Saturday, June 30, 2007

BobbyG is back again

Many thanks to Dave and Steve for covering the blog while I was in Florida again. Love the video clips in particular. Appreciate you guys, big-time.

It's good to be home. Got in late Thursday with my niece April, who came down from Michigan to help me close up my Mom's apartment. Sadly, my Mom remains hospitalized. We got word Wednesday that she could not yet travel (we'd planned to bring her back with us). So, I will have to make yet one more trip down there to get her.

April can't wait to come hear the band Monday night. Also, we're gonna stop by the Big Apple Lounge at NY/NY this weekend to see the Michael Grimm band (4 - 9 pm shift thru Sunday).

Despite being covered up busy in Florida, I jotted down some copy I thought was to the point about Santa Fe. A cardinal rule I learned early in my ad copywriter study was the "Second Person Singular, Present Tense, Active Voice" axiom. Y'know, the "You are talented, accomplished, successful, stylish, and studly. Men defer to you. Women want you. That's why you drive a Lexus" thingy.

So, let's apply that to something that would work for, say, a 30 second spot voiceover (I stopwatched it):

'eh? That's how they affect me, and a lot of others I have come to know. (BTW- that background pic is from the segue interlude on March 12th when the band opened The Pearl, just after MOSAIC finished, and as Santa Fe was mounting the stage.)

Second Person Singular, Present Tense, Active Voice. Succinctly, comprehensively to the point.

Below: My way cool and beautiful niece April, and, below that, April with the cats we hired off the street to help us load the POD.

We did manage to squeeze in a little ocean R&R after we finished loading the POD and handing in the apartment keys. The view is from the Radisson in Indialantic. Water was 80 degrees. Nice.

SUNDAY 97.1 FM JAZZ SHOW

Ric Gould asked me to come to the studio tomorrow morning and sub for Jackie as co-host (she's outa town). That's a great honor and will be a lot of fun. Tune in, either on the air or streaming via the web.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Jamie Hosmer Sings "Brother to Brother" Live from The Palms

Michael Grimm YouTube Video of "You Don't Know Me"

Come With Me

Here's a YouTube video of "Come With Me" from last night...

Song by Nathan Tenouye
Featuring Jerry Lopez and Rob Mader

WOW... The Band Was Hot !!!!!!!!!!

The band was extra tight tonight. The sound and lighting was especially good. Rochon had a new Carvin 5 string LB75 brought out for him to try as part of his endorsement deal with Carvin. I thought it sounded great especially when Rochon would slide down the neck getting an acoustic jazz sound. The LB75 has more controls than most basses for many variations of tone. Rochon was adjusting and testing as he gave the Carvin a full workout.

Michael Grimm performed his original “Sit Down and Shut Up” in the first set. It’s a Rhythm & Blues up tempo number written about critics.

Jerry’s Mom and friends were in the audience tonight for both shows.

It was a treat to hear Michael Grimm sing “You don’t know me” with the full band and “Very Fat” Fat City Horn Arrangements.

Joey Finger, top touring and session drummer was in the audience. He introduced me to Howard Arthur, guitarist and long time friend of Ricky Peterson. Ricky is touring with Stevie Nicks and will be in town on Monday July 30th. Hopefully, he will stop by to see his friends Santa Fe and TFCH.

Patti Austin’s Manager, Barry Orms, was in the audience tonight.

Story by Steve Tuminello (MUSIC SEEN)
Photos by Dave Siefkes
www.LasVegasAtItsBest.com
FILLING IN FOR BOBBY G.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Get Ready for Some Great Entertainment Tonight at The Palms

Santa Fe and The Fat City Horns are going to make our socks roll up and down tonight in The Lounge at The Palms.

The first song starts at 10:15.

Prepare for the time of your life.

Let The Healing Begin.

Bobby G. is in Florida with his mom and I'll be taking the photos and covering the show tonight.

See you there.

