The Free For All lives on. Your five year-plus host is pleased to report that after a brief battle with pre-millennial burnout, a restructuring of the Sunday night format has already proven fruitful.
We have played after one AM every Sunday for the last five years, and we were all just sick of performing exclusively for drunken stragglers at every gig. It was our new year's resolution to play earlier, and it's already working out great.
The new line-up kicks off with the first band promptly at 9 pm, with Superego in the third spot roughly at 11, the headliner going on around midnight, followed by a late-night spot reserved for special guests, late additions and the impromptu jams that have become a perennial free for all highlight. The hole now sports a full backline including all drum hardware, amplifiers and even a bass guitar that live in a storage locker at the club.
Last Sunday's debut of the new improved show headlined by Goudie delivered encouraging results. The standing room only midnight crowd was treated to a blistering helping of their new album material, followed by an after-hours jam featuring Johnny Goudie, Fastballer Miles Zuniga, Dismuke Jacob Schulze, and members of Superego, Orange Mothers, and 16 Deluxe all singing along with Spencer Gibb on his family anthem "To Love Somebody..."
The normally bee-gee shy Gibb booked a February free for all for his band 54 Seconds right on the spot.
I felt like George Bailey at the end of It's a Wonderful Life.
Happy New Year to a beloved Austin tradition.
Lick here for more superego scrapbook entries in the latest
music rags.
Subject: soundtrack report
john,
i made some good progress on the riffraff soundtrack already, and i
am thinking i will be able to crank it out sooner, possibly in a couple
weeks. were you interested in applying for this SXSW?
there is one number by drums and tuba that i think you should license
for a song, it's perfect, and the solo stuff i am doing fits in with it
nicely.
let's get together tomorrow around 6 at the space, i will bring a 4
track that will plug into your monitors, maybe we could run a 1/4 inch
output from your soundtrack into the mixer also. i want you to hear these
demos before i go to alot of expense. my home studio sounds pretty good
on its own.
later,
paul
Subject: argyles footage
rick,
i would like to get a copy of that dick clark footage as soon as possible.
the argyles are finally getting around to putting together a video demo,
and we desparately need the dick intro.
a huge accounting firm in dallas filmed us with a 10 man crew and digital
cameras on 30 foot booms at a gala awards banquet in december, and it looks
like the grammys or something.
can i drop by the studio and pick up that tape sometime soon?
let me know.
thanks,
paul minor
Subject: hi !
hey hey hey,
i'm warning you in advance this is quite long so read on if youve got
time...
well, yall were great! you were so into it its great to see guys who
love what they are doing. you guys were so lively especially on "the tighten
up". you and chepo definetly kept the show moving. chepo is a bit wacky,
aint he? tell him thanks for being in the pic w/ us.
my parents had a great time too. i think they liked they the freddy
fender song yall threw in.
mr murphy was great! i'm glad i came early enough to see him. maybe
ill get so literary one of these days. i felt sorta bad cause i was keeping
you back there when he wanted to play w/ you. oops! missing ingredient
was ok i only got to hear about 4 of their set so i just got a taste.
im glad you liked your stuff. i give you permission to put it on you
webpage ....just dont write anything too embarrassing about me : ) if you
really want to try the fastball snacks go for it. nick said he would bring
me some more when he gets back so i can mail ya some. hell be back sometime
next week so he hasnt seen the autograph but i did leave a long babbling
message about it. hehehe
but wait there's more.........
im really happy you and miles got to write and collaborate together.
im crossing my fingers that it works out. if it gets on their new album
that'd be grrreat then id have to of my fave-or-rite artists on the same
disk .... just like when you had tony and joey guest on " misery date"
speaking of miles, how was the show ??? i wished i coulda seen it. we ended
up leaving to home a day earlier than planned so that kinda sucked.
ok in closing......yeah im finally done.... thanks for inviting me and
doing a great show. i'd also like to say you should come to mcallen or
at least san antonio so i dont have to spend 6 and 1/2 hours in an enclosed
car and you can meet some of my best friends that are "cool" , just like
me.
sorry this was so long
your buddy
From: Paul Minor [mailto:superego@io.com]
dear sir,
hope all is well with you and your holidays were more sweet than bitter.
my thoughts on the deal so far:
1. i have decided that as an artist, the best place to host MP3 files
is on one's own website. sites such as listen.com that point customers
toward independent music sites have priority. those sites wanting to host
my files and make them available for free or for sale should pay in advance.
2. i want to do a deal with your site for a few superego masters. i
think they should be songs available nowhere else, otherwise what's the
point? this exclusive contract will need to be looked over by me and my
attorney, at which point i will execute it, deliver the master, attain
an advance (the $100 we discussed will be fine per song) and then i can
use the contract as a starting point with other acts. superego is the guinea
pig for the A&R gig.
3. there's a million of these sites out there as you know, with the
legal and trademark issues years from resolution, not to mention hardware
standardization. i would like to help distinguish your site to the artist
by paying artists up front, and to the consumer by writing personalized
reviews of each band myself for the site, in the informal journalistic
style of the text you find on my website.
