BOC new / aol chat / etc.

[Albert T Bouchard]

Jerry writes:

>This is what Bolle had to say about the new album...

>> The deal is as on as it was all the time, the only delay there may be is with
>> the distribution for the US side of things....
>> I'll be seeing Buck at NAMM convention this weekend and I'll find out any
>> serious details about it all...
>> But there are 10 songs so that 7 Songs issue is because Morning Final will be
>> the first to tell the full track list!

Boy, I've heard all kinds of stories. David Roter told me that Andy
Schernoff (who was reponsible for "discovering" Steve Schenck) told him
that Steve Schenck called him up whining about how the booking agency was
screwing him and also that the BOC album deal had fallen through but it was
OK because Eric Gardner was going to hook them up with Castle
Communications (Remember "Live '76"?). Gardner was BOC road manager before
Schenck (notice the proper spelling, y'all, SCHENCK). Then Paul Orfino
(owner of Millbrook Sound) told my brother, Joe, that he had to kick BOC
out of his studio because he never got paid (how unusual) after they did
only 7 songs. Schenck claimed that the German record company never paid the
studio which I guess was the bone of contention that quashed the original
deal.

>"Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand"
>- Neil Peart (Rush) in 'Witch Hunt'

I heard that E Bloom was asked to leave the studio by some members of BOC
during a writing session and that he then called up Neil Pert to help him
"write" songs for the new album. Maybe that's where the other 3 came from
;-P

> From:          "BREVARD Adrian R." <ABrevard at SHL.COM>

> theo>And if they really do want to make another album, why in the hell
> >don't they go the route Al took and simply do it themselves?

ab:
> Again Theo I would debate you that this isn+t as easy as it appears.
> Al+s had great success but at what cost?  He knows what has to be done
> to do this but that+s not to say anybody connected with 3OC has the
> tools, talent, desire or even a way to make this happen.

Then Theo said:

>Agreed.  Al's been putting his ass on the line doing things his own
>way, and I'm sure he's not getting rich at it.  Probably losing
>money.  But he at least has the vision to see beyond a narrow
>horizon, gambling on the fans' good will, and demonstrating faith in
>his group and its material.  I suspect that he's gambling on
>maintaining a fan base by keeping new material coming out and
>networking with a core group of fans that's likely expanding.  This
>is risky, and requires great patience, it's true.  But now, is Al
>starving?  I think not.  Is he happy?  Obviously.

I have one advantage they don't have. I've been out of BOC for 15 years.
I've had to struggle to survive. I've learned another trade (several
actually). I had to start over again at 35, figuring out what I wanted to
be when I grew up. I was in the position of a 20 year old who drops out of
college with a wife and kid. I got a bunch of crappy jobs, went back to
college and eventually got to where I was 5 years ago, financially stable,
with enough time off to return to the music world. But this time it's only
for myself. I don't have to make my living at it. I would like to break
even on it, but that's not as important as my artistic integrity. Even if I
do loose money, spiritually I can't loose. I still have my job, which I do
enjoy on its own merits. Even if I had to leave my job to go on tour. I
still have that teaching skill and I could get another teaching job in a
minute.

The bottom line is that even though this is a lot of work for me, it's very
rewarding. That a couple thousand fans get to hear my new stuff and
appreciate it, is really enough for me. Of course. I'd love to have a phone
jockey like Schenck to get us gigs all over the country and set up tours
and have the record stores all have a tBS bin, stocked with all the
records, and be able to count the radio stations that play us on more than
one hand. But if none of that happens, I'll still keep doing what I'm doing
because I continue to be excited about music, creating pieces and the
recognition of my small circle of friends. Hell, I'd probably do it to
amuse the other people in the band. We have a great time together.

>Can we expect 3OC to take the same crap shoot?  No, and it's not >really
>fair to do
>so, but it's obvious that they're just reading water.  I say, why not
>give it a shot?  My god, these guys are all pros, probably at least
>one of them has a home studio that would yield a decent record.

Maybe that's where they did the other 3.

Incidentally I had a great time on the aol chat the other night. I must say
Donald still amuses me. There were a few funny moments, like Erinn the 11
year old, who was up past his bedtime. Bloom stayed on but didn't say much.
The 'what happened to Eric's voice' question came up but went unanswered. I
found Don's comments about 'why no NYC BOC dates' very interesting. Hmm....
Al