“Might makes right” isn’t always the law of the jungle. At least not at The Jungle.
On the last Monday night of March the principles in play at the Somerville Music Ecosystem Conversation were solid democratic virtues. Cooperation, consensus building, empathy. Stakeholders in the creative and economic dimensions of the local music scene met at 6 Sanborn Court to compare notes of what’s working and what’s not.
Ajda Snyder (aka Ajda the Turkish Queen) served as one of the night’s emcees. But the room hardly needed prompting to get the conversation rolling. An enthusiastic congregation split itself into five groups to tackle a short list of guiding questions.
Who is here? A lot of musicians and music educators. A smattering of club managers, bookers, talent buyers. At a glance there were more bodies from the creative side of the music scene than the business side. And though the event was co-presented by the Somerville Arts Council, at the behest of the city of Somerville, no elected representatives made an appearance.
Where do you listen? All the usual clubs made the list, of course. And people also mentioned “music streaming platforms,” which speaks to the massively oversaturated content landscape we inhabit in the 21st century. Besides competing with other live performers for audience share, your mom-and-pop local band must do battle with Monstrous Corporate Algorithms plugged directly into the brainwaves of every smartphone owner.
Who is supporting you? Art Stays Here, one of the night’s co-presenters, got a shout out. As did a smorgasbord of art-friendly venues, political initiatives and press. What became clear, though, is that the local music community is one that must largely fend for itself. Musicians supporting musicians is the spiritual pillar of support that preserves the community through times when the general public has tuned out.
What is missing? Rehearsal space, resources, media coverage. You name it. And one sensed a general economic anxiety in the room. Everything. Costs. So. Damn. Much. Which affects a music community in profound ways. “Spiritual pillars of support” don’t pay the bills. A musician can barely find an affordable place to live, never mind to practice. A flower that lacks soil, sunshine and water will not bloom.
How do we stay organized? It’s a minor miracle whenever community events such as the Somerville Music Ecosystem Conversation come off because there are so many opportunities to stick our heads in the sand and trust that someone else will do the heavy lifting for us. Email, mailers, social media, flyers, brainstorming sessions can all be helpful ways to maintain a collective focus on finding solutions. But most important, to my mind, is that basic communal instinct to lend a hand. And I saw that instinct in spades at The Jungle.
Want to join in the conversation? The next music mixer will take place at New Alliance Gallery, 438R Somerville Ave., near Union Square, Somerville, from 7 to 9 p.m. April 30. The Turkish Queen awaits.
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Saturday to Sunday: The Boston Progressive Jazz Festival (Arts at the Armory, Somerville)
The Boston Progressive Jazz Festival returns for its second year. The festival pays homage to the genre’s pioneering spirit of the past by pushing forward into the great unknown future of what it might become. Does the event feel a little bit like a Berklee College of Music circle jerk? I mean, yeah. The bill is littered with Berklee students and professors, including the two headliners. The event is organized by a team with heavy Berklee affiliations. Are they driving a school bus to the gig?
Saturday: Monk’s Temple Records Showcase (The Lilypad, Cambridge)
Monk’s Temple Records is a Boston label that includes no monks, is not housed in a temple and, perhaps most importantly, doesn’t sell records. At least none were on offer at its website. Don’t let that dissuade you from attending the showcase. The outfit appears to function more like a music collective, and it has collected a bumper crop of musicians to join the bill. Hip-hop, R&B, neo-soul, rap – the gang’s all here. Don’t miss breakout lyricist MonaVeli, who just signed to EveryDejaVu Records and is always a showstopper.
Wednesday: Takuya Kuroda (Arts at the Armory, Somerville)
Ever since Miles Davis, the trumpet has been a main contender for the coolest weapon in the jazz arsenal. Takuya Kuroda is doing his damnedest to keep it that way. Born in Japan, based in Brooklyn, the artist has his spoon stirring a lot of different stewpots in contemporary jazz. He can play the pure horn man, or mix it up with all kinds of soul, funk and hip-hop collaborators. His latest release is a two-track remix album that pulls in world-class DJs to reimagine a pair of tracks from the full-length “Midnight Crisp.” Takuya Kuroda is a jazzman for every occasion.
Grades: Record Store Day Walk & Show
Instead of the usual live review in this segment, let’s grade the participants in the Cambridge Day Record Store Day Walk.
The name: C
“Cambridge Day Record Store Day Walk” is a more or less accurate description of the event, so it satisfied the most basic requirement of a name. But it’s a humdrum title, annoyingly repeats the word “day,” and makes no mention of the music show that capped the walk.
The weather: D+
Some people out there would give Mother Nature a straight up F without hesitation. Snow in April? I like to look on the bright side. By the time the record stores opened, most of the snow and rain had already fallen. Cold, wet, gray? A fine day in New England.
The record stores: A+
The owners and staff like to remind us that “Every day is Record Store Day.” Hey, what can I say? People (myself included) like bright and shiny objects, such as calendar days dedicated to specific persons, places or things. The record stores were welcoming hosts, absorbing the extra crowds and queues of record enthusiasts with aplomb. And extra special thanks to the stores that offered the specially marked issues of The Week: Planet Records, Vinyl Index, Cheapo Records and Big Dig Records.
The crowds: A+
Never mind the weather, the people showed up. In some cases, such as at Vinyl Index, there were lines wrapping around the corner. A little snow and rain and cold can’t stop the rock. We all smelled like wet dogs by the end of the day.
The bands: A+
The punk show at the end of Record Store Day marks the first time this reporter has covered a gig in the basement of the Cambridge Community Center. A marvelous dive! Shout out to the bands that made it special. Homeworld, an electro wizard with the plugs, pedals and blinking lights. P.V., expansive noise punk freakery. Pushback, a hyperlocal agitprop throwdown. And Jade Dust, hardcore punks all the way from Portland (the far-away one).
Michael Gutierrez is an author, educator, activist and editor-in-chief at Hump Day News.
A stronger
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