Fine Line Between Ripe and Rotten

I bit into a banana this morning and realized it was still a bit green. Not bad, really, but not very sweet. It wasn’t quite done ripening. It got me to thinking. When does ripening cross over to rotting?

Isn’t it interesting that the same process that does the ripening, without the harvest (or consumption), will eventually turn the fruit into mush.

I’m a firm (haha) believer that we as created beings cannot create anything, only take creation and rearrange it. Like the old joke about the scientist telling God he can create life, and then reaching for a pile of dirt to begin, God stops him and says, “Hey, make your own dirt”.

As a result, I see things like writing and melody creation as a series of puzzles with different pieces. We’ve got letters, and words, and notes and chords and ideas. We don’t create rhymes and emotional moments, we assemble them from our tool kit and inventories of old. Ideas aren’t created, they’re discovered. Melodies aren’t spun, they’re deciphered. Add the Holy Spirit and only then, true synergy happens. Something greater than the sum of the puzzle pieces.

I reminisce, fondly, of my green banana plucked from its ultimate potential, so early in life, only to become a poor-man’s brunch. I see another one ripening on the counter, and if protected from my a-peeling hands, one day it might be arbitrarily referred to as a rotten banana.

When will be at its optimum sweetness and firmness? One day it might be at the perfect state where it as sweet as it can be, and still firm enough to eat without triggering a repulsive reaction. Too early, and we’re cheated of the ultimate flavor; The design standard! Too late, and were deprived altogether.

I can’t help but assume that there’s a word picture there. Another clue to this never ending puzzle we call life.

Or... its just a banana?

Faith vs. Reason

In a recent facebook debate, Chuck Cannon asked the question, “Does God Have free will?” This sparked an ongoing debate which quickly turned to the question, “Does God exist?”, etc.

Then the question of faith vs. reason. I always think its strange that the two are sometimes presented as polar opposites.

Here is part of Chuck’s response that seem applicable to songwriting:

Chuck Cannon commented on his status:

I am a songwriter.

I have no idea what I am going to write next. I can be in the middle of a song and have no idea what the next line is going to be. I have no way of "knowing" if the lines I write are the right ones.

But I have "faith" that I can write songs. That faith has been supported by "reason" ... I have actually made money writing songs and have had people (besides friends and family) tell me my songs are good.

But the only way I will ever write another one is to have faith that I can ...

If I just sit on my ass and have "faith" nothing will happen. (Yes, I have empirical evidence!) So I spend an enormous amount of time reading ... looking for ideas. I write off movie tickets because I find so many ideas there ... I listen to people and how they say things ... what they love ... who they love ... what they believe ...

But once I'm in the middle of a song, "reason" plays a huge role ... I analyze ... I use dictionaries, a thesaurus, quotation books ... my old harmony textbooks for musical ideas ... different instruments ... different co-writers ...

poets and mathematicians ...

they are both at work in my brain ...

so faith and reason feed on each other in my world all the time ... i bet in your world too ...

and tomorrow I can get up and crank my tractor and move some gravel around on my driveway or I can stay right here in my studio and see if a song shows up ...

fate has brought me to this moment of choice ...

and my choices have brought me to this fate ...

Peace ~ Chuck"

A Hymn For Me

O self, myself
In unimpressive wonder
Consider all
Alone, thy hand hath made
You’ll feel the scars
You’ll see the waste and plunder
No pow’r throughout
Your universe displayed

Then cries my soul
Without your Saviour, see
How small thou art
How small thou art
Then cries my soul
Without your Saviour, see
How small thou art
How small thou art

An Army of Paper Saints

At lunchtime on Thursday, I was skimming on facebook when I IM’d Eva, a cowriter of mine in Houston. We recently started working on a song, and I’ve been pretty remiss in working on it. I wanted to tell her I’ve been thinking about it, which I have, but to be honest, not that much.

In the process of the conversation, I told her I had another idea for a worship song. No title, not even a hook; Only an idea.

The idea is coming together in authenticity. Real with one another in the Church. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a new idea, but I’ve been feeling led to write it.

I love working with Eva. She’s a walking, talking, emailing vessel of the Holy Spirit. We bounced a few ideas back and forth and she said she’d pray about it and write down some ideas.

At that moment I had a thought and typed two words in the box and hit send “Paper Saints”.

She replied, “tell me about that. I replied something like, ”not real saints, just 2 dimensional cut-outs of what a saint is supposed to look like“.

