Category: Random Thoughts

I’m removing my current recordings from all the digital outlets and I’m abandoning the Big Al and the New Playboys project. I’m also going on hiatus for a few months and returning as Big Al and Friends. Much love to you all. See ya next year.

Well folks, 2017 has been sort of a crazy year for me. I wanted to put out at least one song this year but life, as always, had other plans. On a positive note, I did pull two of my songs out of the archives and started collaborating with others to finish them. I also managed to lay down an acoustic guitar track for another original. Some progress is better than no progress. Stay tuned.

2016 isn’t killing off our favorite celebrities, the cycle of life is. It happens that most of us (I am 46) are old enough now that the celebrities we grew up adoring are anywhere from a few years to a few decades older than us. It should come as no real surprise that they’re starting to leave the mortal world in increasingly large numbers. To be honest, I am surprised that it took until 2016 for them to start dying off in such large numbers, considering the lifestyles many of them lead and the poor choices many of them have made in regards to substance abuse. I’m not writing this to be a heartless jerk because I am sad that they’re gone. I’m writing this because I am a realist and folks, this is reality.

This blog post is a cautionary tale about the technological capabilities of Big Brother. Here goes…

Back on April 15, 2014, I set up my video equipment at a local venue as a favor to my friend Art because it was his big night… his debut CD release show. I had mentioned to him a few weeks back that I had the capability to live stream on YouTube so he asked me to do so for him. All was well for most of the night, until the band sang Happy Birthday To You to someone who came out to see the show. About half way through their rendition, a message popped up on my laptop screen in a red banner stating something to the effect that “ContentID” identified that they were performing a song they didn’t have a right to perform and if the performance didn’t cease immediately, the stream would be terminated. YouTube didn’t even give me a chance to let them know they were in violation. Almost immediately after that message popped up, I got another message stating that the stream had been terminated. Read More

So there’s been a big deal made about the fact that other than live singing at the half-time show during the Super Bowl, the instruments we’re pre-recorded. I have a few thoughts on this, so let’s get to it.

With the logistics of having to get that stage show on and off the field in less than 30 minutes  AND with the really cold temperatures, it makes sense to me as a musician why they’d want to pre-record the instruments. When it’s that cold, it’s near impossible to keep a guitar in tune.

Now in my opinion, what they did is perfectly acceptable. They adapted to the situation AND still brought their stage show. They ALL brought it just as if they were all playing live. — I think they most likely intentionally didn’t use wireless packs for their instruments to hide the fact that the instruments were canned SPECIFICALLY so that people would talk. What a great way to get people talking about them for days after the show. In my eyes, that was a genus move on the part of RHCP. That, my friends, is what publicity is all about.

Here’s what Flea had to say about the whole thing.

What are your thoughts? Do you feel cheated? Do you care one way or the other? Does the NFL need to lighten up and let artist just do their thing? Leave a comment!