Dave Siefkes

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

"Quality" and "Excellence" in entertainment

I've been thinking about the following idea for a number of years now. Below I post my original brainstorming write-up, and would be very interested in others' reactions. I ought to update and propose this to my professional society, ASQ, the American Society for Quality. This organization administers the federal Baldrige National Quality Program, and, often in collaboration with other technical societies such as ISO, IEEE, ASTD, ASME, etc, has a hand in writing many of the world's consensus technical, engineering, scientific, and "quality" standards.

Now that I'm involved with cats that fully personify the term "excellence," the idea seems more timely than ever.
_________

The American Society for Quality
Entertainment & Sports Division (ASQ/ESD)

by Bobby Gladd, past Chairman, Las Vegas ASQ Section 705

I have been an active and enthusiastic member of the Society (http://www.asq.org/) since 1989, and have served in a number of local officer positions as well as helping to found and lead the kindred Nevada Quality Alliance (http://www.nvqa.org/, administrator of the Nevada Governor's Awards for Performance Excellence). While I generally agree with our ASQ Vision and Strategic Plan, I see a huge overlooked service area and significant opportunity, one successfully addressed by the explicit inclusion of the large, dynamic, and growing entertainment and sports domains (E&S) at the ASQ Division level, one perhaps headquartered in booming, vibrant Las Vegas.

ASQ has for many years had 22 formal Divisions representing a breadth of manufacturing and service industries:
  1. Quality Management Division
  2. Aviation, Space and Defense Division
  3. Automotive Division
  4. Chemical and Process Industries Division
  5. Electronics and Communications Division
  6. Textile and Needle Trades Division
  7. Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Division
  8. Reliability Division
  9. Inspection Division
  10. Biomedical Division
  11. Energy and Environmental Division
  12. Statistics Division
  13. Human Development and Leadership Division
  14. Software Division
  15. Customer-SupplierDivision
  16. Service Quality Division
  17. Measurement Quality Division
  18. Health Care Division
  19. Quality Audit Division
  20. Design and Construction Division
  21. Education Division
  22. Public Sector Network
There is a lot of interest area overlap, and many among the more than 100,000 members belong to multiple Divisions and Interest Groups. I, for example, am a member of the Healthcare and Statistics divisions, while my ASQ colleague and spouse Cheryl belongs to the Quality Management, Quality Audit, and Environmental & Energy divisions. It should be readily apparent that those in E&S organizations would find relevant technical and management information and support in ASQ Divisions such as Customer-Supplier, Design and Construction, Electronics and Communications, Human Development and Leadership, Inspection, Measurement Quality, Quality Audit, Quality Management, Service Quality, and Statistics.

NOTE: One of our kindred professional societies, the American Statistical Association (which I joined in 1998, to my subsequent great delight), operates a "Division" known as the Statistics in Sports Section.

There are, to be sure, broad operational similarities -- E&S organizations, after all, make things and provide services as do any businesses; they all want to "win", at the box office, on their bottom lines, on the charts, in the arenas and on the playing fields -- but, the E&S domains differ significantly in many ways from the rest of business culture.

Take, for example, today's independent major motion picture production. It is the very essence of the transient "virtual corporation," one that must deal effectively with myriad financial, human resource, logistical, creative, and technical difficulties comparable to those encountered on, say, an aircraft assembly line -- without any of the relative stability and market predictability of such other business sectors. And, when things go badly, a lot of people lose a lot of money and career credibility. Read Final Cut: Dreams and Disaster in the Making of Heaven's Gate by Steven Bach (1985, Onyx, ISBN 0-451-40036-4). Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate was the first of the out-of-control mega-budget movies. It was a project management fiasco of excess proportion sufficient to send the venerable United Artists studio into bankruptcy.

Similar stories of woe are readily and recurrently found in the TV and music recording/performance fields. Countless millions of dollars and human energy are poured into projects that go awry or otherwise fail to meet their visions and promise. Why? Is the only viable business model here one of “throw everything continually at the wall and something is bound to stick”?

Such presents an exciting opportunity for ASQ to serve effectively. And, if we consider the converse of the foregoing for just a moment, it is equally clear that when things go right in E&S, the results are frequently spectacular and inspiring. In addition to celebrating such successes, we have an opportunity to look more closely and learn from them.

Sports?