She started a file and just before I went back to work, I typed this into the file:

We come with needs unspoken
for fear of being exposed
And though the circle be unbroken
we unfold into an army of paper saints.

That evening, I sat at he piano and started playing around.. 5 minutes later I had a chorus. I went online and opened the file. She had copied my im onto the page and had started a verse.

I started typing.. she came online and she started praying.. then the words flowed, and by Friday morning, most of the lyric was done. I went in the studio on Saturday morning.. and by the next day we had a work tape done.

I gotta tell you, when the Holy Spirit is on board, writing the song’s just a matter of holding the pen, laying your hand on the keyboard, and most importantly, getting out of the way.

If you’d like to give it a listen, you can check it out here.

The Challenge of "WHY?"

I was driving to an early call-time last Sunday morning.. Before sunrise. Dark-thirty. I flipped on the radio.. NPR.. talk-interview show. Some guy was explaining his take on the meaning of life. Between my thoughts of “I need coffee” and “where am I?”, I started listening to the conversation. The guy was saying, “...the important question to ask and answer about anything you do is, ‘Why?’ ”

Now, unless you’ve never contemplated the meaning of life before, you know this is the pertinent question. I’ve asked it many times as I sat down to plan. The 5 year plan. The career plan. The family plan.. The house plan...

It’s important, I get it.

But in the middle of my pompous, eye-rolling-head-nod, it suddenly dawned on me that in many areas of my life I had gone a long time without revisiting that question.

Why do I work where I work? Why do I do what I do? Why do I live where I live? Why? Why? Why?

Sure, I asked these questions at critical times when I started my job, nurtured my job skills, was house-hunting, etc.

It rarely occurs to me that I need to revisit those areas (and other areas) and ask the question again.

In Michigan, there are many people who are having to ask these questions again, out of necessity. In other words, the are looking for new jobs, careers, and houses.. because they lost the ones they had.

For myself, I still have a job, a career, a house.. but are the reasons I chose them still the same as today’s reasons?

Answer: NO!

Time to re-evaluate.. in fact, its always time to re-evaluate... actually, maybe its the wrong word... The word evaluate indicates something that can be accomplished, and I’m beginning to wonder if the process is much more dynamic than I ever assumed..


Use me while you can.

Normal vs. Paranormal? Natural vs. Miraculous?

I was reading today a quote that said there is nothing paranormal except our limited knowledge of nature. That’s what the quote said..

I can relate to that statement because of an experience I had a few years ago.

You may remember an asteroid belt that ended up flying through our atmosphere a few years back. Many got up and laid outside in the early morning to watch it go through the atmosphere.

I was driving about 5 miles south of my house, in broad daylight, when something caught my eye to the left. I turned my head in time to see a fireball in the sky. Thing is, it appeared to be the size of the Sun (my perspective).

But this was not normal.. it was paranormal. Here’s why. It was high in the atmosphere, so it was quite large, but it was moving across the sky as if it were a jet 200 feet above the ground.

It lasted 2 seconds at most.. took 2 seconds to fly from the horizon on my left to the horizon on my right. So fast, in fact, that by the time everyone in the car looked it was gone.

My idea of normal was shattered. It laid in pieces on the floor of that minivan.

Seriously, Up to this time, the nearest I’d come to Paranormal was Teflon®. (I mean, how is that surface dry yet feel wet? It has to dry out eventually, right? Just sayin’...)

As a Christian I’ve heard (and talked) about miraculous things all my life. Friends who are healed from a non-operable cancer. People who testify of an Angel’s presence who led them through a mind-field. Miraculous circumstances that freed people from prison.

All those things. You know, when we feel God’s presence. We ‘see’ Him working in people’s lives.

But Paranormal? Physical aberrations that seem impossible? Something you can touch? Aren’t these things paranormal? Why don’t these miraculous things of the faith amaze me.. humble me.. bring me to my knees?

Have I become numb to the supernatural, because its not paranormal? I’ve realized that I’m pretty much still a skeptic to these things. I’m a Thomas. A doubter. Do people really see these things? Are they using them as a way to make their story more significant or impacting? Were those people really healed or just misdiagnosed to begin with.

Even as I write this I have a fear coursing through my arm that people are going to be disappointed in me for expressing these feelings... that I’m somehow not holding up my end of the story. I’m not trusting in what people tell me, or that I’m denying the working, maybe even the existence of God.

