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  • Help! from the John Lennon Tour Bus

    Help! from the John Lennon Tour Bus

    I’d love to turn you on to one of the great treasures of the NAMM Show. If you venture to the far reaches of the Anaheim Convention Center’s lowest level, you’ll discover the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. It’s a technological marvel, a shining, chrome-plated, professional-quality recording studio on wheels. The spacious interior is decked out with front and rear studios, two sound booths, an electronic drum kit, a synth,  laptops for the engineers, and all the onboard gear and tech you’d expect to find at Abbey Road. Everything is donated, but that does not mean you’re getting your uncle’s warped old acoustic guitar. Everything we saw in the bus at NAMM appeared to be tip-top.  

    We looked around inside and spoke with Creative Technology Director, Jeff Sobel, who talked us through a bit of the mission and the history of the bus. 

    Begun in 1998, the bus is a nonprofit mission to make professional recording opportunities available for kid musicians across the U.S., through outreach to schools and community organizations. The qualified techs onboard not only guide the kids through the process of laying down tracks, they also provide practical lessons about the work required to record music, dispelling the myths of the “one-take masterpieces.” Yoko Ono “supports this project 100 percent,” and has blessed the bus with the use of her late husband’s name (you know. . . John Lennon. . . the Beatle. . . ). 

    The inside does not feel cramped at all, but it’s definitely geared more for smaller ensembles than something like a marching band or orchestra. The most musicians you could reasonably fit inside at once would be less than ten. The Dolby Atmos area in front is designed for audio/video production while the rear is intended for multi-track recording – – so you have options. 

    Color me impressed. I not only applaud the John Lennon tour bus for their noble mission, but also for their high-tech, high-end operation. This thing is no glass onion. Everything about the bus and its organization is handled with care and expertise. Contact your local schools, Boys And Girls Clubs, community groups, etc., get musically-inclined kids a ticket to ride the John Lennon Tour Bus. 

  • The Message. 

    The Message. 

    Gimme shelter, water, food, air, love, and music.

    These are life’s essentials.

     We need music to help us deal, help us feel, help us move, help us remember, and sometimes just help us get through. Whether it’s the tedious wait, the long drive, the big moment, or the awkward social moment, music will always set the score. It doesn’t always have to be great, it just needs to be the right sound at the right moment. 

    For music, we need musicians. Obviously. . .

    But don’t believe the hype. The music life is hard.  

    Support Life And Music draws from music industry veterans and experts – – from the spotlights to the offices to the pits – – to provide information, education, services, mentorship, resources, networking, and community to aid working musicians in the pursuits of financial independence, stability, and happiness for themselves and their loved ones through music. 

    As we grow, we will expand our programs and influence, but we’re launching with the following initiatives:

    Backstage Pass. Educating the general population about the musical life, changing cultural perceptions about  musicians’ daily lives. People often associate music stardom with glamour and riches, but this isn’t reality for 99% of 21st-Century musicians. 

    Musician’s Survival Guide. Helping musicians of all levels to navigate the endless perils, pitfalls, challenges, obstacles, and dangers inherent in the music industry and culture. 

    Both of the above services will initially be provided online via:

    • Videos (Prerecorded, livestream)
    • Articles (blogposts, news, interviews)
    • Podcast episodes

    Who will be dispensing this stuff?
    That’s the best part. S.L.A.M. output will feature the wisdom, expertise, and stories of the best music minds of yesterday and today, from household names to underground heroes. 

    Who can benefit from S.L.A.M.? 

    The music world has hundreds of different vital roles, but in the beginning, S.L.A.M. will focus on the ones who are making and performing the music. That includes all genres, even the terrible ones (kidding!). We’ll discuss eligibility requirements in a future post, but let’s just state that the personal preferences and tastes of the S.L.A.M. board will not be a factor. The only automatic disqualifications will be:

    • people associated with known hate groups
    • creators who rely primarily on AI-type technologies for their output. (We realize there’s a gray area on the latter.)

    What S.L.A.M. is *not* about:

    • Enabling/empowering music industry predators. 
    • Enabling/empowering/excusing toxic or self-destructive behaviors.
    • Money for nothing. 

    The plan will get more ambitious as we grow. So stay tuned. We’re going to accomplish great things and change the world.