4. i would like my artists to be featured in a separate but integral
section of your website where customers know it's an extension of the free
for all family overseen by MC Minor.
let's have lunch tomorrow at red river cafe at 1 pm if you have a contract
ready to look over and you are available.
thanks and take care.
paul
Subject: texas mp3 site
paul:
glad you checked in. thanks for the message. let me respond point by
point to your interesting e-mail.
1. how could i possibly ask, or expect, you to advance our collective
interests if you are so decidedly ambivalent? i appreciate your belief
that txmp3.com and all other sites should pay you up front, but this is
unrealistic in the extreme, given the current immaturity of the digital
marketplace. there is *nobody* in the entire industry, major labels and
mp3.com included, that is recouping their investment by selling mp3s. that
reality is still years away. it costs me an estimated $20 per song per
year just to host it on my website. let's turn it around and let me ask
you for proof that there is enough demand for superego product for me to
move the 240 units per year it would take me just to break even on your
$100 demand, plus the $20 just to host it. what if i might like to pay
myself a wage and make enough money to re-invest in the company? if there
was a label willing to pay you a c-note per song up front right now, you'd
already be there.
2. you want to audition me AND make me pay you for it?
3. good point about reviews - i believe i discussed the idea with you
at our meeting. we've just retained a very good web designer to revamp
the site. reviews and other content will be a major part of that.
your "millions out there" comment, by the way, spoke pretty loudly as
a vote of no confidence in our business plan, as i assume it was meant
to.
4. see number 2 above.
i have a lot of respect for you and what you are doing and remain interested
in doing some business with you. that said, none of your e-mail was meant
to be taken seriously, and i will assume that your intent was to make it
so unreasonable that i would say "thanks, but no thanks."
consider it done. contact me anytime, the door is always open and no
hard feelings on our part.
From: Paul Minor
dear sirs,
my 100 dollar figure was just off the top of my head since that is what
you originally offered as an advance on my A&R salary, a wage structure
as yet undetermined. Why is this fair as an advance on the A&R guy's
share but not on artist profits?
i am sorry my questions came across as a lack of confidence vote, but
i am just asking the inevitable questions that you and i would have to
face from artists. i am determined now more than ever to make sure that
people like you realize what should be an obvious truth:
bands need to get paid.
good luck with your business plan. you are a very effectual communicator.
i look forward to continuing this fascinating discourse as the scene develops.
thanks and take care,
paul
Subject: soundtrack music
hey flatheads,
i am producing the soundtrack for a locally produced action/suspense
thriller called riffraff, directed by a college buddy of mine. lots of
guns and blood in a hill country setting. the movie is in the can and i
am writing stuff now.
i have really been inspired by the new drums and tuba album, and i am
wondering about licensing a song or two for the soundtrack, especially
the mummy.
let me know how to proceed. there is a small budget for music, how would
a million bucks per tune sound?
take care guys,
paul minor
Subject: Re: Email on your web page
You need to be hit upside the head with 2x4. Negotiations about salaries
and deals are supposed to be confidential. It's a given, it's understood.
If that guy you are negotiating with finds out that you have made the communication
public via the Internet he is going to be sorely pissed and think you have
no judgment whatsoever. The rest of us will just think you are clueless
about business matters.
Just take care of business and quit trying to be a hero for the music
community. You are beginning to sound like a guy with an ax to grind. The
reason musicians don't get paid relates to the law of supply and demand.
Like that country critic once wrote, "let the music do the talking." One
agenda at a time is plenty, and getting your music out is the agenda.
And I don't want to see anymore of my emails on your web page. It is
embarrassing to me for people to know that I am involved in your business.
All you have to do is say stop and I will. If that comes down, the last
thing I will say is that I hope someone else out there cares enough to
take you to task.
Subject: Re: Email on your web page
dear friend,
you have started an intriguing debate, i hope you can maintain a good
nature about it while we sort it out, because i respect you too much to
tell you where to stick your two by four, and this is truly not worth getting
all hot under the collar.
you and the mp3 guys and any other person doing business with me online
should realize there is absolutely nothing confidential or discreet about
the internet.
in a way that is precisely the issue. they want to deal in the commerce
of my digital music files online, and i just want to insure that I get
paid, considering the unpredictability of this unstable, insecure medium.
that's also why the CArecords.com contract is graphics only, they don't
want it online.
it's not like i am putting it on a billboard or e-mailing it out to
the media. it is just an open personal journal of my dealings, and a very
limited group of friends such as yourself and my lawyer and our fans who
are interested can access it if they choose and get some insight into what
i have got going on. I am just thinking out loud...you don't have to listen.