Sports are our entertainment to a significant degree, whether from spectator or participant perspectives. The sports and sports/"recreation" industries account for a large chunk of the worldwide entertainment dollar. One need only consider the 30-second ad rate for the NFL Super Bowl, or take a stroll through any of the sporting goods superstores, or try to find a square centimeter of racing car bodies not covered by corporate & product logos. Moreover, in the context of the argument presented herein, the "performance" sectors of entertainment and sports domains have a lot in common, while -- again -- together they are different to a significant degree from the rest of the economic sectors, most notably in their structural and managerial fluidity and short-term strategic and financial imperatives. It is telling in this regard that law schools are now providing curricular tracks in Entertainment & Sports Law. Another example: Findlaw.com lists numerous legal firms specializing in E&S services.

That aside, consider our pro sports and entertainment icons: Shaq (part-time rapper) and ex-minor leaguer #23 PGA-wannabee Michael have done movies. Bull Durham's Kevin Costner is a fine athlete, as are White Men Can't Jump's Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. Country music superstar Garth Brooks, who appeared with the San Diego padres in spring training several years ago and then signed with the new York Mets to train with their minor league team in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Country Music’s Toby Keith played minor league football. And on and on...

Beyond professional sports "entertainment" celebrities, at the mundane street level, those of us who are inveterate recreational gym rats, hackers, duffers, and devotees of every amateur sports stripe want desperately to improve our serves, shots, batting and bowling averages, lap times, lipid and body fat ratios, weightlifting capabilites, endurance, and overall effectiveness on our fields, courts, courses, and rinks. We want the equipment we buy to be both durable and useful. As parents, we want our kids mentored by coaches with solid understanding of sound organizational / motivational principles as well as things tactical and strategic within the lines. We all just wanna have fun, and fun ("customer satisfaction") is in large measure a function of knowing we've done our best, and know how to best continue with improvement.

Win/win

We in ASQ have as much to learn from E&S'ers as do they from us. On one hand, those in charge of the still largely vertical organizational structures and command & control/management-by-whim cultures so characteristic of much of of the "talent/performance" management side of E&S will clearly benefit through dialogue with quality professionals and education in proven, systematic improvement theory and practice. Conversely, the unbridled creative energy and drive of E&S cannot but be good for ASQ. We could very well see a significant influx of enthusiastic new members eager to enage in what would be an obvious win/win. Moreover, the more traditional manufacturing sectors of E&S (e.g., Nike, Reebok, Wilson, Spalding, Calloway, Keiser, Avid, Altman, Yamaha, Peavey, to cite just a very few), might well be more likely to participate in ASQ had they the forum of 'their own" primary Society Division through which to come together in the interest of industry improvement and networking with those on the "creative/performance" side of the house. Once on board, such new colleagues would surely also fan out through existing ASQ Divisions of individual interest and relevance.

Div23 Downsides?

Well, I can imagine a couple of possibilities right off the bat. First, while "23" provides a convenient and serendipitous marketing hook coupled to a universally beloved celebrity, it necessarily positions sports on the front burner and implies that His retired Airness Michael is minimally primus inter pares ("first among equals"). But, Steve Wynn's people probably regard him as the preeminent impresario of the "entertainment" domain (broadly defined, and of which sports might be viewed as subsidiary). One would also likely get a huge vote for filmmaker Steven Spielberg as "the Michael Jordan of the movie biz." And, Disney's Michael Eisner probably regards himself as Da Man. So, would Division 23 need an emblematic photo depicting a trio of honorary co-chairs (or more -- including some women pul-eeze!) who collectively exemplify leadership excellence across the E&S sectors?

Next, how proactively inclusive should an E&S Division 23 be? Hunting is viewed as a "sport" by many and barbaric cruelty by many others. Indeed, firearms "sports" have in general become controversial in the wake of recent mass killings in schools and workplaces. Would we take sponsorship or underwriting money from groups such as the NRA? Smith & Wesson? (More generally, those major sporting event sponsors, the tobacco and beer companies?) "Adult Entertainment"? Jeesh. the likes of a Larry Flynt as an ESD Sustaining Member? Preposterous perhaps, but how about a Christie Hefner?

