2015 Concerts

Another year comes to a close and as I look back on 2015, I wanted to reflect on the live music shows that I was able to see this year. And a huge tip-of-the-hat to Bevin for helping me score some crazy good tickets to many of these shows!

In total I saw 9 live shows this year (national acts), which I feel is down a bit from previous years. While I was able to see a few bands to close out Lou Fest on their Sunday night, I am just counting it as one show. Most of the music would fall into the New Alternative Rock classification this year - also a bit different than years past where there is a healthy sprinkle of '80s alternative in the mix - this year only Billy Idol was seen live from that era...and he was part of the Lou Fest lineup.

As I go back and try to rank them I find myself gravitating to a most unusual pick for my "concert of the year". It's a band that I honestly have no interest in buying their album, and I only knew two of so of their songs going into the show...but the show was so deep, so moving and at the exact right time for me, that I have to say that Beach House was by far the best show I saw in 2015. The concert was definitely a performance. The lights were down low and the stage was backlit (never once saw the face of the band members on stage). The sound was moving, it was almost like a trance and it took me to another place for the nearly two hours they performed.

Had Beach House not been so "moving" there were other shows that would have taken the top spot for me. Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats was a rockin' show straight out of the 1950's. Lots of layers to the music and everyone from the band to the audience was 100% into the music. They filled the Ready Room easily (sold out in less than a day, I believe) and the music filled the space as well. I already was a fan, this secured it for me.

Glass Animals played an outdoor show at The Old Rock House on a beautiful summer night and their sound was as great outdoors as it was indoors the year before. The lead singer does not look like he should be fronting a band...and he tries to overcome that by partially acting like a hype-man as well as the lead singer. Their sound is very percussion-based but live the rest of the music arrangement also fills the air. I can't wait to hear what their follow up album will sound like, the inaugural one is amazing from start to finish.

I also could not help but love Zola Jesus - all 4'-whatever of her. Her voice is much bigger than her tiny frame and when she started doing laps at the Ready Room and you could hardly see her because she is smaller than EVERYONE there, you had to love her sense of adventure as well.

Somewhere in the middle of the pack this year were Passion Pit (actually better than I had expected, but not in the top four), Kaiser Chiefs (just paying to see the lead singer's antics is worth the price of admission) and Gaslight Anthem (their sound is much better at Pops than the Ready Room - yes, I said the sound is good at Pops!).

On the other end of the spectrum was Saint Motel. I'll spare some of the criticism because they were playing a free show in the middle of the street in what is called the Grove Fest. However, I had high hopes as I had their EP and thoroughly loved their two popular songs and also enjoyed the other two cuts on the album. Come to find out, beyond those four, they were producing duds. There were times I wanted to leave...and that was before they played their "hits". Their two popular songs did save the show for me, the energy shown and reciprocated during those songs was strong...but not enough so to get me to pay to see them when they returned to St. Louis a few months later.

Here's the full list of shows from 2015:
Zola Jesus, Gaslight Anthem, Kaiser Chiefs, Glass Animals, Lou Fest (Billy Idol, Young the Giant), Saint Motel, Passion Pit, Beach House & Nathaniel Rateliff.

In 2016 I already have my sights set on seeing the Cure in Chicago in June, but beyond that I need to see who is touring. I am hoping for a few tours this year from bands that have been laying low. I'd love to see White Lies and She Wants Revenge if they decide it's time to tour again. Silversun Pickups and Miike Snow both just released (or will soon be releasing) albums, so I hope their tours bring them through StL. I'd like to hear a follow up album from Future Islands and then the concert to support it - another lead singer who's on-stage mannerisms are worth admission, alone. Next, add Temper Trap and Two Door Cinema Club to my wish list for 2016 - I have no idea if they are planning a tour, but I sure hope so. And like every year since 1988 I hope that the Smiths get back together just for one tour...and that the tour lands somewhere close to St. Louis.

Here's to a rockin' 2016! Cheers!

Recommended Offseason Checklist for the St. Louis Cardinals

Yes, it was an amazing year for the Cardinals. Winning 100 games is not to be scoffed at. These guys won with all types of injuries and held off the Pirates (2nd best record in all of baseball) and Cubs (3rd best record in all of baseball) until the playoffs. However, one must always look to improve. The Cubs will likely be better next year with another year of seasoning...and if the Pirates OF ever lives up to their combined potential then it will be a 3-way race to the top again. Here's one mans view of what should be top of mind for the ownership, coaching staff and players as they prepare for 2016.

