Addison Comes to Café du Nord

San Francisco is home to some of the most interesting politicians, musicians and artists I have ever seen. I was surprised to find out that these talented folks include the likes of past and present SF Board of Supervisor Presidents Matt Gonzalez, (bassist) & David Chiu, (violinist); Public Defender Jeff Adachi, (guitarist and filmmaker), the Sierra Club's John Rizzo, (guitarist) & Arthur Feinstein, (saxophonist), Port of SF's Rich Berman & Mission activist Eric Quezada, (saxophonists), activist Judy B. Onze, (singer), Fog City Journal's Luke Thomas, (guitarist), OVC's Brent Turner, (guitarist), BMW&L's Mark Mosher, (guitarist) and Beyond Chron's own Paul Hogarth, (pianist), just to name a few. Add Brightline Defence's Joshua Arce, (singer, songwriter, guitarist) and his band "Addison" to this eclectic mix.

During the day, Arce is doing battle as an attorney and activist with PG&E, Cal ISO, and championing the cause of public power and community choice aggregation. By night, he rocks with his quartet "Addison", alongside Luis Baptista, (bass and backup vocals), Yoshi Takebuchi, (lead guitar) and Paolo Asuncion (drums), playing clubs in and around SF and as far away as Liverpool, England. Addison's latest effort is entitled "Lay The Buddha Down". On Friday, February 19, Addison will be celebrating the release of their new EP at Café du Nord. The four-piece band is hot on the heels of being featured on BBC Radio by the legendary DJ Billy Butler, who interviewed the band and played two tracks from their recent "Freeze Out" EP.

It’s quite a story on how a local SF band ended up being featured on BBC Radio with little to no recognition overseas yet. It boils down to the ties that the band has to Soccer (or should we say “football”). Lead singer Arce and bassist Baptista are long time die-hard Liverpool F.C. fans, who recently recorded a cover of “You'll Never Walk Alone," a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Carousel. The song became popular with football clubs and their fans as it was performed by a massed chorus of supporters on matchday, but since the 1960s has become singularly associated as the football anthem of Liverpool F.C.

Addison's cover of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (from the Freeze Out EP) caught the attention of DJ Billy Butler, who was so impressed and intrigued that he interviewed the band about their football stance, SF’s music scene, and had Gerry from Gerry & The Pacemakers on air with them. Gerry & The Pacemakers version Of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is the official one used by the Liverpool F.C. team. Gerry even gushed, “It's better than ours!" Quite a flattering response from a band that’s more than 5,000 miles away. You can check out their entertaining interview here: http://www.addisonband.com/bbcinterview.cfm

The band’s latest EP, Lay The Buddha Down, came out of recording sessions from their as-yet-untitled debut album. Addison has combined the diverse international influences operating within the band. Baptista’s affinity for the feel-good pop sensibilities of Weezer meets the hard rock sound of Japanese band X Japan favored by guitarist Takebuchi. Studio drummer Nicolas Priario’s love of rock trio Soda Stereo, from his native Argentina, complements the anthemic sound of British bands influencing Arce, such as Oasis and Muse. When Arce isn't raising hell at San Francisco City Hall on behalf of low-income communities, you will find him with the other band members playing their alternative rock tunes in local venues such as the Hotel Utah Saloon and Cafe du Nord.

Lay The Buddha Down will be sold at the show, a few days before the official release date and will include a radio edit of the title track, “Shanghai,” “Screws,” and rounding it out with “Vallejo.” Co-headlining alongside ADDISON is The Junior Panthers, another homegrown SF band who plays lush, head-filling indie pop. Also performing is the Hi-Nobles who play 60s mod garage soul returning to the 21st century. Don’t miss a night full of SF’s finest musicians ready to break out.

Like the aforementioned folks at the beginning of my column, Arce and Addison embody the spirit of what makes San Francisco unique. Dedicated activism, sensitivity and fighting for a just cause. It shows in their work and the passion that these people bring to their music, art and poerty. From those of us "too young to die and too old to rock and roll", (to quote Jethro Tull), rock on Addison, rock on.


