DRUMMER CAFE

Ted Nugent 1984. Felt like Cotton in my ears for a week. 
Nutty

I've started to reply to this thread several times, and ended up cutting it off each time, because (for one thing) I was afraid I would end up writing a book and put everyone to sleep.  So I will try to keep it brief.
Is live music dead?  No, I don't think so, but here in southwest Missouri it seem like it is just sputtering along.  Over the years, Springfield has been the launch pad for a number of national acts and individual musicians who have gone on to greater glory.  As others have noted, the local music scene occasionally heats up, and a band or two will survive and rise to the level of local heros, and inevitably move away to hopefully tap into a larger market.  It's the curse of a midsize city  

But something that happened in our most recent election dealt a serious blow to our (already fragile) local music scene.  Greene County and the city of Springfield already have DWI laws with teeth... and that's a good thing.  I don't want drunk drivers on the road any more than the next guy, but about a year ago, the County and City created a DWI Task Force, and immediately began a campaign focused on closing bars to anyone under 21.  Period.  And their campagn worked.  With the help of a few well-placed local law enforcement officials, the Greene County DWI Task Force managed to convince a majority of Springfield voters that "for the sake of the children (I.e. college age "children") we must eliminate the evil of underage drinking from our community... as if by keeping under 21 college students out of bars, they will cease to drink.  Yeah, right.  Almost every bar in this city already had a system in place to accomodate under 21 patrons.  And from all accounts, most of the time, it was very effective.  Young people got to go to bars and enjoy live entertainment in an environment where it was very unlikely they could get their hands on a beer, or any other drink stronger than a Diet Pepsi. 
Young local bands, on their way up, (and the bars that they play in)depend on the loyalty, enthusiasm and $$ that college students and the under 21 crowd provide.  Now that that has been eliminated, it will be interesting to see what happens.  Too many voters simply didn't see that angle of the issue, didn't care, or felt that the under-age drinking issue was more important than the possible impact it could have on the local "entertainment industry".  Time will tell, but I know if I was 20 years old and in a band just starting out, I sure wouldn't waste my time trying to generate a local fan base, when I could go to Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis... where thay actually embrace and encourage local musicians.  That is why I am not feeling very hopeful about the local music scene.  I hope I am wrong.
Peace.

we used to love playing more 'okie' type towns because the kids were so jazzed to see a hard rock band [from New York, no less]. it seemed there were more venues for live music in the smaller towns upstate, in connecticut, and jersey. we targeted those places for a long time. it was always much more fruitful than playing in nyc for a bartender and one dame with a vacuous look in her eyes.

alas, that, too, seems to be going the way of the vhs recorder.

I was talked into going to see a new band last week by a friend of mine.

Army of Anyone

Glad I went. Killer show.

Guitarist and bass player from Stone Temple Pilots, singer from Filter and David Lee Roth's most recent drummer, Ray Luzier.

Solid hard rock.

You'll be hearing allot about these guys soon if you haven't already.

Live music aint dead.

Keith Richards on the other hand.... 

This is exactly why I rarely go to a live show. It's almost always so loud that you can't really hear the music--at that level it just turns into noise.

robyn

There is a skatepark about 20 minutes from where I live that was just recently built. It includes a park, rock climbing wall, basketball, and a lot of other attractions. There is also a section called "The Foundry". It includes a non-alcoholic bar, booths and a stage. Many local bands come and play there, as well as larger bands. I have been to a few concerts before I started going there and I enjoyed them. Now that I have started experiencing live music I've come to enjoy it. Not just the music, but the environment of it as well. So, to me live music isn't dead.

I think that's the smartest post in this thread. Interesting, too.

I can remember when the first drum-machine was invented. People said it would put every drummer out of business. I can remember hearing other drummers talk about how worried they were with the drum-machine being used. There were a small handful of level-headed musicians who knew better and were the first ones to embrace the drum-machine and use it as a tool to compliment, not replace.

I know that I'm not freaking out about technology or live music. When I see a hurdle, I just look for creative ways to work with it or around it. Complaining and worrying will not add one day to our lives nor will it make things better. 

War and conflict does (typically) bring unity and oneness within a culture. When we can unite under a similar cause, there's strength. The Drummer Cafe is what it is because we all come together to share and celebrate a common cause ... the art of drumming. Certainly life/death types of causes will bring a stronger bond and unity, but the concept is the same.

I still stand by my predictions. 

I use the million monkey theory of writing.  I just keep posting and posting and the law of averages says that sooner or later I’ll write something intelligent just by chance.

Bart’s advice is right on the money.  Being able to change with the times and adapt to new technology is one of the best assets a working musician can have.  I started working professionally as a teenager because the ‘50s drummers in my area didn’t keep up and couldn’t play the British invasion stuff that took over in the sixties.  I changed from a rock drummer to a funk drummer in ’75 to stay working.  And I bought a drum machine program for my Apple IIe in the 80’s to learn how to program drums.  There was a post awhile back about the best piece of advice to give to young drummers.  I’d say it’s “don’t be a one trick pony.”  (Warning: vague Steve Gadd reference).

Now there's a couple of very cool reasons for not getting out to see bands....  Sure beats being sick, having to work 2 or 3 desk jobs, running from the law, etc..   It's great that you're in a area where you and others can keep busy playing.