Thursday, November 28, 2013

Writing on the Wall by Tom Standage - Book Review




In Writing on the Wall: The First 2,000 Years (Bloomsbury USA, 2013, 288 pages, $26.00), author Tom Standage considers the effects of writing on personal and public communication through the ages, positing that the writing and distribution of news, analysis, and opinion throughout history has always been a promoter of freedom, whereas limiting communications has always been the role of the elites and the rulers. He suggests that each advance in communications technology, in the freedom of information, has served to help create a more informed, aware, and, therefore, free people. He also says that efforts to censor, tax, behead, jail, or otherwise limit information are always doomed to failure. Along the way, he considers the major technological changes which altered society's ability to communicate as well as the officials' strategies used to limit their effect. At each juncture, he compares older (and sometimes now obsolete) means of communication as examples of social media in their time. In doing so, he presents a fascinating and convincing argument for human freedom at the expense of the status quo. Writing on the Wall is an important and interesting book filled with the personalities and events promoting improved communication through the ages. In the title, he considers that the present state of affairs is merely the next step in the process, which will only be fully revealed by time.

Standage begins his story in the dawn of civilization, suggesting that writing emerged on clay tablets and papyrus shortly after humans settled into a more agrarian lifestyle than nomadic hunter-gatherer. As they settled down, humans discovered the need to keep accounts and detail ownership and writing emerged. With the Greeks, knowledge became more frequently written, while Socrates lamented that the youth were losing their ability to memorize and listen. The Romans found it necessary to develop writing still further to help maintain control of their vast empire. Roman elites began communicating widely through news and personal letters, often written by scribes and widely disseminated. Early Bible texts were in the form of letters from the first apostles to local churches around Asia Minor and throughout the Mediterranean Roman holdings. With the fall of Rome, literacy, too, took a dive, only kept alive in the monasteries, where monks copied the holy writings. With Gutenberg's invention of the printing press around 1439, a revolution in literacy was set in motion exemplified by the wide distribution of Martin Luther's 95 theses, which ignited the Protestant Reformation. Throughout this time both the Church and the nobility sought to restrain the spread of knowledge by taxing presses and seeking to maintain illiteracy in common people. In England, Henry VIII imprisoned and executed many people because of their writings. Such brutal repression encouraged writers to say in disguised poetry what they could not say outright. Nevertheless, their was a constant pressure against the forces of privilege and the elite to spread knowledge and understanding through the written word. Coffee houses emerged as centers of discussion and social interaction across class lines. Science and philosophy especially flourished, as people were able to share their thoughts and ideas more widely. Reading the Bible in vernacular translations spread both literacy and faith, as well as encouraging people to interpret scripture themselves.

In America the Puritans came, of course, to practice their own religion, not to establish freedom of religion, and thus discouraged writings that suggested understandings of faith different from their own. The battles against the imposition of the Stamp Act by Parliament and the printing of Patrick Henry's pamphlet “Common Sense,” did much to fan the flame of the Revolution. As printers became increasingly able to disseminate information in bulk, the exchange of knowledge became more widespread. Once established, the Founders were clear that freedom of the press was perhaps their highest priority, because they enshrined it in the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution, right beside religion and speech. Perhaps the greatest mistake in the administration of our second President, John Adams, was his insistence upon passing the alien and sedition acts, which sought to control the press. They were quickly withdrawn, but Adams only served one term as President.

Interestingly, Standage sees the consolidation of media control first in newspaper empires (Hearst, Pulitzer, Greeley), then in radio broadcasting, and finally in network television (NBC, CBS, ABC) as anomalies during which media was further concentrated under the control of a relatively few individuals and corporations. This trend was accompanied by what was seen as a relative “dumbing down” of information based on too little breadth of information sources. The development of the Internet and particularly of social media have broadened the sources of information and increased the amount of diversity of opinion focused on every question. Of course, the new freedom leads to the possibility of new incursions on privacy and greater risk for government interference with privacy. Also, it makes it increasingly difficult for anyone to keep secrets.

