April 2023
Dear Fisherfolk,
There are a lot of stories about Artificial Intelligence these days. There are so many questions about what it will do and when will it happen. Ray Kurzweil predicts that machine intelligence will be able to pass for human intelligence by 2029. Right now you can purchase an interactive AI app to chat with. Ezra couldn't resist. The early results of some of the chats we've had with AI are fascinating!
One of the first questions we asked was, “What is Trout Fishing in America's contribution to music?" The response it gave was: "Overall, Trout Fishing in America's contribution to music lies in their ability to create music that is both playful and thoughtful, accessible to both children and adults, and rooted in the traditions of American folk and rock music." Wow! That was pretty sweet!
Next we asked the AI to give a bad review of Trout Fishing in America. This is what it came up with!
“I recently had the displeasure of attending a concert by Trout Fishing in America and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. Firstly, the band was completely disorganized and seemed like they had just met for the first time on stage. Their timing and harmonies were off, and their music was unbearable. Additionally, the lead singer had a grating and nasal voice which made it impossible to appreciate any of the songs they played. The band lacked any sort of talent, showmanship, or professionalism. Save your money and go see a different band that is actually worth your time and attention."
Wow! that was pretty harsh and really long. We laughed a lot.
We are going to be doing a live stream April 25th on Facebook and YouTube. We start at 6:45pm central so we can chat online with you and then we'll start the show at 7pm. We just finished writing a song for the 8 string uke. This will bring the total of uke songs up to 3! We’ll be playing that along with some requests from our last live stream and a few more surprises.
Trout will also be performing live and in person at the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks as part of Artosphere concert series May 9th in Fayetteville, Arkansas at 6:30pm. It’s a beautiful venue. Bring lawn chairs and the whole family.
Just for fun, we asked the AI chat bot to write a song in the style of Trout Fishing in America. This is what it came up with:
Life is like a river that keeps on flowing
Sometimes it’s smooth, sometimes it’s rough and blowing.
Nope nope nope! There are two more verses, a chorus, a bridge and an outro that are just too painful to type. So far, we’re not worried about our jobs.
Troutfully yours,
Keith and Ezra