Sometimes it takes going somewhere else to see what it is, precisely, you really have. Sometimes, you see what you're missing. Sometimes (and likely, it's most of the time), you see that it's somewhere in between.
You see, my wife and I just went on our honeymoon to a lovely little town called Jensen Beach, Florida. Now, to be perfectly frank with you all, I'm not the biggest fan of Florida, but this little town enchanted me. It had a similar feel to my own beloved Ludington, Michigan, but there was something else that really caught my attention. There were SO many places to play.
Hell, I didn't even bring my guitar with me (shame, shame, I know), and wound up performing in four different shows at three different venues. And they LOVED it!
I'm getting ready to play my first show back in Ludington after a two week absence, and I'm curious to see what's going to happen.
I really wonder why there's so little going on in our area. We've got twice what Florida has to offer, yet there's a fraction of what Florida IS offering. There were live music venues EVERYWHERE there. My wife and I drove about an hour north and south of where we were staying and must have passed dozens of little towns, each one full of live music, food, etc.
And everyone I've asked about it gives me the same old "it's this economy" spiel. What about when the economy was booming? Where's the initiative?
We've got forward-thinkers like Lars Kvalvaag at Redolencia Coffeehouse, Marilyn at the BlueMoon, and Andy Thomas at the Artist's Market working to change that, and I'm excited to see what's coming next.
But here's the deal, people.
Why is Applebee's packed on a Friday night, and our local restaurants not?
Why are you people supporting franchised, prepackaged bullshit when you've got real people making real food, real coffee, real art?
SUPPORT LOCAL or you won't have a local.
You see, my wife and I just went on our honeymoon to a lovely little town called Jensen Beach, Florida. Now, to be perfectly frank with you all, I'm not the biggest fan of Florida, but this little town enchanted me. It had a similar feel to my own beloved Ludington, Michigan, but there was something else that really caught my attention. There were SO many places to play.
Hell, I didn't even bring my guitar with me (shame, shame, I know), and wound up performing in four different shows at three different venues. And they LOVED it!
I'm getting ready to play my first show back in Ludington after a two week absence, and I'm curious to see what's going to happen.
I really wonder why there's so little going on in our area. We've got twice what Florida has to offer, yet there's a fraction of what Florida IS offering. There were live music venues EVERYWHERE there. My wife and I drove about an hour north and south of where we were staying and must have passed dozens of little towns, each one full of live music, food, etc.
And everyone I've asked about it gives me the same old "it's this economy" spiel. What about when the economy was booming? Where's the initiative?
We've got forward-thinkers like Lars Kvalvaag at Redolencia Coffeehouse, Marilyn at the BlueMoon, and Andy Thomas at the Artist's Market working to change that, and I'm excited to see what's coming next.
But here's the deal, people.
Why is Applebee's packed on a Friday night, and our local restaurants not?
Why are you people supporting franchised, prepackaged bullshit when you've got real people making real food, real coffee, real art?
SUPPORT LOCAL or you won't have a local.
