Webcasters Unite Signs 322 Independent Sites!

Last March, an independent broadcaster named Paul Philbeck decided to create a central location to gather all the other independent broadcasters together in order to create a broad front to help combat the egregious demands of the RIAA.

Webcasters Unite is succeeding in it's mission by signing 322 independent stations so far. Certainly enough to muster a nice class action suit against the over-bearing record companies. It may only slow them down but at least that will give the independents time to re-load.

It makes no sense to BluePower as this writer once worked for the major record companies at a time when they were literally "paying" for airplay. Everyone knows this to be true. Now, the record companies, their profits sagging due to talent blindness and lack of foresight, battle their only true salvation.... the independent webcasters. A force with which to be reckoned.

For years, everyone has had their hand in the pocket of the writer and artist. Now, the tide is turning and no artist/writer really needs the monolithic labels or the performing rights societies. If I'm wrong, someone please let me know of any radio stations today that are breaking new artists. Today, an artist or writer can simply put his or her work on the web and let the public make the choice to buy or not. At least the sales go directly to the artist or writer and not some entrepreneurial corporation.

In the old days the performing rights organizations collected writer royalties through various ways of counting said performances. When this writer was on the air in the early 60s, we had BMI log sheets every other quarter which we had to fill out to our chagrin. You know....time-artist-label-rights affiliation etc.

This will amaze you....ASCAP literally had people listening to various radio stations in major markets trying to ascertain the numbers of performances for ASCAP writers. I once walked into one of these rooms and thanked my lucky stars I wasn't a member of ASCAP. Surely there must have been a better way. Hopefully they have found an accurate counting system by now. BluePower is going to ask. SESAC was nowhere to be seen at that time.

Here is a conversation I have just had with Paul Philbeck of Webcasters Unite. We will continue speaking with Paul on a weekly basis to keep our listeners informed as to the procedures happening regarding the current hearings on this matter.

John Rhys-Eddins/BluePower.com

Click here to listen to....Mr. Paul Philbeck of Webcasters Unite!

Click here to go directly to....webcastersunite.net!

Click here to go directly to....Kurt Hanson's Rain Report!

Another Great Man Gone....James Trescott Gillie!

When BluePower first went on the air in 1995, nearly everyone laughed and said we would never survive.

However; there was one man who didn't laugh. As a matter of fact, this man dove in with both hands and heart to help BluePower stay alive. That man was Jim Gillie.

Our families first met in 1986 when our daughters attended The Country School in North Hollywood together. Charlotte Gillie and Robin, our daughter, became lifelong friends through thick and thin. Their relationship continues today.

During all the years which we have been friends with the Gillie's, never did Jim speak of the phenomenal successes he had managed via film and the commercial advertising industry. I knew he was involved with film and that he was away from home many times but did not realize the magnitude of his scope. I did not know any of these amazing facts until the day of his memorial. Humility was Jim's great virtue.

So many people in Hollywood speak only in the first person. I never heard Jim mention the facts of his livelihood. To me, Jim was mainly into computers and always ready to lend a helping hand, which he did so often in the beginnings of BluePower. Were it not for Jim Gilley, BluePower would not be in the position it is today. A web presence second to none in the Blues and Rhythm and Blues field.

With that said....All of us who knew Jim feel a large hole in the space he occupied in our hearts. He will never be replaced.

Our most sincere condolences to Jamie, Clark and Charlotte Gillie. We love you.

James Trescott Gillie was truly....one of a kind. Godspeed Jim.

John Rhys-Eddins/BluePower.com

Smokestack Lightnin's Rockin' Again!

Well folks....the boys from Maitland, Florida are up to their old tricks again. Smokestack Lightnin' has got it's best show ever up and running for your listening pleasure.

Make sure you stop by and listen to the best blues east of the Mississippi. When you get there....tell them BluePower sent you.

Click here to go to....Smokestack Lightnin' !

Ponderosa Stomp Showtimes And Lineup!

