Eco Rock Tourism
posted Jan 31, 10:03 PM by Rick WebbFile under: Overseas ,
So, I am a Rock Tourist. Many of us are tourists, of course. Many of us like to visit different places in the world. I’ve heard it said many times that tourism is the world’s largest industry.
I also try to be a good global citizen. My prediliction for Tourism, coupled with my life as a business man, puts me in a situation that is, perhaps, familiar to many of us who try to be good global citizens: I am torn about the emissions that my travel brings about. I’ve taken the tests: despite not owning a car and embracing walking and public transportation, there’s no doubt. I leave a pretty big emissions footprint. I do my best to account for this, of course. I am a diligent buyer of carbon offsets, and I work hard, through my position in the marketing industry, to encourage corporations to adopt carbon-neutral and carbon-friendly practices. Still, though, it can’t help but leaving me feeling a tad uncomfortable.
I think many of us have this same problem: is tourism socially responsible? Is it defensible? Although I’m not 100% certain of the decision, I have, for the time being, decided that tourism is ethical. I believe that the social benefits that well-traveled people bring the world offset the carbon emissions spent acquiring this experience. I don’t profess to know the stats – I’ve heard anecdotal statements that air travel isn’t the largest emissions problem we face, and I’ve heard that tourism is only a small part of air travel. I don’t know if these are true. I do know that, for now, I have made the decision that tourism is still a good thing. I have a hunch many of you have made this same decision. I will revisit it, of course, through the years, but it saddens me to think of a world where we can’t visit other places.
Of course I am in full support of any laws and regulations that require me, along with other people and organizations, to be taxed appropriately for the emissions they cause. I believe the costs should be worked into every product. I also, of course, recognize that money doesn’t solve the problem, and the technologies don’t necessarily exist to turn that money into cleaner air. But i do believe that if incentives were aligned, and the funds existed, and the economics were calibrated so the true costs of products were built into them, the market would adjust and cleaner products would, over time, become more popular than unclean ones. Would that happen in time to save us all from certain doom? I honestly have no idea. But I digress.
If we take, then, that tourism is acceptable, then I would posit that Rock Tourism’s as acceptable as any other type. And here we come to the reason why this post is in my Rock Tourism blog as opposed to one of my others. The way I see it, we all sort of have some sort of operating principal to our tourism. Perhaps we like to getaway from it all and relax. Perhaps we like to see the world’s cultures. Perhaps we like adventure. Perhaps it’s a love of art that dictates our next vacation spot. For me, it’s rock and roll. It’s live shows. I think of places I want to go, and I go to them when there’s a rock show I want to see. I love it. It combines two things I thoroughly enjoy – rock and traveling. It lets me meet like-minded people when I travel. It allows me to do things I enjoy on my vacation rather than things I just think I should do.
It is, essentially, the basis for my travel, and the basis for my blog.
So, recently, oddly, this happy hobby of mine has become a bit of a news item. Well, let me rephrase that. It has, peripherally, come under discussion. And it’s caused me to think about the social ramifications of what I do.
Recently, Radiohead, a band that I admire very much, have started doing some soul searching of their own about emissions, carbon footprints and the like. I respect Radiohead enormously, and I have a hunch that if a respected environmental organization came to me and pointed out how bad of a global footprint my business and life was leaving, I’d be feeling pretty upset about it too. i would want to know exactly what the ramifications of me deciding to tour were as well.
I can’t claim to be 100% certain of Radiohead’s approach, but i get the sense that right now they are in research mode. I know that they are weighing environmental impact as a factor in their upcoming tour. They are considering factors like whether a gig has sufficient access to public transportation. They are thinking about whether gigs in the burbs are more or less damaging to the environment than urban gigs. I suspect, though I have no knowledge of this, it must be a very difficult decision for them. Every gig leaves a footprint. Do more small gigs leave a bigger footprint than a few big ones?