Much of Standage's argument helped clarify issues that had befuddled me in the past, particularly the Stamp Act and the Alien and Sedition Acts. But I read a lot of American history with some areas becoming holes despite my familiarity with it. Therefore, the fact that the material on the French Revolution served to confuse rather than clarify my knowledge of that area made me wonder whether a reader less informed about American history would have the same problem of not finding the clarity they desired. Nevertheless, Standage's account of social media in a larger context sheds important light on the communication process and people's desire to be in touch with each other.

Tom Standage
 
Tom Standage is digital editor at The Economist, overseeing the magazine's website, Economist.com, and its smartphone, tablet and e-reader editions. Before that he was business affairs editor, running the back half of the magazine, and he previously served as business editor, technology editor and science correspondent. Tom is also the author of five history books, including "An Edible History of Humanity" (2009), "A History of the World in Six Glasses" (2005), a New York Times bestseller, and "The Victorian Internet" (1998), described by the Wall Street Journal as a "dot-com cult classic". He writes the video-game column for Intelligent Life, The Economist's lifestyle magazine, is a regular commentator on BBC radio, and has written for other publications including the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, the New York Times and Wired. He holds a degree in engineering and computer science from Oxford University, and is the least musical member of a musical family. He is married and lives in London with his wife and children.

Writing on the Wall: The First 2,000 Years by Tom Standage (Bloomsbury USA, 2013, 288 pages, $26.00) tells the story of social media through the lens of the spread of communication throughout human history. It has been described as a pre-history of Internet social media.  The book relates a lively and interesting story through eyes looking both backward and forward, rather than concentrating on the technology of now. The book is filled with surprising insights presented with wit and grace. I received the book as an electronic galley from publisher through Edelweiss Beyond the Treeline. I read it on a Kindle.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Adkins - Loudermilk Announce New Members


David Adkins, formerly lead singer of David Adkins & Republik Steel and Edgar Loudermilk, after seven years playing bass and singing both bass and tenor with Russel Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, are teaming up to form a band called Adkins & Loudermilk.  Bringing youth, enthusiasm, expertise, and experience together with quality singing and instrumental work, the advent of this new band has been greeted with wholesale enthusiasm by the bluegrass community. Today, they announce the two new members of their band: Glen Crain on Dobro and Andrew Crawford on Guitar.

Glen Crain

 Glen Crain has been around music all his life. He started playing drums as a small child, and as a teenager learned to play bass. Then at the age of 25, he started learning DOBRO and lap steel.
Glen played with numerous bands over the years and enjoys all types of music. But, his passion is bluegrass. He spent ten years with a Greenville, SC based bluegrass band, The New Dixie Storm, which won the band contest at RenoFest in 2006. Playing with Adkins and Loudermilk "… is like getting together with old friends and playing music. These guys are fun. I’ve always loved family harmony, and they sing together like family, a refreshing new/old sound.” When Glen is not playing music, he enjoys his family and friends, and his home in Clearmont, Westminster, SC. Glen and his wife Lynn enjoy traveling on their Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic and seeing the South.

Andrew Crawford
  
 Twenty-eight year old Andrew Crawford was born and raised in upstate South Carolina and lives in close proximity to Edgar Loudermilk. He started playing guitar at age 14 and met Aaron Ramsey (Mountain Heart) when he was 16. The two quickly became best friends and are like brothers 'til this day. Aaron introduced Andrew to Randy Kohrs whose band he soon joined and performed with from 2005-2009. Andrew can be heard on Kohrs’ albums “Old Photograph” and “Quicksand” playing rhythm and lead guitar. He was also part of the band’s performance on the Rachael Ray Show and the music video for "Who's Going With Me" which made it to number #1 on the CMT Pure 12-Pack Countdown.

In 2009, Andrew left the Kohrs band to focus more on his teaching and recording business. He currently teaches around 50 guitar, mandolin, and bass lessons a week. He has recently been playing electric and acoustic guitar performing and opening for artists such as .38 Special, John Mayer, Eddy Money, and more. Jim Hurst has also been a major influence on Crawford, who has striven for and is known for his instrumental versatility, although  bluegrass music and guitar is where his passion remains.I am very excited about the future of Adkins & Loudermilk,” says Andrew.

