What Blues Needs....part two

[telemnemonics]

How often are you getting out to blues jams, blues shows, blues fests, or gigging blues music yourself? There are a lot of commenters in these threads sounding off on things that I would guess they have little to no participation in. Kind of like your "seems like blues societies" remarks.... When was the last time you participated? Depends on the society, depends on the jam. I'm not so sure it's easy to have your ear to the street from Maine, no offense. What works for country in Nashville, with it's huge musical market share and Nashville's large tourism draw for country music won't correlate to blues as the OP suggested.

Blues is working man's music and was last in the billboard pop charts as routine 80 years ago so "preserving"it as you suggest is just making Joe Q Public foot the bill for yet another failure-to-be cultural project. Swells and well to do old hippies will foot the bill for classical, which is ingrained into the education system, and tribute shows which are now everywhere and quite successful thanks to sentimental grey hairs. Blues has long been a much more limited market share. It isn't the music of people making big money and it has few cultural icons to sell it. It's the music from people on the bottom. The couple record companies who put on blues have pitifully small budgets for producing and marketing the albums.

Some sound alike doing Howling Wolf for ten bucks located on some "dirty street in chicago"? You're not going to have foot traffic if people fear for their lives. Beale street in Memphis, also not exactly a pinnacle of safety, has kept the ball rolling to some smaller degree without it being a taxpayer funded grift for the operators and few juiced in musicians that will get gainful employment from grant funding. Blues, it's either organic, or DOA.

I tend to agree with what @schmee said:

Did you read the actual original post at the start if this thread?
It was almost entirely about historic sites falling into ruin in Chicago, while pointing out that in Nashville there is more preservation of the old time venues where that history was made long ago.
Thats what Im talking about, possible ways to preserve historic Blues joints, in a situation where they cant make enough money to keep them maintained in presentable condition, and no philanthropists are interested in saving them.

As for preserving the playing of Blues?
I played Blues in my first year or so learning guitar, as a framework for understanding the variety of musics built on that foundation.
Since 1982 or so I have not played Blues, gone to Blues jams or Blues shows, bought Blues albums newer than ABB at the Filmore which is barely Blues but the closest thing Ive bought thats that recent.

More modern or more recent music I consume is not Blues, I just dont really care for shred Blues or acid rock blues etc etc.

Im glad when at least somebody keeps playing older music styles, but I dont want to devise tricks to get kids today to recreate old time music.

However, I do see great historic value as being lost if nobody bothers to designate at least some of the old (Chicago) Blues clubs historic, and finds a way to save them in some form.
Blues is a hugely important piece of US history.
If the Chicago Blues history is being lost in terms of a few places that were central to that history?
Such an easy problem to solve.
Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos cant force kids today to play the Blues but they could endow a few historic buildings as easily as ordering a cup of coffee.

 

[VonBonfire]

Did you read the actual original post at the start if this thread?
It was almost entirely about historic sites falling into ruin in Chicago, while pointing out that in Nashville there is more preservation of the old time venues where that history was made long ago.
Thats what Im talking about, possible ways to preserve historic Blues joints, in a situation where they cant make enough money to keep them maintained in presentable condition, and no philanthropists are interested in saving them.

Yes, I read the post and as I noted there is large amounts of tourism to Nashville and country music is the largest market share, therefore tons of interest in preservation and continued patronage of country and western. Read: dollars.

As for preserving the playing of Blues?
I played Blues in my first year or so learning guitar, as a framework for understanding the variety of musics built on that foundation.
Since 1982 or so I have not played Blues, gone to Blues jams or Blues shows, bought Blues albums newer than ABB at the Filmore which is barely Blues but the closest thing Ive bought thats that recent.

More modern or more recent music I consume is not Blues, I just dont really care for shred Blues or acid rock blues etc etc.

Thank you for your honesty. This essentially makes my point though. 40 years ago you learned pentatonics. You're commenting on something you have no real current knowledge of and no financial or musical stake in. I don't mean that offensively by any means, I've no doubt you enjoy and appreciate some of the form but it does make you completely out of touch with the last couple decades of the blues scene.

I don't know what shred blues is, that sounds like blues-rock to me, which is not blues music.

However, I do see great historic value as being lost if nobody bothers to designate at least some of the old (Chicago) Blues clubs historic, and finds a way to save them in some form.
Blues is a hugely important piece of US history.
If the Chicago Blues history is being lost in terms of a few places that were central to that history?
Such an easy problem to solve.
Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos cant force kids today to play the Blues but they could endow a few historic buildings as easily as ordering a cup of coffee.

You can prop up old buildings all you like it won't bring the old days back nor preserve the blues any better than the records which are still available. And having musk or bezos involved is the worst possible suggestion I can think of. An businessperson who actually loves blues music and blues history would be a better candidate but it's a bad business investment because there is limited interest and most of it is from people 55 and up, black, white, and hispanic. Diminishing market share.The black community at large has moved on from blues to rap, hip hop, and neo-soul and white people largely would rather go to Nashville for the country music stuff or listen to classic rock ala Allman Bros. I know guys here who can play incredible blues guitar but they only play country music because it's what pays.

I moved to Texas to play blues because I figured even young people here still have a dad or granddad who loves SRV and blues and so fond memories of pop or grandpop blasting it in the truck has extended it to the next generation a little more than most places. It has a history here as it does in Chicago and Memphis only this is a bigger state that is growing much faster than most areas. There are NO "blues" clubs here, Clifford Antone is rolling in his grave, but there are many clubs that regularly book blues acts and there are many clubs so you can see blues bands all time, though they may or may not be the kind of blues you like. There are still a few legacy blues artists in this area, though time takes it's toll on everyone.

 

[loco gringo]

Move those building to Branson. I can see the Branson crowd really enjoying a Howling Wolf imitator howling from a faux juke joint. It might be more entertaining to watch the crowd.

 

[2HBStrat]

I just don't see much interest in the blues here, especially not in bars. People want to party and drink and dance. Even local regional blues festivals have opened up to other genres to appeal to a more diverse crowd.

 

[VonBonfire]

Even local regional blues festivals have opened up to other genres to appeal to a more diverse crowd.

It's because the number of actual name touring blues bands have drastically decreased since the 90's. Many of the artists are old, retired, or dead. Look at New Orleans Jazz fest. Trombone Shorty and Marsalis' about the only jazz there the rest is something else, not jazz. There isn't many name jazz acts out there touring any longer.

 

[pixeljammer]

How'd he do that?

By smell, of course.