• Resign John Lackey - yes, we have a bunch of starting pitchers, but if 2015 proved one thing, you need more than you think...and you need work horses. Lackey is a work horse who would be an amazing #2 behind Wainwright...even at 37+ years old. Get it done.
• Find a backup to Yadi who intimidates a little with the bat. Hey, Cruz has earned his stripes defensively - he had some great throws to dab would be base stealers in Molina's absence...and the pitchers trust throwing to him...but when Cruz is in the lineup, you are severely hurting an already compromised lineup. Yadi can't seem to make it through the season any longer, he needs more rest...and that rest comes with someone who can be trusted offensively and defensively. Being Yadi's backup is a hard sell, being a perennial playoff team is not...and the AB will increase for the backup if it is the right fit.
• Pick your top four outfielders + one versatile backup and cut the rest. At the end of the year AB were being shared with too many OF who were auditioning. There is too much talent in the Cardinals OF to treat it like a revolving door. Make up your mind on Heyward (resign or cut loose), Grichuk (middle of order hitter or bench player), Pham (super sub or CF), Jay (CF or superfluous piece), Bourjos (bad base stealing pinch runner, defense only, roster filler). I think we all have seen that Holliday will play (and bat 3rd) for Matheny if he says he can play...and Piscotty has earned a spot in the OF. Make decisions on the rest of the OF and go with it...move the rest.
• Teach the hitters to either A) lay off the ball below their knees or B) learn to hit that ball with some authority to the opposite field. In the last game of the playoffs the Cubs scouting report was very easy to discern...low and outside sliders. Throw them often...the Cardinals will chase. The Cardinals whiffed 28 times in the last two games alone...and I bet the majority of them came off balls in the dirt (or close). Mabry, this is on you...then the hitters to implement your teachings.
• Find a cleanup hitter who can handle the job. Peralta is not your guy. Good hitter, not a #4 hitter. Heyward is not your guy either. He filled in admirably, but he is not your cleanup hitter. Holliday is not your guy - for God's sake, please get him out of the middle of the order. Do we need to trade to fill this role? Possibly. We have a plethora of #2/5/6/7 hitters and no legit #3 or #4 hitters anymore. Address that need. Maybe #3 is Piscotty. It's OK if a rookie forces a veteran like Holliday out of his usual lineup spot. It happens on most teams - aging veterans move to new spots in the lineup and do quite well.

Of course, there are many other storylines this offseason. Will the Cardinals pay market value for Heyward? Does his steady bat (though not gaudy numbers offensively) coupled with elite defense warrant paying him top dollar when you still need some impact bats? What to do with all of these young pitchers? If we sign Lackey we have six starters already for opening day (I'm assuming we resign Garcia as his contract is a virtual steal when healthy). We also have Cooney and Lyons ready to be a 5th starter and a few others knocking on the door as well. What do you do with Adams? Is he done? Can he hit lefties?

I am sure there are others, but the five points above would be my emphasis. What are your thoughts?

The evolution of managing a pitching staff

How a pitching staff is managed thoroughly intrigues me. 100 years ago pitchers threw 9 innings a game and did so every 2-3 games. For the most part pitchers had short careers but some of them were able to sustain that pace for 20 seasons. I don't know what happened to them after they retired, perhaps their arms literally fell off, or were so damaged that they could not brush their own teeth - but you don't hear those stories. Just that they would throw over 300 innings a year - every year.

Then came the advent of the relief pitcher. Why have your starter roll through the lineup 4 times when you could bring in a fresh pitcher with a different 'look' to baffle the opposing hitters? Starting pitchers' conditioning changed as they were not needed to throw complete games every time out.

Then the rotations began to lengthen. Three-men rotations became four-men rotations, which became five-men rotations. It was a mix of conditioning changes, specialists entering the game and agents protecting the valuable asset of their pitcher (their arm).

Here in 2015 there is even talk of six-man rotations. This on top of every team trying to mimic what the Kansas City Royals were able to do in 2014 by "shortening the game" when they only expected 5-6 innings from their starter then they had a 7th inning guy, an 8th inning guy and a 9th inning guy. Bullpens are often as crowded as the dugouts. With many teams carrying 13 pitchers (on a 25 man roster) there are often times when you have eight guys in the bullpen,  nine on the field and the other eight in the dugout. Pitching is the valuable asset on the team, and rosters and salaries are aligned to that value.

