Official Skafish Blog

It’s time. I know I said that I was going to select 10 random winners.

However….

Because of how truly touched I was by everyone’s unique and thoughtful posts, I’ve made a change in plans. Instead, there will be no drawing.

I’ve decided that EVERYONE IS A WINNER! That’s right! Everyone who posted a comment on my blog for the contest will win a free collectible download card with a unique code to be able to download BOOTLEG 21-35 in its entirety for free from CDBaby.com.

Please check your email so you can reply with your mailing address so your gift can be sent right out to you. Again, I deeply appreciate all of your words — Skafish

May 10th, 2013
Categories: Contests, Current Events, News . Author: Skafish . Comments: 5 Comments

I’ve been itching to do a giveaway, so let’s do it!

Ten lucky winners will win a collectible download card with a unique code to be able to download BOOTLEG 21-35 in its entirety for free from CDbaby.com.

To be eligible to win, all you have to do is to leave a comment here on this blog post that says why you wanna win!

This is the first giveaway for this project and the contest ends May 7, 2013 at 11:59 PM, United States Central Time. Enter now, and I hope you win – Skafish

BOOTLEG 21-35, is the very first official live Skafish album. This recording documents Skafish’s 21st birthday party performance at Ratso’s in Chicago on August 29, 1977. The concert spotlights avant-garde musical concepts and an aesthetic vision that began in 1973, and features songs that were mostly composed and first performed throughout the Chicago area in 1976. This music, (along with the groundbreaking tracks from What’s This? 1976-1979), gave birth to the Chicago punk, new wave, alternative, indie, and underground scene, and helped to co-create these art forms internationally.

The bootleg concert consists of 27 total songs, 15 of which are original Skafish compositions that have never been released in any form prior. The album also offers 8 new Skafish-narrated commentary tracks that accurately capture the historical events of that time period. The album was first released digitally on August 29, 2012, thirty-five years to the day of the original concert.

May 2nd, 2013
Categories: Back In The Day, Contests, Current Events, News . Author: Skafish . Comments: 58 Comments

If one considers art for art’s sake to be a concept worthy of merit, then money and art are often viewed as arch enemies, as if one corrupts the other. It has been long considered that if you’re a “real” artist, then you probably won’t make any money from your efforts. Conversely, if you make a lot of money from your art, then you’re considered by some to be a sellout, poser, or any number of derogatory expletives.

So what role does money play in the process of art, and if it does, should it?

From decades of personal experience, I can tell you that to keep the art going, an artist has to be able to at least make some sort of a living from it (unless you’ve got a wealthy patron, which most of us don’t have, lol). One doesn’t have to make tens of millions of dollars from a sold out world concert tour, but, one has to be able to at least pay the bills. I can testify to that from experience. If the money isn’t there, then the resources, time, effort and focus needed for the art greatly suffer. It doesn’t mean that one can’t do anything at all, but it can tremendously hinder the process.

Some artists don’t have to resort to other forms of work to try to make a living. Their art at least gives them enough money to be able to keep their art going. In those instances, it may not be glamorous, but it’s at least workable. A good example of this can be seen with my friends and fellow performers the Ramones. Even though they never made a lot of money, they at least were able to do well enough financially to keep their careers going.

In the instance of huge money-making artists, of course, they can easily keep it going, often at their own leisure, but what effect does making that amount of money have on their art? The danger is that in many instances, the artist becomes lazy, entitled, and that the quality of their work, especially their songwriting, suffers.

A perfect example of this is the songwriting of the Rolling Stones,arguably the biggest band in the world. I feel that the bulk of their songs have been lukewarm, forgettable and uninspired for decades. This is quite unlike their past catalogue, which contains some of the most fantastic rock songs of all time. I also feel this applies to Madonna, whose more recent material has felt completely devoid of any emotional conviction or feeling to me at all. Her newer songs sound like formulaic songwriting 101 hooks that don’t come from the heart at all, as if all it takes is a clever hook to sell a song. In comparison, many of her older songs contained the emotional connection that is such a vital component to a noteworthy hit song.

