Music News

New to the Area

Guitarist, singer/songwriter Darryl Purpose has moved to the DC area and joined WAMA. His accomplishments include the following: Finalist - National Academy of Music’s Artist of the Year 1996; Winner - Napa Valley Music Festival Showcase (CA) 1996; First Place - Sisters Folk Festival Songwriter Contest (OR) 1997; First Place, Ballad, National Songwriter Competition (FL) 1998; First Place - Rose Garden Coffeehouse Songwriter Competition (MA) 1998. “Traveler’s Code,” released in 1999, is Darryl’s newest CD. Contact infomation: 301-270-4864, dp@songs.com.

Opera Grant

Laura Mann, George Mason University Opera Director and Professor of Voice, was just awarded a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts to tour with a unique recital called “In a Woman’s Voice — Music For The New Millennium” in 2000 - 2001. The program features songs and arias soley by women composers from 17th-, 18th-, 19th-century Europe, and new songs/arias by outstanding American women composers of today. Website: http://mason.gmu.edu/~lmann1/index.html

Maggie’s View

Maggie’s Music has moved their offices and now can gaze out at the Chesapeake Bay while pondering the state of the music industry. New address and phones: Maggie’s Music, 4929 Hine Drive (UPS address), PO Box 490, Shady Side, MD 20764, 410-867-0624, fax 410-867-0265/

Stork Stuck Over DC

New babies abound! Marco Delmar (Recording Arts) and his wife Liz welcomed their new son, Mathieu Richard Delmar on May 25. Mathieu weighed in at 8 lbs, 8 oz and 20 1/2" long, Julia Alstatt and her husband Lynn Kasdorf welcomed their son, Ranger Earl Kasdorf, on June 19. The new little Kasdorf wasn’t so little, weighing in at 10 lbs 1 oz and 21" long. Mack Fowler and his wife, Rebecca, said hello to their new daughter, Dana Jeffery Fowler, 8 lbs and 20", on July 7.

Local 60s Legends

The original D.C.-area family band, Claude Jones, featuring Joe Triplett of the Rosslyn Mountain Boys, is scheduled to re-unite for a one -time only re-union party at The State Theater in Falls Church on Sunday, October 15. Also on the bill will be other alumnus of the 60s Georgetown club scene. Organizer/producer Stevie Sparks (guitarist Steve Hubert - of ‘Stillroven’) is calling folks together for the event to celebrate his and his bandmates’ 50th birthdays. Profits will benefit local causes including WAMA. For updates or to get on the mailing list email: leisurescience@earthlink.net, or call 888-828-2131.

Folk and Traditional Arts Music
Apprenticeship Program

The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts announces the Folk and Traditional Arts Music Apprenticeship Program for 2000. The program, entitled Folk 2000, will match master musical artists in the fields of Go-Go, Ethiopian, Blues, and Gospel music with emerging artists. This will be a ten-week program that will culminate with a concert featuring program participants. The program is scheduled to begin in January and run through March. Deadline to apply is November 1, 2000. For more information, please call (202) 724-5613.

Final Curtain

Local Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Gerald Holeman of the legendary Orioles, passed on Monday, July 24 at Providence Hospital. The Orioles were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979. Mr. Holeman joined The Orioles in 1954 along with fellow members of the singing group, The Regals, of which the last survivor is Albert “Diz” Russell.

Wammies Debate

By Edward Petersen,
Owner Omega Studios, WAMA Board VP

I have become increasingly concerned over the Wammies’ process. As I understand it, WAMA’s primary mission it to raise the profile of Washington Area music, to show the world that DC has a large, diverse and active community of talented musicians, and to recognize the ability and accomplishment of individuals within that group. These awards are WAMA’s most visible vehicle to accomplish that mission. Unfortunately though, it continues to heap most of its awards on a small elite group, ignoring the majority of Washington musicians, many of whom deserve to be recognized.

This is contrary to the mission of the organization. By doing this, WAMA’s unfortunate message to the public is that Washington has only a handful of musicians worthy of recognition, and that these few are so superior in every style and genre to the rest that none of the others need even be mentioned. Far too many of WAMA’s members feel alienated from the process, believing that they will never benefit or enjoy recognition because they are not part of the “in crowd.” In fact, this is the principal criticism of the organization by Washington musicians, and has been for quite some time.

