Bob Hutton wrote:

>Listen y'all, I don't think Kerry was trying to noise everyone up 
with his comments - he's as entitled to his views as the next man<

I truly am not trying to rile anyone up, or put down anyone's 
musical ability, or mock someone's business decisions, or come 
across as self-righteous or musically superior (as if there is such 
a thing) -- if some folks have read that into my responses, then so 
be it. If anything, the sheer number of posts exchanged in the last 
few days has proven one thing: we are all very passionate about the 
music. Amen!

I just want to clear up one misconception that has arisen out of all 
this: I love pop music. Always have, always will. What I don't love 
is predictability in pop (or any) music; considering the limitations 
of the genre, it's very difficult to tinker with the formula, but it 
can be done, successfully (see Todd Rundgren). It just doesn't 
happen often enough, in my opinion. So, I can understand that my 
coming on a pop-related list like Audities and complaining about not 
finding enough originality in pop songwriting might ruffle some 
feathers. Again, so be it, it's only one man's meaningless opinion.

If asking for a little risk-taking -- a little stretching of the 
boundaries of the pop artform -- equates to me being an elitist, 
then, yes, by all means, I am an elitist. I don't feel a need to 
apologize for my tastes.

To Splitsville Rob: I love the band (Splitsville, that is). They are 
an example of songwriters who have taken the pop formula and put 
their own undeniable stamp on it. I can "feel" their influences 
without outright nailing them to a specific artist. They have, in my 
opinion, successfully incorporated their influences into something 
that is utterly their own. Apparently, if I hold every other band to 
that same standard, I'm considered an elitist. LOL.

And, yes, I would KILL to sing like Matt or Brandt; Paul K. is a 
monster musician (and songwriter too) -- they all are in their own 
realm. They've rehearsed at my old place, I've hung with the guys, 
shared a stage with them, given Matt a handful of demos (at his 
urging) and gotten positive feedback. I love those guys and, 
frankly, miss 'em to death. I played "Repeater" on a fishing trip 
last month and loved it -- again. Something about those guys just 
connects with me, even if they're not writing progressive rock epics 
("Pet Soul" notwithstanding).

Speaking of fishing, there are one or two streams in Big Sur that 
are literally calling my name; with that, I'm off for a week of R&R 
(thank you, day job), so please don't anyone think I'm dropping out 
of this discussion just because Stewart Mason told me to eat him.

kErrY
www.myspace.com/kompost