One could make the argument that styles change, which is why newer records by established artists don’t sell. That’s not entirely the case, though. I use the example of AC/DC’s “Black Ice,” their most recent album, released in 2009. Even though I didn’t feel that it was a phenomenal album like 1980’s “Back in Black,” it was a solid record from front to back – and it sold millions of copies. Certainly “Black Ice” didn’t break new ground, but I would assume it wasn’t supposed to. It was what one expects from AC/DC: loud guitars, simple songs about girls, partying, cars, a little satanic reference thrown in and high energy rock n roll.

So is money ultimately a good or bad thing for art?

To me, it cuts both ways: Money is necessary to be able to keep one’s art going, but it should never pollute the artist or the quality of the work, as it often does. Yet it doesn’t have to.

It’s important for an artist to aspire to build upon the commitment to the vision, the integrity and message of the work and to stay true to oneself, regardless of whether there’s any money involved or not. If the money is there to make a living or more, I believe that it’s important for an artist to never get lazy, egotistical, to believe that they’re invincible, pander to the audience or stay within the limits of their expectations. For so many artists, though, it’s far easier to just fall back on whatever the perceived formula is that got them there in the first place and then, the work declines and becomes second-rate.

Instead, an artist should continue to passionately evolve, whether anyone goes there with them or not – and that takes a lot of courage. Two strong examples of this evolution are the Beatles, whose songwriting continued to improve and grow exponentially throughout their career, and Frank Zappa, whose musical complexities and concepts continued to forge new ground for decades.

What a dream it would be if somehow, money was no longer a necessary part of the artistic process and everyone could have the resources to create their art without worry of survival. Of course, that’s not applicable in the material world, but I still feel that artists should aspire toward doing their best to create their art without letting economic concerns or pressures get in the way. And if the money is there, be absolutely grateful for it, but by all means, stick to the passion, principles and artistic hunger that were inspirational in the first place.

February 12th, 2013
Categories: Musings, Tips for Musicians . Author: Skafish . Comments: 6 Comments

It’s ironic how the wave of popular opinion changes perhaps more swiftly than ever for or against an artist in today’s culture. Just days ago, many crucified Beyoncé for lip-synching the National Anthem at President Obama’s inauguration on January 21, 2013. In a smart PR move, Beyoncé decided to silence her critics by singing the National Anthem live and acapella at her Super Bowl press conference just yesterday, January 31, 2013.

So Beyoncé gets the last laugh — at least for now. The reason I say “for now,” is because the press, social media and people at large are always hungrily anticipating the next opportunity to turn on someone. As an artist myself who has been turned on more times than I can count, it’s always sort of looming out there. And it can be quite difficult to stop that momentum once it gets started.

But for now, Beyoncé proves what we all knew, which is that she sings well, and in literally a minute or two, she turned the wave of popular opinion back in her favor. At the moment, the fashionable position to take can be seen in quotes all over the press and social media such as, “Beyoncé kicks ass, “She proves her haters wrong,” and that the term “Beyoncé-gate” is ridiculous and overblown. As any artist knows, that wave is forever-changing and fleeting. Having been there myself, it’s never a matter of if, but when the next controversy arises.

Got anything to add?

February 1st, 2013
Categories: Current Events, Musings, News . Author: Skafish . Comments: No Comments

This question has been asked many times by politicians, religious leaders, and others: Does an artist bear any responsibility to the world for their art, how they affect children and the impact they have on society at large? My answer is, why yes; of course they do – absolutely! Here are my top 10 reasons why.

A responsible artist should:
1- Never compromise their vision based on the limits of society at any given time.

Bootleg 21-35documents how my band and I did our best to shatter society’s limited expectations of rock music as a genre.

2-Challenge the status quo and the values that he or she disagrees with.

