Re: [Harp-L] SPAH 2010 #'s and....

[joe leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sep 5, 2010, at 8:23 PM, Bob Cohen wrote:

> On Sep 5, 2010, at 7:37 PM, joe leone wrote:
>
> > It won't work under the club format.
>
> Time to break the model for the club format.
>
> -Bob

Ok, I should have gone into more depth. But the reason I didn't was  
that I feel that the list is tired of hearing from me and my big  
mouth (fingers).

Here's why I posted what I posted. I have belonged to 3 clubs. 2 had  
the same thing in common. They met during the day during the week.  
NOT conducive to younger players. Everyone was retired (or close). 1  
of the clubs (W. Pa. Harmonica society) was progressive enough to  
meet in the evenings. Btw, Garden State meets in the evenings. Smart  
idea.

I see several other clubs as being progressive and with the times.  
Garden State, Denver, St. Louis, Cardinal State group. They're not  
doing the same old same old all the time. (btw, I am not familiar  
with K.C, and Sacramento).

Here in Fla. there are a large number of clubs. Maybe the most in the  
country. But I think the number of players is less than Texas. We are  
all old. I am the youngster (at almost 68). We have lost several  
players just this year. No one is replacing them. The young players  
around here play diatonic and are NOT going to go to a club and  
listen to old stuff for an hour or more.

No young player wants to pay over $1,000.oo for a bass or chord. They  
also don't want to pay $325.oo for a decent chromatic. Those  
instruments are getting obsolete. At least in the U.S. No one wants  
to put in the time either. They want instant gratification.

They have their own group. It's called the Suncoast blues society.  
They put on concerts that attract over 900 people. There is a town a  
couple hundred miles north of me called 'The Villages', They have a  
huge club, mostly retired, but from the few that I have heard, they  
have a lot of good players. BUT, it takes money to pursue a hobby  
like this.

I usually go to the Suncoast dixieland festival in Nov. I usually  
play. This year I will be at Garden State instead. Dixie fest gets  
45oo visitors in it's 3 days. The 2 hotels are sold out a year in  
advance. The ticket is half of what spah's is. But that's because  
there are 45oo paid. The fest has a sponsor system. Wealthy people  
help sponsor the bands. Harmonica is too niche an instrument. We have  
to go this one all alone. We're all in this together.