Regarding Steve Wynn et al: Gaming? Innocent "entertainment"? Or the egregious social ill that some would like severely curtailed if not banned outright? Consider sports gambling; Congress continues to look at banning sports betting; a perennial controversy. Hot in 2005, 2006, Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournaments on ESPN (ESPN even produced a fictional poker tournament-mimicking mini-series, Tilt).

"Extreme Sports"? Wa-a-a-yyy cool, Du-u-u-ude.

How about what many consider "junk sports" that are little more than lowbrow entertainment cloaked in mere outward trappings of "sport"? I once saw a cable channel "tough man competition" show originating from Birmingham, Alabama. Called "The Octagon" (for the shape of the wire-enclosed "ring" -- a cage, actually), it was nothing more than a bloody, grotesque human cockfight. [UPDATE: cheesy "Ultimate Fighting Championship" events are now commonplace.]

E&S online

A quick, cursory check online reveals literally thousands of E&S domain organizations with an internet presence. For example, just examine some of the listings maintained by Yahoo.com alone:
We find pro and amateur sports leagues of every stripe, trade associations, technical and professional societies, performing rights organizations, guilds, journals, consultants, and affinity groups of every size and scope. Add in the equally numerous vendors of E&S products and services, and the enormous magnitude of this economic sector is obvious. It constitutes a significant ASQ service opportunity we should engage forthwith.

Full disclosure

Aside from my simple belief that this ASQ/ESD proposition is timely and sensible on its merits, my motive in proposing this is multifaceted, and contains a bit of tangential "self-interest." First, I am one of those "inveterate gym rats." I was a three-sport high school athlete, but by the time I reached my early 40's my by-then sedentary worklife had left me woefully out of shape. In 1988 my primary physician at the time told me "son I'd advise you to get out and start moving around, or buy more life insurance." Well, that got my attention. Now, at age 61, I try to spend 7 - 10 hours a week in the gym, mostly playing full-court 5-on-5 pickup basketball and lifting weights. My resting pulse has dropped to around 50, and I'm close to my high school weight. My Son calls me "The Energizer Geezer" in response to my ability to go full-tilt for hours without tiring much.

Were I a wealthy man, I'd probably stay in gym clothes most of the time, and attend every sports clinic / fantasy camp offered. I took up downhill skiing in 1995 (awesome!), and will take up rec league ice hockey one of these days (there’s a long waiting list here to get on a team). I love to play tennis. Golf? I've played one "real" round -- at Pinehurst, no less, with my Dad, where I spent most of the day in the woods. Got around in 108, though; it coulda been worse. I'll have to give it another try before long. We have rec league hardball baseball here as well as softball. Man, I’d do that too in a heartbeat (leftie, first baseman as a kid). Sailing? I recall wonderful days of my young adulthood crashing around San Francisco Bay and the nearby Pacific with friends in a rented 32' sloop, hanging on in white-knuckle-death-gripped, thoroughly soaked exhilaration as we heeled "winch under" into pounding whitecaps.

While I don't hunt, I do love to hike, camp, and fish. (Though my empathic tendency toward recognizing the fish's point of view gives me somewhat of a problem with the ostensible humaneness of "catch & release." Wetting a line for fresh groceries with fins is another matter, on the other hand.)

Also, with a Son on the JV football team at Bishop Gorman High School not too many years ago, I became one of THOSE parents -- one of the ranting, omniscient Monday-Morning-QB / coaching staff critics who hang out at the practices and trek to every game. One of those who pine for a little less macho bluster / instruction-by-intimidation and a little more John Wooden-esqe quiet yet firm leadership for their kids.

In short, I love sports, from the couch potato, parental, and participant points of view.

Second, prior to acquiring my first university degree at the age of 39 and embarking on a new white collar career (and joining ASQ in 1989), I made my living with a guitar in my hand, spending 21 years in music performance and recording. My roots in pop music run deep. I also studied film design and technical theater electives (lighting and set design) while at the University of Tennessee, and was a member of and local officer with the International Television Association in Knoxville, TN in the late 80's at a time when I was a partner in a small A/V studio. I maintain a keen interest in the creative media and live entertainment arts and sciences. I marvel at the incredible blending of creativity, talent, and technology that results in a fine motion picture, and I'm always noting -- in addition to the quality of the writing and acting -- the nuances of set and lighting, the framing of each shot, the optics, and the camera movements, the editing rhythms, the subtleties of the audio track, and the usually powerful emotive propulsion of the music score. More generally, I have to admire and respect the dedication of participants in the commercial arts, an often unforgiving domain where a steady and livable paycheck can be difficult to come by.

