Tommy

Heya long-time readers, the new & the curious, and music fans in general. I'm Tom Hallett, creator and author of local Mpls/St. Paul music column Round The Dial. By the time most of you read this, you'll have undoubtedly heard that the Pulse has folded and left us long-time writers adrift in the stinking sea of pop culture that swirls around us like Strom Thurmond's bath-water draining.I've decided to keep Round The Dial going- though it's been a long ten years grinding out a weekly column, I don't feel now is quite the time to give up the fight and let the be-suited bastards in charge of what we hear and see continue on their quest to zombie-fie what's left of the Free World with acts like Britney Spears and Hugh Grant blasting from gas station and bar radios from here to Kalamazoo.Therefore, until I can actually get an official Round The Dial site where I can post ads and show info and actually be able to bring in enough dough to feed myself and my family (thanks for the ride, Ed Felien!!), I'll be posting my 'Round The Dial here on MySpace. I have plenty of nefarious plans underway as I pen this, and may have some kind of regular, indie-friendly publication going with the help of some fellow Pulse workers and generous local businesses and bands.As with the newspaper version of Round The Dial (Yep, it's named for the famed Kinks song of the same title), my goal is to provide honest, no-bullshit CD reviews, artist interviews, and rock news with all the gusto I can muster. Though there are some damn fine local music 'zines around town, with the recent out-of-town buy-outs of City Pages and both of our daily papers, I feel the large and info-hungry music community of the Twin Cities can only benefit from having the 'Dial and related material around to provide some healthy competition and keep things fair for the local artist, especially. With Jim Walsh gone from the Pages and Pulse no longer existing (at least as a street paper), I've been encouraged by those in the know and feel deeply in my music-lovin' soul that keepin' on keepin' on is the only honorable recourse.What this means, for now, is that artists will be submitting their music for review for the 'Round The Dial site, where I'll continue to give preference to local/regional and indie artists as I always have in the past. The only difference is you won't have the paper copy for your bird cages or to wrap the fish you catch this summer in. Time marches on, and frankly, the death of hard-copy (paper street versions) of many music-oriented publications has been a long time in coming.However, if things work out and this project continues to help inform and benefit the local music community at large, perhaps we'll be back in your local restaurants and pubs in the shake of a tail feather. I'd like to thank my highly talented editor (and fellow writer) Steve McPherson for helping to keep Pulse's music section diverse and professional over the past few years, Dave Goldstein for all his support and patience over the past decade (I must have quit Pulse for various reasons twenty times over the years, and it was always David pointing out the mountains of e-mails and packages I receive each day thanking me for giving the underdogs of the musical world some ink that kept bringing me back time and again. Thanks, Dave- I wish you the best.Over the years in Pulse, I was lucky enough to interview (and sometimes meet and hang out with) a plethora of awe-inspiring artists, ranging from Sonic Youth to Joan Jett to Paul Westerberg, Ryan Adams, Randy Newman, Al Green, and literally dozens more of my favorite artists, so while I'm not exactly thrilled with publisher Ed Felien's cut-and-run policy with the closing of the paper, I do thank him for those opportunities and the chance to see and hear so many great artists over the years. But hey- the '60's are over and it's time for a new generation to pick up the torch and keep the rock n' roll fires burning bright.I shall continue to endeavour to expose new and exciting artists and albums here on MySpace for the time being, but be on the look-out for the 'Dial to either get it's own website or hook up with a new local street paper that gives a damn more about art and artists than it does money and social standing. I say fuck 'em- we can do it ourselves and my only request to the public is for bands and artists to keep sending their new stuff my way and for fans of said music to keep reading the column so we can continue to grow- wouldn't it be cool to have a Creem-style real music mag based out of the Twin Cities? I think so. And when I'm really, really, really loaded, the ghost of Lester Bangs plays me songs on his typewriter that urge me to keep going, never let the bastards win, and if ya gotta go down, go down fighting like hell.Watch this space for new 'Round The Dials every week or so, cool interviews with your favorite artists, and of course, my infamous long-winded and occasionally amusing rants and rock an' roll fantasies. Thanks to all of you who've been faithful readers over the years, and sent e-mails, letters, packages, CD mixes, treats, and old prescriptions to Tommy at the 'Dial.You, the readers, are the backbone of this column, and always have been- I hope you all come along for the ride- the next decade should be even more interesting, with great new indie and underground (and even a few major label) artists to keep up on and learn about. Another major benefit of having Round The Dial on its' own site will be that I can print reader comments at will, take suggestions for upcoming reviews, and keep folks posted on great upcoming live gigs around town. It's been fun, kids- no reason to hop off the ride just yet. Until next time- MAKE YER OWN DAMN NEWS!!Tom Hallett 'Round The Dial