Dad's a dolt and Everything Music Writing

Hey everyone and/or no one!

Here's my semi-new blog on parenthood, adulthood and the wrestling match between the two.

Dad is a dolt - http://dadsadolt.blogspot.com/

Here's my new portfolio of music reviews, interviews and articles for Discosalt, Examiner, etc. - http://everythingmusicwriting.tumblr.com/

- Casey

Total Conversion Through Advertising: An Examination (Pt. 1)

At the risk of sounding like an industry hipster, great creative is sooo underrated.

At the basic level, it informs, educates or entertains its audience.
At the next level, it persuades, influences, provokes or titillates.
One to one thousand levels higher, great creative advertising captivates, spellbinds, transforms and converts.

Conversion transcends selling because it changes preference.
If an ad, site, spot or “experience”* sells us, it does so only when there is lack of preference.
A sell gets us one time and one unit at a time and may achieve nothing more but conversion gets us for good (until we, the fickle consumers are converted by another).

I hate to admit it, but the new Wal-Mart spot nearly converted me.



Blink test: It’s simple, funny and universally accessible.

Further study: It’s well cast, well paced and its use of kids doesn’t feel cheap or exploitative.

It also comes along at a time when Target, the store’s main competitor has suffered a PR black eye with progressives for their questionable campaign contributions (Know your customers, Target!) and Wal-Mart hasn’t given us a reason to remember their long history of international human rights violations in quite some time (the rebrand certainly helped too).

I was nearly converted though – just nearly. It’s harder for us in the industry to be converted. We’re immune to most of the tricks and our bullshit detectors are permanently set in the ON position.

Conversion does happen though and it happens to everyone.

In part 2 of this examination of total conversion, I’ll ask a few friends who aren’t in the biz (yeah, I know) and colleagues who are, about their experience and find out what it was about the brand message and image that hijacked their good senses and made them loyal for life.

Stay tuned…
- Casey

[BTW, Can we kill this usage of the neverwas buzzword, already? ]

Probably Unnecessary Update

Just an update to the five people who aren't my family who read this thing.

First off, I've been freelancing for GSW since May.
Second, thewastedtimetraveler.tumblr.com will be launching soon.
Since I'm creatively schizophrenic, The Wasted Time Traveler's Blog will be the place for all other creative blog things (misunderstood lyrics to songs that don't exist, typecast characters, etc.)
As for music writing, I'm very happy to be contributing to the NYC-based Discosalt.
My professional site will be updated some time but by no means soon.

I'm not going to close/delete this but this will probably be the last entry.

Thanks to all for reading and I hope you'll continue to see what I'm up to at the new tumblr blog.

Peace & Love,
Casey

@caseybowers
http://thewastedtimetraveler.tumblr.com/
http://discosalt.com/discosalt_about/contributors/casey-bowers/

I am not an expert.

I over-analyze everything.

Recently, on a sabotaged interview, I was reminded that writers live in their heads and I was a writer.
Not exactly startling news but it shook me out of whatever autopilot daze I was in.

FFWD to this morning and Gillian Welch is coolly telling me in her sweet n' slow as molasses way "Time's the revelator."

Music has a power all of its own and for me, a few aching chords and plucked strings was all it took to wake me up.

So, here are some revelations.

Revelation 1: I'm trying too hard to be cool or enigmatic or both for my own good.

I'm a pretty proud guy. I don't like asking for help. I'd rather spend more time trying to figure something out on my own and finally get it than take the quick and easy path.
Yes, I would rather suffer in silence than reach out to my fellow man or woman.
(I'm currently attempting to overcome this.)
As a dad and an unemployed copywriter, this has been an issue.
This has actually probably been the root issue for all the other issues.

This is me coming clean though, turning about face and asking for help from the one or seven people that may read this.
If you have or know of a job that a neurotic but semi-intelligent and capable guy like me can handle, reply, email or message me please.

Revelation 2: I'm (apparently) coming across as more successful, knowledgeable and/or talented than I actually am.

I've been given feedback recently which pointed to this misconception.
One firm from the UK thought I was a marketing expert and expected to find me at an upcoming conference.
(Heh-heh. Yeah, I've got the $$$ for a international flight.)
This is still better than the scenario where nobody approaches me but still, it can be weird.

