| Are singer-songwriters overexposed?
At first glance, it seems as though singer-songwriters in this province have it made in the shade. With numerous cafés, pubs and clubs with open stages, overwhelmingly supportive radio stations such as CBC, CJSW and CKUA, and the annual folk fest, it would seem that if any musician who wants to get ahead in the Alberta music scene should trade in their electric axe, farfisa organ or turntable for an acoustic guitar.
Are singer-songwriters overexposed in this province? Do they have an unfair advantage over other non-mainstream musicians who might play noisy or more technologically challenging music?
Peter North, music director at CKUA, has noticed that there is a tendency to promote singer-songwriters despite the quality of their music, and says that the trend has got to stop.
"I pray that it's waning," says North. "I just think that there's a dearth of mediocre singer-songwriters out there who have absolutely nothing to say," says North. "Quite frankly, around here, as much as the playlists are open and announcers play what they want, I can never drive home (without hearing a song) in a singer-songwriter category."
But despite existing frameworks of support, and what some people see as a tiresome overload, original singer-songwriters still request even more support. Apparently, Albertans are not tired of ’em either. In fact, there must be a market for it, otherwise singer-songwriter events would have turned into hip hop or rap-metal showcases long ago.
"Due to their musical accessibility, singer-songwriters might get more press in mainstream print media," says Dan Cherwoniak, the host and producer of CBC Radio One's Key of A, a program dedicated to musicians residing in Alberta. "But there's not a lot of places you're going to hear any Alberta music on commercial radio. Unless they have a dedicated – often a late-night Sunday – program or (if the band has) made it stateside, like Nickelback.
"Just ask any keen and talented band. They can't get a song played on their local radio, and they can't get their disc in the local big store record retailer. Even though Steve Pineo is top of the Calgary singer-songwriter heap, where can you hear him?"
Jason Corall, music director for CJSW, concurs that these artists are not yet overexposed.
"It's not like Kris Demeanor and Andrea Revel are chilling in their Mount Royal mansions... yet."
Chuck Rose and his son, Ben, are both singer-songwriters. In a quest to create more opportunities for people to play live, Ben has organized a weekly, pro-singer-songwriter event commencing July 29 at the Dog and Duck Pub. Successful applicants perform a set on a specified night. By the end of the evening, they'll have a CD copy of their performance that they can use to shop around to other potential venues. Rose Sr. hopes that this creates more opportunities for singer-songwriters performing original music – artists he feels are overlooked, not overexposed.
"Y'know, we're trying to make a living doing this," says Chuck. "For years and years, I made a living as a pub singer just doing other people's stuff. And I made a good living. There were tons of places that would book me as a single performer to go and be a human jukebox – and they're still out there. I could fill up my calendar easily with places that want to hear me doing Garth Brooks, Jimmy Buffet, the Beatles, Tragically Hip, whatever.
"But to find places that really want to hear original stuff, still, there's not that many. The other thing is that you have to get into them, too. You go down to the Ship and Anchor for instance, you can play that jam – God, I don't know how many times you can play that jam before they'll finally say, 'Well, gee, maybe we'll give you a shot and actually pay you to host.' Yeah, you can play it, but you're not gonna make any money."
North also notes that original music is hard to find and recalls a recent conversation with 1960s Greenwich Village scene veteran Bill Paxton, who confessed that he was a decade into his career before he performed a set with at least 50 per cent original material. It may seem ironic that many singer-songwriters don't have a wealth of good, original material, but it's due to that fact that North encourages DJs at CKUA to look beyond the obvious when they're programming their shows.
"It's getting everybody to think: is there something better I can be playing at this particular moment? The element of navel-gazing has turned me off most singer-songwriters and I've got to force myself to keep open ears for the guys who come along who are good."
However, it seems like a strong possibility that some musicians have cleverly noticed what is consistently and easily promoted in this province and have redirected their creative efforts to fit the genre. They may have observed that singer-songwriters have an advantage and substantial presence in Alberta. Fans of the genre are typically older, experienced, in charge of media and festivals, and have greater financial power than, say, the young punk rock fans who bust their butts trying to put on shows at community centres. Is there a monopoly of this kind of music in alternative, non-mainstream media? You decide. |