The root of the problem lies in the nomination process, where the best (and the best known) musicians and bands are allowed to be nominated in multiple categories and musical genres. Because they are well known, they win in almost every category where they are nominated. Often the distinction between categories is vague, and it is difficult to fairly exclude entries. The effect is to unfairly preclude any but the most accomplished musicians from receiving any recognition at all.

I do believe that being nominated in more than one category is sometimes legitimate and occasionally should be allowed. For instance, when Charlie Byrd played jazz guitar he was outstanding, and displayed a unique combination of musical skills and artistic taste. When he moved to classical guitar and played, say, a Bach Invention, he exhibited a completely different set of skills and artistry. Who could deny him recognition in both areas?

On the other hand, take a musician like Bill Kirchen. Bill is a tremendous talent and a superbly accomplished entertainer who can make popular music come alive in a number of styles. His style and personality appeal to a very wide variety of listeners, and as a result he is very well known and popular among musicians and audiences alike. But when he moves, say, from “roots rock” to a “country” venue, he is essentially using the same musical skills—strumming the same chords, creating a similar groove—just playing a different song to a different audience. The same is true when he moves to blues, or one of the many other popular styles which he does so well, but use the same musical skills and artistry.

Bill is a fine musician and a class act, and he deserves to be recognized. But should he receive multiple awards for the same skills? I believe that doing so degrades the value of the Wammie Award.

Similarly, should a musician who performs for children in a contemporary folk style, and later performs for adults using the very same musical technique, be awarded two Wammies because he changed audiences and sang different songs. Or should a Celtic band be forced to compete for votes with the most popular traditional folk act, who may also occasionally play an Irish club? Or the pop performers whose style appeals to so many audiences that it is difficult to exactly define their category: should they receive Wammies in pop, rock, folk, adult contemporary and untold other categories for the very same performances and songs?

Several years ago, the board passed rules which partially addressed this issue, by limiting an artist’s nominations to a single sub-category of rock, folk and jazz. That was a step in the right direction, but the nominating committee’s strict adherence to the letter of the rule has largely defeated its intention. Semantics aside, there still remains an astounding similarity of skills and style among roots rock, country, bluegrass and blues; rap, hip hop, urban and go go; children’s music and contemporary folk; contemporary folk, pop, light rock, and adult contemporary; traditional folk and Celtic. The critics are correct in their complaint: the same few musicians win too many of the awards, and the outsiders have little or no chance of recognition.

I believe that the great variety of categories for Wammie awards should offer the organization the chance to recognize a wider number of Washington musicians, and it should take more positive steps to do so. Over the past eight years I have made a number of suggestions to the board of directors to help solve this dilemma, and I am sure that others may also have positive ideas.

I believe that the primary goal for improvement should be to honor a greater number of artists and musicians for their abilities and accomplishments, rather than concentrating a great number of awards on a few artists. Unless there is a striking contrast in the skill and artistic training required for different musical styles, limit to an artist, band, or entity’s awards to a single musical category. Of course, the artists who garner the greatest number of votes should be recognized, but where a single artist is nominated or receives a great number of votes in several genres, he should receive awards only in the genre where he is most active, or which comes closest to describing his principal style.

If the committee cannot decide where he fits best, perhaps it should consult with the artist himself. Ask him: “You’ve gotten the most votes for best singer in twelve categories, but our rules allow you to receive the Wammie in only one. Where do you think you belong?”

As a consolation, we might consider re-defining certain awards, say “artist of the year” or “record of the year” to the artist or record which receives the most votes across all categories. Washington has a talented and diverse community of dedicated musicians. We should try harder to recognize more of them.

Another Point

By Jay Rosenthal, Esq,
Berliner Corcoran & Rowe, WAMA VP

I very much agree with Ed’s concern about spreading the awards around. Of course, the devil is in the details. The criteria suggested by Ed are, to a certain extent, subjective. I doubt we can agree on any special rules before the first ballet goes out. However, I have no real problem with having the Board take a more forceful hand in working out the nomination lists at the nomination meeting, keeping in mind the goal of allowing more opportunity for different musicians to win. One has to keep in mind, though, that this makes it tougher to get through all the work, and everyone should be committed to seeing this process through. That means getting the full board to the nomination meeting, along with as many experts as possible. In my mind, the key is to get the experts there, and that should be our primary goal.

