Last Tuesday I went to a live music event aimed at bringing together a subculture of non-commercial acoustic musicians. And what a revelation it was.
It was really refreshing to see such a positive response from the community. The wind was cold, but the atmosphere was anything but. Of course there was a lot of talk of “good vibes” going around, a term I’m reluctant to embrace. I prefer the term “good vibrations”; it’s two more syllables, people. I mean “peeps”. But in all seriousness, it really was a fun night out and an enlightening one, too.
Having spent a lot of time in Dubai as a folk and blues musician, I know too well how few attractive outlets there are at which to perform my own songs. I always imagine the audience will throw objects at me and shout: “Play Bruno Mars, loser.” While I now play a much more diverse, arguably more contemporary, style – I was once a purist.
Recent years have of course seen more open mic nights, competitions and community-driven events, but these largely cater to mainstream and commercial audiences. At most, they may cater to casual musicians, but I personally find there’s little in the way of welcoming less accessible artists. A lot of people I spoke to at the Freshly Ground Sounds event agreed.
Given that lack of a platform, my assumption has always been that the audience and community just wasn’t there. I didn’t know anyone who wrote, or covered, the style of songs I did and I certainly didn’t know many people either willing to give it a chance, or actively seeking it out. Dubai, as I mentioned in the piece, did have a pretty sizeable metal community and they had quite a few outlets and events where that ilk could come together. But that is one specific niche. One that I do not subscribe to.
It’s easy to write about a group or initiative like Fresly Ground Sounds and blindly sell it to the reader with grandiose sweeping statements complimenting the organisers. But this truly, at least from my own brief experience of the second pre-launch event, looks a little like what I’ve been searching for. Not all of it was for me, but there were a few interesting musicians that I most certainly wouldn’t have met had I not gone, and there was some real art on show too.
I always place a big emphasis on songwriting. I don’t want to hear someone attempt and fail to cover a classic song note-for-note. At the same time, listening to someone perform moody covers of upbeat songs turns too gimmicky after a while. Hearing a broad range of songwriting, and watching performers play their songs with conviction, that’s what I’ve really been hoping to see more of, regardless of genre or style.
At the same time, for the sake of balance, I am wary of any ‘scene’ because it tends to become increasingly elitist as time goes on. In every 'scene' there is inevitably a group of individuals who enforce an agenda by imposing their ideals on the majority. I would hope that this doesn’t become the case with Freshly Ground Sounds once they have officially launched and established themselves. I wouldn’t want to see just folk musicians, acoustic pop groups or any set of artists playing within set rules, other than the the gigs being low-fi and free. I want to see art.
