History of the Music World Part 1

Mike Connor's article "Rock My World" (Cover Story, July 19) was just great! I think people may have heard about how the recording industry has been changing, but not really why. The article explains the "why" very well.

I liken what's happened in the music production industry to the fall of the Roman Empire. Napster played the role of the Visigoths, and has been summarily vilified. But the decay was from within the industry itself; They got greedy and lazy. In the wake of the collapse, ProTools has become the Latin of music production. You may not use it every day, but you better be able to speak it if you want to be part of the action. Places like Foothill College and Future Rhythm are local resources where one can learn ProTools and both are excellent.

As a partner in a local studio (The Project Studio, Sunnyvale), I believe smaller studios still play a role in music production. Not everyone can record in their house, afford a ProTools system, or have the rooms, mics and preamps necessary to create a professional sounding product.

The sound needs to get into the box somehow, and project studios still play a role in the front-end of music production. After it gets in-the-box, it can go just about anywhere to be finished—to TonySound or other professional mixers around the world. We can also get pro session players from all over the world to work on tracks where before we would have to go to them in LA. Now we just use FTP or Digidelivery and the session moves to them, they do their magic and then send it back.

How cool is that?

Jeff Markham, Sunnyvale

I Like Ike Article

Really liked Steve Palopoli's profile of Ike Reilly ("Assassinate This," MetroMusic, July 11). I've not heard his music before, but I'm definitely going to find some stuff to listen to.

I can absolutely identify with both the idea of not taking things seriously and exploring the dualism of contrasts. Especially the part about him being told his musical ideas won't work or they aren't supposed to be done that way. Something I've heard myself many times.

Though, I think musically I come at things from a different angle, I have similar thoughts about what music (and rock music in particular) can be. Thanks for turning me on to someone new.

Phil Johnson, Milpitas

Unfair to Bigfoot

I am writing in reference to the story "Bigfoot Inc.: Menlo Park Sasquatch hunter Tom Biscardi has made a legend into an industry" by Stett Holbrook (Cover Story, June 13). I must write to object to your publication giving such publicity to Tom Biscardi, a man, in my opinion, who is of dubious intent and little credibility.

In addition to the 2005 incident on Coast to Coast AM described in the article, Biscardi has been involved in a number of questionable ventures that leave his credibility in doubt.

In 2006, Biscardi desecrated a Native American burial site near Paris, Texas, and tried to pass off human remains as a skeletal Bigfoot. Biscardi was later compelled to return the remains in compliance with The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Also in 2006, Biscardi paraded around with a pickled bear paw in a jar and tried to pass it off as Bigfoot's hand. The limb was identified as a bear paw by scientists, including biology professor Alton Higgins.

In my personal opinion, Biscardi is a poor choice of subjects for an in-depth article for any respectable publication. The reporter, Stett Holbrook, seems to be aware of many reputable researchers like Loren Coleman and the people at the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, yet he chose to write about Biscardi, a man of a questionable character, dubious intentions and a deplorable track record.

In addition, Holbrook appears to at least have done some cursory background research on Biscardi, yet either failed to uncover the embarrassing incidents I outlined above or chose to ignore them.

Now that you are aware of Biscardi and what I can only describe as his shenanigans, please do not give this man any more attention. If we ignore him long enough, maybe he'll find something constructive to do with his time. And maybe Mr. Holbrook will find someone laudable to write about.

Anthony Hartman, Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Race Card Played

Re "Campbell Without Borders" (The Fly, July 18): It seems that when an intelligible discourse regarding illegal aliens is taking place, the pro-illegal racialists, like Ruth Robertson, throws in the race card to disrupt that discourse. It is obvious that amnesty is all that the racialists are looking for, and if they don't hear pro-amnesty in the dialog, they shut that dialog out. It just so happens that the Golden Gate Minutemen includes law-abiding Americans of all races, who owe their allegiance to just the United States.

Troy Buonauro, Lodi

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