Side Street Sounds
Area Music Venues Put Performers Back in the Spotlight
- STEVE WEST –
The great jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis tells a story about his first solo in a school band concert. His father, Ellis—a well-known jazz musician and educator in his own right—was going to be in the audience, and Wynton wanted to impress him. Marsalis tells of playing a wild flurry of notes, culminating in a circular breathing trick whereby he held a single note for what seemed like an eternity. The audience rose to their feet and cheered. After the concert, Wynton eagerly asked his father what he thought. The elder Marsalis responded, “Son, those who play for applause…that’s all they get.”
While the point of his story is well taken, there are a lot of musicians who are aching for a little applause right now, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s a certain energy that comes from playing in front of people and getting instantaneous feedback. When a musician is really on their game, you can feel the dynamics of a room change as they move from a raucous house rocker to a slow ballad. The thrill you get when you hold a crowd in the palm of your hands is indescribable. And yes, there is a certain satisfaction that one gets from a sincere round of applause. The restrictions placed on music venues due to the Covid-19 pandemic have taken that satisfaction away from the majority of musicians in our area for the better part of the past year. While live streaming has served to fill the void, it’s just not the same as having people in the room.
Thankfully, Orange and Yellow zone restrictions were recently lifted in the Finger Lakes region. That opened the doors to venues being allowed to seat patrons indoors again. They are still only allowed to operate at 50% capacity, but at least it allows for some entertainment, albeit on a scaled down level. Full band performances are few and far between because of the cost to the venue, and the social distancing requirements. However, many venues have started to book solo or duo acoustic acts in an effort to keep the live music scene afloat.
The B-Side in Fairport is featuring live acoustic music Wednesdays through Saturdays. Many of the craft breweries like Peacemaker in Canandaigua and No BS in Lakeville have jump started their live music programs. The Brown Hound Downtown features live music by Steve West (that’s me!) every Sunday for brunch. Some of the traditional outdoor venues have started to book music for the summer, with the understanding that everything could change between now and then.
Fanatics Pub in Lima is once again scheduling ticketed concerts. The first will feature Buffalo area musician Michael Hund. Hund is in great part responsible for the return of live music. He successfully sued New York State over their rule that venues could only have music that was “incidental to the dining experience,” and were not allowed to advertise live music, or sell tickets. U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra ruled that the state’s restrictions were arbitrary and capricious, opening the door for venues like Fanatics to schedule shows once again.
Live music this summer will almost certainly be scaled back from pre-pandemic levels. Restrictions on how and when will continue to evolve. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy music when it is offered. Please continue to support live, local music whenever you can, and support the venues that sponsor the music.