Show Schedule for May 2 New Orleans Roots Fest
Ponderosa Stomp
Line Up
Ponderosa Stomp, the renowned New Orleans roots festival has announced its artist schedule (see below.) The sixth annual Stomp is set to roll on Wednesday, May 2, at New Orleans' House of Blues, encompassing three separate stages with non-stop music from 5:30 p.m. til 2 a.m. Tickets for the Stomp are now on sale through Ticketmaster outlets and at www.ponderosastomp.com.
Wednesday, May 2 rests comfortably between the two weekends of JazzFest in new Orleans, and many Fest-goers stay late or come early to experience Ponderosa Stomp.
This year's Stomp promises to bend ears with the inclusion of many legends of blues, r&b, soul, garage rock, New Orleans music, traditional country, rockabilly and swamp pop. Among the featured artists are garage rock legend Roky Erickson, rockabilly wild man Dale Hawkins, R&B soprano Little Jimmy Scott, master arranger Wardell Quezergue, Texas Tornado Augie Meyers, Texas shouter Roy Head, keyboardist extraordinaire Willie Tee, Mississippi Hill Country bluesman Kenny Brown, chitlin' circuit kingpin Bobby Rush, and "Mr. Big Stuff" soul songstress Jean Knight, among dozens of others.
"The Ponderosa Stomp is rock n roll in the truest sense. Nowhere else will you see such a historied but eclectic bunch of musicians on the same bill. Only in the universe of the Ponderosa Stomp do Dave Bartholomew, Roky Erickson, Little Jimmy Scott and Dale Hawkins exist together. Many of these artists do not tour and the Stomp is the only place to see them." says Dr. Ike. Ike is executive director of the Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau, the 501c3 nonprofit organization which produces Ponderosa Stomp along with selected New Orleans roots shows throughout the year, plus a "mini-Stomp" at SXSW in Austin. Since the organization's 2000 inception, the Knights have considered it their mission to rediscover and celebrate America's overlooked musical pioneers and re-educate the community about their impact on music.
CNN has declared the Ponderosa Stomp "history in the making," while New York Times music critic Jon Pareles calls it a "dream" event that "plunges into the obscure byways of rock'n'roll past." Of the 2005 festival, Gambit magazine joined MSNBC, the Associated Press, Mojo, the No Depression, Harp, Paste, Christian Science Monitor, High Times, Blues Revue, Living Blues, the Chicago Sun-Times, and more, with praise, writing, "For roots aficionados, the Stomp was nirvana; you almost had to pinch yourself to make sure it wasn't a dream." Following is an hour-by-hour schedule for Ponderosa Stomp 2007:

Main Stage
5:30-5:45 Lil Buck & the Top Cats With Stanley Buckwheat Dural
5:45-6:30 Dennis Coffey backed by Lil Buck & the Top Cats
6:30-7:15 Lazy Lester backed by Lil Buck & the Top Cats
7:15-8:00 Barbara Lynn backed by Lil Buck & the Top Cats
8:00-8:30 Roy Head backed by Lil Buck & the Top Cats
8:45-9:15 Little Jimmy Scott backed by Lil Buck & the Top Cats
9:30-11:00 Wardell Quezergue & His New Orleans Rhythm and Blues Revue with Dave Bartholomew, Tony Owens and Jean Knight
11:15-11:45 Dan Penn and Bobby Emmons
12:00-1:00 Roky Erickson & the Explosives
1:15-2:00 Augie Meyers
2:10-2:30 Guitar Lightnin'

Parish Stage
5:30-6:00 Ralph Soul Jackson
6:00-6:30 Eddie Kirkland
6:45-7:15 Jay Chevalier with Grace Broussard with the Haunted Hearts
7:30-8:00 Henry Gray
8:15-9:00 Dan Penn and Bobby Emmons
9:15-10:00 Kenny Brown and Bobby Rush
10:15-10:45 Little Freddie King
11:00-11:30 Dale Hawkins backed by Deke Dickerson & the Eccofonics
11:30-12:00 Joe Clay backed by Deke Dickerson & the Eccofonics
12:00-12:30 Matt Lucas backed by Deke Dickerson & the Eccofonics
12:45-1:30 Willie Tee
1:30-2:00 Rockie Charles
2:00-2:30 Al Johnson

Patio Stage
8:00-830 Skip Easterling
8:30-9:00 Jay Chevalier
9:00-9:30 Eddie Kirkland
930-10:00 Henry Gray
10:00-10:30 Al Johnson
10:30-11:00 Kenny Brown and Bobby Rush
11:00-11:30 Rockie Charles
11:30-12:15 Lazy Lester
12:15-12:45 Little Freddie King