The Importance and Soul of the Local Musician
As many of you know, I have a long standing music theory that there is just too much of it today. The weeds are choking the grass, and this has created a situation where it is hard for the best music to find the hungriest ears.
One of the major factors in this dilemma is ironically one of the tools that has unlocked tremendous freedom for the modern day musician: technology and the internet. Though it is great that now artists no longer have to rely on the trappings of the traditional music industry to create and distribute their music, this means there are no more boundaries or boarders, no more litmus tests, no more filters where folks that lack skill, dedication, or appeal can be discouraged before their mediocrity can muddy the waters for the listener looking for the best stuff.
The local musician has gone international. This has contributed to music parody, but possibly more damning it has contributed to the death of the local music scene. Back in the day to become a serious music artist, you first had to tackle your local scene, then become big regionally and go from there. That fed a music farm system, where up and coming musicians would play for cheap or free at local bars until they got good enough or garnered a big enough following to play bigger venues and better paying gigs. It was in this system that they learned their chops, how to perform and be entertainers, and put skins on the wall and built street cred as musicians. This kept local venues full of music, as hungry musicians were willing to play, and were happy just with the opportunity, or the ability to serve their community’s local music needs.
Now what we have is up and coming musicians hanging out in their walk-in closets with audio interfaces plugged into their laptops, making music for a dozen devout fans in Serbia, hoping to become superstars from a viral breakthrough. In some ways this phenomenon is beautiful, but it also is lending to the deterioration of the local music scene and the music farm system to train and develop talent. Without any talent to play for cheap or free, small bars have succumbed to satellite sports programming and Karaoke to draw in patrons. Where there used to be an old geezer or a young pup in the corner crying out original songs, now there’s Muzak or a modern juke box belching out Nickelback.
The regional tastes and takes on music styles that make the American music experience a tapestry of different shades is beginning to fade as the natural boundaries of the nation fall to technology. Music education also begins locally. If local patrons are exposed to the heartfelt songwriting of an original musician, that gives them the experience and knowledge to appreciate good music, and the opportunity to have a more fulfilling musical life. It’s not always the fault of the fans of mainstream drivel; sometimes the problem is they were never exposed to anything different, because their local music scene was deceased.
Just like the “buy local” and “slow food” movements, there needs to be a renewed movement in supporting local music, from fans and performers. This would contribute to the vibrancy and quality to music on the national scale. It is great that through the internet and technology, we can share and explore great music from all over the world without leaving our houses, but this shouldn’t be and doesn’t have to be at the expense of local scenes. These local scenes also support the touring bands when they come to town, the local musicians are supposed to help draw and expose the local scene to live music from the regional and national levels, but many times artists that should have a local focus hurt the larger bands by coveting more national exposure than they deserve or have earned.
But I think most of this goes without saying. What I really want to say is that there a lot of soul in being a local musician, and in the local musician that could be more, that could be an internet sensation, but instead decides to focus on being an important part of their local music community first. These people are beautiful. You know the type I’m talking about, the crusty old Marlboro Man-looking hot shot guitar player, or the older broad with the badass pipes that seems lost in time in some local bar, making music out of love on Saturday nights for no money, who had the skills to do so much more with their music, but from necessity or choice, decided to keep their focus simple, and local. Their music world ends at the city limits.
Maybe the problem isn’t that there’s too much music after all, it’s that there’s too much music being aimed at everyone, instead of being aimed at the people that the music matters to the most: the family, friends, neighbors, and community the musician is surrounded by, and that inspired the music in the first place. Because when it comes to local music, I’m not seeing too much of it, I’m seeing not enough. And when we lose our local music, we lose one of the most important ingredients in the mortar that keeps a local community together.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9-pDSYPrio
February 10, 2012 @ 11:31 am
I understand what you mean when you say there is too much music, and I agree on some level that it’s “just too easy” to get your music in front of people. That’s why what YOU do is so important to me and (I’m sure) lots of music fans just like me. I would have never heard of Willy Tea if I hadn’t read about him here … And that discovery was incredibly important to me.
