There is a phase that is often used (both in and out of blues circles)... 'we must keep the blues alive'.So much so in fact, that people could be forgiven for thinking that the kindest thing for all concerned would actually be to turn the life-support off.
For most non-blues fans 'the blues' invokes images of rural misery and racial stereotypes, or a middle aged accountant with a Stratocaster and a hat singing about “goin' down to Clarksdale”.
This may have been true in the 90’s and at the beginning of the millennium, but in the last couple of years there has been much more going on than that and the blues is experiencing somewhat of a resurgence.
The ‘die-hard’ blues fans have always been hiding just underneath the surface, but now the blues is starting to make its mark back out in the music place amongst main stream music fans also.
The blame for any miss-conception to the contrary must lie with those so-called blues fans.
Blues music doesn't need to be kept alive; it's doing very well all on its own.
Evidence of this is seen in many of the newer players and bands who are making their mark on the music scene today, previously they were reluctant to even use the word 'blues' which in itself is a damning indictment of the self proclaimed powers that be within the blues over the past 2 decades or so.
What the blues needs now is to rid itself of the in-fighting and factions that think that "The only REAL blues is..." and for those factions to forge an open and inclusive appreciation of blues in all its forms and modern day iterations.
History is, and always has been, an important aspect of blues but so also has innovation and development.
And, just as it's always done, it's continuing to evolve and reflect the changing times and lifestyles of the people who play it.
After all blues is, at its core, folk music - in other words it's music that comes from us, the folk, rather than them, the corporate suppliers of 'entertainment'.
The real enemy of the blues is the idea that music is no longer something that we do or participate in, but something that we buy.
In recent times, more and more international blues artists have been willing to tour New Zealand and support for the many blues festivals around the country is growing by the year.
However more could still be done to celebrate and nurture the blues scene here and now.
I believe that the most important thing we can do is to encourage the live playing of blues music and New Zealand has a pretty good depth of blues talent.
Gig poster advertising the Tribute to Sonny Day concertMy hope is that by more live music being played in non-traditional blues venues will attract those people not only actively interested in blues music and culture, but all music fans.
The entire music community in New Zealand (bands, managers, promoters and venue owners) have an obligation to help by celebrating and nurturing the blues scene here and now.
That being said, please check out The Blues Room and the Auckland Live Blues Club links for two great examples of pro-active blues fans going above and beyond the call of duty to bring the blues to the wider New Zealand public.
I guess one of the objectives of this blog is offer some interesting posts, with maybe even at some stage offering up content such as interviews with blues players and live gig and CD reviews.
I’m positive that there are many, many people in New Zealand who love blues, and wish to get out and support local musicians and venues but finding any information is hard as most blues societies and clubs are run by less than a handful of volunteers and on a no-string budget.
It’s up to those that play the blues to also get involved and do what you can to help out those fans find out whats going on and to promote not only yourselves but the ‘scene’ too by telling us what you're up to.
If you’re thinking about the blues is along similar lines to me and you think you can help out with anything then please get in touch.
