Well, well, well...where did the time go? Can't believe two years have passed, but I'm back! Sorry that there have been no EAR CANDY updates while I was gone - basically, the person that had promised to take the reins of EAR CANDY while I was gone (see October 2007 rant) totally dropped the ball.

But, more importantly, we are back...just in time for our 10th Anniversary (1999-2009)!

Before I forget, a big thanks goes out to Charles LePage for helping us keeping the site online during my absence!!!

Your editor
Ronnie

OCTOBER 2007:

I'm going to step down from running EAR CANDY for awhile. It is not a decision that I came to lightly, but I've had a personal issue (my wife's health problems) that warrants my complete attention. Over the last year, I thought that I could carry on EAR CANDY despite everything, but I simply can't give it the magazine the time it deserves.

Ian Anthony Wagner of the Record Room has announced he's going to temporarily run the magazine.

Here's what Ian says:

"So, our wonderful, brilliant friend Ronnie has graciously trusted me with the temporary reins of the vaunted, venerable institution known as Earcandy. And I am planning to take it seriously, and establish the greatest online music zine (which it already was, but, ya know, let's make it even more so)." - (Oct. 18, 2007)

I'm leaving EAR CANDY in Ian's capable hands and will be back as soon as I can!

Your former editor
Ronnie

MARCH 2007:

Yeah, I know…we didn't get totally caught up in the February issue. I had thought we would have all the music reviews up-to-date, but it just didn't happen. But, we will have a whole new batch up very soon, as well as more film reviews, book reviews, etc.

Have patience…

Your editor
Ronnie

FEBRUARY 2007:

To all of the musicians that have been so patient waiting for their reviews - this is your month! We will be focusing first and foremost on getting ALL of our reviews from the past few months posted in the February issue. Just this morning I've posted a batch of pending past reviews and I am only about 1/3 through all of them.

So, while we have some other articles in the wings (interviews/film reviews/book reviews/various essays), the music reviews will be the primary focus this month.

Your editor
Ronnie

DECEMBER 2006:

In loving memory of Wylie Erwin Reeves Jan 3, 1967 - Dec 22, 2006

AUGUST 2006:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!
Here it is our 7th birthday here at EAR CANDY, and I didn't think I'd be able to get an issue out! Hell, come to think of it, this has been a crappy year, ha ha! I don't mind a "crisis" situation once in a while - that's what life's all about - but when they hit you all at once (or continually), you realize that something's gotta give. And unfortunately, that something was EAR CANDY - it just had to take a backseat. There has been a snowball effect since the middle of the year…articles get pushed back and they stack up. It's not that the articles aren't written - they just need to be put into html code.

Anyway, enough of this mundane bullshit…we've got LOTS coming very soon.

Your editor
Ronnie

JULY 2006:
Well, I'm back…kinda. When it rains it pours - although I took my "leave of absence" to tend to some personal matters, we kept having problems with EAR CANDY that kept calling me back. First, we temporarily lost the whole site (luckily, I always keep a backup). Then we had too much crap and old files on our site and didn't have enough room to upload the new stuff (yet another delay)! Then my phone lines were down for a week, which meant no computer access (yeah, still on dial-up). Finally, I just found out yesterday from my landlord that we have to vacate the house next week while they do some 'emergency' work on our (only) bathroom to keep it from collapsing the eight feet or so to the ground underneath! I'll be stuck in a hotel with no computer access (I have no laptop).

I know…"bitch, bitch, bitch"!

I was hoping that all the articles would be caught up and posted during my absence - but I guess it was not to be! So, there is a shitload of stuff that I am frantically trying to catch up on. That means there is A LOT coming very soon - not only music reviews, but also book reviews, film reviews, concert reviews, and interviews.

What doesn't make it into the July issue will definitely be in the August one.