With that said, I want to take issue with the concept that our “public relations” problem is totally with the nomination process. While I think spreading the awards around would be helpful and is the right thing to do, it is simply wrong to characterize those members who consistently vote, and consistently lobby for votes, as somehow being the “insiders.” They are taking part in the process. It is those who do not take part who are the problem, and sometimes they are the loudest dissenters. This sentiment promotes the idea that somehow the Board or certain “powerful” members control and possibly “rig” the voting process. Certainly, anyone with knowledge of how this works cannot believe that. This process is totally democratic. While the Board makes corrections at the end of the day, it starts with the results of open voting of all members of WAMA. Sometimes it is quite easy for certain members who do not win to look with suspicion at the Kennedys, Bill Kirchen and Chuck Brown. But in reality, everyone knows that they do not exert any pressure on the Board. The idea is patently ridiculous. The real problem is that not everyone votes, and that is not because of the nomination process. It is because they do not understand that one might have to lobby for votes. We all know certain bands and individuals get votes because they work hard at it (some would call it stuffing the ballot box). Our problem is getting people to vote, and I do not think that, by and by, the lack of voting is because of dissatisfaction over Bill Kirchen and The Kennedys. Perhaps we should think about new ways to vote, for example, over the Internet.

I also think it is important in the development of musicians to understand that this type of self-promotion is vitally important to the overall long term success of the artist. We should not be afraid to push the membership to lobby for votes. This is a business. Look at Variety magazine about a month before the Oscar nominations. Every page is a paid advertisement from an actor or a producer or director pushing for consideration from the Academy membership. Maybe we should push the members to start lobbying over the Internet or to buy space in the Newsletter. This is the type of involvement that will make the process much more accepted by the membership at large.

Wammies Comments from the Net

I'm very happy for the Kennedys - they are great, I really like them, and Evolver sounds like a cool new thing. Having said this, WAMA gave out (by my count) a total of 109 awards this year. And this is just for acts in the DC area, mind you, not nationally, not really even regionally, just an extended metro market.

When Pete & Maura Kennedy released River of Fallen Stars in 1995, they won six or seven Wammies in as many categories. (Pete had already collected a dozen Wammies solo over the previous decade.) When they released Life Is Large in 1996, they won another six or seven Wammies for that. In 1998, when they didn't even have a new album out, I think they still won two or three Wammies. Now for the 1999 awards, they are "big winners" indeed: their total Wammie count, individual and as a group, is up to 42.

Are the Wammies trapped in award inflation or what? It seems to me that if you have lived and performed professionally in the DC area for more than 5 years, and you don't have at least ONE Wammie to show for it, you should probably quit the business! And that if you live there and actually sell some records, like Mary-Chapin Carpenter or the Kennedys, you'd better rent mini-storage for your award plaques.

Tom Neff tneff@grassyhill.org Cleveland, Ohio

...

We're really not sure what Tom's complaint is - is WAMA giving out too many awards, or just too many to us, or Chapin, or other imperialist Wammie-hogging devils? To set the record straight, WAMA doesn't have a "man behind the curtain" who gives out the awards to his best buds. The members of WAMA decide who takes home the honors through a normal award show process of nomination and voting.

Some of the biggest winners of recent years (Ruthie and the Wranglers, Bill Kirchen, Al Petteway, Eric Brace) are folks who came into the spotlight after years of hard work and no awards, and now they win regularly because they got recognized, and they continue to work hard--"working hard" in music means not having a "day job,” and putting in 16-hour days, 7 days a week, handling the traveling and office parts of this insecure and somewhat grueling career--few people are willing to make the sacrifices that go along with being a musician, and the ones that do deserve to win a Wammie award, if the members vote for them.

By the way, Tom, despite his impressive knowledge of wammie statistics, failed to mention the 1997 awards, where we didn't take home a single Wammie. We were proud, that year, to sit in the audience and applaud the friends and colleagues we had voted for.

Oh well, there are always people who complain when something really positive happens in the music scene. Why? Dunno--it would take a couple of advanced Psychology degrees to figure that one out. Anyway, in the spirit of fun and support that typify the Wammies, we'll present Tom with a new, ad hoc award--most curmudgeonly congratulator!

As always, Peace,
Pete & Maura/The Kennedys.