I don’t. I know what I know. I feel what I feel. I’m a witness to his miraculous hand in my life and others... but unless I remind myself that those things I know, feel, and witness are not natural, ordinary things, I begin to classify them as normal, and they become something I take for granted, or worse something I don’t even recognize as the hand of God working in my life and the life of others.

Then I see a fireball the size of a football field rocket 1,000 miles in 2 seconds and realize how small I am in this unbelievable, ordered creation and I realize that there is nothing miraculous except my limited knowledge of God’s omnipotent hand at the wheel of His creation. My limited recognition of His incomprehensible love for us and His desire to have us be an integral part of its fruition.

Performance Royalties for Performers on Radio

The proposed measure in the Senate calls for a performance royalty to be paid to the artists for airplay.

Whether you know it or not, artists are currently not compensated for terrestrial radio airplay of their music. Writers and publishers are compensated, but the owners of the recordings are not.

To my knowledge, the royalty is 1/2 cent per play, to be added to the current royalty to then be distributed to the artists.

The NAB response is that local radio stations can not afford such an increase, and would have to suspend local news coverage, weather and all kinds of other services just to pay these (inferred greedy) artists for the use of their music. They even created the phrase PERFORMANCE TAX to gather public opinion against it.

Well, lets do some math.
If a radio station plays 15 songs an hour (I challenge you to find one that plays that many), 168 hours a week, 4.3 weeks a month.. or 10,836 songs a month.

10,836 songs a month! That’s a lot of songs.. That sounds like a lot of money, right?

At 1/2 cent each... the bill comes to $54.18 a month.



If an artist’s music helps to generate an audience... which sells advertising... which pays the bills, don’t you think that artist should get a penny every couple times his song gets played?

If there’s a better and cheaper way for a station to generate listeners, I say they should go for it. Music sounds like a bargain, to me.

Seriously. How much bad news do we have to give up for 55 bucks a month?

Took It For Granted

I’ve been waking up multiple times during the night. (and its not because I drank too much water before bed)

I’ve been waking up with lines and couplets. Ideas and rhymes. A few nights ago I woke up and thought, that’s a great idea. I’ll remember that. I didn’t even need to get up and write it down, it was that good. Good thing, because I was at a hotel and I didn’t have my notepad next to me..

I forgot the idea by the time I woke up again.

Try as I might, I’m still lamenting the loss of that idea. Moleskin is back in place. Recorder is at the ready. Its been awhile since the thoughts bubbled. Now they boil at times.

I’m thankful they’re back and I will try to be prepared. Hit me, Lord. Hit me!

Detroit to St. Charles to Nashville to Detroit

I’m sitting in the passenger seat on our drive back from Nashville. I’ve got so much to write down, so this will be a long entry.

The last week and a half have been great. I left early on Thursday morning and drove to St. Charles, MO for the Write About Jesus conference. Like going back to a small country church. (only with great music) Ran in to many old friends and some new ones from last year. Had some great classes, a cowrite attempt, and a great one on one with Dave Clark.

This summer has been pretty dry for my writing. When my nephew was murdered in the the spring, my writing took a pretty dark turn. When I got out to Vegas for the memorial service, they had just captured a suspect that is almost certain to be the murderer. The grief and the anger that surrounds the next 3 days put me in a strange place. I had a lot of things show up on the page, but nothing seemed to make sense.

Out of this, however, I wrote a song called “That’s Why They Call It Amazing”. I decided to submit it for the Conference competition. I was fortunate to place as the runner-up for the weekend.

On Sunday I drove in to Nashville and checked into the Hit Song Casa near the airport (Great deal, by the way, Songwriters) only to realize my cowrite that evening was in Clarksville (which I went through 40 miles earlier.. ughh) Drove out, though, and met David Walker, and over take out Chinese, we wrote for the evening. Good to see David again.

Monday morning I met up with Gene Reynolds. We’d talked online, but had never met. Turns out he’s a church planter and a Moody Graduate. We met for coffee and drove to his place and started a song. Had lunch and I drove in for a meeting at ASCAP. That evening, I had gotten tickets for he Amy Grant / Take 6 taping for the Armed Services Christmas show at the Grand Ol’ Opry. Great show featuring the Army Reserve Orchestra, the Air Force Strings. It will air on the Armed Forces Network, starting on Christmas Eve.


