Author: Scott Westerman
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Hooks and Hashtags – Highlights from the 3/5 Rock and Roll Revisited
The holy grail for every artist is to create a musical “hook” that bores into the audience’s mind like an ear worm. Think about Paul Anka’s “Diana”, the opening bars of “Day Tripper” or the grating chorus of Rick Dee’s novelty record, “Disco Duck”. They stick with you like the memory of your first kiss,…
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Turn the Prism – Highlights from the 3/4 Rock and Roll Revisited
Judy Collins once wrote that where music is concerned, there are no new ideas, just people who make them more compelling than the original. Last Thursday’s “Much More Music” section shared three examples of covers, two of which out performed the first version. In every endeavor, there are those who take the seed planted by…
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Turn the Prism – Highlights from the 3/4 Rock and Roll Revisited
Judy Collins once wrote that where music is concerned, there are no new ideas, just people who make them more compelling than the original. Last Thursday’s “Much More Music” section shared three examples of covers, two of which out performed the first version. In every endeavor, there are those who take the seed planted by…
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DJs: The Original “Tweeters” – Highlights from the 2/27 Rock and Roll Revisited
We’re initiating a new feature this week: Aircheck Wednesday, where we spotlight Top 40 Radio between 1963 and 1980. Part of a DJ’s resume back in the day was a five minute slice of his or her work on the air, with the music and commercials truncated so you could get a sense for personality…
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DJs: The Original “Tweeters” – Highlights from the 2/27 Rock and Roll Revisited
We’re initiating a new feature this week: Aircheck Wednesday, where we spotlight Top 40 Radio between 1963 and 1980. Part of a DJ’s resume back in the day was a five minute slice of his or her work on the air, with the music and commercials truncated so you could get a sense for personality…
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The Value Proposition – Highlights of the 2/20 Rock and Roll Revisited
Up Front:The Value Proposition – A former coach at my alma mater shared some wisdom I’ve been thinking about lately. “You’re only valuable as long as you are adding value.” In athletics the bottom line is winning. In whatever game we play, the customer holds the scorecard. They come with the expectation that they will leave in…
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The Value Proposition – Highlights of the 2/20 Rock and Roll Revisited
Up Front:The Value Proposition – A former coach at my alma mater shared some wisdom I’ve been thinking about lately. “You’re only valuable as long as you are adding value.” In athletics the bottom line is winning. In whatever game we play, the customer holds the scorecard. They come with the expectation that they will leave in…
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Using a Relay to trigger a SmartThings alert
Our dryer has an annoying buzzer that frightens anyone who isn’t used to its piercing report. One of the first things I did when we moved in was to disconnect it. But there was a downside. The sound was a not so gentle reminder that the load was dry. Using some of the electronics knowledge…
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When Car Stereo Shops Ruled
Earl “Madman” Muntz made the front page of the May 27th, 1967 edition of Billboard Magazine, which reported the grand opening of his Detroit tape cartridge retail store at 15268 Gratiot Avenue. The former Kaiser-Frazer used car salesman was a marketing visionary, creating innovative products and selling them with crazy costumes and outrageous sales pitches. Muntz invented the…
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When Car Stereo Shops Ruled
Earl “Madman” Muntz made the front page of the May 27th, 1967 edition of Billboard Magazine, which reported the grand opening of his Detroit tape cartridge retail store at 15268 Gratiot Avenue. The former Kaiser-Frazer used car salesman was a marketing visionary, creating innovative products and selling them with crazy costumes and outrageous sales pitches. Muntz invented the…