In any case, I don't want to lead anyone on or trick them into working with me.
If somebody finds an idea I had in a blog post, tweet, ad or crumpled up post-it useful in any way than that's cool, but I'm not to a point yet where I can do a 12 point presentation all on my lonesome to the CEO and/or board of directors.
I'm not that guy.
I'm not an expert in anything except MTV's The State and maybe pouring the perfect pint (minus the shamrock on top).

I'm just an idea guy, feeling my way through the industry and trying my hand at different things hoping one of these things will pan out and lead to something I can make a living at.

I learned a long time ago, for my part, it's much better to come up with ideas than form concrete conclusions.
Anyway, it's just an idea.

Thanks for reading and any feedback/help is welcome and appreciated.

-CB

Talking It Up with Lizard McGee of Earwig

Here's a break from the usual in this space but if you dig, check out Columbus-based Art Room(#3 coming very soon) and Brooklyn-based Discosalt for more music-related goodness.






(Lizard McGee, various - Photography by Allan Foster. To see more of Allan's work, visit his flickr.)



I don't know what Samoan Gangster Rap sounds like but Lizard McGee does.
I'm not sure if paste is better than wax on a size 12 Windsor but Lizard knows with certainty.
And I've never had a hit single make the CD101 Top 101, let alone the #15 spot.
Lizard, however enjoyed that success in 2007 with "Used Kids" off Earwig's third LP, Center Of The Earth.

Earwig are one of the original Columbus indie acts who grabbed the attention of A&R reps and the ponytail mafia back in the nineties when C-Bus was being hyped as the next Seattle.
Above that though, they're a really kick-ass alt/indie power-pop trio who are about to release their long-awaited follow-up to 2007's Center Of The Earth.
If the early acoustic demos (available for free download at nightcusser.blogspot.com) are even the slightest indicator of the upcoming audio joy we're all going to experience from McGee and company in 2010, then recovery or not, fans of good music everywhere are going to have a much better year.

Recently, I sat down with Lizard [at our respective computers at different times] and chatted [emailed back and forth between the course of a month] about working weird jobs, the D.I.Y. ethic, the transparency boom and why a little mystery is never a bad thing.

Casey Bowers:

To me, this was the decade of transparency.
Technology and The Social Web blurred all the lines. Between fan & friend, artist & promoter, artist & distributor, blogger and journalist, etc.
As both a fan and artist, how do you see this impacting the landscape of the music business?

Lizard McGee:

The landscape has changed in the music business (and everywhere else). I’m very comfortable with and excited about the idea of being able to directly connect with your favorite artist/band or for Earwig fans to be able to connect directly with me. In all honesty, I do like my rock stars to be enigmatic. I like some mystery and magic. But, as a fan and as an artist, I also like the ability to reach out through the Internet and correspond with someone personally. It could be a college student in Seattle that has a hair-brained idea about booking my band, or the music buyer for an indie record store.

CB:

Is there room for both mystery and transparency in music right now? Is the concept of the rock star still viable?

LM:

To me, Rock Stars can be like super heroes.
I enjoy the larger than life aspect of many artists. I think that there are some artists that have toed that line well, direct connection with some mystery still. People like Trent Reznor and Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls). They’ve really used the new technology (Twitter for example) in a great way to help extend their persona and make new fans without losing what made them special in the first place. That can be tough.

CB:

I guess I keep thinking about it in terms of John Lennon's 'Gimme Some Truth.'

LM:

I do feel a bond to the values John Lennon puts forth in songs like 'Gimme Some Truth.'
I hear it as a call to action, a rallying cry against fake corporate/government bullshit. With the technology and music business today that translates into a desire to be real for people.
I can do that now, I can make myself available in real time. I want to reach a large group of people/fans, but I want to do so as a real person.
Not a cartoon. I want to know them and I hope that they want to know me/Earwig.

CB:

You're of course on Twitter (@earwigtheband). You blog (see above), you're finishing up recording the new album and you're tackling about everything else band-related by yourself.
Is that out of necessity or desire?

