The best way would be by e-mail me.demolisten started as a demo review column in a little 'zine called Miscellany.
Then the Buzz (which was sort of like Miscellany's mother) started carrying the colum, shortly before Miscellany fizzled out (good timing!). twist of fate time! after over 2 years of writing for the Buzz, it just stopped. I mean, the music stopped. Noone was sending me demos anymore. i had nothing to review. so for now, it's just a web site and a memory.
demolisten was inspired by Demorandum, a demo review column in AP magazine. The 'net version of Demorandum is Jim Santo's Demo Universe.
I was lucky enough to be a guest reviewer for the Universe, and my reviews also appeared in AP issue 94 (may '96)
the Buzz is still around, and it has also evolved into a web site, called buzzON.
I'm planning to revive Miscellany, but only in a WWW version. I have been typing and uploading the articles in the first two issues but I have so many other things to do that I don't have much time to do this typing. So, if you would like to help out, e-mail me at Miscellany, and I'll send you a copy of the issue with the article(s) I need html-ized. Then I can finally start compiling future issues.
You may notice that, for the most part, all my reviews are positive. That's partly a nod to the old axiom "if you don't have something good to say, don't say anything at all", but it goes deeper than that. I feel that if someone makes the effort to create music. there's going to be someone who likes it, and I try to write a review which speaks to that someone. In other words, if I don't like something, i won't say it's crap, because that's not my job. I'll probably say something like "Well, I didn't like this, but here's what it sounds like..." or "if you like (insert description) you'll love this". Also, if you send me any country, I'll pass it on to a guest reviewer. I hate country.
You will also notice that my reviews are riddled with comparisons to other artists. I know that other reviewers avoid this with a passion, and I understand the reasons why, but I use the comparisons to avoid giving an abstract definition that could apply to just about any band in a given genre.
Well, I call this a demo review column, and a "demo", by the strictest definition, is a self-produce cassette for the purpose of sending to record labels in hopes of getting signed. But what I review is independant music in any format, be it cassette, CD, vinyl (my favorite), 8-track (no joke), video, or standard computer sound files on disk or via email (.ra or .wav preferred)
My definition of independant is a lot broader than some. If an artist is completely 100% independant, that means they produce, distribute, and market their music all by themselves. However, there are many "labels" which are actually distribution services for independant music, and there are small labels which are full production, marketting and distribution services, but still let the artists "manage" themselves. I consider artistson these labels to be independant. Also, I review stuff recorded by bands before they were signed. For example, Barenaked Ladies and hHead are now signed to major labels, and therefore no longer independant, but their demos are milestones in indie music.
Sometimes, you may see me use the word "artist" where you might think "band" would be sufficient, but i use the generic "artist" so that I don't exclude solo aritsts such as Doug Cornell (Someone Else's Problem).
The best way would be by e-mail me.
By conventional "snail-mail", the address is...
demolisten p.o. box 20006 summerside, pe c1n 5z3 canada
If sending me music, please try to include as much information as possible about you and your band. If submitting a review, please include info on yourself, and how you came accross the artist you're reviewing. Please note, there is no guarantee that all guest reviews will be printed, but all music sent directly to me, unsolicited, will be reviewed.