February 2014: Social Media Overload

This past week was a banner week for social media in Texas Music.  The sensational confessions of one act were paired with the regular postings of tour dates, crowd shots, after party pics and highway lines.  Fan interaction via social media is one of the largest parts of an artist’s job in the year 2014.  This hyper-connection makes us feel like we know the artists better than we actually do.  It connects us to the music in ways we may not have otherwise experienced.

This connectivity was at the forefront of Galleywinter’s creation all those years ago.  To connect like-minded fans and artists and support a thriving a community of music lovers.  This was pre-Twitter/Facebook etc.  Using old school message board technology, road trips were planned, show reviews posted and people bonded.  It was a great tool then and as technology has improved that tool has only strengthened.

By getting to know so much about the artists we admire, we are able to enjoy the music on deeper levels.  Additionally, we are able to connect with fans across the globe that dig the same thing we do.    A new act like Chris King can build a loyal following just by being a good follow on Twitter.  Jason Isbell is able to add to his hip factor via displaying his wit on Twitter.  On the flip side, we have a couple of my least favorite artists…ArtistData and his compadre Team _______.  If I want to know when you’re touring, I’ll look at the website.  And if  it’s something your team feels is worth posting, I’d rather hear it from you directly.

But, at what point is it all too much?

Social media can be a great thing in the right hands and a terribly dangerous thing in another’s. There is something to be said for a little bit of mystery.  Maybe we don’t need to know what you had for dinner, where you hunted that day or what kind of truck you just bought.  Or the status of your marriage for that matter.  Some things are better left private.

How different would the Outlaw movement of the 70’s been had the internet/social media been around?  Can you imagine Jerry Jeff making a Facebook event for his Luckenbach recording?  Or Willie tweeting about stopping at the Czech Stop?  In that same vein, what if Keith Moon live tweeted his hotel meltdowns?  Or Robert Plant made a Tumblr for the antics aboard the Zeppelin jet?  That time period is better preserved in the romanticism of memories, newsclippings, photos and grainy video footage.  Not knowing every detail that went into that age of music is rather freeing.  It’s one of the things that made the recent Eagles documentary such a vivid and intense watch.

Alas, I guess that’s just the world we live in these days.  It’s not bad or good…just different. The age of overshare.

We’re all guilty of it from time to time.  Whether it’s the photo of our kid that only we care about or the update on what we’re watching on tv at that moment, we feel inclined to share it.  In that sense, the inane artist tweets make them more relatable.  They’re just like us!  It’s the “they hate traffic and eat sandwiches too!” ethos.

Our phones are glued to our fingers and our eyeballs rarely look away.  The devices have become an extra appendage.  The artists are no different.  But, it sure would be nice if they were.

One of my New Years Resolutions was to be shrewd and effective with my social media interactions.  It hasn’t been easy not tweeting every single random thought I have or checking in on Facebook every single time I’m somewhere cool.  But, I do feel a sense of freedom from backing off.  It’s healthy.  If you’re feeling consumed, perhaps you should take a stance to be more seldom seen on networks as well.

I hope artists also follow this trend.  Less is more and moderation are good pieces of advice with regard to just about everything, social media included.

MINOR CHORDS:

-Larry Joe Taylor Fest will be here before we know it.  In March, we’ll be unveiling our 4th Annual Ultimate LJT Giveaway!  Additionally, we are still in search of an electric camping spot.  We lost our main base of operation this year and are desperate!

-Greenfest lineup will be rolled out soon!

-Lone Star Jam is looking like the strongest lineup ever.

-Planning on heading to Red Rocks in May for the 2nd Annual RRB Rockies takeover. Non-cliche use of epic will be involved.

-This period between football and March Madness/baseball is the lowest point of the sports year, despite the Olympics best intentions.

-This has been the weirdest, coldest, wettest winter I can recall.  It seems like it’s been cold, gray and drizzly since Thanksgiving.

-I haven’t seen any of the films getting Oscar buzz.  And, don’t really care for once.  Viva la Netflix.

-The Trisha’s are selling their band van y’all.  If you know somebody that needs a new tour ride, give them a holler.

-The Beatles 50th Anniversary tribute show was fantastically amazing.  I’m a huge Beatles fan and went in with low expectations, but the special was awesome!  My highlights were the Gary Clark Jr., Joe Walsh, Dave Grohl jam; Abe Laboriel Jr. jamming on the drums reminding me of Nate Rodriguez and the grooving backing band led by Peter Frampton and Don Was.  What an assemblage of musical talent!

–This month’s recommended album: Whiskey Myers – Early Morning Shakes.  The southern rock flag is one that some bands shy away from, but not these east Texas boys.  The jams on this record are their tightest, loudest and proudest.  Much like Jason Eady’s music sounds as if it has time traveled from the 1970s, so does this.

-“Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.”-Mark Twain