LM:

Early on, I was exposed to the D.I.Y. ethic. If you want something done, do it yourself. That basic idea has driven and informed all of the major decisions in my life from getting married and having kids to being in a band and starting a record label.Even before the technological wave of the new century and all of the changes in the music business that it necessitated, I was already doing everything myself and being completely transparent in the process. It just seemed the natural way to go, not having a publicist, or label to serve as a middle party to the things I needed to accomplish, I just found out how to do them and did them myself. With Earwig, I deal directly with everyone. Record pressing plants, fan-zines and major magazines, college and commercial radio, everything. Again, for better or worse, I end up wearing all of those hats.

CB:

Speaking of, you've worn a lot of interesting hats in your life to support the life of Earwig.

LM:

Yeah, I’ve never held a 9-5 day job for any length of time. I’m usually working on projects that I’ve created and then supporting that income with what interesting outside work I can find. By chance I was asked to manage the shoe-shine stand at the Columbus Airport and from there turned that into my own traveling shoe-shine business in the offices of downtown Columbus. I used the money I made from those stock brokers, business realtors and politicians to put myself through school, earning a degree in audio engineering. During this same time I was starting up Earwig and LFM records. Aside from my family, these two endeavors define who I am and what I do.

CB:

All these past jobs, ventures and adventures have no doubt influenced your songwriting, financed your recording/touring and overall, impacted your life significantly. Can you share a bit of that or give an example of working towards studio time, extending the tour, etc.?


LM:

Well, in 1999, I moved to California to be closer to the music industry hub and to work on developing my industry connections and make some damn money. I cold called a recording studio out of the phone book and luckily got a job. The studio was quaint to say the least. It was designed to look like a medieval dungeon, with dark décor, axes and swords hung on the walls and faux “castle bricks” protruding from a few corners and walls. The “castle bricks” were actually not made from real bricks and in places were broken off to reveal the painted Styrofoam. Cheesy. But the studio had a steady client base of Samoan gangster rappers and I made enough money to finance a wide release of Earwig’s 2nd album. I was making headway and after getting a few requests for shows, decided to organize a solo tour of the West Coast to promote the album. The only thing was that before the tour, I needed to come up with the extra cash to buy an acoustic guitar (the one I owned was VERY beat up). After a quick glance at the papers, I saw that the Winchester Mystery House was hiring tour guides. www.winchestermysteryhouse.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Mystery_House
Being a long time fan of the paranormal, this was right up my alley. It was a blast to have a job at an actual haunted house and learn all about it’s history, séances, ghosts, secret passages and stairways that lead to nowhere. It also helped me buy the guitar and finance the West Coast tour.

CB:

Wow. That's a pretty amazing story.
I know it's too soon to talk about tour plans but will Earwig be playing a show in Columbus soon?

LM:

This Saturday, Feb 13 @ The Basement.

CB:

Thanks Lizard.

LM:

My pleasure.


Lizard McGee's Many Job Titles

Cab driver, Recording Studio Engineer, Construction Worker on a secret military base, Apprentice to a Master Stone Mason at a Civil War cemetery in Virginia, Tour Guide at a real haunted mansion (Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA), Certified EMT, Textbook Clerk at the college bookstore in Athens, OH. Airport Overnight Freight Delivery Loader, Carpenter at the Carpenter Inn in Carpenter, Ohio Recording Studio Co-Owner, Shoe-Shine Stand Manager (then owner) Industrial Cleaner.,Video Store Clerk, Home Security Systems Door to Door Salesman, Telemarketer, Waiter, Sound man for an Elvis impersonator

"But one of the weirdest jobs, and a job I still have, is working for the School of Osteopathic Medicine at O.U. as a Simulated Patient. I work in the training program for student doctors, feigning illnesses and various other scenarios that can involve anything from blindness to dementia (my favorite)."

Social Media: Enough, already!

Their social norms and social rules
We're social scum and they're social fools
They tell us all their social lies
Ignoring all our social cries

Lyrics to "Social" by the band Squirt Gun

## I'm tired of hearing about Social Media and I'm tired of thinking about it as a topic for discussion. So, this will be the absolute last word on it from me ever.##


Everyone is into Social Media to some extent.
Most are on Facebook and twitter.
I use both but prefer twitter for it's limitless potential and customizable interaction.
Facebook is what it is and twitter can be whatever you want it to be.