I remember the Kid A “tour” of the United States. It consisted of exactly two shows – one in New York and one in LA. I literally knew dozens of people that travelled from other cities to go to one of those two gigs. Though I combined it with another trip, I chose to see Radiohead on the Kid A tour in LA.
In the afore-linked report on the upcoming Radiohead gig in barcelona, it is hinted that Radiohead are taking into account whether or not the concert goers are coming from another city. I think the assumption is that if many people are coming from another city, those concert goers are leaving a larger carbon footprint than the concert goers who already live in the city.
On the surface, this doesn’t seem unreasonable, and I can understand why, on a per show basis, this may seem like useful information. It seems to me, however, that this brings up many intractable problems.
First, I would imagine nightmarish calculations around how many shows to do. Radiohead is hugely popular. There are literally millions of people on the planet that want to see them. How many shows, then, is the most ideal number to fill that demand? Is fewer, large shows the right approach? I’m willing to wager way more people travelled to see Radiohead on the Kid A tour in the US – where like I said, I knew dozens of people travelling to those shows – compared to the Amnesiac tour, where they played a lot of dates, and I don’t know anyone – save for a few fanatics – that travelled to see a show. Which is worse?
Of course Radiohead is right to undertake an endeavor to learn this, and I would welcome them sharing their findings. It also brings up other difficult questions: we all tend to like more intimate concerts. The bigger the venue, the less connected we feel. What if it transpires that the most efficient, least impactful tour schedule is only one show per continent, to, say 400,000 people each? How much of a drag would that be? And how would the band balance this environmental concern with their artistic ones? And would other bands be thought less of if they made different choices?
After all, this logic, extended, makes it very hard to justify touring at all. And yet live music, to me, and to millions, is one of the most rewarding, artistically soul-nourishing things out there. And to musicians it is, often, both their life blood and their artistic inspiration.
Additionally, the math becomes impossibly incalculable. Let’s take my Kid A concert-going example. I came from another city. Fair enough. But I was in LA to visit my friends. If I didn’t go to that Radiohead show, when I was already in LA, would the carbon footprint have been any lessened? Don’t these intentions matter? But there seems to be no way of knowing them.
Finally, let’s take this Barcelona example. I don’t think they’re going to do this, but say that Radiohead, or the festival, required proof of residency in Barcelona, prior to selling you a ticket. This is, of course, a burden that many people would gladly bear for a band they absolutely loved, but it wouldn’t particularly work if you just, say, wanted to see what the hubub was about for some new band. Do we then have to show our ID every time we buy a ticket? And, of course, then I’d just get my Barcelonan friend to buy my tickets for me. So presumably the whole affair would be useless unless they instigated some sort of Glastonbury-esque anti-scalping measures, putting my photo on my ticket, or only letting me pick them up at the door, with an ID. Even this might not cut it, of course, after we experienced the Arcade Fire’s endeavors in New York last year that made everyone’s life miserable but didn’t inhibit scalping, but rather just drove the prices up exhorbitantly.
In the end, though, I think it comes down to something more pure: is it wrong to travel? And is it any more wrong to travel to see a rock show, than, say, a museum, a sunset or a cathedral? Again, I don’t think Radiohead is going there – the very fact that they are touring at all indicates to me they understand environmental responsibility must be only one factor. But I confess I’m feeling a bit defensive and guilty that one of my favorite bands – who I have managed to see on every tour and in several places that, now, they are telling me were bad to see them (LA, Worcester) – is raising this for discussion.
I don’t have the answers. I suppose I’d be okay with paying a higher fee for a show out of town, provided that money went to the right source. And, of course, I buy the offsets on the flights there. Obviously the least impactful way to see a show is to walk across the street to TTs or the Middle East from my house in Cambridge or to see a show when I’m already in New York at the Mercury Lounge or something.
But it seems to me if that you take tourism is something we are still “allowed” to do, then being a Rock Tourist seems to be still okay, right?
