This may end up being the least popular post I’ve ever made. And I’m sure a few folks will accuse me of being too jaded and judgmental, because of my personal history. My hope is that my fellow musicians will take it to heart, though, also because of my personal history. I only have the authority to speak from personal experience, and risk getting a hypocrisy label from way back when. Hopefully the past 31 years have helped to erase that label. Experience can be a strict schoolmarm.
I was blessed to be able to be a professional musician for most of my life. I came up in the 60s, 70s and 80s, pretty much a wide-open freewheeling time. Back then, my only political affiliation was with the Continuous Party, as was the case with many of my contemporaries. Don’t worry, I’m not about to go on a political rant. It’s much different than that.
Among my surviving contemporaries, I’ve been noticing an unwillingness to move from that lifestyle attitude, though, which in my opinion has contributed in no small degree to the degradation of the popular local music scene. Back in the day, a musician or group could easily work seven days a week. Plenty of venues, good money, memorable times. Indeed, the belief that the particular lifestyle can still occur persists in this day and age. Sadly, it is not the case; times have changed.
It’s what times do.
There are many factors which have contributed to the decline of live local music. The disappearance of most of the large venues; all that seems to be left is small bars and restaurants. Cover charges are only relegated to the most elite performers in town. It seems there are more groups performing locally today than there are musicians. Musicians have had needed to gather together in different combinations just to continue to capture the interest of a dwindling clientele.
Don’t get me wrong, playing with other musicians is fun exercise. It does help to shake things up from time to time, and is frequently interesting for the musicians. You have to play with your most important musical instrument: your ears. But there is still lingering a tacit complacency once you start doing it too many times. It is only a temporary stalling technique delaying the inevitable. The beltway is too small of a perimeter to sustain things indefinitely.
And, not ignoring the elephant in the room, our fan base is getting older and not prone to coming out to see the performers four or five nights a week.
The biggest culprit has been the internet. It has changed the music scene across the board, local, regional, national, international. And nobody really knows what to do about it on any level. Socially and economically (and even across just about all business strata except its own), it has devastated record companies and all of its supporting industries down to the local level. It has decimated the record and radio industries. Everyone seems to be scrambling to stay on top, but at the same time the competition is getting fiercer, because it’s easy for anyone to be an internet star these days, talent notwithstanding.
Those who are well-established and highly regarded performers on the local scene have been doing it for so long that unfortunately lackluster performances are beginning to become the norm.
You could say that all one needs to do is to continue to pander to the lowest-common denominator. Even that is a zero-sum game, ultimately though.
What is missing is the magic. The excitement you feel when you go and see someone playing with excellence, with precision, with passion, with love. It’s still there, but getting fewer and farther between. It doesn’t matter if you play your original compositions, popular cover tunes, or even deep cut tracks. The magic is in the moment.
Still too rampant is the belief that drugs or alcohol enhances one’s performance. I’ve discovered over the years that those who espouse that attitude, the one of “a couple of drinks loosen me up and help me to not be nervous,” are only fooling themselves. No, you don’t play better after having a few cocktails, or a spliff, or a bump or two. You only think you’re doing better. And in fact, you’re doing your audience a disservice. You are not at your best. Do what you will on your own time, but when performing for people, whether they have paid to see you or not, you owe your craft and your fellow musicians the best that you can possibly do, and it cannot be done whilst in a fog.
I know, I spent years way back when thinking that way. Plain and simple, it doesn’t work.
It has been an adage for decades, that as a professional musician, you are either in the alcohol business or in the music business. So, then, one could argue that since the music business has gone to shit the only thing that remains is the alcohol business. Okay, all well and good, conceding that, my only retort is to treat it like a business, then. The drug dealers that sample their own wares don’t last.
I remember, and it’s only really happened a handful of times in my past, the truly magical moments. Moments where everything is absolutely perfect musically and right in the vibe. Maybe I’m deluding myself, but those magic moments are what I love and live for, and hopefully those who also get to witness and be a part of it feel the same way. I know the times I go and see musicians perform, that’s what I’m going there in hopes of seeing. Many times, actually most times, they don’t happen. But when they do, it’s golden and unforgettable.
So I simply implore my fellow brothers and sisters in the biz, keep sight of the magic and place yourselves in the best position to capture those fleeting magical moments. For your fans, and more importantly, for music’s sake. Live music is definitely going the way of vaudeville; we need to be our best to forestall the inevitable while we’re actively seeking ways to adapt to the changing landscape.