Animals

 roger waters saw it all

very early on

decades ago animals was released

and today it sounds all the more vital

this is not an album to take lightly

it’s a serious piece of work

lyrically sharp and strong

sonically it’s a stunning landscape of thought and sound

when i sing dogs

i get a tangible shiver

the power of the song resonating in me

i feel like news reporter 

telling it like it is

i can’t think of pink floyd 

without being reminded of my dear friend nicole

i put her on the dark side show

she was unfamiliar with the album

she called me soon after and said

that dark side mirrored exactly where she was with her life

it embodied all she felt and lived at that moment

wow

that is a testament to and enduring work

decades after it’s release it finds a warm soul and connects

i feel that way about animals

i feel like this is the time for this album

rob phillips knows all this

and he will ably lead CAL through the 3 different acts within this album

i urge everyone to visit and revisit this album

giving it attention will be more thoughtfully rewarding

than any book you read

or any movie you see this coming week

and what a week to come

i send love to everyone’s family

craig

coffee and toast with jam

On Streaming

it’s a good experience

the employment element alone is soulful

in the beginning russell gray and i had chats

about how many people would tune in

we thought tens of thousands

i may have got carried away and dreamt of hundreds of thousands

we get about 450 people

it’s a happy place

lots of people getting in touch

wanting to know how to do it

i’m hesitant to advise

military surgical protocols of course

there’s a lot of links in the chain

you need a good team

my first conversation with mark rashotte at the empire

lasted about 2 minutes

we both wanted to get things done

it was that easy

we’ve never talked about it since

we just tell road stories

i think all the bands should create their own streaming platform

and book it themselves

create a season’s worth of presentations

from one location

indie pod

metal pod

folk pod

rock pod

tribute pod

create your own infrastructure

book shows

it’s a ton work

we didn’t bother with the pay wall

we just counted on people’s goodwill

this is a very organic heartfelt experience

the donations are churchlike 

the musicians have purpose because of goodwill

outside of that

deep breaths

lower your expectations

enjoy the ride

i send love to everyone’s families

craig

.

The CAL State of the Union

i want to thank everyone for reaching out

so many messages coming in

i started replying individually

then i had to do a format reply

that felt fake

so i’m addressing a few things in this blog

i don’t think we’ll be back in business for a very long time

i can’t imagine a large public gathering in two months

maybe six months

probably more

but even then - who’ll have money to spend?

i hope i’m wrong about this

but as soon as the big sports teams get back to normal

so will CAL

despite the song

i do trust our governments

i don’t believe that anyone will go hungry or get thrown out onto the streets

the change coming is severe

but the humanity of the crisis is starting to take hold

and people are going to be taken care of

it’s a time of trust and awareness

i don’t think we’ll be doing a live broadcast anytime soon

i have been in talks 

and we agree that when the time is right - we’ll do it right 

until then 

we can’t gather

it’s just not responsible

we’re abiding by the protocols and doing our part to flatten the curve

and having musicians all stream together online is extremely problematic

sound and sync

mics and mixes

too many moving parts

it’s classic albums live

not classic albums digital

i do applaud all the musicians that have been doing their thing from their pads

they’re joyous and connecting

i’ll post more of those as time passes

right now my feed is full of living room performances

rob phillips did one with his daughter

they wrote a hit song!

i’ve been humming it all day

i hope to see more of these

they restore our connections to one another 

it’s dark days for us all

and yet

in isolation there is a certain peace

all the alumni are practicing 

and learning things

i do chores and cook and crosswords and compose

i put on some doobie brothers from time to time 

i’m learning french through the duolingo app!

mostly i play guitar piano and sing

while music is not an essential service

we do have a silver lining in that we have our instruments

to guide us through the uneasy unclear path

my mother is a world war two survivor

she was in london

a child 

she was evacuated to the country

where it was rations and drills and uneasy expectations

her stories of this time

filled both my childhood and my adult life

i’ve learned that 

the stiff upper lip can really make a difference

she came through the experience and is living a life full of love and appreciation

so 

i look at that time from the comforts of my home

and reflect on her and my father’s experience

and i stiffen my lip and get on with it

i abide

when the curve disappears

we will all be amidst the roaring 20s once again

people will be warmer and more empathetic 

borders will just be lines on a map - but respected

and the world will appear like a mirror to us

and when this happens

it will be the musicians who will make a difference

it will be our time to share what we have committed to 

we’ll show the way towards love and goodness

we will be harbingers of soul defining life experiences

we will be at our best 

me and my crew

we’ll do it with classic rock

i send love and hope and harmony to anyone who reads this

craig martin

founder 

classic albums live

(glenfiddich with apple and cheese)