Word: mannheimer
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Henry: Why in the name of the Gods would anyone pay $150 to see a Mannheim Steamroller concert? That’s right, 150 clams, enough money to save umpteen families in Pakistan from freezing this winter, instead exchanged for the right to sit at a table and be serenaded by the godfathers of New Age Christmas music. There’s just something about the price of concerts that really yanks my goat. Granted, the number of college students paying said amount to be Steamrolled this holiday season will probably be zero, but I think the real question here...
...many critics dismiss Davis, 56, as a purveyor of schlock, the Lawrence Welk of New Age. They are not impressed that Mannheim Steamroller, whose name derives from the German for crescendo, has performed twice at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree or that right-wing talk-show host Rush Limbaugh is a big fan. Romantic Melodies, a recent CD that scored the biggest week-over-week sales increase in Billboard history, was scorned by one critic for "anesthetic properties (that) would surely soothe ... in a proctologist's waiting room." Another compared Mannheim's violin-heavy harmonies to an orchestra...
Davis' business model might be called a Mannheim for All Seasons, which is also the name of one of his CD collections. Last year's Romantic Melodies targeted Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Easter. American Spirit, a collection including America the Beautiful and Star Spangled Banner, hit the window from Memorial Day to July 4. Davis keeps a hand in all phases of Mannheim Steamroller production. He composes, arranges and plays drums with the band. As owner of the label, he rakes in as much as $6 on every album sold, compared with the $1 or less many...
...Mannheim Steamroller Lifestyle products, such as a spray-on barbecue sauce called Bry that Davis cooked up in his kitchen, complement the music. Sunday Morning Coffee, a CD of nonintrusive instrumentals to accompany reading the morning newspaper, helped launch Mannheim Steamroller's branded coffee and cinnamon hot chocolate, which have racked up nearly $2.5 million in sales...
...Music Man How Chip Davis has built his band, Mannheim Steamroller, into a multimillion-dollar empire