How To See More Live Music - A Concert A Week
Ranked #17,203 in Music, #502,717 overall
I love listening to and making music. Buying a new album or browsing the Hype Machine brings a real rush when finding something right down your street. I'm sure many of you will share the excitement of putting a musical idea down and hitting the nail right on the head.
However, the live show; the feeling of losing myself in a musical moment; when a favourite track leaps down an unexpected path; when a solo hits that unbelievable intensity; when a singer's voice cracks that perfect amount; this is my favourite musical experience of all.
So why have I spent the whole of 2008 hardly setting foot in a music venue? There are a number of reasons, but no excuses.
I'm going to change this for once and for all, and the aim of 2009 is to visit a gig a week. World class orchestras, open mics, stadium concerts, jam sessions. Whatever it is, once a week is the ultimate aim.
I'm going to share some of the what, but mostly the how of my mission, my strategies for finding the best live music
However, the live show; the feeling of losing myself in a musical moment; when a favourite track leaps down an unexpected path; when a solo hits that unbelievable intensity; when a singer's voice cracks that perfect amount; this is my favourite musical experience of all.
So why have I spent the whole of 2008 hardly setting foot in a music venue? There are a number of reasons, but no excuses.
I'm going to change this for once and for all, and the aim of 2009 is to visit a gig a week. World class orchestras, open mics, stadium concerts, jam sessions. Whatever it is, once a week is the ultimate aim.
I'm going to share some of the what, but mostly the how of my mission, my strategies for finding the best live music
Before I Begin...
... keep live music strong.
If you like this lens and you love live music, please take a minute to sign this petition.The 696 Form compels licensees who wish to hold live music events in 21 London Boroughs to report to the police the names, addresses, aliases and telephone numbers of performers, and most worryingly, the likely ethnicity of their audience. Failure to comply could result in fines or imprisonment. We believe this places unnecessary and frankly Orwellian powers in the hands of the Metropolitan Police, an institution which does not have the best record of racial fairness. The 696 form can only serve to deter the staging of live musical events - a positive form of activity in London and all cities - stifle free expression and quite possible penalise certain genres of music and ethnic audiences. It is an intrusion too far.
Some Great Online Tools
Stay up to date with all your favourite artists
You can sign up to your favourite bands' mailing lists and scour websites and magazines for listings, but there are new websites and social media tools that are making all of this much easier for everyone.
If you use any of these, please let us know what you think of them. If you haven't, have a go and be sure to report back to base! If you use something that isn't on the list, please feel free to add it.
Songkick - Track concerts and tour dates for your favorite bands
Songkick uses your favourite artists, your iTunes library and music blogs to keep you updated with all the latest gigs that might be down your street. This doesn't only include artists you already like, but artists that Songkick thinks you might like. Even better, you can buy tickets straight off the site, sometimes from more than one vendor.1 point
iLike
Discover new music with friends and get updates from your favorite artists. Get local concert alerts too, although you don't get recommendations like with Songkick.0 points
HearWhere - find live music anywhere
HearWhere uses bands' MySpace gig info to help you find live music anywhere in the world. With more than one million shows from over one million artists. HearWhere not only shows you who is playing nearby, but also plays the artists music, and links to the artists myspace page.0 points
Maryjanez, home for Live Music and Concert
Concert, Rock Show and Live Music video rapidshare and megaupload Download0 points
My Top 5 Live Events Of 2009
What I've Enjoyed So Far
As I start to see more and more live music this year, this list will start to evolve. Read on below for more ideas and some of my live music stories.
Free Concerts
Cut down your spending
Blah blah credit crunch recession etc.Seriously, though, seeing a lot music is expensive. Classical music especially can cost a lot in top venues, but even going to a bar for free music is going to cost you in drinks.
Thankfully, there are places where some of the most exciting and talented musicians around can be heard for absolutely nothing. I'm thinking, of course, of music colleges and conservatoires. Check out, for example, the free lunchtime and evening events at London's Royal Academy of Music. And it's not just classical here, there are a number of jazz concerts too. Similarly, Trinity College of Music, London has a load of free events, including 'Beats in the Bar'.
It's not all about 'who' you're listening to. This works especially well in classical and jazz music, but it's always worth the risk visiting somewhere where you might not have heard of whoever's playing. If they become the next big thing, you can tell everyone you were there!
So have a think, what's your nearest music college? Or even just your nearest university, which is sure to have a music department and/or buzzing music scene.
Concerts In Your Home
Why go out when you can stay in?! aka beat the smoking ban.
I had this idea myself a long while back; get a load of your mates together and have a concert in your own living room or garden.