Your editor
Ronnie

In loving memory of Ali Cuautle Sept. 24, 1970-July 17, 2006

APRIL 2006:
Saturday, April 29, 2006

I'm leaving EAR CANDY...temporarily. I will be taking a "leave of absence" from my editor duties at EAR CANDY immediately, due to some personal matters that warrant my full attention. But...the important thing is that while I am gone, EAR CANDY will continue with all the scheduled articles. I will be handing over the day-to-day running of EAR CANDY over to one of my writers for an undetermined period of time. I have turned over all my current reviews and interviews to him to finish, and as soon as he transfers my written stuff to computer (yes, I still initially write them on paper!) he will post them. However, he is still new at this html stuff, so please have patience. I'm handing over quite a bit of material and he will get it posted on the EAR CANDY site.

Remember, EAR CANDY will continue in my absence, albeit a possible delay in some of the articles.

Ronnie

February 2006:
EAR CANDY hits myspace!

Yep, EAR CANDY is jumpin' on the myspace bandwagon! Since I noticed that quite a bit of the bands that we get review submissions for have myspace accounts - I figured, "why not earcandy?"

Right now the myspace site is pretty basic, but we're just getting started. Who knows, I might even start...(gasp) blogging!? Probably not very often, ha ha.

Your sleep-deprived editor
Ronnie

JANUARY 2006:
Well, well, well - the start of another year. You might be wondering, "Where the hell is the rest of the January issue?" The truth is: December (and November for that matter) kicked my ass! The famous saying by John Lennon immediately comes to mind - "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" - which precisely describes the end of last year for me. It seemed like a thousand things HAD to be taken care of first, which delayed me in mailing stuff to my writers/reviewers, which meant that I would get the finished articles even later. It also meant that I didn't get to work on several articles that I had half finished. Hell, I even had to put off some very interesting interviews just because of the lack of time (hopefully, we can still do these soon). So, instead of adding even more stress to the holidaze, I decided to hold many of the December articles until January of 2006.

Speaking of John Lennon, of course most of you know that December was the 25th anniversary of his assassination. Being a 17th-level Beatles fan (inside joke), I had of course started writing an article for the occasion (even halfway finishing it)…until the afore mentioned distractions kept me from finishing it (Again - "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans"). I even drug out some old boxes containing tons of newspaper clippings from the days following Lennon's death - with the intent of adding them to the article. Of course I missed the deadline…but I still might put something together with the newspaper clippings for the upcoming issue.

Which means that there is a boatload of new stuff we will continuously be adding to the January issue over the following days. We've got: tons of music reviews, book reviews, movie reviews, new interviews, new parodies, and much more coming very soon. So musicians - be patient as all the rest will be in this issue! I'll be adding them as quick as my hands can type out the html code. And no, we can't afford assistants; I still do all that myself (as well as all the layouts).

One cool thing did happen in December, which took little effort on my part. BLENDER magazine included a segment of one of my articles from last year (August 2004 interview with Hoaky Hickel) in their LIFE AFTER ROCK column. Ha ha - does that make me a legit journalist? I hope not!

Anyway, as soon as I get caught up with January we have beau coups of pending articles. In addition to the regular interviews, music/ film/book reviews and such - I'm currently working on some of my own articles for the upcoming issues such as: Pepper Envy (The Sgt. Pepper/Smile fiasco), Keith Moon and Brian Jones (with the talk of the pending movies for both), the music of Charles Manson, and a couple of others.

Ah, but I digress…too much caffeine whilst I gaze upon the stack of papers that is the pending January issue!

Your ever-so-humble editor
Ronnie

AUGUST 2005:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!
It's that time of year again, or to quote the Beatles, "ain't been 'round since last year" - yet another anniversary of EAR CANDY. It still boggles my mind that this is our 6th year! EAR CANDY has exceeded all of my expectations; I had no idea in 1999 that it would grow to what it is today. For this rock music fanatic and ex-musician, it was truly been a dream come true!

Since we became "official" with www.earcandymag.com, I kinda feel like we've become "respectable". In fact, our July issue was our biggest so far, with the most hits we have ever received. But then I think of what Ray Davies said at the induction of the Kinks at the Rock 'N Roll hall of fame: "Rock and Roll has become respectable... God have mercy on our souls." We might be "respectable", but we still have an attitude, ha ha! My greatest aspiration is to have just a little of the attitude that the old CREEM magazine had...(ahh, those were the days!)