After the taping I drove over to the Mercy Lounge on Cannery Row just in time to see Tyler James kick off a multi-date tour through the south. He’s previewing his new CD online here if you’d like to give it a listen. Great stuff. It was good to talk with Tyler about the CD and catch up.



Tuesday morning I drove out and met Chuck Butler at his studio in Franklin. I had an idea for a song and Chuck and I spent the morning nailing down the melody and form. Chuck suggested I accompany him to a vocal recording session that afternoon, but I had had a lunch meeting scheduled with a writer who was a mutual friend of some of my co-writers. Within a few minutes, though, I received a call to let me know that the writer had called in sick with the flu. So we Chuck and I grabbed lunch and headed over to the Brentwood Benson studios to meet Michael Fordinal and cut a vocal for a song that he and Chuck had written. Good tune guys... and yes, Chuck has a mohawk.

Tuesday night, on the way to meet Dennis Dearing at his studio in Franklin, I ran through a inordinately short yellow light and got pulled over by on of Franklin’s finest. The most repentant spirt and largest puppy-dog eyes proved fruitless and I will be helping to reduce the Franklin City budget deficit in the near future.

Anyhow, I made it to Dennis Dearing’s place to see what all the hubbub was about. What a great guy, and a nice studio. Really good stuff, from a guy who’s spirit is one of the most giving I have experienced. I hope we get a chance to work together soon. You can check out his studio here.

Wednesday morning, I met again with Gene Reynolds and we resumed our work on a great song.. discovering a great aha moment that neither of us saw coming. Skip Adams from Global Graffiti, who introduced us, listened the worktape and it looks like this one will get signed.

Wednesday night I drove up North of Nashville to Craig Winquist’s home. Adam Olson, who used to work with Giant Slayers Publishing had introduced us a few year ago, but we’d never gotten together. Kari, his wife took time from caring for her newborn son and 3 year old son, Caden and cooked us up a great homemade Chicken noodle Soup (yum) and a Walnut-Topped Apple Crisp. Kudos to the Winquist family for giving me my first home-cooked meal in Nashville. I’m going to write with Craig again!) After dinner, we went out to Craig’s writing room and we started a deep one. I love Craig’s spirit and his heart for God and great country music. I need to get back soon and finish that one. By the way, he showed me his cherry 1964 Galaxie that he trailered down from South Dakota. Sweet.

Thursday morning never got booked so I got up and planned to write on my own. The writer who had cancelled on Tuesday, however, called and asked if I wanted to get lunch. I drove into meet him where he’s currently working on Music Row and picked him up. We went to have lunch and in our conversation I said something that sparked an idea between us. We went back to his publisher’s writing room and wrote a great song. When we were done, he called upstairs and said, “ I think we wrote one that doesn’t suck”. His publisher came down and we played it for him. He had us make a change and then called and had his plugger come down and listen. He asked us to do a guitar demo and he’s going to start playing it around town! At some later I’ll tell you who the writer is and where he’s writing. That is a whole story in itself.

Thursday night I drove out to Whit and Al Hill’s place and had my second home-cooked meal of the trip. Whit and I started a song based on an idea I stole from something Gene said to a friend when he was on the phone. (Thanks Gene.. ha ha!)

When we were done (around 10) and I drove in to the airport and picked up Cyndi. It was so good to see her again.

On Friday morning we slept in and drove into downtown Nashville for lunch. Jack’s Barbeque is a tradition for us (AWESOME and cheap!) We checked into our hotel (thanks TOUR CONNECTION) and then drove out to the salon where Cyndi had a hair appointment. She looked great. Now I have an excuse for us to come once a month!


The 2nd Round of songwriters in the round at the Commodore. Left is Patty and Rick Stewart, Joel Shoemake, and Craig Winquist (It’s Halloween, in case you’re wondering.)

Friday night I drove out to see Craig Winquist play a round at the Commodore on West End. Craig’s a great performer. Craig also let me in on the history of the publisher who owns the office where I’d written on Thursday. He looked at me and said, “You’ve Had a Good Week!” I concurred. It’d been a great week. One of providence. I could feel God at work.

Saturday morning, Cyndi and I spent the morning at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wow! I wasn’t expecting to be so moved. I’d put if off for a couple of trips, but it was pretty overwhelming. Gary Harrison (Strawberry Wine, and I Hate Everything, and hundreds more) did a small concert and Q&A) Afterwards, we drove out to Lebanon to meet Skip Adams an his wife Teri a their horse ranch. They had literally moved in on Wednesday afternoon. I played some stuff for Skip and we talked business for awhile.

