I just played a new songwriter series billed as #songwritersundays at The Fox and Hounds in Studio City, CA. They have built up quite a supportive crowd of musicians and music lovers for this Sunday series. Without fail, every Sunday the place is packed with an audience silently listening to the performing artists. This isn’t a glamorous event. There’s no stage. The artists setup in front of the front window, and for all intents and purposes it’s a bar. But what makes these shows special, is the crowd.
Run and booked by musicians and music lovers, these nights have become somewhat of a hidden gem of the Valley. Most people in the house are other singer/songwriters checking out the talent. And unlike the pay-to-play clubs on Sunset Strip, the singer/songwriters are paid a guarantee for their performance. And the show is free for attendees.
Before the show, a woman came up to me and mentioned that she was going to review my show for a publication she writes for. We got to chatting and she asked me a curious question, “why are most singer/songwriter shows unmemorable?” Taken aback (being a singer/songwriter) I asked her to expound. She said that most singer/songwriter shows she walks away from she can’t remember a single song they played and nothing sticks out to her about the show.
As someone who has probably seen (and played with) hundreds of other singer/songwriters, she had a point. Most singer/songwriter shows ARE boring. But that doesn’t mean that the singer/songwriter genre is boring.
So, dear singer/songwriters, here are 8 reasons why your shows CAN BE boring as hell:
Ari’s Take: 8 Reasons Why Singer/Songwriter Shows Are Boring.
Music Connection Dayton 