And as I have found is the norm at EAR CANDY, there have been a lot of changes. Some writers have left, only to be replaced by newer ones. (I know I should mention them all, but our regular readers know who they are!) From our original scope, we have expanded to cover not only rock 'n roll, but films, books, theatrical plays, pop culture, etc. Not to mention our new format - instead of one issue each month, we now have a more fluid content, adding new articles throughout the month.

We must be doing something right, since our "readership" has continually grown! Again, it boggles the mind that someone like myself could come up with something that people like to read. I mean, I'm no professional journalist; I just have a love of rock 'n roll and pop culture.

But rest assured, EAR CANDY will continue as long as it remains fulfilling to me.

Many thanks not only to our regular readers, but to our GREAT staff of writers that tirelessly submit articles with NO expectation of pay! Who knows, maybe someday, I'll be able to reward these great folks! They really help make it happen...

Your ever-so-humble editor
Ronnie

JANUARY 2005:
Well, we did it – EAR CANDY finally got its own domain and “official” website! That means no more tripod pop-ups. While we are going to keep the old tripod site up as a reference/backup, I’m sure that it will eventually come down. But – everything from the old site has been moved to the new site, so you can add earcandymag.com to your favorites!

So what will change at EAR CANDY? Not much, the layout will remain the same. However, we will no longer be limited image wise (we were almost out of space at tripod), so there will probably be more pictures! (Hmmmm…I guess that means I can put more of my smart-ass parody pics up?) Who knows, we might even ad an mp3 section to our site? And of course, if you have ANY suggestions, please drop us a line!

We do have some new additions to our ‘writers’ department. You’ll notice that while some of our regular writers are still here, there are a few missing. But…in their place are some new writers. One thing I’ve come to realize after 5+ years is that writers come and go, but EAR CANDY trudges on.

With all this said, I hope you enjoy the new EAR CANDY and hope that we can continue to give you our eclectic, informative, sometimes smart-ass take on music and pop-culture.

Your ever-so-humble editor
Ronnie

AUGUST 2004:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!
Right: Your humble editor makes BLENDER!
First, let me tell you about my appearance in the August 2004 issue of BLENDER magazine. Hot dog, they printed one of my sarcastic letters! Nothing like shameless self-promotion…and no, my letter had nothing to do with Right Said Fred (their picture was actually for one of the other letters!)

Now to the matter at hand, namely the 5th anniversary of EAR CANDY!

Yep folks, that's right. This smart-ass punk editor has been doing EAR CANDY for 5 years now! How long will I continue? Well, as long as it is FUN. Although it is totally a labor-of-love and I make NO money whatsoever from EAR CANDY, I still get a blast from putting it together. Sometimes it becomes almost like a job, especially when dealing with prima-donna publicists who seem to look down on the lowly minions who dare write about music for fun (gasp! How dare they, who do they think they are? Who does something for nothin' these days?) - But that's part of the gig. Besides, I love catching these people in their lies and reporting it when I can.

What pray tell, are these lies? Well, I've had a couple of publicists lately who have promised the moon and have yet to deliver even a…well, moon pie. I'm not gonna name names because I normally put that stuff in our popular "Gary Coleman Rock Stars" series, but…what the hell, I'll tell you about just one. For more than a year and a half I have been promised an interview with the Bangles. Remember them? They had some groovy albums and hits in the '80s then sort of disappeared. Well, when the news came of the band reforming and releasing a new album, I said, "this is newsworthy!" The Bangles' publicist instantly promised me an interview - and I'm still waiting…. Alas, in the infinite wisdom of the Bangles management, they decided to do NO promotion for the new album. No interviews and not even promotional posters for record stores (got some great inside stories about this one, but I digress). So, of course the band's new album sank like a stone. Hell, I bet Yoko Ono's last album got more publicity and sold more! Maybe publicists need to take a class, something like "Public Relations 101", where they learn basic people skills and the downfalls of empty promises. And a little refresher course on "album promotion" might not hurt.

That is the only (true) story that I am currently at liberty to speak about. There is another case that seems to be following this bizarre twist of Twilight Zone mentality, but I'm just too damn patient and forgiving for my own good…I'll wait it out until October to see if it pans out. But, I promise you a humdinger of a "Gary Coleman Rock Stars" installment if it doesn't!