Some friends of ours began doing it when they moved out of London into a house with a barn, and the Lea Barn concert series was born. The great thing about it is that you can choose whatever you and your friends like. You can give your musician friends a great chance to gather some performing experience and a little bit of cash too. It's also a great methods of charity fundraising.
Just over a year ago, I heard that a website had begun to help more people make this idea a reality.
Concerts In Your Home is based on the idea that a night out for some live music can often be disappointing. The atmosphere can be quiet or just wrong, the venue is regularly only interested in ticket and alcohol sales. Sometimes it's just hard to find the kind of music you want to listen to as it's not profitable to put it on in a 50+ capacity building.
CIYH try to bring musicians and hosts together to make house concerts possible. You can sign up as an artist or host, or just search for venues near you. You have to pay to be an artist though, and the site is hard to navigate.
I haven't done it yet, and I'm not sure if I'm going to do this through the website, but I am resolved to do it at least once in 2009. So watch this space!
See Concerts In Your Home's pitch below.
Some friends of ours began doing it when they moved out of London into a house with a barn, and the Lea Barn concert series was born. The great thing about it is that you can choose whatever you and your friends like. You can give your musician friends a great chance to gather some performing experience and a little bit of cash too. It's also a great methods of charity fundraising.
Just over a year ago, I heard that a website had begun to help more people make this idea a reality.
Concerts In Your Home is based on the idea that a night out for some live music can often be disappointing. The atmosphere can be quiet or just wrong, the venue is regularly only interested in ticket and alcohol sales. Sometimes it's just hard to find the kind of music you want to listen to as it's not profitable to put it on in a 50+ capacity building.
CIYH try to bring musicians and hosts together to make house concerts possible. You can sign up as an artist or host, or just search for venues near you. You have to pay to be an artist though, and the site is hard to navigate.
I haven't done it yet, and I'm not sure if I'm going to do this through the website, but I am resolved to do it at least once in 2009. So watch this space!
See Concerts In Your Home's pitch below.
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Find Something On Holiday
Get involved in local culture
Don't forget that wherever you go, there will always be national and local musical scenes to get involved in. Traditional music is always fascinating as the performances are often bolstered with unusual looking instruments and bright costumes. Tourist destinations, especially those with lots of churches, will have a number of orchestral and choral concerts. More interesting though, for me at least, is seeing the local take on, or response to, various types of popular music.Either way, everywhere I go, I try to see some kind of music and this year I will be trying even harder. Below are some of my stories from past holidays and from this year too.
- A couple of years ago, I was on a spontaneous one-night-only trip to Amsterdam. I hadn't even booked the tickets, it was that spur of the moment. We found ourselves really up for a night out but also very lost, wandering around and unable to even find a decent bar (we must have taken a serious wrong turn somewhere!). We decided that we'd just walk into and stay at the next drinking establishment we came upon.
After persuading the bouncers that they needed our attendance, despite our slightly shabby appearance, we got in, to realise that by some miraculous luck we had walked right into a jam session. For the rest of the night we jammed to the band's soul and RnB covers, and I even managed to get up and sing a rendition of Stevie Wonder's Superstition. Thank you Bourbon Street.
Moral: Persevere, live music can always save the day! - Visiting Bordeaux in France last summer, we picked up a load of flyers and other info about local music events. I spotted the name 'Hocus Pocus' (a French hip-hop group that I really like) on a flyer for a festival, and although we couldn't get there for the night they were on, we decided to trust the judgement of whoever booked them. We ended up at the amazing Musicalarue, set right in the middle of the village of Luxey, possibly the best village in the world. We heard a load of really cool music, most of it very new and very French. Being part of that atmosphere where we could have been the only foreigners was really different and really gave us an insight into French rural and musical culture.
Moral: Take a risk, it could well be worth it.
Classic Live Recordings
Gigs That Went Down In History
Have I Missed Anything?
Let me know how else I can stay in the loop
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Oosquid
Feb 2, 2009 @ 10:00 am | delete
- "Failure to comply could result in fines or imprisonment. We believe this places unnecessary and frankly Orwellian powers in the hands of the Metropolitan Police,"
Sadly the UK is already Orwellian, the thought police are out there.
And yes, there is nothing like live music whether an acoustic gig in a pub or the Stones at Wembly. Great lens 5 stars.
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Oosquid
Feb 2, 2009 @ 10:00 am | delete
- "Failure to comply could result in fines or imprisonment. We believe this places unnecessary and frankly Orwellian powers in the hands of the Metropolitan Police,"
Sadly the UK is already Orwellian, the thought police are out there.
And yes, there is nothing like live music whether an acoustic gig in a pub or the Stones at Wembly. Great lens 5 stars.
-
Live Music Recordings
Keep it live all the time!
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by CharoLaRock
I make music, I play music, I listen to music, I work in music. Now, I write about music!
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