Explosions in the Sky
posted Jan 7, 06:49 PM by Rick WebbFile under: Festivals , Overseas
You know what, Explosions in the Sky? You’re good, but you sir are no Mogwai, and if you’re going to shun my hometown on your upcoming tour well then I shun you back. Sniff. No ATP for me.
ATP: The Nightmare Before Christmas
posted Dec 13, 02:17 PM by Rick WebbFile under: Festivals , Overseas
Travel: London, Minehead, Bristol and Taunton, UK
Bands: Sparklehorse, Glenn Branca, The Gas Giants, Portishead, Chrome Hoof, The Horrors, Fuck Buttons, GZA/Genius, The Heads, OM, Aphex Twin, A Hawk and A Handsaw, Julian Cope, Jah Shaka Soundsystem, John Cooper Clarke, Damo Suzuki, Black Mountain, Sunn O)))
Recap from All Tomorrow’s Parties: Portishead: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Photos here
Read More
Iceland Airwaves
posted Nov 18, 04:56 PM by Rick WebbFile under: Overseas , Festivals
Oops! We forgot to mention we headed to Iceland Airwaves last month! It was awesome! Great festival, and a good time. You can read the full round up here
Bands included: Perla, For A Minor Reflection, <3Svanvít!, Naflakusk, Eliza, Smoosh, Lights on a Highway, Jenny Wilson, Boys in a Band, Duke Spirit, Retro Stefson, Teenagers, Kimono, Singapore Sling, Computer Club, Loney, Dear, Trentmöller, Heavy Trash, Motion Boys, Gus Gus, Frost, Mental Overdrive, Amiina, Tied & Tickle Trio, Ms. John Soda, Benni Hemm Hemm, Lali Puna, Ra Ra Riot, Hafdis Huld, Annuals, British Sea Power
ATP Round Up
posted Nov 18, 04:55 PM by Rick WebbFile under: Festivals , Overseas
Okay: First off we have the upcoming Nightmare Before Christmas curated by Portishead, and featuring Sparklehorse, The Aphex Twin, Julian Cope, Glenn Branca, the Silver Apples, Thurston More, Boris, Om and a million more. I’ve been on the fence about this – though I bought tickets when they went on sale – but now I’m thinking I may go. Anyone interested?
Next are the two springtime ATPs:
First, we have the Explosions in the Sky ATP, featuring Broken Social Scene, Dinosaur Jr, Trail of Dead, Iron and Wine, POLVO (!!!), Ghostface, Animal Collective and Four Tet. This is definitely looking like the better of the two for me.
Next is the ATP Vs Pitchfork, which is simultaneously kind of cool and kind of painful, especially after Iceland Airwaves, where the pitchfork reporters and photographers were about the most painfully embarrassing people at the whole event. The lineup isn’t terrible, but it’s definitely a little weaker. It does feature Sebadoh, though, which is pretty awesome, though this whole thing of trekking to the wilds of Somerset to see bands that are from Massachusetts is kind of silly. Other decent bands at this event feature Ween (I know, I know, subject to debate), the MEAT PUPPETS (I LOVE ATP’s undying love of grunge), Caribou, Les Savy Fav and Hot Chip.
Also, neither one seems to be during Coachella this year, which is nice. So hopefully I can make a spring ATP this year? Anyone interested?
My Bloody Valentine...
posted Nov 18, 04:42 PM by Rick WebbFile under: Overseas , Reunions
So All Tomorrow’s Parties – my heroes already, even moreso now – have announced a series of dates across the UK for My Bloody Valentine. Rock Tourist participant Ashley is headed to the Glasgow show, and I bought for one of the Manchester shows, figuring it’s high time I went to the city that brought me so much music I loved.
Unlike most people freaking out about these shows, I’ve actually seen My Bloody Valentine before – three times on the Loveless tour, including the last show, to date, the band has ever played. And while they were pretty awesome shows, I do think there’s little chance the poor band can possibly live up to the hype of the reunion.
