January – The first month of any year is always largely defined by the Winter NAMM gathering. What stood out this year? The palpable upbeat attitude and return of numerous parties, concerts, receptions, et cetera seemed to signal the industry turned a corner and that felt good. The Yamaha 125th Anniversary Concert with Elton John and others also made quite an impact.
February – While it hadn’t been a significant player for many years, I was nonetheless sad to see Fender pull the plug on the Hamer brand. These things always seem to come back around though, so I fully expect “Hamer Guitars” to show up again – under Fender’s or another’s direction.
March – On the first of the month, local (Boston) “rock guy” Mike Feudale opened up a new store – Mike’s Monster Guitars – in the space formerly occupied by Sandy’s Music. An eclectic MI retailer stocking vintage guitars, basses, and amps as well as a few new lines of instruments, “Skinny Mike” also stocks classic ‘50s bric-a-brac (transistor radios, lamps, signage, ashtrays, and the like). A fun, quirky store that also served to prevent the sum total of area music stores from going down by one.
April – The annual NAMM Advocacy Fly-In once again saw NAMM officials and members, accompanied by celebrity advocates – this year former N.Y. Yankee and jazz guitarist Bernie Williams and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith – descend upon Washington D.C. to make the case for the importance of music education to lawmakers. It was an honor to join the team for a second go-round. April was also the month of the Boston Marathon bombings, which – much as the rest of the country might be tired of hearing about “Boston Strong” – will be hard to forget anytime soon. The eventual capture of the one remaining suspect happened just over a block away from associate editor Matt Parish’s house.
May – I’ve now been around for three different ownership groups here at MMR and have worked through two transitions. This year’s was particularly ambitious, as we adopted an entirely different production model with key players now situated throughout the country, but this magazine is resilient – any publication continuously in print since 1879 would have to be. MMR isn’t going anywhere.
June – This was a busy month for the magazine – the first with an entirely different design, inside and out – but what sticks out most for me was the late-June wedding of School Band & Orchestra and Choral Director editor (and contributor to MMR), Eliahu Sussman. One of my best friends for nearly 25 years and a killer drummer (and great bandmate), Eliahu tied the knot with an amazingly sweet, funny, and smart girl and they threw an epic party.
July – Once again a NAMM gathering took center stage. This year, we had the brand new Music City Center that drew universal “oohs” and “ahs” plus, as with the get-together in Anaheim, there was a definite sense of, “Hey, I think things are getting better!” Nashville NAMM is still far from the numbers of “the good old days” pre-Indianapolis and Austin, but a case is being made (convincingly) that different and smaller, does not equate to “without value.” Many we spoke with cited how a less manic nature to the convention leads to more meaningful discussions with more actual business taking place. Also, I’d be remiss not to mention Gruhn Guitars’ new location. I could spend hours there.
August – The shifting nature of, and final resolution to, the Steinway sale certainly sticks out when I think of August. It was also the month in which Boston-based MMR editors (myself and Matt Parish) had our first, in-person, visit with the “new” production team at Timeless Communication’s HQ in Las Vegas. It was great to meet the folks – plus I got two trips to In-N-Out! August was also when I spent a weekend up in Hampton Beach, N.H. and saw The Cult and Cheap Trick on back-to-back nights – great way to say goodbye to summer!
September – Plenty of “industry-related news” happened this month (the closing of the final Sherman Clay store, for one), but I mostly remember September as the month my dog ate a bottle of sriracha with… disastrous results.
October – Heading out to California for a no-questions-off-limits visit with GC brass was a highlight, for sure. The Sox winning the W.S. wasn’t too shabby, either.
November – Highlights: Matt Parish and wife welcoming a new baby to their family; finishing ‘50 Dealer/50 State’ and ‘America’s Top Chains’ just before deadline; one of my bands opening for The Dickies.
December – Too soon to say with 100 percent conviction, but I’m going to predict: the economy and MI industry end on a high-note and everyone has safe and enjoyable holiday seasons.
See you in Anaheim!