I know that wasn’t really the point of your post, but I want to make sure you aren’t selling yourself short, Trig. What you’re talking about here is community, and in the broadest sense of the word, that’s precisely what you’ve created here with SCM.
Thanks for that.
February 10, 2012 @ 12:39 pm
I really appreciate that Matthew. The whole Idea behind Saving Country Music was to model it around a strong local music community, but create it on an international online scale. I think my results have been mixed in that pursuit, and in some ways I guess the onset of music parody has made my job more meaningful and effective, so maybe I should be happy for music parody, but it sure is hard to be, and it gets harder and harder for me every day to separate the wheat from the chaff as the din of parody grows louder. But I try.
February 10, 2012 @ 11:35 am
It’s necessary part of the music world that people have to go out and earn their way up the ladder. Unfortunately, there isn’t the support system that there used to be. I’ve never been able to decide how that happened–is it because people stopped working hard at the craft so people stopped coming out–or did they stop working hard because people weren’t coming out? Chicken or egg?
Without calling anybody out, the “cheap pawn shop guitar” era, where that was supposed to be the cool sounding thing didn’t help. You can’t shine shit.
February 10, 2012 @ 11:50 am
for one thing there just aren’t the venues around these parts like there used to be. you can’t just open up a ‘club’ and start hiring bands. ain’t gonna happen. you have to go thru a local planning commission first. they have to sign off on the ‘live music’ deal.
if you don’t and just open up your first night will be your last. even if you’re lucky enough to pass muster you’re more than likely to lose your license at some point because the local cops are spending way too many of their evenings there dealing with the dumb asses the live music attracts. i’ve seen it happen more than a few times. sad but true.
the few places around here that do manage to stay open are booked solid for months.
hard to break in the line-up unless you have an insider. good local bands are rarely working on a regular basis. sad but true.
February 10, 2012 @ 12:45 pm
I understand the local dynamic, and I have another article I am working on that includes how local noise ordinances and urban renewal is encroaching on traditional entertainment districts. But I don’t see the need to open any new clubs. I think there’s plenty of them, but instead of hosing live music, they’re hosting Karaoke, or are a front for meth distribution or whatever, and they’ve abandoned the idea of supporting local music, and part of the reason they have done that is because the local community has abandoned local music as well.
I agree there is some systemic, fundamental problems with infrastructure going on, but I don’t think the right approach is to identify them and say hope is lost. I think we have to identify them and get to work solving them on the local level.
February 10, 2012 @ 1:20 pm
not really that much of a noise issue, trig. but more of a cop resources issue and the fact they spend way too much time dealing with club venues ie. fights, shootings, stabbings, car thefts, assaults, drunks, drugs, etc. instead of patrolling or dealing with the mundane john q. public stuff. mr j q p doesn’t like being told there are no officers available at the moment to deal with why ever he called. city council members are just like any other politician. he/she isn’t getting re-elected if they shine on the regular folks too much.
February 10, 2012 @ 2:46 pm
You’re right the local police and the amount of effort they have to put forth to keep the peace is a huge reason a lot of venues close. That’s happened here more than a few times. It’s all those kids hyped up on Red Bulls fighting in parking lots haha.
February 10, 2012 @ 12:56 pm
I get your point but honestly “too much music” is not something that I can ever imagine! Yes it requires more effort for you to filter out the good from the bad but that’s life. I personally think the listeners are to blame for the large amount of karaoke bars and fancy juke boxes. A lot of people just won’t pay a $5 cover no matter what! Which causes bars to make that choice because it’s probably more profitable. At least that’s my take on it.
February 10, 2012 @ 1:38 pm
I guess my point was not to say that there’s too much music, but to conclude that the deeper problem is that there’s too much music attempting to be sold to every entire being on the world planet, instead of to the local community where the music originated and where it might have a more important impact.
