| Re: Musicians deserve more respect, Letters, Jan. 10-16 issue
I don't know where Aubrey MacInnis or Alexis Jones are hanging out to hear and/ or play music, and I'm not familiar with their particular musical tastes, but, with respect, their recent comments that Calgary's local music scene lacks "spark" and that the city "doesn't exactly seem like fertile, musically inspiring ground" suggest that they both might want to broaden their territory a bit.
In the three-and-a-half years that I've been hosting music events at Karma Local Arts House, I've welcomed people from across Canada, the U.S., Europe and Australia who have raved about the quality and diversity of music in Calgary. On the singer- songwriter front alone, recent and upcoming CD releases by Mike Stack, The Co-Dependents, Steve Pineo, Paul Faber, Jenny Allen, Tom Phillips & the Men of Constant Sorrow, John Campbell, Dave McCann, Ian MacDonald and so many others, reveal a goldmine of talent and originality that demands attention and respect. All of these quality artists and others are playing the local clubs on a regular basis. From my own tiny corner of this scene, Calgary's just poppin' at the seams with great music and is rapidly establishing an international reputation as one of the best songwriter towns on the continent.
What we really need here is less carping about the little problems, a wider perspective and more pride in what we all are a part of. We need more club owners with the courage and vision to pursue and promote a seven-night-a-week original music policy, and to provide the best sound system equipment they can afford. We need to pack those clubs with our friends, buy dinner and drinks and pay the cover without complaining. We need to purchase more CDs from local artists and at record stores like Megatunes that make an effort to support indies. We need to send subscription dollars to support CKUA Radio, which valiantly supports local music in Alberta. We need more talented and well-informed music reviewers, like Mary-Lynn McEwen and others who are willing to dig a little deeper for a great interview, and we need for our editors in the local press to demand an ever-higher calibre of creativity from their freelancers. We need to be proudly lifting up our local artists to the public's awareness with more investment into their indie recording projects and more advertising and promotion. We are the ones who must create a stronger sense of community and set consistently higher standards of excellence. We all benefit.
Calgary's a great place to be living and making music. Let's get out and enjoy it.
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