In some close circles the "ketchup effect" has a dirty meaning. However, in wider circles the concept is neutral. The ketcup effect is used to describe a situation or event where not much happens for a long time, and then a lot happens at once. The significance of ketchup will be clear to anyone who has ever tried to pour the sauce from a Heinz glass bottle — nothing comes out followed by abundance. The gothic country genre is characterized by an inverted ketchup effect. It's nice to know that some bands are swimming against the tide. The Victor Mourning released their one and only album "A Handful of Locusts" in 2010. A very long hiatus followed. In 2021 they changed their name to Swarme of Beese and the following year they released "Backwoods of My Mind", which may very well be the album of the year. Anyway, "Singing in the Dark" and "Guntown Mountain" are outstanding songs. Now it seems like Swarme of Beese is making up for lost time. When "Backwoods of My Mind" was released they were almost done recording their second album. On September 28th 2022 they wrote on Facebook: "Exciting news! The second Swarme of Beese studio album — "Fruits of the Golden Land" — is now in the capable hands of Gold Rush Vinyl in Austin, Texas! The gestation for vinyl production is about 9 months, so it should be ready to spin on 180-gram vinyl, CD, download, and all your favorite streams by June 2023. Some extremely talented folks have contributed to this project, and we are grateful to each of them. We were incredibly fortunate to work again with producer/multi-instrumentalist Mark Addison at The Aerie in Austin, and these 8 luscious new tracks are guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes! One of our favorite visual artists, Dan Barry, created the beautiful art for the cover, and if you’re familiar with his work, you already know it’s going to be good! Will Branch has been working hard on the design, and it’s nothing short of stunning! These details provide just a tiny glimpse of what we’ve been up to: we can’t wait to share it with y’all!"

I proud myself of keeping tabs on every tiny detail in the gothic country genre. Apparently, in this case I fell asleep at the wheel. Multi-talented artist Slackeye Slim is recording a new album. How could I miss this? Well, one explanation is that Facebook deleted the original Slackeye Slim page (which I followed). He had to make a new one which at the moment has 46 followers. Sign up! Slackeye Slim also launched a website a while back. Slackeye Slim isn't exactly known for being an avid social media user. I found this information on the website "Howdy! I just launched a new website. Getting ready to record a new album, so I figured it'd be a good idea to have some kinda web presence. The songs are just about done. I don't want to say too much just yet, but I'm really happy with it. I've been working on it on and off for five years or so. I'm hoping to have it out by the end of 2022 or beginning of 2023. I'll keep updating this site as I get time, but just keep an eye out for news from me. And if you don't mind, tell your friends on your social medias and whatnots and what-have-yous. I'm not really into that sort of thing. Slackeye Slim is not promoted or marketed by anyone. Not even by me most of the time. If you like what I'm doing, please spread the word. I'd sure appreciate it. Talk soon." This was most unexpected. The magnificent "Giving My Bones to the Western Lands" was released in 2015, read more here (opens in an new window). After that, dead silence. Slackeye Slim reveals this about the new album: "It's still untitled. However I will say that it's a concept album written from the perspective of a circular firing squad. You figure out what that means. For me, it's about trying to be better than the ones who came before you, and also about realizing how stuck you are to the ones who came before, even if you don't want to be. We'll see what you think. It's the culmination of a lifetime of trouble, sorted out over a bunch of campfires in the desert here in the Four Corners area...I think you're gonna like this one. I've never worked harder or been more honest on a record before this one." This sounds really promising. I'm thrilled and can't wait.   

Selling music rights seems to be equal to selling the family silver. Artists like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young have sold all or large parts of their music catalog. This is shocking. I always thought that they valued and wanted total control over their creative output. Also, they don't need money to make ends meet. So what's all this nonsense really about? Let's start with the demand side. Startup companies, financed by risk capitalists, believe that there is money to be made from acquiring music rights in the form of future royalties, licensing, brand deals, and other revenue streams that otherwise would have gone to the artist. They firmly believe that the back catalogs of renowned artists are goldmines, insensitive to economic recession and structural change. Low interest rates fuels the fire and the major labels are competing about the rights, which increases the asset value. The supply side seems to make a complete different assessment. Streaming has changed everything. Nowadays, revenues comes from touring, not from vinyl or cd sales. Reducing uncertainty is the main explanantion for the willingness to sell. I hate streaming. Who could imagine that the new business model would have such a pervasive impact on the industry and disastrous implications for the artists. Furthermore, who can guarantee that the back catalogs of renowned artists will stand the competition from streaming polluters in the future. The old hard-core fans will sooner or later die. And, maybe future technological change will lead to even less money for the artists (if this worst-case scenario is conceivable). Adding to this, US tax legislation makes selling more profitable than earning. It's not so strange if artists take the money and run. Allegedly, a legend like Bob Dylan got a lump sum of 25 times what his song catalog earns each year. And what about the gothic country genre? The genre is spared. Obviously, there's no money to be made here for anyone.   

The saying goes, "Good from far, but far from good". How true. People are not always good looking when you come closer. The same goes for bands and artists who aspire to be the next 16 Horsepower, Handsome Family, Those Poor Bastards, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Sons of Perdition, Munly & the Lee Lewis Harlots, Reverend Glasseye, Wovenhand, O'Death or Slackeye Slim, read more here (opens in an new window). The aspirants are not good looking. And this goes far beyond their looks. I'm talking about the musical quality and originality. I'm old, tired, and cranky. I want to believe, in the same way people believe in paranormal objects or phenomena, especially the ones alleged to have extraterrestrial origins. I use different trawling techniques. Most fishes pass through my fishing net holes. However, some fishes tagged gothic country, gothic americana, dark americana and southern gothic, get stuck in the net. However, after a brief assessment they are thrown back into the sea. They are either uninteresting or hideous, and sometimes both. Maybe I would be more successful if I focused more on old fishing grounds and the peak period, which ended a decade ago. It's hard work to separate the wheat from the chaff. In fact, it's like finding a needle in a haystack. Adding to the difficulty level. It's unclear if there really is a needle in the haystack.      

I stuck my neck out once and got burned. I criticized an American band for their change to more family-friendly music. The burn? The band immediately deleted me from their mailing list. To be blocked or banned in the open and permissive gothic country genre is unheard of. Well, I guess it have to be a first time for everything. I thought that I would be burned again when I received an automized message from Discogs. The reason for my suspicion? I have been ranting about Discogians recently, read more here (opens in an new window). However, I didn't get banned or blocked. Instead, I was granted voting rights at Discogs! According to guideline 20.1.1. "New users cannot vote. The ability to vote is automatically assigned based on your interaction with the site. Generally, you need to log in reasonably regularly, view releases, read the guidelines, comment correctly on others submissions and make good submissions and updates. Basically, you need to be a helpful and positive contributor to the site." Helpful and positive? It seems like the DiscogsBot doesn't crawl through obscure websites with dubious content like mine. I didn't get expelled or warned for violating the Community Guidelines. Instead, I got promoted and moved up a notch on the Discogs ladder. Now I'm standing at the crossroads. Continue to write impertinent blog entries about Discogians or begin to approach other community members with requests like "Please check" in a passive-agressive manner. I think I can do both.