Stevie Nicks |
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Thu. February 28.2002 3:56 PM EST |
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Band Aid: The Recording Artists Coalition Comes Aliveby Charles Bottomley |
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Stevie Nicks (Warner) |
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On Tuesday night, a handful of pop's biggest artists sent a warning shot across the bow of the music industry and indulged in some unique musical matchmaking - a fruitful combination of protest and partying. At four separate Los Angeles sites the
The pairings added a fun element to a topic all the participants take very seriously - money. Led by Don Henley and Sheryl Crow, the Recording Artists Coalition was formed last year with the purpose of representing musicians in their contractual and financial issues with the industry powers that be. Issue No. 1 is Senate Bill 1246, proposed by Sen. Kevin Murray. If passed, the bill would introduce a seven-year limit to recording contracts signed with the labels in the state of California. The standard currently applies to every California worker except musicians. Holding four benefits deemed "Concerts for Artists' Rights" on the eve of the Grammys, R.A.C. organizers were hoping to not only raise awareness of their cause, but also generate a bit cash to fight for the legislation they support. If a few industry-steeped Grammy show attendees were un-nerved along the way, well, that would probably be okay, too. "We've organized for every cause under the sun but us," Henley told the Associated Press. "I hope nobody begrudges us for doing a little something for ourselves." Henley's "little something" at the Great Western Forum on Tuesday night was the by-now annual freezing over of hell. That is, an Eagles reunion with a three-figure price tag for the choicest seats. Enlisting Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, Billy Joel and John Fogerty made such a cost seem balanced. The Eagles drummer was clearly in charitable form. He joined Nicks to perform their hit duet "Leather and Lace." Then Nicks was joined by Tom Petty for a extremely rare live reading of their own 1981 hit, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." The Eagles stuck strictly to the career highlights, including an inevitable "Hotel California." Henley also sang his elegiac solo smash "Boys of Summer" and peppered the show with reminders of the gathering's purpose: "This is to help artists get their fair share." Over at the intimate Wiltern Theatre, the R.A.C. line-up had a more alternative vibe. According to Allstar Music News, Beck, Eddie Vedder and Social Distortion's Mike Ness connected for the first time ever. Vedder, sporting a Mohawk haircut, played new songs and his cover of the Beatles' "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" (from the I Am Sam soundtrack). And keeping with the political nature of the night, he explained the surprising coif would remain on his head until "we stop killing people abroad." Beck joined him on the Everly Brothers' ballad "Sleepless Nights." In an evening built around avoiding the system's traps, Mike Ness did doff his Stetson to the outlaw Johnny Cash, who turned 70 that day, with a crowd-pleasing "Ring of Fire." Then Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready joined him for one of his own songs, Social Distortion's "Ball and Chain." Beck, who had been gigging around town all week in preparation for his set, performed a few new tunes, the Zombies' classic "Beechwood Park" and several selections from 1998's Mutations, an album he had sued Geffen for releasing under their imprimatur rather than letting it come out on an independent label. Vedder barely had time to hit the backstage beverages before re-emerging to sing with Beck, and they were followed by an unannounced Thom Yorke, who with Beck performed a pointed version of the Velvet Underground's "I'm Set Free." The evening ended in rollicking style with all three swapping verses on the Rolling Stones classic "Sweet Virginia." The country crowd made their way to the Universal Amphitheatre to catch a twangy smorgasbord - or is that potluck supper? - of the Dixie Chicks, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, Trisha Yearwood, and Dwight Yoakam, who was introduced as "a recently independent recording artist." Both Harris and Yoakam were keen to emphasize that there was nothing wrong with being a rock star - except trying to get your concerns heard by your record label. "We're just talking about leveling the playing field a little bit," said Harris, "that's all." Emmylou plucked selections from her own storied past, including "Love Hurts." Patty Griffin and the Dixie Chicks' Emily Robison and fiddler Martie Maguire joined their alt.country godmother on Griffin's own composition "Mary." And the collaborations continued. Banjo master Earl Scruggs joined the Chicks for "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," then Sheryl Crow, who had just raced across town assisted by a police escort, took the Universal stage to perform Bob Dylan's "Mississippi" with the peppy trio. The Chicks are in the middle of their own label battles. Sony sued the group after the ladies threatened to leave the imprint over unpaid royalties. According to Country.com's Jay Orr, singer Natalie Maines indicated that this accounts for their current artistic silence. "We did make a new record," she told the crowd. "Now we have to find a nice label to put it out." In Long Beach, Weezer, the Offspring and No Doubt offered a formidable line-up of shiny happy West Coast good times completely at odds with the image of indentured artists grinding out their umpteenth album for unforgiving task masters. But as No Doubt's manager Jim Guernot told the Los Angeles Times, what the R.A.C. was about was no music creation without representation. "The most important thing is that this is not anti-anything," Guernot explained. "It's just making sure that the artist has a seat at the table." The recording industry isn't getting that message. Labels large and small teamed with CD manufacturers and packagers to form the California Music Coalition in order to fight the new Senate bill. The question that remains is who will perform at their benefits? Perhaps Pat Boone is available. |
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