I’m also pretty convinced the Coachella rumors are true, and we’ll be seeing stateside shows, starting with a Coachella date. If that, plus the Portishead rumors are true, well, then, Coachella is shaping up to be pretty awesome.
Iceland Airwaves
posted Sep 14, 12:31 PM by Rick WebbFile under: Overseas , Festivals
I should also mention that me, the girlfriend, jelena, ashley and a few others are hitting Iceland Airwaves next month. We bought the tickets in april as some cheap package because we always wanted to go to Iceland. We didn’t know the lineup at the time, but it looks like it’s turning out pretty good! This makes it tough, of course, because now we have to balance tourism and rock, but hey – that’s what Rock Tourism is all about. Hells yeah.
Here’s the international lineup:
!!! (chk chk chk) (US)
Annuals (US)
Best Fwends (US)
Bloc Party (UK)
Bonde do Role (BR)
Boys in a Band (FO)
Chromeo (CA)
Computerclub (UK)
Cut Off Your Hands (NZ)
Deerhoof (US)
Frost (NO)
Grizzly Bear (US)
Heavy Trash (US)
Lali Puna (DE)
Late Of The Pier (UK)
Ms John Soda (DE)
of Montreal (US)
Plants and Animals (CA)
Prinzhorn Dance School (UK)
Ra Ra Riot (US)
Radio LXMBRG (SE)
Slow Club (UK)
Snake And Jet´s Amazing Bullit Band (DK)
The Bronx (US)
The Duke Spirit (UK)
The Ghost (FO)
The Teenagers (FR/UK)
The Tremolo Beer Gut (DK/SE)
Theatre Fall (SCO)
Tied & Tickled Trio (DE)
Ungdomskulen (NO)
Full lineup here
Anyone know anything about icelandic bands that wants to tell me who I should try and check out?
ATP Don't Look Back: Sebadoh
posted Sep 14, 12:27 PM by Rick WebbFile under: Overseas , Reunions
I know this blog is basically looking like an ATP advertisement, but COME ON.
On my birthday next year, ATP’s Don’t Look Back series presents Sebadoh: Bubble and Scrape. All original lineup. The whole album. On my BIRTHDAY. Ow.
Info here
This does, however, make up for missing the House Of Love play their first album last night. Being like the only fan in the world of that album, I am BUMMED.
A Factory Night (Once Again)???
posted Jul 4, 12:46 PM by Rick WebbFile under: Overseas , Reunions
From my buddy John Hurwitz:. I doubt I can make this if I go to the Portishead ATP, but I am definitely going to keep an eye on it. Section 25 has been threatening to come to America for almost a year now but keep postponing because of “Visa issues.” I’m hearing a lot about this – something along the lines of bands not being able to get visas in time because the State Department is so backed up with their ridiculous new passport rules (don’t even get me started on that), but I haven’t seen any solid article outlining the extant of the problem. It’s not like Section2 5 were ever some crazy drug gobbling grave robbers or anything, so I suspect the delays are more bureaucratic than security related?
Anyway, this tour looks awesome. I want to go. Kevin Hewick! I saw Crispy Ambulance a few years back in Boston and it was actually shockingly solid. Worth seeing again.
Details are emerging of a special mini-tour by Section 25, Crispy Ambulance, Kevin Hewick and other ex-Factory artists.
The tour will go under the banner of ‘A Factory Night (once again)’ and will take place in selected continental European cities in December 2007.
Schedule
venue tbc, Cologne, Germany – Friday 14 December
Plan K, Brussels, Belgium, – Saturday 15 December
Melkweg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Sunday 16 December
What’s happening
Live: Section 25, The Names, Crispy Ambulance, Kevin Hewick (final line-up to be confirmed)
DJ sets: Martin Moscrop + local DJ’s
Exhibitions: Philippe Carly (www.newwavephotos.com), Katja Ruge (www.myspace.com/fotoreportage23
