D Nuts || November 15, 2006
"Have you heard from Cindy Chaffin lately?"
"Um, yeah, just ran into her at Good Records like a week...no, two weeks ago. Yeah, she hasn't posted much lately, has she?"
This is an exchange I had with a not-too-frequent contributor to local music blog FineLineLive.com just yesterday; I figured that Chaffin, the founder of TexasGigs and lady in charge of the Line, was just busy, so I didn't think much of it, but maybe I should've.
The "original" local blogger posted a Michael Jordan-style retirement notice shortly before noon today, saying that the past year "just ain't been fun for awhile." From the look of the long post, a mix of family obligations and lack of financial incentive led to recent silence and this post. The Jordan aspect, of course, is that Chaffin's not really closing the site or shutting up. You'll see her online at Quick's local music blog, and the site will stay open as Chaffin posts things every now and then (particularly SXSW coverage in March that will surely feature her bizarre "Flat Cindy" doll alter-ego).
News? Not so much. Rather, it's a confirmation of what readers have assumed for over a month now. The site's focus had already been hijacked by site partner Amanda Newman, who had converted the site into her own soundboard for the shows she either books or promotes for Club Dada. Newspapers would call that a "conflict of interest"...but, hey, it's the Internet, right? Looks like Newman has already moved her data to a personal site and will probably camp out there for the time being, so fans of Rahim Quazi and Chris Holt know where to go for their daily local singer/songwriter fix.
Ultimately, it's an underwhelming announcement, much like every other Internet announcement around town. Blogs make it easier to set up shop--and easier to shut down with nary a boom. But as I wrote months ago, Cindy was, is and always will be an important figure in local music, leading the charge where local newspapers and radio stations were slacking, so I'll continue to keep an eye on her Quickery. -SM
"Um, yeah, just ran into her at Good Records like a week...no, two weeks ago. Yeah, she hasn't posted much lately, has she?"
This is an exchange I had with a not-too-frequent contributor to local music blog FineLineLive.com just yesterday; I figured that Chaffin, the founder of TexasGigs and lady in charge of the Line, was just busy, so I didn't think much of it, but maybe I should've.
The "original" local blogger posted a Michael Jordan-style retirement notice shortly before noon today, saying that the past year "just ain't been fun for awhile." From the look of the long post, a mix of family obligations and lack of financial incentive led to recent silence and this post. The Jordan aspect, of course, is that Chaffin's not really closing the site or shutting up. You'll see her online at Quick's local music blog, and the site will stay open as Chaffin posts things every now and then (particularly SXSW coverage in March that will surely feature her bizarre "Flat Cindy" doll alter-ego).
News? Not so much. Rather, it's a confirmation of what readers have assumed for over a month now. The site's focus had already been hijacked by site partner Amanda Newman, who had converted the site into her own soundboard for the shows she either books or promotes for Club Dada. Newspapers would call that a "conflict of interest"...but, hey, it's the Internet, right? Looks like Newman has already moved her data to a personal site and will probably camp out there for the time being, so fans of Rahim Quazi and Chris Holt know where to go for their daily local singer/songwriter fix.
Ultimately, it's an underwhelming announcement, much like every other Internet announcement around town. Blogs make it easier to set up shop--and easier to shut down with nary a boom. But as I wrote months ago, Cindy was, is and always will be an important figure in local music, leading the charge where local newspapers and radio stations were slacking, so I'll continue to keep an eye on her Quickery. -SM
5 Comments:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a large banner inside Club Dada that promotes "The Fine Line's Listening To: Series"? Wasn't the Thursday night show at Dada a means of promoting The Fine Line? Wouldn't it also make sense to use The Fine Line to promote the show? It is disappointing that you would take a swipe at someone who has done so much (including paying bands out of her own pocket) in recent months to support live music in this town (including adding valubale content to The Fine Line).
For Immediate Release:
Local music podcast dconstruction.org remains the original local music burn-out Internet sensation.
"I'm glad Cindy's getting out," says 'dcon' co-founder Lindsay Graham, "it's about time. No one can and should spend this much time and effort on the local music scene, and we proved that first." Graham cites his podcast's early 2006 demise as evidence of his keeping on the pulse. "I knew we would be starting something. It was just inevitable. I wasn't too surprised that Bobby Ewing Dreams shut down so quickly - they've always been cutting edge, and I frankly find their imitation flattering. I am surprised that Cindy was the next to find and appreciate the trend. I would have expected those anonymous pedants over at We Shot J.R. to follow us first. But they're so contrarian. It would be just like them to know that quitting is so obviously happening, and yet continue on despite it. I suppose that's irony, right? I guess they're ironic."
I quit.
Did you attend last night's show to check out the banner or as a fan of Rahim?
huh? I was at My Morning Jacket last night.
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