AT Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:11:20 Sam wrote:

>The truth is that all musicians seem to have all these other musicians
>whose work they love, but whose influence you'd never be able to detect
>from listening, no matter how good your ears are.
>
>So I guess I wonder - there being a good number of musicians here, and
>plenty more informed listeners - is there a standard that says if I can't
>hear it, it's not really an influence? Or can influences be more or less
>invisible to the listener of the finished product?

I am the first to admit what I've lifted in any particular song...and can 
even name what sound/lick/arrangement/lyrical couplet was stolen from where. 
Hardly original, I know...but I where my influences on my sleeve...when I 
chose to.

Sometimes "influence" isn't necessarily the music....but sometimes, image, 
visibility, marketability and such is more what a musician takes away from 
their idols at the end of the day.
KISS was a huge influence on me....and only ONE song in 25 years of 
recording has come close to being obvious on anything I've done.

Similarly, The Cars were also a big influence...but this was only EVER 
brought to the surface because I decided to write a song as a deliberate 
homage to The Cars ("You've Done It This Time" on the last IPO disc). Oddly, 
one recent reviewer said the song was a knock off of Max Webster (!?!).

People have also reviewed my records and said that they hear Klaatu. I think 
that's wishful thinking by people extrapolating my allegiance to the band as 
their business manager...not as their pupil.
To date I haven't used a single Klaatu influenced trick in my songs (though 
I did do a cover of "Sub-Rosa Subway" on a dare). As I said, I would admit 
publicly if this were true....sooooo my NEXT album does just this....cause I 
had never tried to sound like them and thought it would be fun to try.

I think the bottom line here is that what an artist projects on record might 
be an amalgam of any or all of their influences. Some Audities type binds 
where that badge with honor...some, like Let's Active, do not.

I mean....until Garth Brooks flew around stadiums on piano wire and did 
interviews saying he was a huge KISS fan followed by a cover of "Hard Luck 
Woman" would anyone have really known?

Jaimie Vernon,
Bullseye Records
Conway Twitty Free for three posts now.

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From January 26 to February 8, 2007