Im going to take a minute to share something with you all. Its important to me, but it will also take more than a few words to explain, so please bear with me. As most people are aware, I took over as booking manager at Zoës Coffee House about one month ago. I believe in what Ryan, Heather, and all of my good friends there are doing, and my position to help make Zoës successful is something I am very, very grateful for. As someone who finds himself in the middle of the music scene in more than one capacity, I have heard a lot of feedback about the change that I am trying to put in place at Zoës, (and, proportionately, into Gastonia). Namely, treating it like a real and major music venue, thus putting into effect door charges and, soon, ticket admittance. There hasnt been a backlash, per se, however, many people have uttered the phrase What? Paying to get in? At a place in GASTONIA? or Ive never paid to get in anywhere! This is GASTONIA! Well, I need to say, Im glad that we all know WHERE we are, but its time to realize WHEN we are and WHY we are. WHEN is in the middle of an upswing for a downtown that desperately needs an influx of culture, fixtures for the arts, and a feeling of community that goes deeper than any temporary benefits to all of our pocket books and bank accounts. WHY happens to be my personal wheelhouse, as it includes something that I personally can put into effect that moves the music scene here a great deal forward. The money that you and fellow music lovers in Gastonia will be paying for admittance does some important things. 1.) It provides a concrete and tangible draw for touring and national artists looking to book shows here. Quality music from outside of the county is only attracted by a venue that can give the artists an amount of pay that equals what their time is worth. 2.) It heightens the cohesiveness of the musical community by displaying a real world instance of a small investment in local bands and artists. Is doing those two things worth $5? Half of what your lunch costs? What a six pack of beer costs? Quite simply, no. It is of much more worth than that. True, you wont see a cost to get into some of the other places that offer live music in Gastonia. But I dont run the booking at those places, and, frankly, you wont find them trying to go as high as I want this city to go. So, there it is. A change is not coming. It has come, and it is now. Lets go.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 15:12:25 +0000
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