From ‘The People’s Page’ in Music Monthly
I Love WAMA

“Oh, no. Not again.” I thought as I read the comment Mary Griffin made about the Thackery piece the month before where she commented on the WAMMIES. Secret handshake club? I’ve overheard and read this theory before. It sounds like she might be one of the bands who are jaded and feel they should have won but didn’t. My band has just won for best hard rock group the second year in a row and we have nothing to do with them...whatsoever. No handshakes or money! Not even a WAMA membership. We don’t even know who nominated us or decides. Whatever recognition we gained, we gained on our own simply as a local band like so many others. Try it yourself, Mary. A handshake? I would, however, like to thank WAMA for their support and recognition, and I will start by defending them here.

Adam West

Workshops, Conferences,
Showcases, Grants, Awards

Ready, Set, Business:
Starting a For-Profit Business

Tuesday, September 5, Tuesday, December 5 - 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.
WALA, 815 Fifteenth Street, NW, Suite 900
WALA/WAMA Members $40, Non-Members $50, Additional persons from same organization $25 (A $10 surcharge applies to payments not received at least one day prior to the workshop date.)

Sponsored by the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA) and WAMA, this workshop provides valuable information about starting a for-profit business. Issues to be covered include choosing a business structure, name, and jurisdiction; preparing a business plan; contracts; insurance; licenses and permits; financing; taxes; and payroll. Speakers: Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq., Fettmann, Tolchin & Majors; Elena M. Paul, Esq., WALA Executive Director. Questions? Call Maureen Cohen Harrington, WALA Director of Education, at 202-393-2826 ext. 28, mharrington@thewala.org

Copyright Basics

Tuesday, October 3, Tuesday, November 28 - 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Place: TBA
WALA/WAMA Attorney Members $45, WALA/WAMA Student and Artist Members $25, Non-Members — $55 (A $10 surcharge applies to payments not received at least one day prior to the workshop date.)

Sponsored by the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA) and WAMA, this workshop is appropriate for artists and arts organizations in all fields, as well as for attorneys who have not taken copyright or who seek a basic refresher course. Topics include the general standards for copyright protection; non-copyrightable subject matter; works of authorship (categories; exclusive rights); moral rights; publication, notice, and other formalities; the advantages of registration; ownership (initial ownership; transfers; works-for-hire); infringement and remedies; fair use; compulsory licenses; and protection duration. Speaker: Carl H. Settlemyer, Esq., Lutzker & Lutzker Presented by Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts and WAMA

CLE: WALA is accredited to offer Pennsylvania and Virginia Continuing Legal Education Courses. This program is worth 2.5 credits. Credit for other jurisdictions may be available on request. Questions? Call Maureen Cohen Harrington, WALA Director of Education, at 202-393-2826 ext. 28, mharrington@thewala.org

A Weekend for Experienced Singers

With Elise Witt Sept. 23-24, 2000 (music reading not required) Cost: $75 before Sept. 8 / $ 105 after Sept. 8 (includes lodging & vegetarian meals).

Each of the four sessions (Sat. 10 am - 1 pm / 3-6 pm & Sun. 10 am - 12 pm / 1-4 pm) will begin with breathing and relaxation. Participants will explore the physical apparatus that is the singing instrument and discover the most natural and efficient way to use it. Physical and vocal warmups follow as you begin to combine your voices into a group sound. Each session will culminate with songs from Elise’s collection, including quirky rounds, African part songs, harmonious ballads, and more. You will also stretch your ears and imaginations with creative improvisations. In the evening, there will be time for impromptu singing of favorite songs from Motown to musicals, from spirituals to campfire songs, and wherever else the muses may lead. Send check to: EMWorld Records, PO Box 148, Pine Lake GA 30072. For more info call: 404-297-8398 http://www.splittree.org http://songs.com/elisewitt

Production Deal for Unsigned Bands

The Internet Underground Music Archive (IUMA) (http://www.iuma.com) has partnered with idealive (http://www.idealive.com) to fund the production and development of unsigned artists discovered from the IUMA community. As part of the deal, idealive investors will have early access to leading IUMA artists as they debut on the IUMA charts. "This partnership means that idealive investors will have access to the same IUMA artists showcased to the big labels," said Melanie Robins, president of idealive. "At the same time, IUMA artists will have a new source of funding -- much like a development deal -- which can help them secure recording contracts."

