It’s Wednesday night. I’m listening my friend Clay Leander’s Latin Jazz Mecca radio show on the Web. Clay just returned to his California home after a long visit to South Florida, and tonight’s show features music he collected during his trip. I can’t tear myself away from the computer, so I might as well take my first stab at this blog. My pal Maria de los Angeles says that maybe Twitter is my blog. But sometimes 140 characters no son suficiente.
It’s somehow fitting that I’m listening to Clay’s relaxed voice as I write this first entry. I only recently met Clay “in real life” but as we hung out it seemed like we’ve known each other for years. I guess we have; we’ve been socializing on the Internet since the mid 1990s, originally on a newsgroup (remember those?) called rec.music.afro-latin. We had some fun asynchronous discussions with other Latin music fans and musicians about Son, Salsa, la clave, and other topics. Even the legendary Willie Colón was on there sometimes! That’s when I first discovered some of the possibilities this kind of communication offers.
I don’t really have lofty expectations of this blog. I guess I’ll just write what’s on my mind. Listening to Clay play cuts from great bands like Suenalo!, Negroni’s Trio, Conjunto Progreso, and Walpataca (featuring Walfredo de los Reyes, Paquito Hechavarria, my dear friend Tany Gil and the late, great Cachao) I’m reminded of what an amazing music community we’re blessed with in South Florida. And as Clay spins a few PALO! songs, I feel honored to be part of Miami’s musical fabric.
And I’m honored you’re checking out the first installment of the chronicle of a guy who has an Afro-Cuban funk band called PALO! Who is Steve Roitstein? You probably already know I’m a musician, producer and songwriter. I also teach Music Business at Miami Dade College. I have a couple of crazy dogs. I love Cuban food, Cuban coffee and culture. I may share a thought or rant now and then. Maybe I’ll put up some stuff about PALO! – lyrics, bios, etc. If there’s anything you want to see here, let me know. Until next time, I’ll see you on Twitter and Facebook!
If you put the effort you put into this instead of Myspace, your time will be much better spent. *Being Brutal*
Very cool for your first post. I think a behind the music for some of your music and events would be really cool. keep the posts coming.
Congratulations! And great job for a first post, I like the conversational style. You’ll do great.
I’m glad you’ve chosen WordPress. Let me know if you have questions about theming, plugins, etc. You may also want to change the URL structure to include your post’s title, rather than a number – you’ll get a lift in terms of SEO. You can also tag your posts and set categories. You’ll want a header and a sidebar that links to your other properties or profiles online (Twitter, MySpace, etc), as well as a subscription mechanisms for those who want to get your posts via email. Don’t forget stats and referrer tracking through an Google Analytics or similar service, as well as feedburner feed so you can track RSS readers. There’s more — but this is a start.
I look forward to future posts and hope to see some pictures, watch some videos, and hear some tunes here in the future
Welcome to the blogosphere! Ees okay, meng!
I look forward to reading your blog on a regular basis!
✸ Keep it up! I like the personal, anecdotal tone…and I like the music discovery element. I’ve already learned some new musicians/recordings. Thank you! I’ve subscribed. ✸
Yay you! The hardest and most uncertain step may very well be that first and you did it. I love the personal tone and also, as someone who knows NOTHING about music, I look forward to maybe even learning something from you.
xo ~ Alli
Steve, the Internet has brought Palo! so much exposure and so many connections. I’m sure this blog will only enhance that. Loved what I read so far and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for the future of the blog. Much love, Lulu
Congratulations on the beginning, Steve. This is exactly what a blog post should be like — personal, informative, just..everything. I can see it’s you, and you is what we all love.
Your usage of links within the post was well done, too.
As @alexdc said, I’m glad to see you’ve chosen WordPress, and I’m definitely willing to help guide you if you have any questions. Take it all step-by-step. I doubt you will be, but don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. Consistency is key.
And I will definitely read your blog regularly.
Welcome, Steve.
Me ENCANTO!! pude sentir que estabas alli conmigo conversando y tus anecdotas compartiendo con grandes musicos es algo que a muchos nos encantaria LEER!!
MUCHOS EXITOS!!
Viva Palo!!!
Que nota!! You are da’ man! Awesome first post and I do believe that if you keep it anecdotal and “diary like”, you will have tons of followers (I should say tons more). A lot of us don’t know the “behind the scenes” aspect of a band and would find it extremely curious. Keep it up my friend! BESOS!
FANTASTIC! You are an amazing writer (I’ve got all sorts of evidence of this in my personal inbox).
I’ve known for a long time that you should have been blogging. Glad you are finding your voice.
My only comment would be this: No BFF love in your first post? Kidding!
Love you and so proud of this new venture!
XO
a.
Yippee! A voice from a musician. So who is your muse? Oh yes I know all your twitter friends are your muses. Love you.
¡Felicitaciones por tu primer blog! I love how personal and authentic it is. Really liked the links you included. From now on, I suggest your headline actually teases the topic you’ll be discussing so it’s easier to tweet and gets more SEO juice. I think you’ll do great, en serio.
¡Mucha suerte!