Mission Statement

Big rock stars don't normally care about little writers. By the same token, established music journalists often don't pay enough real attention to truly new local bands. Bands playing their first few shows often don't have the connections to get the press that might help them spread the word of their mere existence. Howwastheshow.com seeks to provide online press from a point of view that appears to be lacking, i.e. that of a regular music fan.

My credentials:

• I've been listening to music for more than 30 odd years now.
• The first big rock show I remember was U2, at Champagne-Urbana, Illinois, in 1982 on the "October" Tour.
• I've been a musician for more than 30 years, a multi-instrumentalist who has written hundreds of songs and recorded half a dozen full length albums in my home studio starting as long ago as 1979 back when FM radio was still embracing bands like Foreigner, Journey and Boston and I was starting to discover punk rock and early new wave.
• I've booked bands, I've managed bands, and I've run sound for bands. (For anyone who remembers the early 90's, I was one of the two guys -- Troy Flemming is the other one -- who were the sound guys/booking agents at the now infamous 24 Bar in Minneapolis.)
• I love music of all types.
• I like to write.
• I have no aspirations to be a real music critic

David de Young
Minneapolis
October, 2002