A&R Legend John Kalodner Talks Aerosmith and Why Rock Won't Reach the Masses Again

Legendary A&R man John Kalodner, center, and a few friends. Courtesy John Kalodner

A Whitesnake medallion is the only memento John Kalodner kept from his remarkable A&R career.  He keeps it in front of the desk and computer in his airy Hollywood Hills home, commemorating Whitesnake’s self-titled 1987 album, which featured the band’s epic pop-metal hits “Here I Go Again” and “Still of the Night.” It sold more than 8 million copies. Kalodner did A&R for it, which means he helped develop the band's sound and vision, as he also did for the post-rehab Aerosmith LPs that sold a bazillion copies during the 1980s and '90s. At one time or another, Kalodner also played a major role in the careers of AC/DC, Phil Collins, Cher, Bon Jovi, Peter Gabriel and even Jimmy Page. 

During his own 30-plus year career in the music business, which began in Atlantic Records' publicity department in 1974, Kalodner was awarded a literal pile of platinum and gold records. But he parted ways with those awards. “You know, I have memories of all of them, I have pictures of all of them, and they might do good for somebody so I found a collector in Arizona, and he was willing to pay me, like, six figures,” Kalodner says. He donated funds raised from selling his memorabilia to the City of Hope cancer and research center, he says.

Altco Music Teams Up With Tonya Watts, The God Damn Gallows and Shelli Coe

Tonya Watts and Stevie Tombstone, team up for a new single

Altco Recordings is proud to welcome Tonya Watts to our ranks as she teams up with Stevie Tombstone to work on a new single,video and perhaps more. The Americana songstress is also well known as Playboy cover model and actress besides being a quickly rising star on the Alternative Country scene. Tombstone has been working to produce a series of singles for Altco showcasing new and seasoned talent that have his fingerprint and trademark on "legitimate tunes that don't bend to corporate ears". "Tonya has a one of a kind voice, point of view and her lyrics are about as honest as you can get"

Whole Foods Is Now Selling Vinyl Records?

Does it come as a shock to you that a grocery store chain would start to sell a selection of vinyl records? In all honesty, it is not surprising at all. As the small record stores die a painful death and more music is streamed online, fans are still listening to just as much music, but just digesting it another way. 

Starbucks has been hip to this trend for many a year and had varying experiments with music in their stores. Vinyl is great for Whole Foods, as it carves out an experience being such a methodical process and in a way relates to preparing a meal. Does this sound like a first world problem, why yes indeed. The other comparison it feels akin to is choosing a wine based upon a meal. 

Do I think they will carry any bands on Rusty Knuckles Music? Well, that will be decided in the future, but if they would enjoy stocking some of their shelves with our vinyl, I sure as hell won't say no. 

Pass me a Coors Light and the paté hombre, time to put on some Antiseen vinyl.

Link to the article on the LA Weekly

Whole foods is now selling vinyl records?

""Pile on that kale salad," sings Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes from the Whole Foods parking lot. The ad-libbed riff on his song "It's A Little Bit of Everything" draws a mannered whoop from the weekend afternoon crowd, who have come to politely welcome Whole Foods into the music curation business.

Indeed, over the weekend the grocery store chain debuted vinyl-heavy music dispensaries in five of its 340 stores, including this one in West Hollywood. The event is swarmed. Valets scurry to park cars while those in attendance slurp oysters and crunch gluten-free pita chips. Two Mercedes get into a honking match and the sound-guy shouts: "Shit just got real in the Whole Foods parking lot." Soon, many in attendance go inside and dutifully buy Arcade Fire records. Such is the state of the industry in 2013, where folks are increasingly less likely to buy music at an actual music store.

Whole Foods has good reason to get into the music game: Starbucks, of course, has been selling music for white people and those who love them for years. And concerning vinyl, 2012 saw a 19% upswing in wax sales, a trend that has been consistent for the last half decade. Urban Outfitters, a master of disseminating and commodifying alternative culture, has had success with vinyl as well. 

