Live Music Is Alive (Barely)

Cindy's got a neat post up from Slobberbone's Brent Best.

I don't agree with everything he has to say, but overall it's a pretty thoughtful response from a pretty talented musician.

I like his attitude about live music. Thank goodness in Houston that the Firehouse has gotten so serious about being THE venue for country music in town. The place seems to treat artists and fans well, and that's most of the battle.

But Houston's not perfect. Getting a young talented songwriter like Randy Rogers into a songwriter's night at, say, the Mucky Duck just doesn't happen. And it's still astounding to me that Cross Canadian Ragweed was BEGGING to get a first gig in Houston two years ago, and FINALLY got to play Fitzgerald's on a Thursday night on 3-8-01 (a damn insult, really, to a band that talented). Ragweed STILL hasn't played the Mucky Duck, by the way, nor has Cody Canada played a songwriter's night there. Amazing (and not in a good way).

House Concerts may just be the answer. If the venues won't deliver what you want, then book it yourself. Brent Best seems to be suggesting that. I know I'm hoping to work with Cindy to get a band or two into the campground (but then, Cindy knows what she's doing -- I wonder how easy this is for the average music fan to do). We'll see how it goes.

[Posted at 20:36 CST on 03/10/03] [Link]