Your Custom Text Here
If you missed theWANDAS halloween show with a performance dressed as Guns N Roses, you can see what you missed below. Be sure to check out the Photos section of the web site for more photos from that night and others. Here is a sample:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS OF theWANDAS
All,
Due to circumstances beyond our control our show at Copperfield's November 8th, is cancelled. We should be adding more shows soon, so stay posted.
love,
WANDAAll,
We've just added a show at Copperfield's in Boston MA. The show is Thursday November 8th. View the Tour Section for full details. This is good news for everyone who was watching the Red Sox roll over the Rockies in the World Series or out Trick or Treatin' during our last show at the Paradise in Boston. This should be a good show at a good venue. See you there.
-WANDA
Even though I'm evoking the emo gods by referencing Weezer lyrics, I'm not just whining here. In case you haven't heard, after Radiohead made their triumphant in rainbows release sans-record label, they are now in negotiations to sign with an independent record label: WTF?
Yes, I understand that indie record labels are the far lesser of two evils and independent labels are the only labels making any money. However, what is the point? After you rock the music industry by announcing the ability to download your album at whatever price consumers want to pay, have great success both critically and monetarily from the decision, you are now shopping your album to labels? What What What?
I feel confused and foolish for getting caught up in the frenzy of this "new generation of independent musicians". You were so fantastically ahead of the curve. You had all of the moves played perfectly. Give your music away for the exposure, make money on touring, merch, and higher profit-margin limited availability versions of the album. Absolutely perfect. Now we find out there is a bidding war going on for the in rainbows release of the CD. Here are 3 reasons this is a dumb idea.
1.) Repeat after me, "CD's are dead".
They are shiny coasters. Useless to the music world. Why on earth would you sign a deal with a record label when you don't need to? Yes I understand that this is a single album deal and Radiohead will maintain the rights to the recording, but you don't need a record label to get your music out to people. You've proved that a million times over.
2.) Freedom isn't Free; enjoy it.
For the first time in 7 albums you have no one to answer to in regards to your album sales and distribution and now you throw that all away. I'm sure you'll make a boat load of money off of the deal, and money can buy freedom, but surely you don't need money and now you're simply tied into more deals with more people you don't need.
3.) Designer is Finer
Anyone who knows the basics of marketing and luxury branding, knows that people create a psychological attachment to high-end designer merchandise. Why would anyone pay $300 for a pair of Diesel Jeans or Nike Dunks, that cost a few bucks to make? Successful branding and marketing. Radiohead just propelled themselves to the status of a luxury brand in the music industry. Not just because of their elusive behavior and Pink Floyd-esque mystique, but because their fans will shell out $80 USD for a couple vinyl copies of an album; Christ someone even paid $1,000 USD for the digital version of the album! Get out of the mini-malls, you're already exploding out of the boutiques. This is like Louis Vuitton announcing the release of a $30 wallet that looks and feels like their $500 dollar wallet. Sure it will sell, but they're cheapening their brand.
So I beg you Radiohead. Remain a real independent artist and stay away from the labels, even the independent ones.
Ross Lucivero (bassist theWANDAS)
This a is a blog post which originally was a response to a colleague of mine who wrote an article about the current state of music and how technology advancements have caused shortcuts and shortcomings in the last 10 years of recorded music. You can read the original article HERE and his follow up HERE
Here is my rebuttal:
While I completely agree with your analysis of today's "photoshopped" music industry, I disagree with where you are placing the blame. No one can deny music these days is copied & pasted, produced up, and auto-tuned to death.. And as a result, a lesser talented pool of artists are able to make it into the lime light, with the right team of people propping them up.
Who's fault is this though? While a vocalist may burn his voice out on the last chorus and occasionally yell to the engineer "just copy and paste the 1st chorus" The majority of these technology-aided shortcuts are spearheaded by the guys paying the bills. Why pay producers, engineers, musicians, etc. to sit around and wait for a vocalist to nail the last chorus when you can just copy and paste the first? That is the record label / business mentality. Why pay artists to write music when you can pay a professional songwriter to write radio-friendly "hits" at a break-neck pace for a fraction of the price? The artists' mentality is to write, record, and perform music over and over again until it has been perfected; sometimes to a fault. You can't grow a fan base and make money if you can't get anything out the door to consumers.
The result of this music industry approach is a bunch of watered-down, zero shelf life, flavor of the week, one hit wonders. Their music is devoid of human emotion and audiences don't form attachments with these "artists". Record labels aren't as dumb as we think. They do actually realize that these artists have a higher turnover rate. So they compensate by raising the album price on artists who have loyal fan bases; like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead. Well, we all know how that turned out for them.
There is always going to be that ying and yang balance of art and business. However, right now the business guys in the mainstream music industry have taken it too far and it is biting them in the ass.
-Ross Lucivero (Bassist theWANDAS)
Apparently Dunkin Donuts was either giving away or selling glow sticks which posed a choking hazard. As a result they are recalling them.
The compensation for bringing back one of these deadly glow sticks; a free donut! I saw this notice on the counter at Dunkin Donuts yesterday. Looks like something out of The Office
Q: What do I do when a consumer returns a glow stick?
A: Take the glow stick and give the consumer a free donut. Place the glow stick in the area designated by the manager to be returned to coroporate.
Q: What if a consumer comes in asking for a free donut claiming that they discarded their glow stick?
A: Refer the consumer to the consumer Care Line at (800) 859-5339.
Hey Everyone,
We're hoping to have the final mixes of our new tracks completed within the next couple weeks. They are being mixed by Clement Goulet and Patrick Krief in Montreal Canada.
With Anticipation,
theWANDAS
Hey Guys,
We've recently spent some time in the studio recording our new EP with Patrick Krief as our producer, better known as the lead guitarist of The Dears and the front man for his solo project Krief
We're super excited about how the songs came out. The EP will consist of either 3 or 4 new songs. Working with Patrick was a real pleasure and look forward to playing some shows together in the near future.
With Enthusiasm,
theWANDAS
Hello WANDA World,
As you can see we've undergone some changes with our web site. This site should help keep our base informed while maintaining a two way dialogue. Feel free to contribute to our blog by commenting on any of the posts. You can subscribed to the RSS feed to stay on top of all of the latest news.
-theWANDAS