In Las Vegas, where I have lived since 1992, we are blessed to have legions of world-class entertainers and shows (supported by an army of technical production wizards of the first rank). Our nightlife is simply the best in the world for its sheer quantity, depth, and diversity. As an aside, anyone wanting an inexpensive peek at our breathtaking local music excellence need only go on Mondays nights to listen to the stunning Santa Fe and The Fat City Horns, a 14-pc ensemble of the finest Vegas show musicians/singers/writers who play together for the pure love of music on Mondays in what is their incredible “dress-down/casual gig” night, to a cheering room full of mostly other enthusiastic Vegas performers and their friends. You’d easily pay $100 a ticket for concert music this good. Santa Fe will set you back the cost of a drink. Amazing…[to be continued]
__________

Well, maybe I ought drop the "23" idea, and just stay with "Entertainment and Sports Division." Dunno. For one thing, since I wrote the foregoing the Society has changed its classification taxonomy; we no longer tout 22 "Divisions." Secondly, getting Michael on board as the flagship persona may be a huge long shot, for a variety of reasons.

Still, I think this could be a very cool, value-adding thing.
And, I know who will be the Official Band of Division 23, LOL!

"Sit Down and Shut Up"

LOL. "Sit Down and Shut Up" is a Michael Grimm tune, one on his current CD. The band did it tonight for the first time. Michael said "it's about critics. None of them are here anyway." Awesome. Yeah, those who can, do! Those who can't become 'critics.'

Sonny has been using a new board the past two Monday nights, a Yamaha M7CL digital. Sounds really good, particularly on the vocals.

Rochon played a new bass during the first show, a Carvin. Thing gave out the baddest super low tones I've heard, you felt 'em more than heard 'em.

Oh, yeah, Rochon, I ran across an interesting cat online, musician and writer Aaron Trubic. He said to tell you that you were his favorite bass player. Yeah, Aaron, I hear ya.

Below, Tom DeLibero (Doc Severinson orchestra) subbed tonight for Gil. Dueling trumpets again yielded the smell of burning valve oil. I nailed a couple of good shots.

More pics below. I didn't get to shoot too many tonight, as Cheryl was not feeling well and couldn't come mind the store in the back. Our homie and Santa Fe alum Tim Lienhard graciously covered for me during the first set. Thanks, bro'.

We were again blessed by the incredible onstage presence of both Brothers Johnson, Johnnie and Tyriq.

Tyriq paid me the nicest compliment about some of my old tunes I recently posted on MySpace. The highest praise comin' from him. I am so flattered. Also, I gotta laugh; last week Jerry told me I was his "geiger counter," 'cuz I hear every little nuance, and he can trust my take on how things are going.

Yeah, I do, I hear and microscopically study every last note. Can't help it, I love this band. Never gets the least bit old, listening to these cats.

BTW- Props to Kari and Jerry Shurtleff, whom I met tonight. My pal Robert Conti turned me on to them. Really nice people.

Another great night. As I sat there in the back during the second show, listening to Nathan's "Come With Me," it really struck me that that tune in particular totally exemplifies Vegas style music excellence. To me it just echoes the sophisticated legacy of the town, while being also so fresh and new. State of the Art. Same for Dave's "Salvation." That tune is Sting and Steely Dan on steroids (groping for apt analogies here, LOL). The new tunes are all fabulous, signature Santa Fe, and there're more on the way. The new CD is gonna be awesome.

Also BTW- Jerry noted tonight the the band will start the Wednesday night gigs at the Fever showroom in the South Pointe on July 11th. Save the date. Gonna be killer.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Ron Crews is healing up nicely

Our talented bro' Ron Crews is healing up quickly from his broken ankle. In fact, they let him outa Spring Valley Hospital this morning on a day pass so he could make his audition for the Vegas production of Riverdance -- which I captured on video below. He's the tall dude on the left.