Don't even get me started on the LOOGY (or Lefty One-Out GuY)!

But what has happened in 2015 is an over reliance on one-inning specialists and one batter specialists (LOOGY) and less reliance on watching the pitcher's "stuff" and knowing when he is having an on-day or an off-day.

This year is a magical year so far for the local team, the St. Louis Cardinals. As I write this they are 39 games above .500 with a little over a month still to go. The team ERA is the lowest in MLB since the early 1970s and the bullpen ERA is hovering around 2.30. All amazing numbers. But I am not one to only look for opportunities when there are bad times. I look for trends or opportunities even when things are going well - how can they be even better?

What I have seen this year (and over Matheny's tenure) is his loyalty to his pitchers in certain situations. He relies more on a pre-established formula as opposed to how the pitcher is throwing on that particular day. I have a few numbers to back this up. First, look at games played. The Cardinals have the three leaders in games played by pitchers. Siegrist, Maness and Rosenthal all top the league leaders. Usually when you see one of them, you see all three. Maness is responsible to pitch the 7th or to get them out of a jam with runners on with his double play tendency. Siegrist has become the 8th inning set up guy and Rosenthal is etched in stone for the 9th.

This is a formula that works well when they are all throwing well - and for the most part that has been all season. Only recently has Maness' ERA risen above 3.00 and just last night Siegrist's ERA rose above the 2.00 mark. However it also invites trouble. When you consistently employ four pitchers or more in a game, the likelihood of one of them not being at their best is higher than a lower number of pitchers. Each time you bring in a new hurler, you welcome the unknown of a pitcher perhaps not able to find the strike zone or has no bite on his breaking ball.

As a fan of the Cardinals, I love to see it when the opposing manager keeps bringing in new pitchers, because I know that one of them might be off that night. And you know what, it is quite often the case.

I'd much rather see Matheny ride out a hot hand on the mound for a few more outs each game and give them a day or so to recuperate than to say "this set of three outs is yours. Go get 'em."

That approach also allows the manager to employ a hook quicker when his pitcher is struggling. The other night Cishek could not find the strike zone and was allowed to throw enough errant pitches to walk the bases loaded. Matheny had it in his mind that it was Cishek's inning. That was that. Until Cishek finally went too far. It worked out. Maness came in and saved the day with two strikeouts and retiring the final out with a weak swing...but it was undue pressure.

Again, the approach has worked so far, but it seems to rely too much on predetermined roles and natural breaks in the structure of the game than it does reading the effectiveness of a pitcher that particular day. I'd like to see less opportunities for that off-pitcher on a given day by running a reliever out for a second inning.

I guess in some ways today is like it was 100 years ago. Pitchers expected to pitch every day, or every other day. However today they may be called upon to throw 10-20 pitches where they were throwing 150+ in the early 1900's. I'd like to see the evolution in reading the pitcher's effectiveness and body language.

Time for St. Louis to Support the Royals

It's ALLSTAR voting time and the Royals' fans are doing an amazing job of voting their players into the mid-summer classic.

I say that it is time for the Cardinals' fans to embrace the Royals and Royals' fans and stuff the ballot box for some Royals too.

Perez, Hozmer, Moustakas, Gordon and Cain are all doing fine - they don't need the help from the east side of the state. However, Infante and Escobar NEED OUR HELP!

That's right Cards fans, when you are voting for your ALLSTARS please do what you can to vote 25 times a day (or how ever many times you are allowed to vote per email) for INFANTE - 2B - KC and ESCOBAR - SS - KC.

It is our duty as fellow Missourians to vote for a middle infield on the AL of KC Royals. Oh, and then there's this..."this game matters".

That's right, the winner of the ALLSTAR GAME still gets home field advantage. And if the Cardinals continue their winning ways wouldn't you want to have home field advantage? Of course!

So, vote in the light hitting INFANTE who has a .221 avg, a .229 obp, 0HR and 17RBI + ESCOBAR with his .258 avg, .290 obp, 2HR and 20RBI. These are the kinds of bat we need in the AL lineup.