February 10, 2012 @ 1:14 pm
Bravo. I need to start reading more of your stuff. You took the words right outta my mind. But, there are still hardworking local bands that come by their popularity honestly. I’m in one, and know several in the Tulsa Ok, area. Austin would be another good example in this part of the country. The only difference in opinion I have is that I am of the mind that shitty music will eventually cancel itself out. I have a 17 year old that has slowly come around to being able to call bullshit on watered down music completely on his own without my direction. I have many friends from all walks of musical life that have in the last few years seen the true differences in art that is a passing trend and good art that is a mainstay. More people are coming around than you think and it’s because all the “shit” is starting to sound the same. I believe there is a natural desire brewing in the average listeners mind. A desire for quality content and also a desire for the roots of all music. A desire to have quality not quantity and to understand where we come from musically. And Goddamn it, I hope I’m right.
February 10, 2012 @ 1:45 pm
I hope I didn’t imply there are not still hardworking local musicians out there. I hope what I implied is there needs to be more, and that we as journalists, fans etc. should seek these folks out and pay more attention to them and support them.
And I also remain optimistic that there is an awakening happening to better music, and if this trend is going to take hold, I think it needs to start at the local level. It has happened in commerce and food on the local level, and now I hope that translates to music.
The point of this article was not as much to complain about trends, but to start a conversation about the causes of those trends, and how to enact solutions.
February 10, 2012 @ 3:06 pm
Cool.
February 10, 2012 @ 2:19 pm
I use to really enjoy the local music scene when I was younger. I think there are still a lot of good local scenes. Odd enough though I think the older you get the less the local scene is relevant to you. It seems like the youth generally control the local scene and the older folks have to go get jobs and move on from youthful nights at local spots. So I guess the older I get I prefer the online sites that are genre style websites. Like this site, absolutepunk (rock), 2dopeboyz (hip hop), I read a ton of music related sites. I really think the internet did destroy the local scene. Forums have created the national scene. I prefer that. Even if some people exploit it. I’m from a small town and trust me without the internet we could have never made it out of this place to play shows (when I was younger and actually playing in bands). I’m not even sure we could have created a viable local scene without the internet and being able to pull together bands from driving distances. There is one band from our area that continues to just be a local band after tons of years and to be honest I can’t think of one admirable thing about it. It’s almost embarrassing to see them still carrying on and refuse to accept that they just aren’t getting anywhere. Seeing the crowds dwindle year after year as you get older and people lose interest more and more. I like to think of the local scene as youthful and vibrant. Not old and broken. I’m sure both scenes exist but old and broken just seems kind of sad.
I’m not a big frequenter of bars. I know they create local scenes more aimed at adults. To be honest though most of the bar type bands I’ve heard over the years are always crappy cover bands. I honestly saw a group of fifty year old dudes covering an SR-71 song one time depressing haha.
February 11, 2012 @ 9:22 am
“There is one band from our area that continues to just be a local band after tons of years and to be honest I can”™t think of one admirable thing about it. It”™s almost embarrassing to see them still carrying on and refuse to accept that they just aren”™t getting anywhere.”
See, I think we’re all endowed with this “rock n’ roll” fantasy as kids, and especially as musicians that if you’re in a band or if you make music, then you want to be a star. But that is not how music in America got started. It started on back porches and in town squares where before the advent of radio, television, and the internet, people were forced to entertain each other in close settings. I don’t know the band you’re speaking about, but maybe they’re not refusing to accept that they aren’t getting anywhere, maybe they don’t care to “get anywhere”, they are happy just being a local band, serving the local market. In truth, the majority of musicians are local musicians who never tour and who never have high aspirations for their music, and I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with that. The idea how there IS something wrong with that is what is lending to music parody on the national and international level.
February 11, 2012 @ 10:37 am
Exactly. We’re fed the idea that every musician has to try to “make it big”. We think that “Arena Rock” is the mark we must all strive for. Not only does it spoil the quality of small-venue shows. This BS literally reached critical mass at the infamous Great White concert where 100 people lost their lives after the pyrotechnics set fire to the building. That’s beyond the typical foolishness. That’s criminally insane.
The parody comes in when we have an anti-corporate underground hero. Hey, let’s do what he does! The local markets are flooded with wannabes because of the same desire to “make it”. Where are Clayton DeLaney or Curtis Loew?
