It’s no secret that our city is blessed with more than a few very talented musicians. It has been that way for as long as I can remember, and well before that. In the past, it seemed that these folks had to leave town to get any kind of recognition, much less make a living.
The internet and vast improvements in digital recording have made it easier for these guys to work from home essentially. Very few, if any, are getting rich doing it, but they are able to do what they love in a city they love, and we’re the better for it.
Barry CourterSteve Babb and Fred Schendel in the local prog-rock band Glass Hammer have done so for decades. In fact, they recently released what many critics are calling the genre’s album of the year with “Valkyrie.” They are not alone, however, as several local artists have put out new product. If you haven’t checked out some of the new local stuff, you should.
Randy Steele just released a truly great solo bluegrass CD, for example.
But you don’t have to go searching for CDs (though you should) or visit one of the local nightclubs or venues to hear great local music. We’re bringing it to you. Every Wednesday around noon, we’ve been doing something called Music Wednesdays. Thanks to Facebook Live technology and the good graces of the local music community, we’ve had folks like Steele, Nick Lutsko, Danimal, Heather Leigh Holt and Dan Landrum and Aaron O’Rourke in to talk a little and perform.
It’s hosted by Lesley Dale and me, and we try to learn a little bit about the performers while they are here, but mostly we want to let them play music.
We do it for a couple of reasons. First, it’s fun and we like it. Second, it’s a chance to meet some really talented artists. And third, it’s a great way to introduce new music and new people to new audiences.
It’s live around noon, and then available on Facebook forever, I suppose. It’s very informal and relatively low-tech, though we are working on that.
Next week, we’ll have R&B singer Jimmy Allgood in, and the week after that will be singer/songwriter Nathan Bell. We also are working on a special Christmas edition that will feature some surprise guests and could be a lot of fun.
All you have to do to check out the shows is visit the Times Free Press Facebook page at noon on Wednesdays. You can make comments and ask questions. We try to answer those live.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.