I’ve been fortunate enough to do a bit of traveling in my life, and I have noticed there are some cities or regions that just seem to ooze music. Wherever I go, I seek out local bands to watch and listen to, and some seem to have more than their share of great musicians.
Did the musicians go there because the music business has a foothold there, or did the music go there because of the great music and musicians? It’s a chicken and egg thing.
Some places (Las Vegas, LA) have a plethora of great musicians, but I think the business attracted them, rather than the talent level of the areas attracted the business.
Nashville has been Music City for so long, both sides of the argument have been true. I think the music business went there because of the musicians, and now it’s a mecca for the best musicians. Chicago is another good example of this, too. The musicians and the music business are inextricably linked over time.
These music hub areas may be where stars are made, but so many musicians flock there to hit it big, it stands to reason that even the bar bands are better than one might encounter in areas further from these cities.
New Orleans is very famous as a music city, but Bourbon Street is so big with tourism, most of the bands I saw there were pretty average – I had to ask locals to find out where the best bands were. I encountered a similar thing in Dublin, Ireland. Irish music is so wonderful, but the pubs around the hotels had people doing bad Eagles covers – not what I came 7000 miles to see!
I think the San Francisco Bay Area is a hot spot for great musicians in a variety of styles, and I haven’t experienced such a wide diversity in music in many other areas.
I guess my salient point is, there are great musicians everywhere (especially amateurs, who far outnumber pros), but some places are especially rich in this regard. Whenever you travel, make the search for music as important for the hunt for great eateries or pubs or landmarks. It’ll stick with you!
Gotta – go a plane to catch!
