[kj] Kristin Hersh's Sady Circle

Change crackedmachine at yahoo.co.uk
Sat Sep 6 10:39:10 EDT 2008


Sat here eating tabouleh in the Liverpool anarchist social centre, listening to English Civil War by The Clash, I felt an urge to forward a message from that wonderful woman Kristin Hersh. So here it is... again...


Hi Pals,



People often ask us why we never play in their town and we have to answer, " 'Cause we weren't invited!". Then they say, "I'm inviting you!", at which point we find ourselves wishing it were that simple.



Promoters need to make offers, venues have to be available and willing to open a date, and calculations need to be made by others to evaluate profit-potential and risk. In other words, "ready and willing to play" doesn't always do it.



While it will probably never be as simple as "your wish is our
command", we'd like to see things things head in that direction. The
power structure in the live music business is just as influenced by
"gatekeepers" as it is in recorded music. We have a problem with this.



Again, the CASH way of doing things is our answer. Finding ways to
distribute the power and responsibility among all "stakeholders",
sharing ideas and decision-making with the listener/audience is once
more the answer. This time though, in the area of live performance.



Kristin's new project, "The Shady Circle" is all about people. The
traditional music that is the core of this show only lives today
because  people carried it from town to town and through generations.
It was music created in and meant for living rooms and front porches.
It is the kind of music that Lawrence Lessig has spoken about in talks
like as this one:



Lessig Talk



Every year we find it harder and harder to afford to play for people
who want to hear the music. Now, with the high price of fuel and low
guarantees from clubs, the situation is coming to a head. We at CASH
are all about sustainability in music because unsustainability is
unacceptable. Good music must happen to people.



We're formally introducing "The Shady Circle" -- an old idea that
worked then and should work now, bringing music and performance
directly to people's homes. To provide a close-up, hi-res view of the
music as it's played for people in small groups. When this happens,
when people experience "music in the room" with them -- when music
fills the space between people, like water in a swimming pool -- we
believe it will underscore just how important and powerful music can be.



Songs are for people. We'll take songs from town to town,
house to house -- making special evenings happen for small gatherings.
House concerts, for groups of at least 20 or so, throughout the
country, throughout the year, regardless of release and promo
schedules, presented by musical ambassadors to their own communities.
Events not driven by beer sales and late nights, but rather by the
sharing of music between friends and families, children and adults,
people familiar with Kristin and those not yet aware of her. And we
think these traditional songs are a great way to introduce new folks to
KH.



So this is a solicitation. You're invited to submit inquiries and ideas
for your own "Shady Circle" performance, in your house or hall. We'll
help guide the process, collaborating with you to ensure a successful
night for all of us.



Every performance will be recorded simply -- and these recordings will
be your property, to be used as you see fit. They can be licensed via
Creative Commons and re-posted and distributed on the Internet, they
may be burned as CDs and shared or even sold. Up to you. CASH Music
will provide support for "The Shady Circle" as well -- allowing people
to share info, post photos, recordings, etc. More on that soon.



This is only the beginning of a grass roots effort that we'd like to
see grow over the years -- a way for you to bring Kristin to your
friends, family and neighbors, a way to empower the most enthusiastic
supporters of Kristin's art who have been looking for ways to get
involved  -- the center of a new spiral.



Interested folks should contact us here:



kristinhersh at cashmusic.org



Your proposals will be paid immediate attention and we'll begin
scheduling a North American calendar, ASAP. Dates will be scheduled
according to routing and availability to minimize expenses. Where
expense is not an issue, our availability is much more fluid.



Please note: We'll be building a calendar in North America first, but would like to offer shows in other territories eventually.



To acquaint yourself with the world of house concerts check out the following helpful links:



Wikipedia



HouseConcerts.com



Lots of love,



Billy + Kristin




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://four.pairlist.net/pipermail/gathering/attachments/20080906/24719ae0/attachment.html>


More information about the Gathering mailing list