Pete Seeger,whose protest songs and stance for the common man got him blacklisted as a Communist and banned from commercial television.

3-Sound the alarm of societal, political and religious abuses.

Throughout his entire career, Bob Marleyspoke out clearly and directly in his music against political and social oppression and abuse.

4-Never water down or censor their vision based on the fear of the powers that be, the need for approval from their audience or for commercial reasons.

Boundary-pushing comedian Lenny Bruce was arrested and jailed multiple times for profanity and vulgarity throughout his career.

5-Be truthful to what they believe and feel.

Even though his band has had problems with the amount of effort and time he puts into his charitable work, U-2 front-person Bono still stays true to his convictions.

6-Honor their talents regardless of peoples’ reactions.

Then folk hero Bob Dylan committed what was considered to be sacrilege when he came onstage and performed with an electric band at the Newport Folk Festival on July 25, 1965.

7- Be as unique as possible because only he or she can offer their individual talents and gifts to the world.

I fondly remember a Oui magazine article stating that The Residents and Skafish were the strangest acts in the world. To this day, The Residentsand Skafish don’t fit into any of the nice little cookie-cutter boxes that people and the media try to stick artists into.

8-Stay committed to being the very best artist that they can be.

I’ve always admired the devotion that John Coltrane had for his instrument, furthering and expanding jazz and his technical perfection through constant practice and rehearsal.

9- Stick to their work whether they make money or not.

As I can personally attest to, so many artists have lived through the horror of not making any money from their art, such as the great Vincent Van Gogh,yet the commitment must remain.

10-Do their very best to not be boring, lazy, or put out work that sucks, which in reality, is the most serious artistic crime against humanity of all.

And here’s an extra: An artist should always do their best to help others develop their own talents and gifts.

If all artists would just resist any nutty way-out-there extremist temptation to taint their gifts and stay accountable to these values, they would make an irreplaceable contribution that enlightens, enriches, and helps culture, society and this world to evolve into being a far better place!

Got any reasons you’d like to add?

January 30th, 2013
Categories: Musings, Tips for Musicians . Author: Skafish . Comments: No Comments

As a voice teacher and singer, I was curious to check out Beyoncé singing the National Anthem for President Obama’s inauguration on January 21, 2013. The National Anthem is a hard piece to sing because it covers a wide range of an octave and a perfect fifth, which is greater than most songs.

As I listened to her performance, I thought to myself that her lowest notes were weak and airy. Her vibrato wasn’t spinning at the same rate throughout her range. On some notes it was faster, while on others, it was slower. However, I was quite impressed with Beyoncé’s sense of pitch; it sounded perfect! Well, there was a reason why….

Beyoncé lip-synced her performance to a recording she made the day before. Ah, no wonder why her pitch was perfect. Recently, there has been a practice of backing up instrumental performances in case of weather related or technical problems, so Beyoncé is not the first or only person to do this.

As I read through peoples’ comments about this on CNN, I was surprised that they were mixed. I initially thought that everyone would rip her apart. After all, this was the inauguration of the President of the United States, arguably the most powerful man on earth. Wouldn’t it make sense for there to at least be live singing for a couple of minutes for such an important event? While some people did criticize her, others were willing to give her a pass, based on things such as the fact that it was cold outside and that it could be hard to hear oneself sing in that environment.

It just goes to show that more and more, people want product perfect, and that they don’t care if it’s produced by technology. After all, people pay a lot of money to attend Britney Spears’ “concerts” that are lip-synced. Artistically speaking, if something happens frequently enough and long enough in our culture, it becomes more or less, accepted.

For me, I always go back to the fact that there was a time when technology couldn’t save an artist and that they had to get the job done. I would hope that if I was ever fortunate enough to sing for the inauguration of the President of the United States, that I would actually sing live for the minute or two that it takes to do the National Anthem.

What do you think: No lip-syncing allowed, or give the poor girl a break?

