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Written by Andie Maranda   

We are both excited as we approach the intersection where we were told to turn left. We know we're going to hear some really good blues from a top-notch blues performer tonight. We've seen him before so we know what to expect but he is such an energetic performer and the venue this time is a small club rather than a festival so we're looking forward to a more intimate performance.

We make the turn and almost miss the driveway to the club. The sign is tucked away behind the main building. We knew the bar was in a converted garage but we expected it to be obvious. We pull in the driveway and park beside the door. There are no other cars around. Are we at the right place? Has the gig been cancelled? It's early but there should be a couple of cars. We decide to drive around to the other side and, sure enough, a few cars are parked by the side door.

We enter - it is a small place - and see less than a dozen tables, a small bar at the back, and a pool table to the right of the stage. A few video game machines are strewn around the room. There is a small stage at the front. To the left of the stage, overlapping it a bit, is a large-screen television. And, immediately to the right of the stage are the doors to the bathrooms.

We immediately see our friend, the musician, chatting with the bartender. There is only one other person in the room and we're told he's the owner. Our friend comes over to greet us and assures us that the place will fill up. A fan called him earlier asking where he was playing tonight. The fan and his friends are celebrating a birthday and they want to do so wherever our friend is playing.

He usually plays with a full-blown band but this evening he is performing solo. The owner of the bar can't afford a full band. Our friend also owns a recording studio and he is quite adept with computer technology. He has pre-recorded the rhythm section on his laptop and it is connected to the soundboard. This is much better than a beat box!

Within a few minutes a crowd of a dozen people shuffles in, bringing in a cold gust of wind. A few of them make their way to our friend and tell him they came just to hear him play. With his help, they're going to turn this place into a huge party, they say. The bar is now buzzing with noise - laughter, glasses clinking, video games being played, and a rock radio station is playing in the background.

The musician makes his way to the stage. I notice the huge, colourful mural on the back wall of the stage depicting a live blues band. Two huge spotlights shine brightly on the mural. I see only two small blue lights directed toward the center of the stage. Neither hit the musician quite right. Hanging from the ceiling are small plastic pennants - advertising for a beer company. The large-screen television remains on.

Our musician friend selects his first song from the laptop and gets things going. He plays his guitar with gusto and his voice is mesmerizing. I close my eyes and imagine a full band playing along with him. But when I open my eyes, I can't help but glance at the television. It is still on and it is distracting. To my left, the bar owner is playing one of the video game machines. All of a sudden I hear a loud crack to my right. I turn to see what has happened and, to my dismay, I realize some of the birthday crowd has decided to play pool.

I try to concentrate on the music but it is difficult. The musician is tall and the ceiling is low so his head brushes against some of the hanging pennants. The stage lighting is poor. The video game to my left periodically emits strange electronic sounds. Even though there is no sound coming from the television, its proximity to the stage ensures it gets top billing over the musician. And, as the game of pool progresses, the participants get louder and louder. People go in and out of the washrooms, many stopping to chat with the pool players.

We sit at a table in front of the stage. The pool table is so close that on numerous occasions, we have to move in order to avoid getting hit in the head with a pool cue. As the evening wears on, the birthday celebrations get rowdier. The shots are passed around, the chatting and laughter get louder, and the disregard for the musician is greater. By the second set, the pool players are shouting from their corner to their buddies sitting at the bar across the room. By this point, we are the only ones applauding the efforts of our musician friend.

What is wrong with this picture? This bar, after all, is called "John Doe's" Blues Bar (actual name have been changed to protect the identity of the guilty party). This is not a small local bar that hires blues bands once in a while. The owner is a blues fan and decided to open a blues bar.

I personally do not understand why a club owner would go through the trouble of bringing in live entertainment if he/she can't offer a suitable environment. If a club owner shows a lack of respect to the musicians he has hired, aren't the patrons likely to do the same? And, the lack of respect isn't simply the playing of a video game while the hired musician is playing. It's also shown by having available other forms of entertainment to the customers while the musicians are playing.

At the recent Blues Summit in Toronto, I attended a workshop for musicians entitled "Life in the Blues Clubs". The purpose of the workshop was to give musicians insight on how bands were booked in clubs, what the club owners were looking for, etc.

Someone on the panel mentioned that owning a bar these days was very difficult, let alone a blues bar. The consensus was that fewer and fewer people are coming out to the bars, and even fewer are willing to pay to see a live band. Someone in the audience made a comment about earlier starts and an owner responded that it had been tried and did not seem to make a difference. My opinion is that too many bar owners fail to understand that as their patrons get older, their habits are changing. Yet these owners continue to treat them as if they are still in their 20s.

