Informational post: Ecto

[WretchAwry <vickie@pilot.njin.net>]

Since a few people asked...(this is a re-post from rec.music.info,
which itself was taken from the Happy FAQ and re-worked)


From: vickie@pilot.njin.net (Vickie Mapes)
Newsgroups: rec.music.info
Subject: MAILINGLIST: Happy Rhodes
Date: 12 Nov 1994 17:15:03 -0700

Ecto is the mailing list dedicated to the female singer/songwriter/
musician Happy Rhodes, and it also welcomes talk of other female
artists, whether in the same general "genre" (Kate Bush, Tori Amos,
Sarah McLachlan, Milla, Jane Siberry, etc.) or not.


To join Ecto-the mailing list, send a message to:

majordomo@ns1.rutgers.edu 

  subscribe ecto    or    subscribe ecto-digest
 
in the body of the letter.  Subject Lines are ignored. 

Other commands to that address include:

info
info ecto
unsubscribe ecto
unsubscribe ecto-digest


Ecto-the mailing list, is not gatewayed directly into a Usenet-wide
newsgroup, but many sysadmins require that mailing lists be gatewayed
into newsgroups at their sites.  At Rutgers University, for instance,
you'll find Ecto-the mailing list, gatewayed as ru.rec.ecto.

A recent addition to Usenet is the newsgroup alt.music.ecto, but at the
request of mailing list members, the newsgroup is *not* gatewayed to
or from Ecto, even though many Happy fans populate both.  The distribution
of the newsgroup on Usenet is small and fragile, so it needs much input,
readership, support  and participation.  Give it a try, and if you can't
find it, politely ask your sysadmin to add it.  They just might, and you'll
never know unless you ask.

The alt.music.ecto philosophy is free-form as is the Ecto philosophy, and
readers will always be able to pass along reviews, interviews, thoughts and
information about other artists *without* being told "hey, I thought this
group was about Happy Rhodes! Get outta here!" (Happy's fans are definitely
a polite and eclectic group of people) or "hold on, that artist isn't XXX
type of music!! Get outta here!" (which, in some groups, someone always
seems to end up saying sooner or later). 


{History of Ecto-the mailing list}

Postings about Happy Rhodes have appeared in the Kate Bush newsgroup
rec.music.gaffa (and the mailing list Love-Hounds) since January 1989.
It wasn't easy trying to interest Internet readers in Happy's music,
mainly because her albums were only available on cassette at that time.

The release of Warpaint on CD in April 1991 prompted many gaffa readers to
try Happy's music for the first time, even though the music was still only
available via mail-order, even in the United States.  Many of those Warpaint
buyers liked what they heard and went on to complete their Happy collections
by ordering the (now very rare and no longer available) handmade early tapes.

Discussion about Happy (requests for background information, raves, a "1st4"
lyrics project) grew to deafening levels and eventually it was pointed out 
to the Happy Rhodes fans that gaffa was, after all, a Kate Bush group, and 
that no, not *all* Kate Bush fan will automatically like Happy's music, so
could we *please* start talking about Kate again?  Since many gaffians 
wanted to continue the Happy talk, but also wanted to respect the wishes of 
those who had little or no interest in the subject, Jessica Dembski decided 
to create a Happy Rhodes mailing list.  Ecto was born on June 13, 1991.

The mailing list was an immediate success, and continues to grow and thrive.
Ecto is a *very* active mailing list, with nearly 400 members, and those who
join should be aware that it's a busy list.  It's very free-form and *many*
topics of interest to Ectophiles are discussed.

Subscribers talk about other artists besides Happy (female artists mainly,
but recommendations of male artists are fine) with an emphasis on what 
Ectophiles call "ecto-music" encompassing such diverse artists/groups as
Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Jane Siberry, Milla, Bel Canto, and
many, *many* others. 

Non-musical topics seen in Ecto range from movies to books to politics 
and just about everything in between.  Discussions are friendly and 
flame-free, and the term "agree to disagree" is used often.

Welcome all!

Vickie

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Please note: I have no official or financial association with Happy
Rhodes or her record company, Aural Gratification, or anyone else
associated with her officially or finacially.  I'm just a fan.
                                                  Vickie Mapes
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