DRUMMER CAFE

Yes I know, provocative subject but I got your attention, eh? 
I'm interested in members experience/thoughts/comments about live music.  I'm not talking about the Stones playing the superbowl half time show or showing up at your neighbors garage band rehearsal.  I'm talking about going to a venue (could be a garage) and paying some money to hear & see live musicians.  Could be local folks like your local community college jazz band or could be the Stones on tour.  I guess we could include a free jazz festival or the like.  I hear live music at church each week but I wouldn't include that and please don't include your own gig. 

There seems to be a lot of talk about needing to keep live music alive.  I hear this in Jazz circles but I suspect it might crop up in Bluegrass or any other genre.  

For myself, seeing a good live show is one my favorite things to do. Unfortunately, I can't get to more than a few per year due to work/family schedule, etc.  I think our busy schedules have a significant impact - is this just me or my community?

Funny this thread came up. My wife and I went to see some friends play tonight. Probably one of the best shows I've seen... not even because they were all friends of mine whom I've played music with at one time or another- it was actually a really good show. The music was not overly complicated, yet interesting- southern metal: down tempo and heavily blues influenced. Their drummer is someone who has influenced me a lot over the many years that I've known him. I really hope they record soon. This was the first time my wife has been out to see a show with me in a while (kids). It was a lot of fun. I may not get to do this stuff every week like I used to, but when I can it is worth it.

I sure hope not or I'm in trouble.       We've been doing a weekly open jam for a year and it's been growing. There are other jams around the metro which are quite active also. The pay hasn't went up around town, but there's a solid core of bars hiring bands more than "karoke" or "DJ's".... I think it depends on where you live. Here in the St.Paul/Minneapolis area live music is quite active. But I can't speak for the college campus scene. But there seems to be a lot of new bands popping up, and then disappearing as quickly as they came. If anything, I personally think the DJ scene is the one that's starting to go down. They jacked their prices up so more bars are starting to go back to live music. I can tell the DWI laws and MADD have made an impact on non musician people going out. But that's a subject I won't touch.....      I'm noticing more people sticking around close to home and going to the small local bars than driving across town. No, live music isn't dead. It's just a tighter market that's very hard to get your "foot in the door" unless you're willing to play for next to nothing. Which I won't do....      

I think DUI laws, the popularity of home theaters along with DVD/video technology, and MTV have all had an impact.

Before MTV, the only way to SEE musicians was live, whereas now MTV has created the expectation that musicians need to be incredibly attractive and able to dance like Janet Jackson while singing, prompting many people to lip-synch in their "live" performances. There's some irony for ya...

I think that in my area, live music is still going strong.  There is even a internet service which we use to market our selves.  This concept has spread to 7 states now but If you want to know what is going on in Louisville this web site will tell you what club and what band. Check it out..http://www.louisvillemojo.com/. They also tell you where you can do
kareoke which I am not much on.  We have built several large clubs in Louisville, The Brown,
The Palace Theater, The River Park & 4th Street live, these places book all kinds of bands, BB King, Kings X, Johnny Lang, Dweezle Zappa just played at one of them, Etc. and they also use local talent.
I saw Robin Trower at the River Park and they used 3 or 4 local bands as warm up acts.
I do agree with Mr. A and some of you about the DUI laws and Home theaters DVD's.
I have seen on KET some good shows like Johnny Lang, John Mayor, Buddy Guy. They do a bunch of Austin City Limit shows.  I think that MTV was kickin back in the late 70's early 80's but VH1 has suited more my taste these days.  I think people still go out but they don't
get floppin drunk with out a designated driver as much as they used to. I don't think that live music will ever be dead.  My company asked me if we could do the Holiday Party this year and we are not right for that venue.  They want the Macarana and the Electric Slide,
The Freaks come out at night. They need a DJ.  I think that DJ's have there place but
live music will never be dead. I don't know if you can check this out without being logged in but this
is my bands page on that internet service called the LouisvilleMojo. http://www.louisvillemojo.com/live/Group.CFM?BID=10120.
                         Nutty

Rock / metal concerts are pretty much a thing of the past for me. I used to go to just about every concert I could get to, but as I got older, I got sick and tired of the idots who go to concerts just to profile. By profile, I mean to be seen...and heard, rather than see the act. I really dislike crowds as it is, but when you add inebriating substances to a socially retarded batch of dorks who try way too hard to display their "hipness", my dislike turns to abject discomfort and trouble usually ensues. Better to stay away, so I do.
 

I agree. I play in VFWs, American Legions and such, my bands dont really play the bar scene. I have lots of friends that play in the bars and I try to go see them if I'm not playing that night. But I really hate crowds, much less those that are drunk. I dont mind people enjoying a band (the bands want some kind of feedback) but just yelling at the band is not my cup of tea. Most places around here book bands but I feel the people that go to those particular places (once again, around here) will go whether there is a band, dj, karaoke, jukebox or a organ grinder. The music is just background noise to alot of these people. Its unfortunate tho.

