Re: [Harp-L] Least Hop Musicians Towns

["Blake Taylor" <taylorb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Maybe it has something to do with the Ohio River....

Cincinnati has an amazing music scene - The city is LOADED with great
musicians and has a very strong heritage in Blues, R&B, Rock, and
Bluegrass. We also boast one of the premier music colleges in the
Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.  The place is LOADED with good
musicians.

That said, Cincinnati has an AWFUL music scene - Unless you are a cover
band doing pop tunes from the '80s and '90s, you better have some loyal
friends to come to your shows.  I was at the Cincinnati Entertainment
Awards a couple weeks ago - great big swanky event at a major theater
with band performances, celebrity presenters (Peter Frampton, Bootsy
Collins, etc.), and wall to wall musicians of all types. It's really a
big production, always a packed house, and a fun / mingling / networking
event.  Anyway, I lost track of the performers who, in their acceptance
speech, made some snide comment about the lack of crowds at their shows.
These were the award winners!  In the restroom during the show, I was
talking to one of the winners who asked if I was up for an award this
year. I said no, but that I was hoping to be a finalist next year in the
category "Critically Acclaimed, but no one Comes to See."  That got a
few chuckles, and a response from inside a stall "Yeah, 'And the
nominees are....' and they read a frikkin hundred names."

And for Blues? HA!  Blues clubs are closing left and right. I've seen
Jason R here three times. He's had good advance press, articles in the
paper, etc.  Each time, if you took away the dinner crowd, I'd be
surprised if there were 25 people to see him. And it's not just him -
Shameika Copeland?  Same thing. That club has since closed, leaving us
with few olaces to see regional / touring acts.  Don't EVEN try to play
original Blues (oops) in this town.  If you want to see great blues with
a big crowd? Go to a Blues jam - they're packed with good musicians.

O.K., I'm done for now.....

 - Blake

>>> "samblancato" <samblancato@xxxxxxxxxxx> 12/13/05 7:38 PM >>>
Hi Folks, 

 

This thread really caught my interest.  It sure seems like there are a
lot
of places where live music can thrive.  Unfortunately Pittsburgh, my
home
town, isn't one of them.  And for Blues, this town is the 'pits'. If you
can
book your band in the city proper- and that's a big if- you can expect
to
make $400.00 for a 9 to 1 show and you'll have to split that between
your
entire band.  That's if your lucky and you know enough that you can draw
a
crowd.  Forget getting any part of the door.  The guys I know locally
who
have established bands do much better in the outlying towns and suburbs.
 In
Pittsburgh, if you go to a club you're going to hear DJ generated music
and
the locals population is just fine with this.

 

This actually really pisses me off.  YES IT REALLY PISSES ME OFF!  What
we're slowly developing here in the 'Burgh is an audience who's tastes
are
shaped almost entirely by Corporate generated radio formatted play
lists.
Live music is real and is imperfect.  You hear stuff that is shaped by
the
tastes, feelings, and passions of the individual musicians in that band
-
people from your part of the country.  Even if the music isn't my
favorite
stuff, my favorite genre, I'd still rather hear that than some DJ's
classic
rock or Hip-Hop play list.  The DJs hear aren't even very good.  They
stick
very closely to what people already from the radio.  

 

So for you folks who are lucky enough to live in a town where there's
good
live music scene, consider yourself lucky and do your best to nurture
it.

 

Sam Blancato, Pittsburgh  

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