We asked the members (fans and musicians alike) of the Canadianblues-L discussion list what they liked and disliked about watching or playing live gigs in clubs. The majority who responded are in their 40s and older. Many have families and day jobs. Disposable income is minimal, especially if they have kids. They don't put bar outings on their list of spending priorities. Many go out only when they can't bear to miss seeing a certain artist, or because after a few months of not going out, they simply have to get out of the house.

But the reality is this: most of us do not go out the same way we did when we were in our 20s. Back then you partied. You didn't care about the smoke - hell, many of us smoked. You didn't care about getting only two hours of sleep and going to work the next day, and then starting all over again the next night. You didn't care if you blew your grocery money on beer in one night. You didn't care about the overcrowded bars (for many guys, that was a bonus!).

Nowadays, things are very different. The thing is, we'd like it to be the same. Unfortunately, our bodies and our brains don't agree. It's not that we don't like to see live music anymore; we probably like it even more today. We just don't go out the same way.

There seems to be a consensus on the things fans don't like:

- they don't like late start and finish times (the number one complaint)
- they don't like smoky bars
- they don't like distractions around the stage/band area such as TVs, video games or pool tables
- they don't like excessive volume
- they don't like hearing non-blues music between sets
- they don't like overcrowded bars
- they don't like crappy PA systems
- they don't like poor sight lines and stage set-ups
- they don't like it when bands start later than advertised
- they don't like people who chat during the sets
- they don't like musicians who disappear between sets

One fan, Dan, responded, "Too much cigarette smoke! My clothes stink and I get an incredibly nasty headache (and no, this isn't the alcohol). (Volume) too loud with evil high-frequency distortion that hurts the ears. Starting times too late for someone with a day job that starts at 8:00 a.m. the next morning. I have literally turned around and walked out of clubs after 30 seconds because of the smoke and volume."

Musicians also had complaints about the bars; many were the same as the fans:

- they don't like distractions around the stage/band area such as TVs, video games or pool tables
- many don't like the smoky bars
- they want PA systems in good working condition offering good sound
- they want at least a small riser and some lights
- they don't like hearing non-blues music between sets
- they don't like being offered low pay and told the gig will be good exposure
- they don't like not having some kind of bar tab
- they don't like being treated poorly by the bar staff
- they don't like that many bar owners do nothing to promote the bands
- they don't like people who chat during the sets

Bob Vespaziani, a drummer in the Toronto area, makes the following good points:

"If the club is promoting an evening of blues, then don't put on NSYNCH's greatest hits or SLIPKNOT in between the band's sets. Play something that complements what the band is doing, like MORE BLUES! I love hockey/football/baseball and THE NAKED NEWS, but don't project these things above/behind/to the side of the band while they are playing - it's downright rude and disrespectful to the musicians."

When asked what more bar owners could do, Vespaziani says, "More promotion please! Some bars are masters at this, but others leave it all up to the band. Lots of bars have entertainment only on the weekends, and could benefit from hyping upcoming shows during the week to their lunch and after-work regulars. Keep your PA in good working order. It is very frustrating to be told that the PA is supplied, only to find that you have to solder/tape/glue the bloody thing together."

Mark Neveu, part-owner of Readers Café in Dunnville, Ontario shares his opinions.

"I may be a "venue/owner/booker/fest organizer" but I'm also a fan and I used to really like going out to clubs but rarely do it these days. Start times are just way too late, clubs are too smoky, there are too many places with TVs on and/or pinball/video games blaring bad sound. My worst peeve, though, is inattentive audiences. Why do people continue to go to clubs, then stand in front of the stage and talk... and talk... and then eventually start yelling their conversations as the drinking increases, and basically ignore the wonderful performances right in front of them?"

We all know that blues makes up a very small portion of the music industry. We hear complaints about how it is difficult to get the music played on the radio, let alone be available in music stores. The fan pool may not be as large and may not have as much disposable income as mainstream music fans but, nevertheless, blues fans do exist. Why then, I ask, do we continue to treat the blues the same as other types of music?

It is time that we truly understand that blues is a niche market and that it needs to be promoted differently. The club owners who want to specialize in blues need to understand this. If they continue to offer what every bar with live entertainment offers, they won't get a regular following of blues fans.

Blues fans need to be treated differently. Ask them what they want. You may be surprised to hear that they are all saying the same thing.


Copyright 2003 Andie Maranda
 
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