| Big
Muddy news |
 Rondo,
one of St. Louis' well known Blues vocalists, recently left this
remark on the Big Muddy Blues guestbook - "I
am disappointed and frustrated that my band was not asked to play
at this St. Louis sponsored event. We are at least among the best
known and certainly long-lasting blues artist here in St. Louis.
I/we have played this music in this town since 1962. I would like
to know why we were not invited. RONDO!"
Rondo now has a spot at the Big Muddy, replacing
the Cryin' Shame band. Read more below!
Editor - STLBlues
If
you read just below Rondo's
guestbook entry, you'll see the flip side, all the entries
that reflect their love of this event. There's always two sides
to every story, so we recently spoke to Dawn Massey (producer
of the Big Muddy), and here's what she had to say.
"We bring the Big Muddy festival
to you for free, because we want to keep the Blues alive. The
festival will remain free, but finding sponsorship is getting
tougher, and we tend to run over budget just trying to keep this
event alive. The City of St. Louis does nothing in the form for
sponsorship, and we rely soley on the sponsorships and the merchants
of Laclede's Landing for this event to be possible. The Big Muddy
allows us to bring the music out of the bars, into a family friendly
atmosphere, and expose families and the under-21 youth, who will
be the generation that will have to pass on the Blues 'torch'
and keep the Blues genre alive.
We had to cut Mondays out, rather than water the event down. Budget
just couldn't support it. We (Laclede's Landing
Merchants Assoc.) really love bringing this music to the
community! John May has worked his tail off, and I was amazed
how many local bands he was able to fit into the schedule. The
St. Louis Blues Society is also a big help, as always!"
There's politics in everything, it seems, even in the Blues community.
Let's remember above all that the Big Muddy is our biggest showcase
of St. Louis talent, and presents the music of our local Blues
talent to a wide fan base of different ages and people - in an
outdoor, family friendly atmosphere. If it dies, what then? We've
already seen the unfortunate demise of the former Blues Heritage
Festival. Do you have a Big Muddy comment? Let
us know!!
If only St. Louis supported & exported its music as much as
it does its sports, we'd have been another Motown long ago...but
that's why we exist, to help fill that
void,
as do our friends at Playback
magazine.
The evolution of BigMuddyBlues.com........
We originally designed BigMuddyBlues.com
in association with the Big Muddy, but several key people there
then retired. Afterwards, the then-new management at Laclede's
Landing decided that the Laclede's Landing website sufficiently
served festival needs, and BigMuddyBlues.com
became expendable. So here's
their Big Muddy page, and as long as you get your festival
info, and attend the festival, we don't really care how you get
there, just get there and support live music!
*Okay, we really do prefer you
visit BigMuddyBlues.com,
after all it is a STLBlues production :-)
We at STLBlues aren't about to let BigMuddyBlues.com
disappear into cyberspace, we realize what it does to promote
the world class Blues musicians of St. Louis, and the Big Muddy
showcase. After all, promoting local Blues music is our mission
at STLBlues! So we'll continue to bring you BigMuddyBlues.com
as long as there is a Big Muddy Blues Festival!
Have some Big Muddy comments you'd like to share? Good or bad,
let us know your thoughts on the state of the event known as the
Big Muddy. Just
visit the Big Muddy Guestbook!
More from Rondo
"I'd
like to add that we have been invited to play the Big Muddy Blues-Fest
this year. However it was only because one of the bands, 'The
Crying Shame' band, instead of substituting for members who couldn't
play the gig, made a sacrifice and gave us their spot. This, of
course' was a very unselfish thing to do on the part of John May
(the leader , blues musician & one of our most fervent activists
in St Louis ) . But it should have been unnecessary !
St Louis, in my opinion, has repeatedly used St Louis talent to
build these City wide events, such as The VP Fair ( now Fair St
Louis ) The Jefferson Barracks festival, and The Blues Fest. and
after using us to build these attractions, we are discarded for
'National Acts'
Try that in Chicago, or Memphis or, Greenville Miss, or Portland,
or any major Blues venue . Correct me if I am wrong, but you will
see a lot of 'local acts' on major stages along with the major
acts. They heartily promote their own 'musical treasure' as well
as non-local. And what is this stigma on"local"acts.
All acts are local to somewhere.
Why are we sheepishly letting this happen?
And now, there is a fairly valid argument that this might be the
last Blues Fest. There are only so many sponsors in St Louis.
and if they are being sold the idea the non-local entertainment
is the way to go (Ala: River Splash) we have few sponsors left
to back our festivals. (the budget for this year is cut in half,
with only 2 days instead of 3), and less stages. They are also
cutting support for some of our major blues publications, such
as www.bigmuddyblues.com
or ignoring our Internet Blues radio shows, such as DJ
Paul Fields.
It seems we have some new non-local people in charge who don't
have our local musicians and their supporters high on their agenda.
I understand 'the bottom line'. However, to keep investing big
money for non-local talent (sending money out of St Louis) while
killing support and cutting budgets for our own is self defeating
and shortsighted and a bit callous and caviler when it comes to
those of us who were here at the beginning, some times playing
for nothing - or less to nothing, because we share the desire
and need for a 'stage to the world'.
There is an old-school saying, "if you can make it in St
Louis you can make it anywhere". If musicians in St Louis
can climb to the top 'here', honestly based on talent and not
politics , to the world who has always recognized us as the home
of "Blues, Booze & Shoes" we will fair just fine!
We need to be honored by our own community, promoted by our own
community, supported by our own community!
It seems to me we have a weak self image when it comes our own
blues musicians as a whole (other styles speak up - should you
feel the need). As a somewhat traveled musician, it might get
different in other places, but it is not better, on the whole,
than our own players.
We have lost a host of 'good to great' musicians to this silent
wall of resistance. They become disillusioned, beat up & wore
down. It is amazing to see how many of us are still playing after
all these years for the love of what they do and the hope of a
fair chance to "just be heard".
Until we ... as not only musicians, but 'blues'ers', start notifying
sponsors & event holders themselves that we care about and
support our own talent, they will keep 'sending out' for more
and 'sending down the river' money & talent and promoting
others at a cost to us 'local musicians' .
I use that term with pride, not as if I am making an excuse !
Thanks for your ear."
RONDO!
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