I may be really reaching for a topic here, but this is what I've been thinking about. It started when I was at the NBA Finals in Boston last weekend....
Quite often, I hear artsy people complaining about how much everyone loves sports, and why can't people understand that music, art, etc. is more important and a better way to spend their time and money... Being a musician, I think it would be great if more people spent more of their money going out to hear obscure folk musicians rather than going to football games, but the thought that somehow art is more valid or important than sports is a pretty silly concept.
When I hear people complain about the insane amounts of money that atheletes get paid, I usually nod my head and agree for a minute, but then if I stop and think about it, that is a ridiculous thing to be upset about. Last weekend, I saw 20,000 in Boston who had payed an average of a couple hundred bucks to go to the NBA finals, and thousands more outside hoping they could find a ticket to buy. The night before, I played a concert in Connecticut, and about 30 people came, willing to pay $12 to see some darn fine folk music (if I do say so myself). Well, of course Kevin Garnett should get paid more than I do! Now, the idea that one form of entertainment is "better" than another is not something that is even worth arguing about. Some people like live music, some people like art galleries or theater. But, even more people like sports, and you know what? It seems to me that they are all serving the exact same purpose, for people to be entertained, and to have some sort of an escape from their everyday lives.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment if you want. Am I off my rocker, or are sports and art basically the same thing?
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Two fun weekends.
I'm back from 2nd straight weekend tour of gigs with Jud Caswell (www.judcaswell.com). We spent one weekend in Maryland and this past weekend in New England. There were some great shows, and it was fun spending some time with Jud, and hearing his music. I'll give you the basic rundown of the past 2 weeks, then in upcoming posts I'll go into some details about specific parts that were quite fun.
On May 29th, I started my tour in Stafford, VA, after flying into DC, and getting a vert cool rental car, a Ford Mustang. Nothing says Mustang like Dave Potts! On May 30th, I met up with Jud for a house concert in Baltimore. We spent Saturday walking around downtown Baltimore, then Saturday night, we had a house concert in Rockville, MD, with Moore Music, some of my favorite people in the folk scene.
I flew home to Alabama on Sunday, and spent a few days drinking sweet tea before flying up to Boston Thursday night. I got into Boston at midnight, and drove a couple hours north to Brunswick, Maine, to Jud's house. I slept until noon, which I hadn't done in quite a while, it was great! Friday night, after a fantastic dinner at Beale Street Barbecue in Bath, ME (more about that bbq later), Jud and I played a show at The Chocolate Church Arts Center, which is a very cool venue.
After another morning of sleeping in (only till 11 this time), Jud and I headed down to the Vanilla Bean Cafe in Pomfret, CT which has long been one of my favorite venues. It was a wonderful show, after 4 shows together, Jud and I finally had our act together and really put on a good show if I do say so myself. We made a late night jaunt back to Maine, with plans to play an open mic feature in Boston Sunday night. But, other plans came around, as 2 friends of mine from high school were going to be at Game 2 of the NBA Finals in Boston. Shane called me and asked what time my gig was, and if I'd like to try and get a ticket to the game. Open mic feature or Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals? tough call... You probably know what I chose, Game 2 of the NBA Finals was fantastic!! I'll be writing some more about that soon...
Just wanted to give you the rundown since I haven't written in a while, I'll be posting interesting details from the trips over the next couple days, and maybe even a sound clip or two from one of the concerts, so check back soon.
On May 29th, I started my tour in Stafford, VA, after flying into DC, and getting a vert cool rental car, a Ford Mustang. Nothing says Mustang like Dave Potts! On May 30th, I met up with Jud for a house concert in Baltimore. We spent Saturday walking around downtown Baltimore, then Saturday night, we had a house concert in Rockville, MD, with Moore Music, some of my favorite people in the folk scene.
I flew home to Alabama on Sunday, and spent a few days drinking sweet tea before flying up to Boston Thursday night. I got into Boston at midnight, and drove a couple hours north to Brunswick, Maine, to Jud's house. I slept until noon, which I hadn't done in quite a while, it was great! Friday night, after a fantastic dinner at Beale Street Barbecue in Bath, ME (more about that bbq later), Jud and I played a show at The Chocolate Church Arts Center, which is a very cool venue.
After another morning of sleeping in (only till 11 this time), Jud and I headed down to the Vanilla Bean Cafe in Pomfret, CT which has long been one of my favorite venues. It was a wonderful show, after 4 shows together, Jud and I finally had our act together and really put on a good show if I do say so myself. We made a late night jaunt back to Maine, with plans to play an open mic feature in Boston Sunday night. But, other plans came around, as 2 friends of mine from high school were going to be at Game 2 of the NBA Finals in Boston. Shane called me and asked what time my gig was, and if I'd like to try and get a ticket to the game. Open mic feature or Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals? tough call... You probably know what I chose, Game 2 of the NBA Finals was fantastic!! I'll be writing some more about that soon...
Just wanted to give you the rundown since I haven't written in a while, I'll be posting interesting details from the trips over the next couple days, and maybe even a sound clip or two from one of the concerts, so check back soon.
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