Keep this fact in mind.


It's nearing a year since I started using twitter and in the course of a year, I've seen a lot of marketing types reinvent themselves as social media experts. I even followed a few and as a result, a few hundred more followed me.

I wish no ill will on these people and I'm glad to see Darwinism evolve at this newest stage, but I detest the concept of monetizing expertise in this arena and the sense of entitlement that often accompanies it.

Saying you're an expert in Social Media is like saying you're really good at using soap.

There are no experts in Social Media.

Budding start-ups and established corporate giants alike shouldn't feel threatened by it and they definitely shouldn't feel obligated to hire a guide.

This isn't the Amazon jungle. It's just another meeting place.

Social Media as twitter and/or Facebook has been blown up to ridiculous proportions by those who look to serve their own interests by blanketing the truth.
What truth? That social media is easy.

No instruction booklet, secret handshake, or decoder ring required - just talk.

Talk on a human level and on a business level. Just talk. Directly and indirectly.
In a box or with a fox - just talk.


Be they friends, colleagues, customers or entities, the same principles apply to social media that apply to basic conversation and human interaction.

Say hi. Ask questions. Be interesting. Answer questions. Be friendly. Inform, entertain, educate, and engage.

The only restrictions are the 140 character limit on twitter and the realization that you will finally give in and take that damned stupid 80's movies quiz on Facebook.

Everyone is practicing personal branding and everyone is marketing themselves.
Social Media in all its forms is just another way of starting up a conversation.

Just talk.

9 Interview Techniques For Guaranteed Varying Degrees of Success

Soon the recession will be over and you'll return to the workforce. Which means you will have to retire your sweatpants go on interviews once again.

Who doesn't like interviews?
If you're like me, you get really excited about interviews but may not be particularly good at them.
Like everything else in life, the interview is subjective.
You just never know what works. Which means, you have to try out different methods until you find the one that does.

Here are a few I've tried and would or would not recommend to friends, enemies and colleagues for guaranteed varying results.


1: Just be yourself.


Unless, of course you are a horrible, horrible person, then you might want to try being someone else.*
I recommend poet-laureate, Billy Collins or B.J. Armstrong, Chicago Bulls' magnetic point guard from 1989 to 1995.


2: Use the methodical approach.

Find out everything you can about the company you are interviewing with, such as: Philosophy, Culture, indictment history and personal medical records of core leadership.
Consider hiring a private investigator.

3: Try playing it cool.

James Dean cool. Kim Deal cool. Rick Moranis cool.
No one and I mean no one can resist the razor's edge intensity and bespectacled, doe-eyed charms of the Rickster.

4: Be professional.


Professionalism is integral to landing a professional position. It's about clearly showing your interviewer that at least 40% of what you typed up on your resume isn't complete B.S.
It's also about clearly showing your interviewer that you are a) no threat to them but b) are okay with being exploited for their financial gain.

5: Drink tons of coffee right before the interview.

Energy is energy - even nervous energy. Getting cranked up on high-grade Colombian will ensure you are alert, look interested (if not mildly crazed) and will not run out of insightful questions to ask.
The bladder thing is a minor inconvenience - Use it! Your increasingly transparent sense of urgency will tell your interviewer/s you really, really, really want this job.

6: Drink right before the interview.

If you're 21 or older, there is no reason you should have any trepidation about enjoying a cocktail, a beer, a shot or all three at once to loosen up and pour on the charm.
AA, you say? Remember, part of being a good team player is giving into peer pressure. You are a good team player, aren't you?

7: The Costanza.

George Costanza. The Opposite. Duh.

8: Act like a complete jerk.


What works for personal life, works for professional life.
Defying all rational explanation, for centuries, men, women and most all living organisms have found success in acting disinterested, cold and even douchey to their prospective mates.
Put this natural instinctive power play to work for you in the interview and all other candidates need not apply.

9: Flat-out wing it.

This usually entails using a hybrid of all above listed approaches.
(NOTE: For bi-polar types, this method may redundant.)

10: ????

(Who am I, David Letterman?)


* - This rule of interviewing does not apply to Advertising Account Executives.

## For guest lecturer booking inquiries, please contact the offices of Casey Bowers and ask for Rita. ##