ADDISON @ CAFÉ DU NORD with Junior Panthers & Hi-Nobles
Record Release Party for “Lay The Buddha Down” EP
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19th
2170 Market Street, San Francisco, CA
$10 / Doors 8:30 pm, Show 9:30 pm / (415) 861-5016
www.addisonband.com

"Soundtrack for a Revolution" Comes to Third Baptist Church

Last Tuesday evening on KPOO fm's "The Community Worker", I had the pleasure of interviewing acclaimed actor and producer Danny Glover and Dan Sturman, director, producer of the Oscar hopeful documentary "Soundtrack for a Revolution". Also joining us for the discussion was Jackie Wright, president of Wright Enterprises on the upcoming screening of the film at Third Baptist Church on Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday this Friday, January 15th. They've also unearthed some new, never seen before footage for this documentary. "Soundtrack for a Revolution" tells the story of the American civil rights movement through its powerful music -the freedom songs protesters sang on picket lines, in mass meetings, in paddy wagons, and in jail cells as they fought for justice and equality.

Directors Sturman and two-time Oscar winner Bill Guttentag (co-directors of 1997's "Nanking"), pair provocative vintage footage with emotional interviews with the men and women who endured the threats, the dogs, the night sticks, and the fire hoses, among them Georgia congressman John Lewis, Harry Belafonte, Coretta Scott King, Andrew Young, Julian Bond and many more. But ultimately the filmmakers want the music to do the talking, so they've also gathered Richie Havens, Wyclef Jean, Joss Stone, John Legend, TV on the Radio, the Roots, the Blind Boys of Alabama, and others to let loose on modern renditions of those timeless songs.

The freedom songs evolved from slave chants, from the labor movement, and especially from the black church. The music enabled blacks to sing words they could not say, and it was crucial in helping the protesters as they faced down brutal aggression with dignity and non-violence. The infectious energy of the songs swept people up and empowered them to fight for their rights. "Soundtrack for a Revolution" is also among the 15 documentary films being considered for a nomination. On February 2nd. the five films that make it to the nomination level will be announced and Oscars will be presented March 7, 2010.

In one scene, described in a recent press release, "a young black man sits politely at the "whites only" counter in a diner as white men berate him, throw food at him, and eventually beat him. But when he hits the floor, another man takes his place at the counter. Watching this ghastly footage, captured during the bitter days of segregation, it seems impossible to imagine anyone willing to endure such senseless brutality. But pair images like this with soul-stirring folk songs like "I'm Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table," "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize," and "We Shall Overcome," and suddenly anything seems possible. "Soundtrack for a Revolution" tells the story of the American civil rights movement through the music that fortified protestors as they struggled for equality..."

The screening is also a fundraiser for the NAACP, which is being held on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s actual birthday, January 15th at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco. Danny Glover will also will be on hand before the screening which will also have a special VIP reception in his honor.

"Soundtrack for A Revolution Oscar Nomination Hopeful Celebration"
VIP Reception with Danny Glover catered by FAZ Restaurants 6:00 p.m. January 15, 2010

(VIP Ticket includes Preferred Screening Seating)
Film Screening at 7 p.m.

Q&A with Danny Glover, filmakers Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman moderated by San Francisco Filmmaker Jacquie Taliaferro follows screening. You can purchase tickets online at fla.vor.us/groovetickets for "Soundtrack for a Revolution" or call 1-877-714-7668

A special appeal will be made for the survivors of the Haitian Earthquake. The audience will be requested to write checks to Hollywood Unites for Haiti www.hufh.org, a foundation founded by Jimmy Jean-Louis "The Haitian" on NBC's "Heroes" and to the American Red Cross.

SoundExchange: Tracking Down Artists for Royalties

In July of 2005, I wrote about Neeta Ragoowansi, a fabulous singer, musician, and a former entertainment attorney for the Kennedy Center. Neeta continues to use her powers for good, working as the Membership Director of SoundExchange, a nonprofit agency based in Washington, D.C. and authorized by the U.S. Copyright Office to collect royalties from digital broadcasters and pay them directly to performing artists. Founded in 2000 and initially part of the Recording Industry Association of America, SoundExchange made its first payments in 2001 and, after a slow beginning, has begun to double its annual collections. Recently, SoundExchange had come under fire for not doing enough to find those musicians, and see to it they get what they derserve. Those detractors couldn't be more wrong, as the Bakersfield Californian's Robert Price found out. Sound Exchange continues to find artists and their families, and for those that can't be found, their royalties reside in a general fund, to support their fellow deserving artists. In Price's December column, he detailed just how difficult it can be for Sound Exchange to find these artists, and how rewarding it can be when they do.