All of this talk about publicists got me thinking about the Kinks 1970 classic album, "Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround Part One", the album that talked about the evils of management in rock and roll. Although they never made a "part two", I have the perfect title for a new Kinks comeback album. It can be called, "Ronnie Versus Publicistman and the Bullshitgoround Part Two" and I'll gladly give Ray Davies tons of inspiration for the comeback album that I know the Kinks have in them! No royalties, just first dibs on an interview.

O.K, enough of the sarcasm. You, the loyal readers of EAR CANDY don't want to hear all the boring details of what I go through just to give you all the latest music news in the smart-ass, irreverent style of CREEM magazine (one of my greatest inspirations!).

About the new issue…I really had fun putting this one together and yes of course, it is a little late. But there is so much that I wanted to get out in the August issue. And it looks like there will be an October one with all the stories that we couldn't fit into this issue.

And EAR CANDY keeps getting more writers! I really gotta give a hats-off to all the staff, who diligently perform all their magical writing duties with NO expectation of pay. But then again, that's what I want - someone like me who does it "strictly for the love of music man!"

Finally, thanks for 5 years of readership. Our hit counters keep climbing higher and higher as does our placement on such search engines as Google. So, we must be doing something right. Maybe people dig pure-passion over the smoke-and-mirrors style of music coverage in ROLLING STONE. But, as long as there is cool music - and elitist music types to piss off - EAR CANDY will be around…

Back to the EAR CANDY salt mines…gotta finish this issue before August ends!

Your ever so humble public servant,

Ronnie

JUNE 2004:
Yeah, I know…I’m late with another issue. What started out as the May issue morphed into the June issue. But, better late than never! Anyway, this issue turned out a lot different that originally planned and there are many articles that we are holding for our 5th Anniversary issue in August.

For instance, we had originally planned on featuring several SMiLE-related articles, including a section that reviews various recent fan mixes. But, we ended up getting so many that I wanted to wait and make it fair for all those who sent theirs in. Plus, August is only one month away from the official SMiLE CD release. Then there is our review of the DUMB ANGEL FAIRY TALE, the indie film that combines “Mount Vernon and Parkway” with the songs of SMiLE. Plus we have an interview with the film’s creator Rasmus Skotte. Nevertheless, the August issue will be well worth the wait for SMiLE fans.

We’ve also added to our writing “staff” here at EAR CANDY. Writers making their EAR CANDY debut include: Kerry Kompost, Jon Hunt and Robert Nase. And of course we have some of our regulars: Robert Pally, Sean Koepenick, Gary Pig Gold, Bill Vordenbaum and John Lane.

This month’s interviews include: Spiney Norman, Joe Ongie and Peter Searcy. Features include: a review of Brian Wilson - Gettin' In Over My Head; Los Lonely Boys; “Eight Questions for Bill Lloyd” by Gary Pig Gold; Why Isn't Billy Dechand A Household Name?; The Return of a Wizard - Todd Rundgren's LIARS; Fingers of Rock; More Brian Wilson fan mixes; and a sarcastic how-to-guide for journalists to write a Brian Wilson CD review. SMiLE Related articles include: a review of the Atlanta SMiLE Gathering II and a SMiLE set list from March 2, 2004. Film Reviews include: “Teenage Kicks – The Story of the Undertones” and Whaleman: "Underwater Attache". This months book reviews are: Bob Dylan and The Beatles (plus interview with author Al Aronowitz); Blondie, From Punk to the Present: A Pictorial History; Party Out of Bounds: The B-52's, R.E.M. and the Kids Who Rocked Athens, Georgia; This Whole World: The Complete Beach Boys Singles and EP Cover Collection; Village Idiom: Tribute To John Lennon; The Field Guide To Elvis Shrines; Da Vinci Code Decoded; and The Disinformation Book of Lists (Subversive Facts and Hidden Information in Rapid-Fire Format) .

FEB/MARCH 2004:
Its funny how things work out. This issue was supposed to come out in February, but due to factors too numerous to mention it didn't come out until March! While this was sometimes frustrating, it did give us the opportunity to squeeze several more articles in while we were waiting! Hence our big March issue...