January 23rd, 2013
Categories: Current Events, Musings, News . Author: Skafish . Comments: 2 Comments

Driving in the car today, I heard “Diamonds,” the recent #1 pop hit by Rihanna on the radio. One of the things that struck me about the song is that the lyric has been said a million times before, which of course, is why it connects with so many people. Often, those overused and cliché lyrics are easily relatable and therefore, able to reach a large number of people. The main lyric hooks of the song, “We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky,” and “Shine bright like a diamond,” could have been in a hit song from any decade as far back as the 1930’s. Think of songs like “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend,” or any number of songs that deal with “Diamonds” as the lyrical center.

What does change decade to decade are the styles of the songs, the way the lyric gets dressed up by the melody, and the colloquialisms of the lyric. For example: a sexually desirable girl has been referred to everything from a dish to a dame to a chick to a broad to a bitch to a ho.

What also changes in songs are the rhythmical structures, and the production sound and techniques in any given era. The current era’s production techniques, as showcased by “Diamonds,” use technology to make everything sound perfect. Pitch corrected vocals can make singers sound in perfect tune, automated music that is computer generated plays in perfect time, computerized mixing gives the perfect mix, and in a sense, all of these things eliminate the human variable more and more. It’s like the aural equivalent of a perfectly air-brushed photograph. But often, throughout all those changes, the actual message of the lyric remains the same.

Got any “Diamonds” songs to add to the list?

January 19th, 2013
Categories: Current Events, Musings, Tips for Musicians . Author: Skafish . Comments: 8 Comments

The reason to write a song is simple: It’s because it has to be written.

Once commercial concerns enter in, what the audience thinks, the question of if it’s good enough, comparing it to others’ songs, or worrying if it will be critically approved of, the song really suffers, especially in terms of its fluid emotional power and transcendent connection, where the reality of pure, sincere and real feelings and expression must always remain unencumbered!

January 15th, 2013
Categories: Musings, Tips for Musicians . Author: Skafish . Comments: No Comments

“The 35th Anniversary” is the eighth video in a series of nine clips (including the complete version), which tell the story of the Skafish release, “BOOTLEG 21-35,” the first ever official live Skafish album.

In this clip, I discuss the milestone of releasing my 21st birthday concert at Ratso’s in Chicago from August 29, 1977 exactly 35 years later to the day. I also share the difference in my perspective from then to now.

For more information on “BOOTLEG 21-35,” visit http://www.skafishbootleg.com/

Commentary performed by Skafish

Engineered by John Carpenter at Thunderclap Recording, Hammond, Indiana

Filmed and Edited by Guy Rhodes

Special Thanks: Scott Cameron, Glinda Harrison, and to the band: Larry Mazalan, Karen Winner, David Prochazka, Greg Sarchet, and Larry Mysliwiec.

Enjoy! — Skafish

September 27th, 2012
Categories: Back In The Day, Current Events, News . Author: Skafish . Comments: No Comments

“Set 2: Tracks 6-10″ is the seventh video in a series of nine clips (including the complete version), which tell the story of the Skafish release, “BOOTLEG 21-35,” the first ever official live Skafish album.

In this clip, I discuss the musical, conceptual, and lyrical components of tracks 6-10 of the second set from my 21st birthday concert at Ratso’s in Chicago on August 29, 1977. I also talk about the personal, emotionally-driven and often cathartic aspects of why I wrote each of these pieces, and the contributions of my incredible band.

For more information on “BOOTLEG 21-35,” visit http://www.skafishbootleg.com/

Commentary performed by Skafish.

Engineered by John Carpenter at Thunderclap Recording, Hammond, Indiana.

Filmed and Edited by Guy Rhodes.

Special Thanks: Scott Cameron, Glinda Harrison, and to the band: Larry Mazalan, Karen Winner, David Prochazka, Greg Sarchet, and Larry Mysliwiec

I hope you enjoy the story — Skafish

September 20th, 2012
Categories: Back In The Day, Current Events, News . Author: Skafish . Comments: No Comments