It's like sticking postcards and snapshots on the refrigerator. it's mainly
for me and whoever is visiting my domain. no-one has ever complained, and
if they did, i would welcome the opportunity to continue the dialog that
this medium has facilitated. MP3s are among many of the hot topics in my
line of work, and this is a discussion forum.
this webpage is a statement of individual freedom of expression in the
digital age. you are adopting the dubious role of censor. you should reconsider
your kneejerk emotional reaction. this webpage is therapeutic to me for
reasons i would not expect anyone else to understand, and i will not have
it stifled.
you don't have to ever send me e-mail if you are afraid of seeing it
on my site, and i will honor your request to not print your name when you
prefer. i will gladly change the names and e-mail addresses of the sensitive
messages, but the content is part of my life that i have no qualms about
sharing. why does it have to be confidential just because money is involved?
if $$$ is such a dirty word, why does everyone want it so bad?
as for my crusade, it's really just my own artistic self-interest that
i am protecting, and by posting the correspondence, it is a validation
of my creative integrity. this stuff might make a cool book someday; for
now, it reminds me where my head is at, and keeps my writing muscles limber.
so just stay out of my business if you can't stand the heat, and be
mindful of the language you use when you hit send. I removed any indication
of your identity, and the parts i removed were among the most personal
and upsetting, designed to cut deep. i may not know what the hell i am
doing, but i know one thing, i am doing it with all my heart. if i make
a mistake in your opinion, let me know with some compassion. why not say
"hey guy, you sure it's such a good idea to put those negotiations on your
webpage?" instead of unleashing all this vitriol.
and please try not to be so dramatic in your e-mails. your comment about
the two by four, along with a couple of similar threats in previous angry
e-mails, is really disturbing to me because it is an unfamiliar side of
you. the anonimity implied in the text format can tempt one to say things
they would never say in person, but i have learned that the internet is
not the appropriate place for such emotionally sensitive language. it's
easy to be ugly and threatening when you are miles away tapping on a keyboard.
if you'll notice, all my posted correspondence is entirely professional
and cordial in tone, including the exchange between me and the online music
guy. i think you let the subtext of his frustration with me get to you
on an emotional level, but that's no reason to be so inflammatory. if you
want to send me ugly or threatening messages, mark it "not for publication"
so i will know to hit delete and send it to the trash with the rest of
the junk mail.
i don't like you when you're so angry. why can't you just take a breath
and give me a chance to explain my motivations before you jump to the conclusion
that i'm a clueless punk.
my webpage is strictly for my own amusement, and i guarantee you that
no-one gives a damn about it but me and occasionally friends like you.
you said it was embarrassing to you. i say if you are embarrassed about
participating in my affairs, you should stop. the artist doesn't need anyone
looking over his shoulder cramping his space and breathing his air.
if you don't like the channel you are on, just change it. or better
yet turn it off and find another pastime.
your friend,
paul
Subject: RE: hey freak
Hey Porque,
Subject: Re: hey freak
i love your stuff on the new virgil solo album, especially "volvo" and
"soap" and my friend made me a tape of the bungle stuff and i think it's
way cool too.
take care and keep in touch,
paul
Subject: Re: superego
Paul, Just in case you haven't checked - your stuff is up on Audiogalaxy.
We featured Superego on our front page as one of our daily picks last week.
You have received 74 downloads to date. Check out your page at:
http://www.audiogalaxy.com/bands/suprego/
Thanks for being part of our community of musicians.
Eric@Audiogalaxy
"Rule #1: Don't give it away free..."
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 05:34:55 +0000
From: Paul Minor
Organization: Nickel $ Dime Records
To: john vondrak
CC: superego@io.com
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 06:32:13 +0000
From: Paul Minor
Organization: Nickel $ Dime Records
To: rick melchior
CC: superego@io.com
Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 15:13:01 EST
From: Kristela@aol.com
To: superego@io.com
Sent: Monday, January 03, 2000 8:34 PM
To: A&R@txmp3.com
Subject: contract
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 14:38:54 -0600
From: A&R@txmp3.com
To: superego@io.com
Sent: Monday, January 03, 2000 8:34 PM
To: A&R@txmp3.com
Subject: contract
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 06:45:00 +0000
From: Paul Minor
Organization: Nickel $ Dime Records
To: drums and tuba
CC: superego@io.com
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 22:41:25 -0800
From: ezekiel@janus.com
To: superego@io.com
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 22:41:25 -0800
From: superego@io.com
To: ezekiel@janus.com
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 23:36:02 -0800
From:
To: Paul Minor
That "PTQ" was the best name I heard for the ol' Y2cunt. I'm not gonna
be back in town till March 1. If you're still around, I'll play with ya
in SF. I'm on tour from next week till then with ol' B2K. Have a great
trip out here. Are you bringing band in tow or just your own privatized
Texan ass? Either way, knock 'em silly. -d
Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 02:17:43 +0000
From: Paul Minor
Organization: Nickel $ Dime Records
To: drummer@pocketpool.com
CC: superego@io.com
danny,
looking forward to the dieselhed show at sxsw. i asked them if we could
play the bill, but no reply yet.
this west coast thing is shaping up for march. i have LA on the 13th,
tentative San Diego, and i need a SF date. SXSW starts on the 15th in austin
so we have to get back. i am still considering what kind of band to take
on the road.
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2000 15:05:03 -0600
From: Eric Zappa
To: superego@io.com