Finally we drove down to Cornersville to see some old friends. They have a hundred acres on a ‘holler’ on a running stream. I got lost in the country as my cel phone reception sketched in and out of service. Finally, I was able to find the place (without Cyndi killing me for being so stubborn about directions) and spent the rest of the night around a campfire with our friends from Huntsville. We drove back to Nashville and slept in before leaving around 10 for Detroit.

So here I am. I’m looking forward to getting back in the grind, and seeing what God will do with the fruits of the trip. They are His. I saw Him work so many times during the visit. He is good. He is so good! I am excited to see what He has in store.

WANTED. Up-tempo Radio-Ready Drivel.

I was reading a posting over at Ninety Mile Wind on the current state of the country music market that prompted the following response:

The current parade of country drivel on terrestrial radio is perceived to be what the customer wants, and in some respects, it IS what the customer wants, or at least what they are willing to settle-for to get where they want to be. They play it, and people listen. (or at least advertisers think so)

Artists and writers can't stand most of it, of course, but the market exists, and it comes with formulaic risk that is easily exploited by the accountants and execs.

Pop culture will always exist, and it will rarely be pretty, and will almost always be laughable and/or forgotten in hindsight, but as long as people will put up with them, 30 second hits are not going away.

There will always be someone willing to whip up what the customer will consume.

I'm reminded of a quote from Henry Ford. When asked about giving the customers what they want, he replied, "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said 'Faster Horses'.

People and labels may think they want more drivel (uptempo horses), but what people really want is a way to extract themselves from reality and for that, the current drivel and vacuum-packed productions deliver! Even we, as artists, have to admit we’re distracted from reality as we contemplate how such a mindless song ever made it to the airwaves.

Unless presented with a different destination and a compelling vehicle to get them there, the consumer will continue to shovel all the hay and manure the label’s hit-farms have to offer.

Songwriters. You were made for a higher purpose.

©2009 Tim Wheeler

Look out NAB members. There is something called the Public Trust.

A reader sent me the link, below. MusicFIRST is asking for some accountability for alleged inappropriate actions by some broadcasters.

Earlier this year, the NAB spent a lot of resources trying to create a public swell against the performance act by renaming the royalties (that were to be paid to artists) as TAXES. I recall seeing articles saying that the public was overwhelmingly against a peformance Tax on broadcasters. Heck, when I heard about it, I was against it too. No new taxes, right. Then I heard they were black-balling U2 for supporting the bill. That is, some stations were purposely not playing their new single as a sorta gotcha for promoting the Performance act.

Thats when I stopped drinking the cool-aide that was being spoon fed to me by the radio stations. A little more research, and I was pretty angry. Not just because of their opposition to the Performance Act, but that they had deliberately retitled it in such a way as to deceptively create a public swell against it. I was even more miffed that they had initially duped me, too.

Give this link a look-see and then come back and comment. What do you think? Do broadcasters have a responsibility to recuse themselves from promoting their own interests at the expense of artists? Do they have the right to distort the issues in order to bolster their bottom-line?

MusicFIRST asks FCC to Rule on Broadcasters using Airtime to Lobby Listeners

Another interesting link on the hearings:

Senators Hear Plea For Radio Performance Royalties

More on the Performance Rights Act

A friend of mine sent me a link to another perspective on Artists vs. Broadcaster debate over the Performance Rights Act.

Cathy Hughes Attacks John Conyers for His Support of Performance Rights Act



Another valuable perspective. Check out who else she’s attacking.

It occurs to me that it is an outright battle just to find the other side of this story. The general public only hears about the PERFORMANCE “TAX” fight, which in itself is a blatant misrepresentation. (The Government will not be involved in the payment system for the peformer’s royalties... no tax collected) The reason is that the media outlets that can spread the news are biased on the issue.

The only reason I even questioned the first news I heard on this was because of a funny feeling in my gut. I had to do some serious digging to get another perspective.

Always Follow the money.

Performance Rights Act moves to the Senate. Clear Channel Tries To Squelch The Facts.

Quoted from Radio News:

MusicFIRST Releases Ad Clear Channel Doesn't Want You To Hear


The musicFIRST coalition today released the ad Clear Channel and other radio groups and stations across the country do not want you to hear. The 30-second script features Motown legend Duke Fakir of the Four Tops. After reviewing the script for more than six weeks, Clear Channel told musicFIRST NO! 



