Suddenly, New Mexico music has become a gubernatorial priority.
Well sort of. It was recently announced that Gov. Richardson has established a New Mexico Music Commission, something that apparently is so important to him, he ignored the reservations of the Legislature (a bill to establish the Commission received lukewarm support and died in committee) and whipped out an executive order declaring the dang thing.
According to recent reports and a written statement by the Guv, the Commission's, uh, mission will be to, among other things, "assist the state's music industry in reaching its full potential." The main way in which the Commission is going to do this is:
1) Establishing a clearinghouse of information on New Mexico music and musicians, and
2) Putting that on a Web site.
In general, this is a good idea. I am resisting my own natural bent toward sarcasm and accepting the fact that, hey, Big Bill's got it goin' on with this one. At least in theory.
The problem is, the governor foresees the Music Commission as ultimately rivaling the Film Commission in terms of cultural and economic impact. So to get the ball rolling, he has:
1) Given the Commission a starting yearly budget of $100,000, and
2) Hired Nancy Laflin, whose main connection with the music industry is her recording of a CD of lullabies, as its executive director.
Well, it's a start.
It sounds like the initial year of the Commission will consist of moderate goals and moderate means, which is fitting for what amounts to an experiment. Considering the limited resources ol' Nancy has to work with, I'd like to offer a few observations/suggestions in the spirit of helping get this thing off the ground. Some of these suggestions are, you know, expensive, but the point is we're thinking about the future, no? So, respectfully:
IT'S THE RENT, STUPID.
I know I harp on this constantly, but I'm still convinced: The main reason why the music scene in this town can never quite get off the ground is because rents are so high, musicians spend all of their time working five restaurant jobs in order to pay their rent, and therefore are completely unmotivated to practice. (Trust me, the last thing you want to do after carting around burritos for jackass tourists for 12 hours, then doing your side work, then figuring out your meager tips, is write a bridge with a diminished 5th.)
I know that years ago in New York City, live/work lofts-mainly in SoHo-were available at discounted rents to people who could prove they were serious artists. The rents were subsidized by the city in order to promote a vibrant, unique art scene. The result: For years, SoHo was an eclectic, funky, sizzling hotbed of all different kinds of cutting-edge art (have you seen
After Hours
?). The art scene there worked on so many levels-it was red-hot, internationally known, and not only revitalized a neighborhood (and a city for that matter) it also brought tourists into a new part of town. Might not the State of New Mexico find some workable way to follow a similar practice, to help out working musicians?
LET'S TALK PRACTICE SPACE
On a similar tip, rents for practice space ain't no picnic either. Musicians get stuck stuffing all their equipment-and their bandmates-into tiny, cramped bedrooms and rehearsing while Mrs. Martinez next door is trying to sleep. It's a depressing, demoralizing, debilitating way to try to make music: Ever tried fitting an organ, banjo, trap kit, two mic stands, guitar, amp, bass, bass amp and five people in your living room? Not the most creative of spaces.
So here's a thought: There has to be some way of creating common, inexpensive practice spaces that bands can use on a rotating basis. Again, subsidizing rent might work, or perhaps building State-owned studios available to the public for a small fee? How cool would that be? It would put New Mexico on the map as one of the most musician-friendly states in the Union.
BOOZE YOU CAN USE
Another common complaint I hear: There are just not enough venues in which to play music. We have jazz musicians playing next to clanging cash registers, mariachis stumbling through a maze of chairs and tables, rock bands caterwauling inches away from families trying to eat their hamburgers. It's a miracle musicians and bands try to play anywhere at all. How can we encourage new venues catering solely to music, thus encouraging musicians themselves?
I suggest the Commission push to lower the outrageous cost of liquor licenses. It'll be a hard sell, I know, but the cost is such a stumbling block for bars and clubs that want to open, or stay open. Drop the cost, more venues will establish themselves, more bands will play, more music lovers will decide to turn off their iPods for a few hours and leave the house, creating a vibrant statewide scene. That means more money from booze sales, more payment from cover charges for working musicians, more tax revenue. How 'bout a tiny tax on (yep, I'm gonna say it) alcohol to pay for housing/practice space subsidies? Let's crunch the numbers and see if small tax increases can help recoup losses from the lower license price.
UM, TRY TO RELATE TO US. PLEASE.
Forgive my cynicism, but does anyone think that the right advocate for New Mexico music is a person who sings lullabies? Show us some love, Bill: Put the Hollis Wake in charge.