Let's face it, the forces that be at MLB are going to wise up sooner or later that fans are manipulating the World Series outcome. So, let's do our part to manipulate it while we can. It's no hacking of the Astros systems with their own old passwords, but it's legal and it works.

25 votes a day for INFANTE and ESCOBAR. Go do it!

Branding Vs. Marketing - A Handy Example

The other day Misty brought home an interesting bottle of red wine from Sam's Club. The brand name was "Hand" and it is from Italy. There are many wine labels out there with the word hand in them - there is 14 Hands, HandCraft, Sleight of Hand...just to name a few. But this bottle stood out, it stood out because of the packaging.

For those of you who shop for wine at your local grocer, wine shop or club store, you know that many times your wine exploration is driven by the label and how it catches your attention. Perhaps the subject matter is relevant to you or maybe the bold colors contrasted with the stark labels around it. The thing is, there are so many brands out there today that even if you are relatively knowledgeable about wine, you are surely going to come across some you have never heard of. And those "newbies" are vying for your attention.

So back to the bottle at hand.

What was so intriguing about this one was the molded, concave bottle shape that had a perfect indention for a hand to grip the bottle. Albeit, the hand is probably modeled after a smaller hand than mine, it was still a clever way to get the upper hand on the competition on the displays at Sam's.

However, here's where marketing and branding separate themselves.

I researched HAND RED BLEND WINE ITALY and found nothing. I even pulled out the Google Goggles app and scanned the bar code so it could take me to their website, or at least a distributor. I wanted to know the story of Hand. Certainly they had to have a story on-hand. A company clever enough to mold their bottle and custom cut a label around the "fingers" had to have invested in the brand itself, right?

Well, not that I can find.
Opportunity lost.

While in wine, and consumables in general, it is arguable the taste that is the ultimate loyalty factor, many brands are finding out that a true brand story, a true reason to believe in their brand can also carry them a long way. Yes, people will buy Hand this week at Sam's because it is clever and stands out. A percentage of them will like the taste of the wine and want to buy more for the flavor + creativity. However, retaining these customers long-term is the responsibility of the brand and one that is obviously being overlooked.

So, if you know these good folks at Hand, from Italy (or even their partners at Atlas Imports who also have nothing about this unique product on their site), please send them my way. I'd love to learn their story and help them create a brand. They are off to a great start of enticing consumers to try their product - but they are not inviting them into their lives to be a part of their brand.

Basically, that hand is just waving goodbye to their customers...and their profits.

Serge - ekwede.com - a strategic marketing company

“But, is it ownable?”

A question that I am often asked when it comes to brand positions and taglines is “we like it, but, is it ownable?”

This question intrigues me because what I have found is that the question is the right one to be asking, however I have found that the confusion really resides in what makes something “ownable”.

Typically, the question is based upon the words themselves. And to be honest, words, alone are hard to “own”. You could drop the name of the company or the brand into the position or tagline and it might feel more “ownable”, but that is not really the issue. “Owning” a position or “owning” a tagline is really much deeper, you must develop both with the intention to resonate with your audience and to be lived by your colleagues.

To achieve “ownable” you must have a deep knowledge and understanding of your consumers and be able to identify the insights that will enable customers to view your brand differently than the others in the marketplace.

Two tagline examples I often reference are from McDonalds and BMW. For years McDonalds used the “I’m lovin’ in” tagline.

Is this “ownable”?

Only after the brand stood behind it and brought that attitude to life in all of their touch points could it be “owned”. It conveyed fun and freedom. They knew their customers - what would resonate with them - and they sought to communicate differently than their competitors.

So was it “ownable”?

Definitely, but not just because of the words, but because of the relationship between brand, company and customers.

The other example is “The ultimate driving machine” by BMW. This is a classic example of a tagline that could have been used by other premium automobile manufacturers, but they would not have been able to “own” it. Again, think about BMW owners and drivers and their relationship with the brand. These words represent their mindset about why they drive a BMW and it also acts as a vision statement (of sorts) for the brand, they had better live up to this aspirational message throughout the organization and in their products.

So, it is not the words that make a position or tagline “ownable”, it is the insight behind those words and the further actions from the brand that will truly determine if the brand has the right to “own” those statements.

The next time that you are pitched a brand position or a tagline, and you are compelled to ask, “But, is it ownable?” Think about how you would answer that as the brand representative. Do you know your customers well enough and know your colleagues well enough to answer that? Because that is what you are really asking.