Facebook killed the Internet Star

there's something happening here
the CAL site used to get a ton of hits
millions
now you look at the graph
and it sinking faster than you can say tribute band

however
the facebook stats are through the roof
up up and away

it's been a couple years since i put the company up on FB
i resisted for so long
wary of what i don't know
even the 'like' page only went up a few months ago
to this day i don't understand what collecting 'likes' does

anyway
it seems all roads lead to FB
not sure what to do about this
the rebel in me wants to splinter off and do something outside of it
but it would surely prove futile
i mean
look at the dismal attempts i've made at relaunching my forum
we get spammed like crazy
we get very few new members
and there's nothing to say there that we couldn't post on facebook
basically it's just me and johnnie b posting about each others middle aged exploits

i'm going to leave the forum up a little while longer
but i just don't see the point
we're so connected on FB
i get up every morning
grab coffee
and check email
then i check FB
not my forum
i imagine everyone's routine is similar
so why fight it?

i've been working with a cat
who crunches all of my online data
CAL is huge
huge!
we're in a position on google than most companies would pay millions to achieve
and we're grooving on FB with smart stats and cool feedback
even this modest punctuation free blog garners a ton of readers

so
what's it all about alfie?
more postings
more photos
more videos
and more home made movies

and more blogs
if someone wants to guest blog
they just need to email me
and i'll post it
i think that's a good way to stay connected

our CAL page is where people are going to find out where we're playing
agents are using it as a tool for selling more shows
one thing that is really taking off is the 'tout' feature
those little 15 second videos are fun
i'm enjoying that experience

i do want to apologize to all the people that try to friend me on my personal page
that page is pretty much set up for family
and off colour remarks that harken back to a british upbringing
the page is largely CAL free
anyone who has a teenage kid
knows that messaging 'dinners ready'
can be more effective than yelling up the stairs

i get my back up when a mass movement takes place
for someone who lives in crowds -  the irony is not lost on me
FB changed the game
i've been trying to imagine what the next big thing will be
it's like trying to imagine a new colour
it twists your brain around
and you're left comfortably numb

i love meeting people that i've interacted with online
it's like we could instantly fall into a barbecue together
with classic rock on the burner
simmering
pass the foghat

craig martin
february 28, 2012
coffee and yogurt with cracked walnuts

Paul McCartney

i don't think there's another person
in the annals of history
who has a more documented life

every second the beatles were in the studio
tape was running

add the interviews
the concerts
the photographs
the news casts
the hysteria

now couple that with dollars
albums
8 track tapes
cassettes
cds
downloads
guitar hero
merchandise
royalties
concert tickets
soundtracks
movies
dvds
vegas

mush it all together
and you have the world's most popular man
and he is indeed bigger than
dare i say it
ronald mcdonald

mcCartney is the world's greatest composer
the greatest that ever lived

i've been trying to get the band to argue this with me
'what about mozart' they ask
yes - well mozart never sold anywhere near as many albums
'but he lived a cajillion years ago'
yes - but his music is readily available for purchase
but no one buys it
at least not to the extreme that they buy mcCartney stuff
people vote with their dollar
consequently the people have spoken

i listen to mcCartney speak and it sounds like he's singing
everything he says has a 'follow the bouncing ball' quality to it
even his name sounds like a lyric

i can't imagine what his life must be like
everywhere he goes people want a piece of him
and i think he still generates that fanatic kind of 'grab a piece of his hair' hysteria

paul mcCartney is not only the greatest composer in the history of civilization
he's the most documented man ever to live
and the richest musician to ever grace the airwaves

it's a beautiful day to dream
a crisp blue sky
a south wind
lots of squirrels darting about
i'm dreaming that the bold claims i make
will have paul ringing me
and inviting me to tea
and i'd tell him that his band is the one band still on the road
that comes the closest to CAL standards
he'll be put out by this and ask me to leave
and as i'm being shown out
i'll scream 'there's no one better to nurture your legacy paul!'
and with those words echoing
late that night
he'll punch classic albums live into youtube
and quietly mutter to himself
'i think that bloke's onto something'

craig
feb 22, 2012
almonds and coffee

Future Shock

interesting post by a friend of cliftons
he said that CAL is the future of rock n roll
what's not to like about that statement?
i've been thinking about it non stop

i pulled out some old rolling stone magazines from years gone by
the older the artist - the longer they have endured
but if you had a career that launched in the 90s or the 00s
you're already gone
nothing survives
everyone moves on to something new
or something really old

i love the oldies
by that i mean the old rockers who are still out there
remaining vital
performing and still working their instruments
challenging themselves
enduring

i want to be old and playing in a pub
that is a clear and vital part of my retirement plan

the math is sound
the ticking away of moments no matter how dull or exciting is relentless
and one day
all the oldies won't be here
as morbid as it sounds
i plan on attending the funerals of the following people:
bob dylan
mick jagger
paul mcCartney
i've already spoken to my oldest son about this
he said that we'll never get anywhere near the service
i said it didn't matter
he said that i'm nuts

so who's going to take care of their music?
tribute bands and they're ridiculous pandering?
pub singers with drum machines and backing tracks?
one off shows with pooled quasi semi known rock stars
who barely have a connection but are there for the glory of their personal careers?
no
it's us
we're the logical conclusion
CAL is the future of rock n roll

jazz is historical
bluegrass
blues
classical
rockabilly
it's all historical music
and rock n roll is heading that way
the mystery of it is gone

it's easy to write catchy songs
my youngest son's tv watching consists of lots of disney type bands
all of them know how to write a catchy pop song
there's a formula
it's like a how to video
it's the twilight of rock n roll
entropy

CAL is the future of rock n roll
there's something new that will happen
that's inevitable
somewhere in an inner city some young black kid
is plugging something into something
and mixing something with something
and a new music art form will be born
but it won't be rock n roll

and in a few years
all my heroes will be in their 70s
hopefully doing cameo walk ons and special event appearances
but not touring

my life's wish is that they ask us to carry on their torch
hand it down
let us be the librarians
the historians
the caretakers
the documenters
the teachers
the curators
we'll do it with honour and pride
we'll make sure the music and the legacy lives on with grace and cool

i feel like something's rumbling underneath
another changing of the guard
every generation does indeed throw a hero up the pop charts
and every generation grows up - leaving behind a forgotten trail of digital diapers

CAL is the future of rock n roll
spread the word

craig
feb 14 2012
tea and yogurt with honey