Travis

I just got back from seeing Travis live at the Abbey Pub. Weeks won tickets to the private show from 93.1 WRXT, which was recorded for later broadcast.

I had never heard of the band before. It consists of four guys from Scotland. They have a good sound, although certainly not the most original. I’ll probably buy a couple of their albums when I find the money.

The nice thing about the small venue (there were about sixty people) was that we got to hear some of their views on life. Being from Europe, they rather predictably disagree with the current state of the world, but it was also nice to hear them discuss their current dislike for the music industry as it now stands. When asked why so few artists have made statements in their music about the current world affairs, the lead singer Fran replied that there “really aren’t that many artists anymore.” His statements that “all of the action occur at the top” of the industry, referring to the multi-billion dollar acquisitions and mergers by the media conglomarates, were dead on. He continues stating that the lack of action on the bottom then has negative effect that has on the creativity and exposure of artists.

I couldn’t agree more. As Lawrence Lessig keeps telling us, our current intellectual property system is slowly killing our vibrant culture.