Announcements of a banjo and mandolin player will be announced soon for this projected six piece band.
 Edgar Loudermilk

Adkins and Loudermilk seem destined to have come together to form a duo. After seven years with IIIrd Tyme Out, and stints with Rhonda Vincent and Marty Raybon, Edgar joined IIIrd Tyme Out as bass player and harmony singer, as well as singing bass on gospel quartets. His vocal versatility and instrumental strength anchored the fabled band for seven years, providing solid support for the superb Russell Moore. These jobs strengthened his performance skills, but gave no outlet to his ability as a songwriter. After releasing two solo CD's (2011's "The Road Travelled" and the just released "My Big Chance Tomorrow") Loudermilk is ready step out and show his own musical chops. 

Edgar Loudermilk
 
David Adkins

Fans are blown away by the powerful and impressive vocals of singer and rhythm guitarist Dave Adkins. He lives in Elkhorn City, Kentucky and began playing and singing when he was just eight years old. Dave spent two years playing Bluegrass at Dollywood when he was seventeen. His musical background includes both country and rock and spans over twelve years. In 2010 he returned to the genre that was his first love, Bluegrass. Dave received a 2013 SPBGMA nomination as Male Vocalist of the Year in the Contemporary category. With a showcase at IBMA and an appearance at Musicians Against Childhood Cancer, and a couple of seasons touring with Republik Steel, Adkins has shown the strength of his versatile, bluesy voice and high energy performance. Combining with Edgar Loudermilk promises bluegrass informed acoustic music with a contemporary vibe that will stand out in a crowded field. Adkins solo CD "Nothin' to Lose" will be released on Mountain Fever Records in early 2014 with Loudermilk co-produced on Mountain Fever Records.

David Adkins

Adkins & Loudermilk are currently booking shows for 2014, with twenty-three currently listed on their web site, and, according to Edgar, at least thirty more in current planning stages. Both men express enormous excitement at their coming together at this time. Edgar says, “We’ve been writing for the last 7 or 8 months together, after knowing each other for while. We were both fans of each others' music. We just started writing and while it wasn’t something that was premeditated, it just unfolded due to the chemistry we had. It all just happened kind of organically and on its own after getting together to write."

Adkins & Loudermilk - Video Announcement
 

Keep an eye here for the announcement of the other two members of this new group, which will feature original songs by both men as well as new material selected from other contemporary bluegrass song writers. 

Monday, November 25, 2013

Gibson Brothers in the North Country


Eric & Leigh Gibson

The weekend didn't have a very auspicious start. On Thursday we decided our longtime companion cat Smokey should no longer be asked to bear the cancer that was eating him up. It's always a sad time to take such personal responsibility for a creature that can't do so himself, and we were both sad. On Friday afternoon we headed north to Rochester, NH to attend the first concert of the three day tour following our friends the Gibson Brothers as they performed on three successive nights at three very different venues in what those of us who live here call "The North Country," which includes northern New England and Upstate New York.  For the uninitiated, upstate does not mean anything north of New York City. It refers specifically to the region between Albany New York and the Canadian border, including the vast wilderness of the Adirondack Mountains. We drove north from our home in southwestern New Hampshire, stopping for gas north of the state capital in Concord. I reached for my wallet and found...nothing. We turned around and drove the sixty miles home and back, and then further north to Rochester, NH where we had never been, checked into the Bates Motel, and headed off to find The Rochester Opera House, a beautifully restored building first opened in 1908, featuring a gorgeous horseshoe balcony and a moveable floor creating raked seating, wonderful site lines, and superb acoustics. The Gibson Brothers concert was a benefit promoted by David & Maureen Staples for the Goodwin Community Health Center.

Rochester (NH) Opera House

Some of the Usual Suspects
Maureen Flynn Staples - Co-Promoter


Brenda Mathews

Chuck Carter


In the Green Room
Leigh Gibson

Eric Gibson

Emcee Katy Daley - WAMU's Bluegrass Country

Much of what makes a Gibson Brothers performance a special experience for audiences is the combination of their great original songs, stunning brother harmonies, and delightfully unaffected, humorous patter between songs. When they appear before new audiences, I sometimes fear the audience will be put off by their banter, but it seems they never cross the line into appearing nasty, and always grab and hold a new audience by the second or third song. It's a truly wonderful process to watch and be a part of.

