Thursday ranting & music

Sometimes the job (vocation?) of writing a local music magazine tends towards the completely surreal. It's not the music so much as the venues that make it seem this way. (Most musicians I meet seem to be pretty good natured easy going folks who love what they do.)

There are owners of venues who complain that they struggle to get enough punters through the door to cover the costs. But then again they don't bother to advertise (in Suited and Booted or elsewhere) that they have an event planned. If you don't tell the world, the world will stay at home!

Then there are those who try a lock a band into only appearing at their venue in a given town. (Apparently happening in Taunton). In the end this is self defeating; if someone doesn't like your venue then they probably won't go there whoever the band might be. In the end this will be stopped by the bands simply refusing to agree to this.

Then there is the actual work in putting the magazine together. Even at the deadline we still attempt to call pubs and clubs to ensure their listing are complete. This is for the most part a free service to promote the venue, unless they are a regular advertiser (in which case thank YOU!) and yet from the response you often get, you'd imagine the manager or publican had just been asked to donate a pint of their own blood!

Frankly it is no wonder that some venues struggle whilst others thrive. In the end it comes done to the quality of the management.

Here endeth the rant for today!

Live music today in South Somerset & West Dorset
Zoe Schwarz & Rob Koral @ Jazz Café Fleur, Canford Cliffs, Poole
Chill @ Harry's Bar, Yeovil
Martin Carthy @ David Hall Arts Centre, S.Petherton
Jam Night @ Antelope, Crewkerne
X-Teller @ Bunch of Grapes, Bristol
Barry Paull as Elvis @ Phoenix Hotel, Chard
Steve 'Big Man' Clayton @ Bell Inn, Ash
Crazy 88 @ Choughs Hotel, Chard

Live music in Taunton & Bridgwater areas
Dave Hughes Jazz @ Bar 27, Bridgwater
Hearnshaw/Barrett @ Cross Keys, Norton Fitzwarren
The Communicators @ The Railway, Burnham on Sea

Have a fun day!

The Editor