Okee dokee folks… I realized that I am now in my 40th year of being a performing songwriter. My first real gig was at AS220 in Providence in March of 1985. This was the original 220 Weybosset Street location in downtown Providence, above the Providence Performing Arts Center. I made $1. I still might have that dollar bill. This was the token stipend they paid back then. I have since performed at all of the various locations AS220 has moved into over the past 40 years. I thought about the above because I came across a posting questioning what people thought of the current music scene in RI, or anywhere in general. In the past 40 years, I have witnessed the rise and fall of many music venues and music communities in RI and beyond. My response to the post was that I honestly thought that the local music scene from the ’70s through the mid-’90s was probably the best. There were a hell of a lot more venues, and there were more opportunities for performing. Before I started playing gigs I went to lots of bars, nightclubs, coffeehouses, and colleges and heard lots of great, live music. Many of these gig opportunities have disappeared.
A big source of really good paying gigs were colleges. In another time, colleges had bars or coffeehouses on campus and had big budgets from student fees that had to be used. Back when my duo Fuzek-Rossoni was touring the East Coast we played colleges and would make about $1,500 for a show. That was 35 years ago. There used to be an organization that I belonged to, the acronym was NACA, and it was just for the booking of music/ events at colleges. It was big business. If there were any college gigs to play nowadays they might pay the same, maybe less, but that $1,500 is worth substantially less now. In the mid-’80s I would make $150-200 for a solo, cover gig. Unfortunately, today, that is still the going rate, but again, it may be even less and that amount’s value has depreciated. There used to be a thriving coffeehouse circuit, especially on the East Coast. Musicians could book tours up and down the coast and actually make money doing this. Organizations like The Folk Alliance or publications like FolkFare, Sing Out, Performing Songwriter, Dirty Linen, and Fast Folk were vital parts of getting gigs, reviews, and being written about as well as maintaining the folk community. Many of the coffeehouses that we used to play in are gone or are just skeletons of what they once were. The magazines went out of print long ago and the Folk Alliance scrambles to remain relevant.
In RI, the nightclubs were not just in Providence; they were everywhere, even in the suburbs. Places like The Library & Gullivers in Smithfield or G Flaggs in Barrington, and many others that I cannot remember the names of, were outside of Providence and always busy. We used to frequent all of them, sometimes a couple in one night. There were always great bands playing. Now I am not putting down the current music scene, I am simply, and mournfully, comparing it to what it once was. There are places to play but they are fewer and farther between. It is harder to get gigs, build an audience, and to make money playing music. There are not as many venues for original music. Right now there are a few fighting for their very existence! There is more competition for gigs and I’ve got a feeling that the whole situation will only get worse. I honestly hope that I am wrong, but the mango moron is systematically destroying the American economy and music is always one of the early casualties when times get tough. All I can say is that those who play music do it for the love and because it’s who we are, but we also have to eat. I hope that we all can survive. Read on…
Please keep sending those protest/socially conscious songs! It is catching on! Thank you! My friend, Jeanne Sigel, sent me this one by Steve Elci and Friends called “Indivisible” youtube. com/watch?v=WbU1nOInLfI. You can find more about Elci at steveelciandfriends.com.
Received these two from reader Deborah Hayes. She wrote, “I read in Motif you were asking folks to write protest songs – here are two. One recently written by Luke Mallett of The Mallett Brothers, ‘Wind and the Snow,’ off their new album, Higher Up in the Hills, and the other written by David Mallett (his Dad) and Luke just before Drumpf’s (my edit- I refuse to use it’s real name) first term — ‘Celebration’ (actually written for Bernie Sanders, I am told).” “Celebration” — David Mallett youtube.com/watch?v=fXwYUHpjGx0, The Mallett Brothers Band — “Wind and the Snow,” youtube.com/watch?v=O697XCT7zqY”
Black Eagle Productions & Dream Team Productions is hosting the RI Meet the Musician’s Showcase. In an effort to expand recognition of musical artists in the area, they will be providing a space for musicians to come sell their music, distribute promotional items, and introduce themselves to the Woonsocket and Northern RI community. There is no charge to the artists and admission is free. So far artists include: B More 7, Sidy Maiga, Lee Mangano formerly with NRG, and others. They are hosting a diverse group of musicians and there may be spontaneous music collaborations. Millrace at 40 South Main Street in Woonsocket is the sponsor that is providing the space. This event happens Friday, May 30, 6 – 9pm. At the time of this writing, they still have room for a few more artists. Contact Blackeagleproductions@gmx.com. •
That’s it for now. You can listen to my podcasts at motifri.com/rootsreportpodcast (A Graham Nash podcast is available and coming up will be Aimee Mann) and find my concert photographs at motifri. com/fuzeksfotos. Thanks for reading and listening. johnfuzek.com