Many thanks to the fanzines, webzines and other publications that let us use some of their articles this month. The list includes: OPEN SKY, ENDLESS SUMMER QUARTERLY, UTTER TRASH AND MELODY HILL. It helps widen our scope and hopefully lets people know of some other cool publications to check out.
Contributors this month include: Chris Allen, David Beard, John Lane, Doyle Tatum, Bob Ignizio, Donnie Thompson, and Wylie Reeves.
And of course thanks to our 'regular' gang of writers: Gary Pig Gold, J.R. Oliver, Jack Teague, Robert Pally, and Sean Koepenick.
We'd like to welcome a few new faces to the unofficial EAR CANDY writer's staff: Eric White, Jeff 'Weavil' Gauss and Dan Addington.
Finally, I'd like to thank the various people who gave us permission to use their SMiLe concert photos: Harvey Williams, Eric White, and Kristian Goddard.

With no further delays, here is what is featured in the March issue:

Beatles Related: With February 2004 being the 40th anniversary of the Beatles first visit to the U.S., we are featuring a few Beatle-related articles. Gary Pig Gold presents "A FAB FORTY", an interview with The Return, review of Tim Biancalana, The Beatles Are Coming!, A Hard Day's Day, The Grey Album, Let It Be...Naked,and "A Beatlemaniac's Pilgrimage to England '81".

Interviews this issue include: Eddy Medora of the Sunrays (Part II), Orange Hat, Mando Diao, Mark Linett, Al Jardine, Jeff Foskett, Ray Materick, The Wildhearts, and Cooterfinger.

Features, Tributes and Commentaries: "Ten You May Have Missed In 2003", Sufjan Stevens, Bangles-istory Lesson, and Rate An Elvis part 3.

SMiLE Related: Now that Brian Wilson has finally unvieled the lost Beach Boys classic SMiLE live, we are featuring a few SMiLE/Brian Wilson-related articles, including: SMiLE live review-Sat Feb 21, 2004 at the RFH, London; SMiLE live RFH photo scrapbook; Brian Wilson fan mixes; Review of Project SMiLE Version 1.2.

Film Reviews: "TRIBUTE", "Utopia live in 1980", Siouxsie & Banshees-"The Seven Year Itch", Orange Hat-"Takes a ride on the Psychedelic Elevator" & "The Orange Hat Hour Volume One", and "A Mighty Wind".

Book Reviews feature: The Prankster and the Conspiracy (plus interview with the author) and Shane MacGowan: London Irish Punk Life and Music.

Cool Record Stores: Circle Sky Records and ChangesOne Record Shop.

Our Rock 'n Roll Case Study covers "Bubblegum In 3-D"

DECEMBER 2003:
The December 2003 issue features a little unfinished business from our previous issue - articles that weren't finished in time for the last issue. Of course with Yule fastly approaching, we feature a few yuletide-related stories!

This issue kept growing and growing, and that's why I pushed back the issue from November to December so that we could accomodate all the new articles. In addition to some of our regular writers such as Gary Pig Gold, Robert Pally, Bill Vordenbaum and Sean Koepenick, we welcome aboard a new writer to the EAR CANDY "staff", Bethany Carr. And Jack Teague, our regular book reviewer, has branched out to offer us interviews and reviews.

Interviews with: Eddy Medora of the Sunrays, Milo, Living Colour, The Factory Incident, Lisa Mychols, Days Away, Simple Minds.

Features: "It's beginning to sound a lot like...well...you know what" by Gary Pig Gold, Austin City Limits Music Festival 2003, "Gary Coleman" Rock Stars: Part V-Cowboy Mouth. Another Retrospective of Atlanta area concerts of 2003: Damone, Soundtrak, The Floating Coats, What The...?, Orange Hat and The Psychics.

SMiLE Related: Review of the Atlanta SMiLE Gathering, Review of Project SMiLE Version 1.2

Book Reviews: The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley (plus interview with the author)/ The Shadow Over Santa Susana (plus interview with the author)/ Turn Off Your Mind: The Mystic Sixties and the Dark Side of the Age of Aquarius/ Charles Manson: Music, Mayhem, Murder/ Walk This Way : The Autobiography of Aerosmith/ Dream on: Livin' on the Edge With Steven Tyler & Aerosmith Rock 'n Roll Case Study: Too Much Joy, The Music of Charles Manson.