"Clear Channel's decision is further evidence of how corporate radio groups and stations are violating their public interest obligations," said Jennifer Bendall, executive director of the musicFIRST Coalition. "They are not the first to say NO. It just took them a little longer to reject our ad."



In June, musicFIRST asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to investigate corporate radio for violating its public interest obligations. Radio stations across the country refuse to air musicFIRST ads, threaten artists who support the effort to create a fair performance right on radio and continue to run misleading ads produced by the National Association of Broadcasters - all in an effort to further their own private commercial interests. 

"At the time of the filing we did not have an answer from Clear Channel. Now we do," Bendall said.


This week, Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Rick Boucher, chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, weighed in, asked the commission to investigate allegations of broadcaster misconduct.

"AM and FM music radio stations are using their broadcast license to protect a loophole in copyright law that lets them earn billions in ad revenue every year with compensating the artists and musicians who bring music to life and listeners' ears to the radio dial," Bendall said. "

All other radio platforms in the U.S. - including satellite, internet and cable radio - pay a fair performance royalty as do radio stations in almost every other country in the world. Radio gets a free ride in Iran, North Korea, China, Rwanda and the U.S. But this is going to change."

The Performance Rights Act has been approved by a lopsided 21-9 bipartisan vote by the House Judiciary Committee.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing on the bill for Tuesday, August 4th. The bill creates a performance right on radio that is fair to artists and musicians, fair to other radio platforms and fair to radio.



Here is the script for the ad Clear Channel and corporate radio don't want you to hear:



DUKE FAKIR: Broadcasters earn billions every year playing The Four Tops and other artists.



ANNOUNCER: Duke Fakir helped define the Motown sound with The Four Tops.



DUKE FAKIR: But artists don't make a penny when our music is played on radio.



ANNOUNCER: Duke's right, thanks to a legal loophole AM and FM radio gets a free ride while satellite and internet radio pay artists and musicians to play their music. A bill before Congress, the Performance Rights Act, will correct this injustice



DUKE FAKIR: All we ask is fair pay for airplay.



ANNOUNCER: Tell Congress to support the Performance Rights Act. Paid for by the Music First Coalition.

Are We Just Too Paranoid?

Are we just too paranoid about our kids. This is an enlightening piece... brave enough to look facts in the face.

The King Is Dead.

Michael Jackson was an Icon with a capital ‘i’. He took his work seriously and never produced a sub-par piece of work. Whether you like his style, or not, you cannot deny his consistent level of excellence. I remember waiting to watch a new video or listen to a new song when he would be working. My expectation was that it was always top shelf. I don’t remember being disappointed.

His personal life, of course, was a freak-show. There was a sweet innocence about his demeanor. Personally, I prefer not to think he was perverted, that he was trying to go back to another time when everyone wasn’t suspect. I may be wrong, but I prefer not to have to rectify that type of perversion with the art and message that his art portrayed. Some know the truth, but in this day and age you don’t know who’s telling the truth.

It was obvious he was trying to fill a bottomless hole. His plastic surgery, skin color, Neverland. Deep down, I think he was longing for acceptance. Perhaps, from his father. Perhaps from his fans. Perhaps from the press. Perhaps from himself.

Surely he got glimpses of it when each of his projects were released... Thriller had no critics... but I sense it was never enough.

I cranked up BLACK OR WHITE last night. I love that song.. mostly I love the performance. There is so much energy in that performance and so many other MJ creations.

I never idolized Michael Jackson, but I bought his stuff. It was always worth the money. I did my part to contribute to his acceptance, but I’m only human, and in the end, its not our acceptance by other humans that counts.

“If you’re wantin’ to be my brother it don’t matter if you’re black or white.”

Performance "TAX" on Radio? YES!

There’s a fire storm raging about the new performance “tax” that is being presented to Congress.

Now, I’m the first to bristle at new taxes, but I got a bad feeling in my stomach when it was the radio stations and NAB pushing to stop it in its tracks. Keep in mind that it was the broadcasters who formed BMI to limit performance royalties paid out to composers and songwriters... (competing with ASCAP) I kept hearing things like greedy record labels.. so I looked into it.

Seems that performers are not paid performance royalties in the US. Writers and publishers are, and have been since 1909 or some such year.. but for 80 years, performers are not paid.

