Re: R: LOOPING FESTIVAL - EUROPE

[lance glover <baumhaus@earthlink.net>]

luca wrote:

> Hi everybody,this topic is an important one by my point of view.i
> think one of the things we are missing beside the wonderful
> brainstorms we have in this deep and powerful list is the chance to
> meet each other and, more important, to "pollute" each other.we can
> listen to each others' sounds on cds or audio files, but to see people
> perform live is another thing.for me as european is sometimes sad to
> see how many things are happening in Us (well, i'm very happy for you
> who are in Us, but in those moments i feel the distance as a heavy
> thing)a few months ago some guys organized an event in switzerland, i
> hadn't the chance to go there, but i know it has been an interesting
> experience.i agree with rick when he says that looping (that means a
> different and open approach to music) is a sort of new "musical
> movement" we should do our best to introduce to people.last year i did
> a "census" on LD between european residents (that is available for
> everyone would ask for it), so now i have an interesting collection of
> names from the whole europe.now, what to do ?unfortunately i don't
> have the chance to go further from there; in my area there is a poor
> situation regarding live music that is not played by very famous
> people of the so called mainstream or groups playing covers (again, of
> the so called ....).i am organizing a small gtr festival on garda
> lake, this year it will be its 2nd edition.each year there will be 6
> different gtr players.i am trying to make the public more and more
> familiar with a certain way of thinking and playing music balancing
> innovative musicians with some using more usual languageslast year we
> were in three loopers, one baroque, a fingerpicker and a blues
> player.this year we will have 2 loopers, Mr. Hans Reichel, Mr.Duck
> Baker, a jazz player and Mr. Mike Cooper.with this year i am trying to
> obtain a certain reputation so to have the chance to risk more with
> the next edition. i hope this will drive us to the chance of making a
> looper/creative festival in the future. all the bestluca

wow, luca!

hans reichel and duck baker on the same bill. now i'm beginning to feel
bummed for being in the states! actually, your points are very well
taken. it seems it takes a certain critical mass to get an audience to
investigate beyond more mainstream live events. one of the factors must
be economics. free (or cheap) shows and the like seem to be a good
strategy in this regard. also more unusual venues that might bring a
different audience in seem to make sense. my brother was just visiting
from norway and he had very much the same thing to say- he's the leader
of a gamelan orchestra in oslo, and it has been very difficult to keep
the momentum going, even after years and years of effort. apparently
there is a broad interest in musics outside the mainstream there, but
not quite enough to motivate people to leave their comfy homes and get
out to see it. much easier to buy a cd online or download an mp3...but i
think the seductive power of live music can get ahold of people and
shake them from their inertia. i think you're on the right track. keep
it up!

best,
lance g.