OCTOBER 2003:
The October issue of EAR CANDY pretty much has a minimum of my personal involvement. It wasn't planned that way, but due to the twists and turns of this thing called 'life' I had to put most of my articles on hold until next issue. But, that means that the December issue will have a ton of articles and lots of reviews!

This issue starts a little 'partnership' with both the magazine OPEN SKY and CIRCLE SKY RECORDS. With their permission we have reprinted articles from both of these magazines, featuring new writers Chris Allen, John Lane, "Valleri" and Donnie Thompson. Plus we have articles from our regular staff: Gary Pig Gold, Sean Koepenick, and Robert Pally.

AUGUST 2003:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!
Four years ago I would have had NO idea that EAR CANDY would become as successful as it has. Back then as I was just learning web design, I started out with a humble little webpage on XOOM, now a defunct server. I even called it "EAR CANDY 1999", having no intention of turning it into an ongoing project. But, one issue turned into the next and before you know it, it was 2003. When EAR CANDY started, I definitely had more going against me than for me. I had NO journalistic training. I had no experience dealing with all the publicists and record labels. And I had NO money to spend on EAR CANDY. But, I did have a little web design knowledge and a lot of enthusiasm for music! It helps that I can be a real asshole when it matters and that I enjoy a good confrontation. For some reason, the publicists at the record labels give a little more recognition to people who stand their ground and don't take 'no' for an answer than the typical sycophantic, college-trained journalist. There is more than a little satisfaction that I have overcome these obstacles on my OWN terms.

Along the way, the design of EAR CANDY got sleeker and more professional and our roster of artists that we interviewed grew. Although I had a few friends help me out in the writing department, I was the main writer for the first few years. The early issues of EAR CANDY featured mainly just interviews and occasional concert reviews. Our first major increase in readership came after we decided to do CD reviews. That really opened the floodgates since we had a standing policy of 'reviewing everything' we were mailed. Plus, we decided to put no restriction on genre. This led for the need to search for other writers to help with the onslaught of CD's that we received. We started including essays and other features, adding the glorious Gary Pig Gold to our staff of regular writers. Gary was influential in more ways than one, and it was his indirect influence that made me start reviewing rock and roll books and eventually films (our very first film review is in this month's issue). Slowly but surely, our 'staff' was growing - it was mind boggling to me that we even had a 'staff' of writers at EAR CANDY!

Sure, EAR CANDY has become a little more tedious, almost like a second job with enforced deadlines, etc. I still do all the layouts myself plus most of the legwork to secure interviews. Yes, I've been burned a few times by some of our past writers, sending them CD's for reviews and getting nothing in return - and had people take concert tickets without giving me a review or photos. But, I've simply learned from these past mistakes and now I usually rely on my reliable, tried-and-true core staff writers for each issue.

I recently had a spiteful publicist call EAR CANDY 'insignificant' (but that's a whole different story that you can read about here). So just what does 'success' mean to me in regards to EAR CANDY? No, I'm not talking 'success' in terms of ROLLING STONE or SPIN. I measure 'success' in the feedback we get (there are a lot more positive letters, but I only print the few negative letters we get because they are so damn entertaining), the amount of artists that contact US for exposure and the amount of hits the site gets. In 2003 we average 10,000 hits about every 5 days. That's a far cry from those early days in 1999. And, most telling, it means that somebody is reading EAR CANDY.

Some of the artists that I interview are shocked when they learn that I make nothing, not one red cent, from EAR CANDY. "It's just a labor of love," I tell them. Sure, it's work - but what other 'job' includes listening to the newest CD's, interviewing both past and present rock stars, going to concerts, seeing films and reading rock 'n roll books? I'm still enjoying it and will continue EAR CANDY as long as it still is fun for me.

"Insignificant"? Perhaps, but who is the one having the time of his life? For all those doubters...I'm laughing at YOU!