I agree completely.

However, here's my "prediction" ...

The music business changing, really changing. The way we've known it will soon be gone. Everyone can make a record/album these days. You don't need a label anymore; the label's know that and are in fear of what to do in order to survive. The label's are firing staff and dropping artists like flies; all of this started (or at least I really noticed it) about the time I moved to Nashville in 2002.

The Internet has now made it possible for ANYONE to be noticed and sell product; I call it the "Yellow Pages to the World". You don't need a record label to promote you and get you into stores. Record stores are gone. Everyone is shopping online for music. Downloading music is on the rise.

The digital age has made it possible for ANYONE to make an album, allowing mediocre musicianship to be worked and altered to the point that it sounds like a master musician. A D-player can now sound like an A-player.

So I predict that there will be a resurgence of live music. The reason, I think, will be because of the saturation of all the digitally available music. People will grow tired and overwhelmed with everything at their fingertips (computer). Musicians will desire to play out more to show/demonstrate their art and musicianship. This will assist in separating the A-players from the D-players ... so to speak ... which is clouded by anyone and everyone making their own record. You're going to see an increase in small venues; the single-act big concerts will continue to shrink ... moving more and more towards multiple billings ... and with more than just two or three artists.

Just like styles and clothes cycle back from prior decades, so will the live music scene. But in our case, the live music scene's increase is going to be fueled because of the digital scene.

People desire community. So sitting alone at home behind a computer, downloading music isn't going to pacify their internal desire for long. Right now it's a fad ... but it will soon peak and shrink back to a more balanced perspective. People will desire to go out and hear live music again ... although it won't stay that way for long.

Like I said, I believe the music industry is forever changing. I think there will be a big push for live music in the next few years, but I'm not sure how long it will last.

Well, I honestly think live music as I knew it growing up is pretty much dead around here.

NY DC’ers correct me if I’m wrong but here is my $.02.

In the past 5 years I’ve spent a pretty good amount of time checking out the scene in trying to find put my finger on the next great band, or at least the next trend in music. Sadly, I’m sorry to say I’ve come up empty, here are a few observations regarding original rock/mainstream music around here.
 
As a previous post pointed out, music has to compete for young peoples’ entertainment dollars. there are now more things in the world for those entertainment dollars to go to.  I see it is VERY hard for a band, even a good one to develop a following. I’ve seen a number of bands that I thought were very good from a songwriting, playing and showmanship perspective that consistently play for an audience of 10. They may have 3600 “friends” on MySpace but only their girlfriends and family show up to their gigs.

Tastes have changed as well, when I was younger we used to go to different venues to see and hear good musicians, musicians went out to watch other musicians play but there was always a social aspect to it as well, a lot of girls used to go. Today I don’t see music as a musicians game. When I was growing up there were was always the “guitar star” argument of who was better, Jimi Hendrix, Eddie VH, Randy Rhoads, etc.. They all made good music with an emphasis on "musicianship" without going way overboard, so that influenced us. Today’s generation of musicians don’t play music like that anymore. It seems the musicianship has taken a back seat to everything else. It is more one of a cultural thing at the local level and a branded product (“EMO”) at the national level. 

Most of the material is pretty bland and pretty bad, I find this strange because (also mentioned in a post above, there are so many outlets for music today, you would think some quality stuff would be making its’ way to the top).

I work with a few 20 somethings, they don’t really pay too much attention to live bands, but they can tell me which DJ is working at which club. They’ll actually go to a club if a particular DJ is spinning, (“DJ ‘Spinnawax' is in from Amsterdam this week and he’s spinning at Crobar”) those places end up packed, so the DJs have followings but bands don’t seem to.

Another perspective from the club or bar owner’s side; things like rent ($30K/month is a lot to pay in rent for a bar), liquor license, insurance, security, maintenance, sound people, and bar help are really expensive. Paying a live band on top of that is probably not the best return for the buck so I would imagine it is cheaper to just hire a DJ. Unfortunately, CBGBs was just the highest profile place that closed, but in the last 5 years a lot of great places for live music have shut down or converted to non-music venues with a pool table where the stage used to be. Owners usually cite the lack of return in offering live music as the reason.

I would hope that this is a trend that gets reversed quickly. 

I'm curious as to what DC members in Europe and other places have to say about this, how are the scenes there? 

kev d. and drumwild...you've both thoroughly bummed me out. i was trying to remain hopeful about this sitch, but i guess it really is bad.

as a result, i am downloading jetsons tunes and sound fx to feel better. i'm kinda diggin' the sound of george jetsons 'car' firing up.

i can get it on a ringtone, too!