LOL! Seriously, y'all, give him a call at 853-3000, room 321, or go by if you can (S. Rainbow & Hacienda). Sux what happened to him. He's been seriously injured, and will be a while healing fully.

FRIDAY FUNNY STUFF

Yesterday I listened to this way funny interview with these two cats from New Zealand on NPR's Fresh Air:
Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, aka the folk-parody band Flight of the Conchords, hail from New Zealand and were named best alternative-comedy act at the 2005 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. Now they're starring in an HBO series called, yes, Flight of the Conchords — which is, yes, about two transplanted New Zealanders living in New York City's Lower East side. It launches Sunday.
Click here to listen to the interview. Below, a YouTube clip of them performing.





Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Monday June 11th gig - Wow!

Awesome, just awesome. The band roared to life tonight, opening with the venerable "Just Kidding." Shortly thereafter they threw down "Brother to Brother," with Jamie doing the lead vocal, and he stepped up and hit it outa the time zone. His lead vocal was just stunning.

Michael Grimm is settling in nicely. Dave Richardson wrote an arrangement this week for "You Don't Know Me" (see above), and they did it for the first time tonight (unrehearsed), to give Michael a comfortable foundation from which to shine. And shine he did. Man!

That was so cool. Below, Tyriq was subbing for brother Johnny Johnson tonight. BTW, the Brothers Johnson will be back at Sonny's (Flamingo west of the 215) this Wednesday night starting at 8 pm with their new band "Jamestown." I heard 'em last week, and they are really fine.

OK, this is cool. Below: A couple from El Paso had gotten a bootleg copy of the band's CD, and felt compelled to come to Vegas to hear the band. They also bought a CD tonight. Sweet.

Our percussion homies were again out in force. Michito and Alex both sat in, and we were also blessed to have former Santa Fe percussionist/vocalist Carlos Perez in the house. He came up to sing "Oh, Nena," which he had sung on the band's CD. (While I'm grateful that we again have stage lights, I wish the percussion area was lit. I simply cannot get pics of Pepe and Gabriel et al in the dimness.)

Some additional shots below, including Dave Hart (now in Clint's "J.A.M." musical) mugging for the camera while sitting in on guitar.

Yeah, I'm on a tear lately, workin' on my close-ups. You get more light in through the lense, but the trade-off is that the slightest unsteadiness hand-held gets magnified and will blur the take.

The "ever-so-funky" Phil Wigfall was consistently on fire this night.

Totally kick-ass night tonight. Thanks to everyone for coming out. Great energy onstage and off.

I'll post more after some Zzzzz's. It's 4 a.m.

TUESDAY UPDATE

First, an email from Michito:
Hi everybody, just a friendly reminder, that we (Jimmy Macintosh, Danny Miranda, Pepe Jimenez) and myself, along with a slew of "cats" sitting in. Will be playing tonight at the Dive Bar. The set starts around 10:45. I also have some friends that are in town from L.A. that said they would come by. It should be a good one, I'll see all of you tonight.

Dive Bar
3035 E Tropicana Ave #E
Las Vegas, NV 89121
(702) 435-7526
That oughta be great. Check it out.

Second, I am pained to have to report that our good bro' drummer/vocalist Ron Crews was assaulted by some drugged-out asshole last night out in front of The Palms. Security collared the perp after he tried to run away and got knocked to the curb by a cab on Flamingo, but he'd first knocked Ron down with several sucker punches, and Ron suffered a severely broken ankle while he fell. He's over in Spring Valley Hospital today. I'll be going by to see him.

Wednesday update: I saw Ron today. He's doing OK. I know he'd dig a call or visit. 853-3000, ask for room 321. Spring Valley Hospital, S. Rainbow at the corner of Hacienda.
__________

LATEST MUSIC VIDEO, LOL!

Below: "RICH AND FAMOUS" - Jamie Hosmer's new gig at "Ovation" in Green Valley Ranch, Thu-Fri-Sat.