Beyond The Region
News from our members around the country

• Pandora Records released Tower of Silence by Elisabeth Cutler. Check out the her website http://elisabethcutler.com.
• The Mollys have a new CD out, Only A Story, featuring special guest Darcie Daville on fiddle. In other Mollys news, members Catherine Zavala and Cathy Mackender have departed the band. New to the band is drummer Marx B. Loeb.
• Lorna Willhelm has released her debut CD, I Feel Good With The Blues. Produced by Dick Gimble and recorded by David Zajcek at Largemouth Studio in Waco, Texas, the CD covers seven blues/jazz tunes by traditional artists.
• You can hear Jay Ungar & Molly Mason on the Internet. Jay & Molly host a radio show, Dancing on the Air, broadcast monthly from Northeast Public Radio WAMC-FM in Albany, New York. The show is also broadcast live over the Internet and is now available on-demand in streaming audio at the archive web site. http://www.dancingontheair.com
• New Homespun Tapes instructional guitar video is now available direct from Fish Tail: The Country Blues Guitar of Catfish Keith This 85-minute video lesson features loads of tips and techniques. VHS video includes music and tab booklet. $30. Order Toll Free: 1-888-4-CATFISH (1-888-422-8347)
• Williamsburg musician Dean Shostak was honored recently by the American Library Association (ALA) for his new recording, Colonial Fair. Named by ALA as Notable Children’s Recording for the Year 2000, the CD includes traditional folk songs, stories, and riddles from the colonial era played on authentic instruments.
• Great Mutant Skywheel’s first CD, A Glimpse at the Reflecting Pool, reflects the band members’ disparate influences: hair-metal; blues, funk and punk; electronic dance music; hip hop, alt rock. An established band in the Baltimore music scene, GMS has established a space called Source of Uncertainty at 405 West Franklin Street where it holds events the first Wednesday of each month to promote local spoken-word, dance, musical, and visual artists. For more information email happening@skywheel.com.
• Solo guitarist Jim Goodin newest Celtic/New Age recording, Celtic Journey to the Path, is available at www.mp3.com/JimGoodin. *New York*
• Yun Hui’s new CD release, Disoriental, was co-produced with Darren Stroud. For more information email yuni@iquest.net or visit www.yunhui.com.
• Watch Me Dance, Clara Landau’s most recent release, is a hybridized blend of jazz/blues/classical influences. Available through MP3. *released 1999*
• Geary Redmond’s latest CD, Falling Uphill, will be available through TheOrchard.com and Cdnow.com. For more information, email OREWANZ@aol.com

Thank You

The following people have contributed much to WAMA in the past few months. Their time, efforts and enthusiasm are much appreciated and deserve to be recognized.

• Carey Colvin for her continued help in assembling the newsletter.
• Nazia Chaudhry for mailing out membership cards, filing all of the memberships, coordinating the reception for the Congressional Art Competition, and for verifying the media list.
• Diana Quinn and Mike Woods for mailing Wammies and memberships.
• Colleen Shanley for mailing renewal notices month after month.
• Janine Wilson for picking up the hundreds of voice mail messages and mailing memberships.

Studio News

Recording Arts

Marco Delmar’s latest round of production includes the following recently finished CD projects: The newest release by world music artist Rachel Cross; Doug Rainoff’s Celtic-flavored acoustic guitar compositions; and blues guitarist Rick Walker. Delmar has also been finalizing projects with Eric Maring and Supermack and working on the debut recording by The Dill Pickers (Viqui and Keith Dill). Alice Despard and Pam Steinfeld have also been seen at Recording Arts working on their respective projects.

Airshow

Signature Sounds recently chose Airshow Mastering to complete a range of recent groundbreaking albums, including Louise Taylor’s Written in Red, Brooks Williams’ Little Lion; Richard Shindell’s Somewhere Near Paterson, and the label debut of Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer’s Tanglewood Tree. Airshow also recently finished mastering folk pioneer Eric Andersen’s You Can’t Relive The Past, and has been assembling and mastering releases from the Frank and Ann Warner Collection of folk song recordings from Appalachia and North Carolina from the 1940’s through the 1960s. The first volume, Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still, was released in April and Volume II is due out this fall.

In the Studio

Rubin Kinkaid recorded their EP-CD, Apathy, with Mike Harvey of Actiondale Studios (Annandale, VA). All tracks for Apathy were written by singer-songwriter, Debbie Cohen, and performed with band-mates, Chris Macica (guitar), Ed Morrisey (bass), and Brian Wyatt (drums). Band and booking information can be accessed via their web page, which includes their mp3.com link. “Webminor” extraordinaire, Gary Wolanske, designed the page.

2000 International Bluegrass Music Awards Nominees:

Washington area nominees from the 11th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards (IBMA):