Still, Whole Foods knows that even if they corner a significant portion of the market, the revenue would be relatively paltry. (Their sales, after all, were $11.7 billion last year.)

So why bother? One suspects suspect the real motivation behind this move is to further cultivate a sophisticated bohemian image. They are in the "culture business" -- if Urban Outfitters is the Best Coast of retail music crossovers, Whole Foods wants to be the Mumford and Sons. The hipsters are going to mature into middle age and some of them are going to find high paying jobs. It's telling that the first five Whole Foods locations to sell music -- West Hollywood, Fairfax, Arroyo, Santa Barbara, and Venice -- all have one foot on either side of the hip/affluent line. Be cool; spend money. 

And let's not forget the baby boomers, who may not represent the future but definitely have the money now. Why else would Whole Foods be selling Eric Clapton? 

Beyond that, their selection is an, um, mixed bag. They've got about 150 different records available, including those from Daft Punk, CCR, Paramore, Bob Marley, Tegan and Sara, and handful of Pitchfork's best new music picks. Hip hop is notably underrepresented, as is any kind of metal. (Surprise!) Jason Isbell hiding out among the hordes of indie rock. 

Our assessment?
 As curators, at least in this fledgling stage, they're doing a better job than Starbucks, which really has the no-taste-with-disposable-income crowd on lock. But, obviously, they're not in the discussion as places like Vacation Vinyl, Origami Vinyl, or Permanent Records. 

No one will confuse Whole Foods with a destination for music buffs, or even those with a more than a casual interest in music. This is music to be paired with wine, to play in the background while you discuss the pros and cons of gentrification. It's white bread, although perhaps artisanal white bread.

The effort isn't a complete wash, though. They say they're committed to stocking shelves and live lineups with local talent. David Lynch is scheduled to appear at the parking lot in West Hollywood on Saturday. (Hey, he's local, right?) And they devote a surprising amount of real estate to the record shop; it has its own separate building, which is kinda cool.

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the project is their partnership with LSTN Headphones. The L.A.-based company works to help restore hearing to those who have lost it, and sales from the headphones go toward the project. This week founders Bridget Hilton and Joe Huff are traveling to Peru with the Starkey Foundation, where they hope to restore hearing to 10,000 people. 

Our idealist Wendell Berry-toting college dorm room specter wants to scream that big companies should keep their hands off our precious records. But perhaps that's not the best way to look at it. Slinging vinyl these days? That's a noble pursuit in and of itself."

Could The Gathering Of The Juggalos Be The Bastard Child Of Burning Man?

Could the Gathering Of The Juggalos be the bastard child of Burning Man? Well, from what we have seen in the photos and videos, it might be a fair assumption. Both speak on peace and love, but the creativity documented at the Gathering of the Juggalos is far less involved, than what is witnessed at Burning Man. This could be due to the overall vibe of each event where Burning Man is all about self expression through costumes, machinery and innovation out in the desert of Nevada. We have to give a fair shake to the the Juggalos though as its more of a music fest that prides itself on self expression. Have a look at some of the photos we found from the event on VillageVoice.com

Why not tune into some Hellbound Glory and wave a flag for all those bastard children world wide

Jason only comes back to life for ICP shows and is selling what you need

Hand signals and mixed drinks

The hottest Jugglette ever caught on camera

The lady in the all the hype videos for The Gathering, what up Ninjas

Where was this piece of spaghetti at, we could have used his powers during the Rock N' Rassle Apocalypse

Unicorns humping dolphins, world peace will finally be found and only at an ICP show

Rainbows and hand signals, what up ninja!

Insane Clown Posse, in the flesh

Clown war paint abounds

Two men on roller skates flanked by dudes in riot gear, true chaos

Insane hair posse or modern day Medusa?

Tiki Clown Drinks

Yes, we know you want us to be jealous that we weren't there

Any wonder why the FBI is after the ICP and the Juggalos, hand signals fellas, keep it low key, why don't ya

Rockabilly bandana style mixed with clown makeup, the new cross over, ClownAbilly