Humm Online Exclusives - July 2015

Cover Artist - Almonte Crazy Quilters

Read the profile and view the photo gallery for the Almonte Crazy Quilters.

Ottawa Valley Festivals & Fairs 2015

Get out to some amazing local festivals and fairs in the Valley this summer. Get all the details right here >

God Bless the Independent Artist

By Steve Tennant

While attending a recent show in Ottawa, I had the opportunity to sit beforehand with the performer, a singer-songwriter one-man-band who was just finishing a two-month tour. The very next day I ran into a Perth friend who is currently on tour with RUSH, helping coordinate their 40th anniversary World Tour for them. It reminded me of just how tough being on the road can be. We think of musical artists, each one with a comfy tour bus and roadies to move stuff and make everything work out, but of course this just isn't the case for most and, even if it is, it's a crazy life just the same. There's a poster going around on Facebook stating “Musician — person who puts $5000 worth of gear into a $500 car to drive 100km for a $50 gig”. When I shared it, I got numerous approvals from my musical friends as this seems to be the “nature of the beast” for lots of them.

My one-man-band friend used to do 300+ shows a year backing up another travelling musician throughout North America, so he was constantly in a different place every night, making the best of it with his other tour mates on the road, hopefully friends, but not always. He reminisced about that life and is now so much happier doing his own thing, being his own boss, content to be making his own music the way he wants. As he states, though, it’s a lot of work. He started booking this most recent tour in October of last year, with commitments at enough “anchor” locations to make it worthwhile, then filling in dates around them as best he could. He usually played 5–7 nights a week, all one-nighters, often driving for hours between gigs. As he says, now, if he wakes up at 10:30am and wants to check out a good guitar shop a hundred miles away, he doesn't have to convince the rest of the group, he can just go, which can make a real difference for any artist. It's often a world of faith though too. Many gigs are booked by email, in advance, sometimes with promoters of varying skill and dedication so, until you arrive, often months later to somewhere you've never been before… well, you can imagine all the potential crises. Diverse show locations, times, the different people who attend and what they do while there, broken promises, car problems, equipment hassles, questionable places to spend the night, double bookings… Each booking could become a nightmare or a sweet memory.

Stacey Earle and her hubby/musical partner Mark Stuart told a story in our kitchen after playing one of our house concerts. They'd both been in Stacey's brother Steve Earle's band “The Dukes” and had decided to become a duo themselves and head out on their own. Mark said that, the last night on stage with Steve, he walked onstage and had his guitar strap placed over his head by a guitar tech, with different guitars handed to him, tuned and ready by the same tech throughout the show. The next night he and Stacey were carrying their own gear up to the third floor of a Red Roof Inn, the complete opposite to how it had been with Steve. They've continued to travel this way ever since. On a more recent trip our way, Stacey and Mark had just returned from a tour of Britain and had done the whole thing travelling by train, with carts attached to their minimal gear and merchandise. Gruelling, yet efficient, and they said they'd try it again.

Shari Ulrich told us a story of being so grateful to have got a gig on CN Rail's “The Canadian” Vancouver to Toronto run, and to be able to then go on to Montreal for her daughter Julia's graduation. I'm sure it's an amazing journey, but 4,466km on a train, four nights and three days, is a long trip. One of the things she had to learn how to do was negotiate transporting her guitar and merchandise back and forth from her room, through many long cars via the narrow aisle, to where she was playing. Once she figured it out, she loved the trip and has done it several times since. There’s always something different to experience when on tour.

My friend touring with RUSH speaks of other tours, where she had to get 200 people (who were all part of the tour) from gig to gig, and how it was like herding cats. The bigger the band, the bigger the entourage, which means there are that many more personalities, dietary concerns and egos to satisfy and deal with. I don't know how long I'd be able to do it. She's amazing though, and she loves it.

There seem to be more musicians trying to earn a living being their own management, booking gigs and tours, pre-planning recording sessions, keeping merchandise updated and musical equipment in good shape, updating websites, sending out press releases, utilizing social media as best they can, all the while trying to have a life. Doing all that while paying bills, maintaining a home and relationships, scrimping, saving (maybe?) and planning ahead is dizzying, to say the the least. The Age of Independent Artists abounds.

Recently, two musical friends made their way on a tour into the US. Both had previously completed paperwork that had been approved, and paid their money, but when they got to the border, only one could cross and the other could not. It turned out the US agency had, in fact, cleared their requests, but forgot to pass on one of the player’s papers, which meant they missed four gigs. Even once it got sorted out, it made for a lot of mileage to catch up to their tightly planned itinerary.

Several of our friends are REAL road warriors. They have been troubadours for years, touring from one coast to another, some of them actually living in their vans or cars as their only residence, storing most of their belongings in an understanding sibling’s basement. Computers and texting have become as necessary to their business as their music gear. God Bless the Independent Artist.

So, it's gotta be the love of what they do that keeps them going. A gruelling life, long absences from family and friends, missing many birthday/anniversary celebrations, countless hours on the road with questionable food along the way, yet they continue. I, for one, am grateful they do.

Upcoming Events

July 5: The Once at North on 29. The venue is a lovely restored barn just north of Carleton Place that is bringing in a host of great talent. It’s now run by the owner of Neat Café of Burnstown. This show is $52.50, and you can check out others at northon29.com.

July 14: Danny Michel and Garifuna Collective also at North on 29 — always an eclectic show — for $35.

July 17, 18, 19: Stewart Park Festival — the 25th edition! Three glorious days of live music, family fun and crafts in the majestic Stewart Park, behind Perth's Town Hall, entry by donation. Listen to the sweet sounds of Catherine MacLellan, Sweet Alibi, Dave Gunning, Mackenzie Blues Band, Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar, The Fretless, Peter Brown Quintet, Kelly Prescott, Boxcar Boys, Melissa Payne, My Son the Hurricane, and song circles on the Wendy Laut Acoustic Stage. Stay around for After Hours where, by purchasing a pass, you can enter several local restaurants and venues where many of the groups from the park will play nightly. Plan to dance the night away at the Crystal Palace… Find more details at stewartparkfestival.com.

July 17: Dave Gunning at the Sharbot Lake Inn. One of the East Coast's finest singer/songwriters — the vivid musical stories he creates are something to behold. $50 for a nice dinner and show. Call Sandra at 279–2198 for reservations.

July 27: Valdy, the one and only, at the Sharbot Lake Inn. $65 for dinner and the show. Call for reservations.

Support live music everywhere!

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