In a recent blogs, SoundExchange was taken to task for not doing enough to get royalties for artists like, T. Bone Burnett, Ton-Loc, Flock of Seagulls. As Neeta explained to me in a phone conversation last week, "That at the time of their release, any unclaimed funds would go towards SoundExchange's operating costs, thereby lowering the administrative fee charged. This would, then, in turn result in a larger payment being made to the featured artists and sound recording copyright owners who are paid by SoundExchange. There have been some artists who, upon hearing this explanation, chose not to claim their funds and opted instead to have their payments in essence redistributed among other featured artist and sound recording copyright owner payees in this manner." A noble way of giving back in the music world if ever there was one.

Last December, Price wrote: "Before 1995, U.S. recording artists weren't entitled to airplay royalties of any sort. The Digital Performance in Sound Recordings Act of 1995 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 changed that -- at least for Internet and satellite radio.

The nonprofit organization SoundExchange, authorized by the U.S. Copyright Office to collect and distribute royaltiesassociated with those specific media, started with a royalty pool of $5.2 million. About 90 percent of that money has been distributed to thousands of artists worldwide. Of the 9,000 performers identified as eligible in September, the group has located about 2,000. The rest are owed $500,000.

"This is just in its infancy and it's expanding every year," said Holland, a former reporter for the music industry weekly Billboard who does contract detective work for SoundExchange. Finding beneficiaries can be tough, though. Take Cooley, the legendary World War II-era Western Swing bandleader and '50s television host who murdered his wife at their Mojave ranch in April 1961.

Cooley suffered a fatal heart attack in 1969 while on a furlough from prison -- three months before he was to have been paroled. He left behind a catalogue of up-tempo hits and three children -- Melody, born in 1946; Donnell Jr., born in 1948; and John, a son from his first marriage, born about 1935.

The star witness against Cooley was his 14-year-old daughter Melody, who witnessed her mother's fatal beating. "She would be about 60 today," said John Simson, executive director of SoundExchange. "We'd like to talk to her." He'd like to talk to her brothers too.

Before Simson gives up, he might want to ask actor Dennis Quaid, who's planning to tell the Spade Cooley story one day with a film called "Shame on You," after Cooley's biggest hit. Quaid purchased rights to the stories of Cooley's children. Simson counts on people like Holland to do most of the legwork.

"Best job I've ever had," Holland said. "So many of these so-called heritage artists are just off the radar. They're people who still get airplay on super-hip satellite stations but not so much anywhere else. And most of the time they have no idea they're owed any money." He remembers fondly the day he tracked down the widow of Ernie K-Doe, a New Orleans R&B singer who recorded the Allen Toussaint song "Mother-in-Law."

"I've got a couple thousand dollars for your late husband," Holland told Antoinette Fox, who'd been yelling at a delivery man in the kitchen of the Mother-in-Law Lounge when he called. "Child, you just put the Thanksgiving turkey on the table," she replied. Word of mouth is Holland's best tool. It has worked elsewhere -- most recently in Shreveport, La., another country music hotbed.

It might start here with Red Simpson, who is best known for his country songwriting prowess but also had moderate success as a recording artist during the late-'60s/early-'70s heyday of the truck-drivin' genre -- none better than 1971's "(Hello) I'm a Truck." "The guy told me they've got eight-hundred-and-something (dollars) for me," Simpson said. "What a great deal. 'Course my wife will probably get it."

The efforts of Holland, Ragoowansi, Simson and others on behalf of these performers continues, and in this ever growing electronic age of mp3 downloads, webcasts, streaming audio, the murky history of the recording industry and the struggling independent labels, SoundExchange continues to be a welcome ally to performers and artists all over the world. You can visit SoundExchange at http://www.soundexchange.com. You never know, they just may have some royalties for you.