NAB is arguing that it will cause less music to be played on the radio. Like there’s a lot now? Demand will dictate how much music is played on the radio, and having to pay another 1/2 royalty to the performer is not going to eliminate profit for the broadcasters.

Furthermore, as most are unaware, there are millions collected world wide for US artists on foreign stations, but because the US does not pay, those royalties are not distributed to US artists. That would open those funds up for artists as well.

Get on your horn. Let your congressman know that we want artists to be paid, just like publishers and writers are paid.

Remember, the Big labels.. well when their gone, its just us small labels and musicians left.. and how are we going to change the laws.

So, unless you’re not for artist getting paid for performing their works, you should be FOR this bill, not against it.

TIm

Bradley Russell Flamm 1982 - 2009

When I first met Brad, he was 2 years old. Brad had a mind of his own. He was a handful. He was a joke-ster flashing a mischievous grin whenever you caught him in a prank or in the process of planning one.

If you know Brad, you know the look.

I figured he’d would grow out of it. At times, I prayed he’d grow out of it... but, he never did. Whenever I would see his face, it was not long before it held that look. That grin.

I have to admit that there were times I wasn’t in the mood for that grin.

But now... Now, I crave it.

That infectious smile that required you to move from one emotion to another.

It took me a while to realize it, but Brad longed to do that in life. He lived to move others from one emotion, whatever it might be, to an emotion that required a smile.

Sure, he would be serious sometimes. Sad. Mad. Frustrated. But he would always lace his mood, his situation, his decisions with that classic 2-year old mischievous grin.

On his myspace page, there’s a section where he could write a little description of himself.

This is what he wrote:

I am a very open-minded individual. Extreme optimist, always looking at the brighter side of things, even when it's hard for others to see...Things always happen to me...good, bad, it's all the same to me...Always trying to smile...I like to smile, almost as much as I enjoy feeling others smile. And I smile even more if I played a part. I love life--I look at it as a grand adventure. There's a secret to it, you have to learn to ride the waves...Human bodies naturally float, right? Since I was born I have grown strong, straightforward, intellectual, philosophical, AWARE, fearless but respectful, proud but humble, adventurous, spontaneous, empathic, romantic...A thinker as well as a doer. I don't bullshit--the things I believe in are Peace, Love, HOPE, Loyalty, Selflessness, JOY, Destiny, Respect, Honesty---I never lie...unless it's the right time....Timing is everything...Timing is perfect-----So over the years I've learned Patience as well. I am good and bad--I am everything, yet I am nothing...I am as wild, ferocious and destructive as the most savage of beasts, but as calm and gentle as a Sunday breeze....or the serenity of the sea....I am nothing more than a gift to Earth--a caretaker, cultivator and motivator.

                                                        - Brad Flamm

There will always be a special place in my heart for Bradley. There will always be a hole in the fabric of our family when we gather in the future. A critical element missing in the chemical mix. You are truly missed, Brad.                                                 

The American Heart

Living in Detroit is quite a challenge right now. Many factories have closed, houses have lost half their value, and we haven’t hit bottom yet.

Through it all, however, we have a hope that is part of our culture. I wrote The American Heart to remind those who have fallen on hard times that we live in an amazing country. A place where, even in the toughest times, we have opportunities, hope, and a spirit that will carry us through.

Click Here to hear THE AMERCAN HEART

I dedicate this song to those who face these challenges, and to the memory of those who walked this path before us and made our futures brighter by their efforts to make this country a land of opportunity for those that follow after them.

Enjoy.

A Little Parable About Breaking Rules

I got a ticket once while living in Texas. I needed to make a U-Turn. I pulled into the left turn lane, and looked up to see a No U-TURN sign. I turned anyways.

When the officer asked me, “Did you see the no U-turn sign back there?“, I played dumb. I answered, “no officer” with my best puppy-dog-eyes, and with the utmost respect. He wrote me a ticket, anyways.

You may be interested to hear what the ticket was for. Making an illegal U-Turn? No. He wrote me a ticket for ignoring a traffic signal.

Several years later, I was pulled over for not stopping completely at a stop sign. When the officer pulled me over, he asked me, “Did you see that Stop Sign back there?” I said, “Yes sir, I know there’s a stop sign back there, I see it every night... did I not stop?”. He let me off with a warning.

You see, I had learned a valuable lesson. It seems that, in Texas, it’s sometimes OK to break the rules, but its never OK to not know what the rules are. Ignorance is not an excuse, and stupidity carries a stiff fine.