Guardians of the Gates — Part 2

As I began in my post last night: “There are too many guardians of the gates in this culture. Too many key masters. Too many people with too much power that can decide your fate, can make you or break you.” I then discussed the issue of employment, with job seekers searching for security and such — and the walls they constantly encounter.

Today’s post approaches these “Guardians” from a different perspective: the utter failure of formidable organizations to bolster unknown individuals through simple means of exposure. 

Think about it. Countless companies could assist struggling artists in their quest to humbly become self-supporting as a musician. Let’s start with the ever-ubiquitous National Anthem which precedes sporting events in this country. I specifically remember hearing one repeat guest sing the anthem for the NY Yankees a number of years ago. Every game they played, this guy kicked it off. He had a fine voice,  to be sure, but aren’t there at least a few hundred thousand bonafide anonymous singers in this city? Why the need to repeat? Why not share the stage? 

And, as is usually the case, the anthem is often sung ONLY by names already recognized — such as broadway belters, pop stars, or country wonders. Or, if they’re not already established, they simply “know someone,” yet another scourge on our society. It truly seems like people only move forward carried on piggyback by those who are already in the game — be it that big break or even just landing a great job. 

True aspiring performing artists in this culture appear to be relegated to TV shows that cater to the “undiscovered singer” motif, such as “America’s Got Talent” and “The Voice.” If you want to become that next household name, you literally get one shot at auditioning, when you line up for the “cattle call” with untold thousands of other individuals. Of course you can also send in a virtual audition tape, but let’s be honest: only the most highly-produced submissions will even be considered. So, once again, only those with access to money get a shot at making more. And, just to be clear, myself and most like me aren’t really seeking fame and fortune — we simply want to practice our craft comfortably. 

These are only two examples of instances where myriad novel artists struggling to put bread on the table are overlooked due to either nepotism, favoritism, or lack of financial resources. Did we ever really all have a fair shot at anything? I think we need to imagine many more creative opportunities to let unknown folks shine who are being ignored. We, ourselves, as a country can benefit from hearing these new voices. Remember how you felt the first time you heard “that” voice — whichever voice it was? It touched your soul, it excited your emotions. It sometimes made you openly weep. We’re denying ourselves those responses and reactions by keeping a lid on those various voices that might otherwise melt our hearts. 

Anyway, hoping to advance my own cause and career, I sent an email to a different group of guardians today: three online sites that cater to the expansive jam band community: Jambase, Relix, and Live for Live Music — all of whom have actually already featured me in the past, advertising upcoming shows — to ask if they might give an assist and post the *finished* product from those shows they themselves promoted, which were all professionally recorded but now sit in a virtual corner collecting dust. One of these publications could literally light a spark that would ameliorate my current conundrum. 

I’ll wait with bated breath. 

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