… or Tee Tot? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T8Vya-Znf0
February 11, 2012 @ 11:24 am
I agree. There is nothing wrong with just being local if that is the agenda. There is also something really admirable about just wanting to right and play songs.
The band I was talking about most definitley wants to try and be “big.” I guess the point I was making about them and some artists that keep on trucking locally when they don’t get big and keep trying to get big is that there is a time to just pack it up. Just kind of looking at the other side of the coin. Local vs. wants to be. Over local vs. has to be.
February 11, 2012 @ 12:43 pm
In the early 90’s I had some heroes on the local scene. They were authentic 80’s rockers. When I came of age and started playing out, I found we were competing with them for the same gigs. By the 00’s, they had literally become a parody “tribute” band.
Another ‘local ‘ artist we had was John Mellencamp. Bloomington, IN where he lived (still does) when he wrote “Small Town”. Who else was on MTV in the mid 80’s with a fiddle and an accordian in the band?
When the guys in my band wanted to start covering Creed, Godsmack, Limp Bizkit, etc. in order to get new gigs and “a following”, I was OUT. It was back to square one with open mics and coffee shops. What’s the point of being successful if you’re a delusional fraud? I’ve heard Mellencamp say that bands these days can’t make it the way he did. If that’s the case, local is fine with me.
February 10, 2012 @ 3:42 pm
I had been listening to PeeWee Moore for about a year before I discoverd he was from the same home town as me. I recently found out that Husky burnet is from the area as well.
February 10, 2012 @ 10:37 pm
The local scene is what kept bringing me back and eventually landed my family in Memphis. The scene is no longer what the billboards and visitor center pamphlets portray but it’s still rich with talent. The egos are in check as well. The city casts a long shadow.
I was fortunate to experience my younger years of music discovery before the internet came into play. In Bloomington, Indiana we had an all ages club, a music university full of students and teachers, excellent public school music programs for all ages. I even had a grammy winning guitarist/producer next door, he owned a major recording studio in town. We had venues for all types of music. I started playing in bars at 18 and even caught the tail end of the era when bands still got paid. We had to work for it.
As great as the internet is as a tool, it just makes too much music too readily available. Still it seems that there are people who have held on to the meaning of “community”. I’m interested to see if society will quit placing so much emphasis on “making it big” and allow people, especially young people, simply to create art.
February 11, 2012 @ 12:15 am
Chad, not to sound like a creep, but are you a Lucero fan? I was on the Lucero fanpage on facebook and I saw a comment by a guy named Chad Nordhoff. That and the fact that you said you live in Memphis just made me curious.
February 11, 2012 @ 9:04 am
haha, Yeah, I ain’t on the run from the law or anything 😉
February 12, 2012 @ 8:08 pm
I agree with most of what you say, except this line: “the local musicians are supposed to help draw and expose the local scene to live music from the regional and national levels”. In my experience, and many musicians and listeners would probably agree, most fans who attend a show are there to see the national act/headliner. Some of these fans are outright disrespectful to the “local” openers, and most are just indifferent. Local bands generally do not draw when a national act is on the bill. That is part of the reason why local bands seek wider, regional/national exposure – it’s necessary to get respect on a local level. You have to get attention elsewhere in order to come back and be taken seriously in your home town, and to get decent gigs around town. Otherwise you are written off as “just a local band” by fans and venues alike. When that perception changes, then maybe it won’t be as necessary to seek wider exposure.
February 12, 2012 @ 11:20 pm
That’s a good point, I should have probably clarified that more, but I didn’t want to get too bogged down specifics in the article itself.
Of course when you have a band with a National name and they are touring around, their job is to create the crowd for the local band to get exposure. However there is that period for a band when they are trying to break out of just being a local band, and they start touring regionally or nationally, but they may not be well known quite yet in that region or nationally. When they are in that mode, the may need to rely on that local band that is well known and has a big local following to help book the gig and supply the fans. I see it as like rungs in a ladder that a band must climb before they could be considered professional musicians. Right now, some of those rungs are missing, so they either can’t climb, or have to stretch their resources far to get to the next rung, and part of the reason for that is the lack of vibrancy in some local scenes. In my opinion at least.