Katy Daley - Emcee

 Leigh Gibson

Eric Gibson

Clayton Campbell

 Mike Barber

Jesse Brock

Fellow Photographer Jennie Scott



 David Staples - Co-Promoter

A goal of this blog entry is to try to capture effectively the qualities making the Gibson Brothers the Gibson Brothers. The three videos I've chosen to post here each capture longer moments in these three appearances, including the patter between songs as well as the songs themselves. It is designed to showcase what makes a band both IBMA Vocal Group of the Year this year and Entertainer of the Year for 2012 and 2013. While they are longer than my standard song video, they're worth listening to straight through if you're interested in seeing what makes this outstanding group unique.

The Gibson Brothers in Concert - Rochester, NH - Video ;  

 On Saturday morning we drove across New Hampshire and Vermont to Grand Island north of Burlington, where we boarded the Lake Champlain Ferry for the brief crossing into New York at Plattsburgh. 


The Gibson Brothers are both graduates of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. Once the home of Plattsburgh Air Force Base, closed eighteen years ago, the City of Plattsburgh has recovered, at least partly because of the growth of the University there and as a regional shopping and business center close to the Canadian border. This concert was held to benefit the Bluegrass for the Next Generation Project centered at SUNY Plattsburgh and focused on encouraging young people to become involved in acoustic music throughout northern New York and especially the Adirondack Region. While bluegrass music is often seen as a regional music generated and centered in the south, The Gibson Brothers, who grew up on a dairy farm about thirty miles west of Plattsburgh and two miles south of the Canadian Border have dedicated a considerable portion of their effort to demonstrating the more universal appeal of this music.

 SUNY Plattsburgh - Plattsburgh, NY
Hawkins Hall

 E. Glenn Glitz Auditorium

In the Green Room - A Quiet Time
Emcee - Julie Hogan

Jesse Brock

Leigh Gibson

The 789 seat E. Glenn Glitz auditorium in Hawkins Hall is a wonderful venue for bluegrass. Featuring a light, airy space, wonderful acoustics, and comfortable seating, it was a perfect venue for a Saturday night concert, which drew Gibson friends and neighbors, fans from as far away as Albany and beyond, and many students for a near sellout.

The Gibson Brothers

 Eric Gibson

 Leigh Gibson


Jesse Brock

Clayton Campbell

Mike Barber

Eric Gibson

Mike Barber

Reaching for that High Note - Clayton Campbell

The Gibson Brothers in Concert at SUNY Plattsburgh - Video

 The Loyal Front Row



At the Merch Table

The Gibson Brothers at Lillian's Restaurant - Saratoga Springs, NY

After a lingering breakfast with Katy Daley and Maureen Staples at Perkins Pancake House in Plattsburgh, we headed south through the Adirondacks, with a brief stop for lunch with our friend Connie Hickey, a run through Keene Valley, and down the Northway (I-87) to the storied gilded age resort of Saratoga Springs, NY, just outside the Adirondack Park. After checking into another Bates Motel in Albany, we returned to Saratoga, in a light rain and very heavy traffic, for the third show in this Gibson Brothers marathon.

Warm Up & Sound Check

Mike Barber

Mike Barber

Eric Gibson

Eric & Leigh Gibson

Lillian's Restaurant is named after nineteenth century singer/actress Lillian Russell, an icon of the gilded age. The room above the restaurant is named for Diamond Jim Brady who was a fabled gambler and horse player around Saratoga during its heyday. The Gibsons have played here regularly since early in their career, and Leigh worked for many years at Saratoga Guitar, owned by the show's  promoter Matt McCabe. The room is warm and dimly lit, both contributing to the intimate atmosphere of this show, just perfect for a Sunday evening performance. Again, many of the Gibson Brothers' oldest friends were there as well as several repeats from the previous night's show.  

Lillian's Dining Room



The Diamond Jim Brady Room

Leigh Gibson

Eric & Leigh Gibson

Eric Gibson


The Gibson Brothers

The Gibson Brothers in Concert - Saratoga Springs - Video
;  

It was an exhausting and worthwhile weekend. Sound in all three venues was superb. Lighting in Plattsburgh was among the best we've seen anywhere. We spent the weekend among friends hearing the best music there is played by the band chosen by their professional peers as the best around for the past two years. Who could ask for anything more? Callie, our new cat came into our lives on Wednesday afternoon. Guess why we chose her?