All Apologies

I goofed. Big Time.

One of the more difficult aspects of my job is sifting through the unending stream of requests for coverage that I'm inundated with on a daily basis. Figuring out who's who, where they're from and if they're relevant to Vermont is a constant challenge and, inevitably, this kind of stuff happens. Here's the story.

Evan Goodrow did everything right. Pay attention, kiddies, because this is how it's done.

Goodrow started with an introductory e-mail from his booking dude, informing me that his album was en route and asked for coverage. Then, said booking dude sent a follow up e-mail to make sure I received the package — always key, I can't stress that enough. After that, Evan phoned me himself, from the road, to talk about the album and secure a slot in the paper for his show at RiRa this Saturday night. It's the holy trinity of effective band marketing, and I totally fucked it up.

To be honest, Goodrow's music ain't my bag, personally — though the RiRa crowd will eat his R&B battered blues-rock for dinner and wash it down with car bombs. Then again, I'm also not a huge Grace Potter & The Nocturnals fan and they ended up on the cover this week. Go figure.

The point is that I try and keep the coverage as broad as possible and will often pull things from the paper that I feel too closely related to/biased towards. However, I'll always give preference to bands that make the effort to make my job easier and reach out — which Goodrow more than did. That's just the way the music world turns, folks. Always has, always will.

So Evan, I sincerely apologize and wish you the best of luck this weekend. And the rest of you, follow Evan's example. Even if I screw it up, it almost certainly guarantees you some bloggerly love.

Comments

[casey]

It really is a lot harder than some folks realize to keep all of those plates in the air. At least nobody's life is on the line in this line of work. I hope...

[Mickey Hawaii]

You are NOT a Grace Potter fan??!!! That makes that drivel you wrote for the front cover story even worse. I read it over lunch, and I had a hard time keeping the tuna down. You were so sychophantic on the fame and glamor front, it was truly pathetic.

All ANYONE cares about Grace Potter is whether the rumor on the street is true that she is going to ditch her bandmates and completely sell her 'glamorous ass' to the corporate pimps? And you did not come close to asking her.... Instead you sat there scribbling drivel notes and watching her hump a little muppet puppet with a traffic cone.

Casey, oh Casey, where have you gone? Our town turns its lonely eyes to you.....coo coo kichoo...

[dan]

I'm not a fan of half the stuff I write about. Being a fan is not my job, neither is spinning the rumor mill or writing gossip columns.

If you really care about whether or not Grace Potter is going to ditch her band, do me a favor and read a tabloid.

By the way, you're mixing song references. Coo Coo Kichoo is The Beatles, but you originally paraphrased Simon & Garfunkel, which makes the drivel you wrote prior even worse.

Why is it that when people have snarky shit to say, they never use their real names? Now that's pathetic.

[casey]

Not to nitpick, but Simon & Garfunkel also sing "Coo-coo-kichoo" in "Mrs. Robinson."

But I agree that shit should not be served anonymously.

PS: I wrote about tons of stuff I didn't particularly care for. It's part of the gig.

[dan]

Oh yeah, I guess they do. Whoops!

[David]

I have to agree with the anonymous Mickey Hawaii - your cover article was totally sycophantic. Sorry, but I have my opinion and I'm entitled to it and to post it here.

As for your comment about reading a tabloid, it seems like that guy's question would've been pertinent and legitimate. Besides, and correct me if I'm wrong, "tabloid" technically refers to the size of the newspaper, not the quality/content. I'm also pretty sure that given that context, Seven Days IS a tabloid.

I tried to keep (most of) the sarcasm out of this message in order to stop the vicious cycle, but honestly that whole exchange seemed uncalled for.

[dan]

David, you're absolutely entitled to your opinion — and of course welcome to post it here. And in a technical sense, you're correct about the definition of a tabloid.

However, the term is also commonly used — and defined — as a descriptor for sensationalist media publications whose bread and butter is promoting and validating rumors such as the one "Mickey" strives to see answered. It's called tabloid journalism and extends beyond print media.

"Sycophantic?" You've got to be kidding me.

[David]

Ok, maybe "sycophantic" is a bit harsh, but at the very least fluffy. But I also recognize that there was an angle to the piece, which was "the date" with Vermont's hottest (in more ways than one) new female artist. I'd imagine there's also a difficult balance with "hometown pride" and journalism. More to the point, though, you were in a position to ask about supposed rumors and get an answer either with a closed ended question like, "Is there any truth to the rumor..." or an open-ended one, "What do you say about all the rumors..." But, again, I can see - especially after re-reading the piece - that that wasn't really the angle.
Generally, though, those tabloid publications don't have the access to the person they're writing about. You did, and rumors can quickly be confirmed/dispelled by asking a question. I don't know if it can really be a "rumor" once it's been confirmed or denied.
I hope you know I'm really not trying to bust on you, just being stubborn and belaboring a point. I think you do a good job (unlike Mickey Hawaii), even if I don't always agree with what you may write.
But that common use of the word tabloid still irks me. I have another word for it: crap. Or alternately, Fox News.
My last 2 cents: I'm not the biggest Grace Potter fan either. Truth be told - the new single, "Ah Mary," grates on me. I think it's kind of a sophomoric attempt at a political statement, and I personally question why it's been pumped on the radio airwaves so far in advance of the album's release. But then again, I'm just some shmo who's online at 9 on a Friday night.