Arts Advocacy Day

When I started this little blog excercise, I made a decision to keep it focused very narrowly - only thoughts and impressions of live performances that I've seen. I have intentionally avoided posting anything about arts management - which is a significant portion of how I earn a living.

I'm going to bend my rules a bit for this quickie: Today's Post has a nice article by Phillip Kennicot about the lecture at the Kennedy Center last Monday, presented by Americans for the Arts as part of their Arts Advocacy Day activities. He really put his finger on the "big questions" facing the arts in America - but I think failed to make one important distinction: Who is the audience for this arts advocacy message?

Americans for the Arts has been very effective lobbying congress regarding arts funding - and has found similar success at the state and local level around the country based on a strategy of using an "instrumental" approach: meaning they talk up the economic impact of investing in the arts, and the benefits of arts education -- as opposed to talking up the "intrinsic" value of the arts (like how the arts provides an opportunity for transformational personal experiences - you know, the powerful stuff... I'm sure everyone can name some artworks that have changed and/or shaped their lives: a book, a play, a poem, painting, an album that you couldn't live without, etc). This strategy is working in the legislative arena.

Over the last few years, the Wallace Foundation and others have dumped lots of money into a study dealing with arts advocacy - it's simply referred to as the "Rand Study" by those in the know... it was conducted and published by the Rand Corporation. This study claims that existing arts advocacy efforts are missing an important component: namely the intrinsic value of the arts. Here's where things get a little dicey. Americans for the Arts have proven that nuts and bolts tangible benefits make a compelling case for legislators - so they're sticking with that (and rightly so, I think). However, there's certainly a need to have a broader public conversation about the value of the arts -- especially these intrinsic values.

Some efforts are underway in this area... a national initiative called LiNC (Leveraging Investments in Creativity) has been formed to address the needs of individual artists - as indicated in a large national study that was originally under the same name. (That study used to be online here, but it's gone missing?) There's a local initiative as part of this project, being housed at the Community Foundation, called the "Creative Communities Initiative." I have mixed feelings about how that's progressing... but can't really talk about it because I'm on the steering committee and we are, I think, under some vague confidentiality agreement -- so I'm not really sure I'm supposed to mention that it exists? Well, they're having a public event in April so I think I can at least say that and not be breaking any rules...

Anyway, blah blah blah... just wanted to point out the Kennicot piece in the Post really...

Here in DC, since there's no voting representation in congress, we spend Arts Advocacy Day at the Wilson building lobbying the City Council. Strange that this local advocacy effort is missing some key players... did anyone spot any staff members of the Cultural Alliance? I don't think so... and I won't name other names here in public... but there are a few other notable local arts leaders who were absent.

Ok, no more arts management rants on this blog.

Beth Orton with Willy Mason

At 9:30 Club, 3/12/2006
(guest blogged by Cameron Mcphee)

Jon told me I could guest blog about this show because I was the one who “dragged” him to it. Ok, that is not actually how he put it, but I figure it’s only fair that he go to a few chick concerts with me since I am often the only "chick" in the room at some of his shows.

Actually, I think Patrick Foster wrote a really right-on review of the show in the Washington Post

I won’t try to repeat that. Bottom line, she really was fantastic. Cough or not, she not only has such a powerful voice, but I think she has a really unique sound. As the article hints at as well, the most striking thing about this show was that all of her new songs (from her latest album Comfort of Strangers) sounded even better live than they do on the CD. Honestly, as a lover of her older stuff, I had my doubts when I first heard this album, but after Sunday night, I have decided that these songs are at least as good, deep, and powerful as her older hits. Interestingly, I was... not disappointed... but under-whelmed by her acoustic renditions of her older stuff including two of my three all-time favorite Beth Orton songs, "Sugar Boy" and "Feel to Believe." Maybe it was because it just sounds so different without all the electronic mixing or maybe her new stuff coupled with her terrific back-up band just sounded so darn good. For the record my favorite new songs from the show had to be her opener, "Rectify" and "Safe in Your Arms."

Singer-songwriter Willy Mason opened in a duo performance with violist and singer Nina Violet. While I feel like his set was neither here nor there, I did learn one thing... If you recall from one of Jon’s previous show blogs, I think every band benefits from the deft use of the accordion. Well, it turns out the same is true for a well-played viola. It's just such a great sound and I think Mason and Violet take advantage of this fact very dexterously. Other than that, I think Jon and I agree that Mason doesn't really get the crowd's attention as an opening act. His songs are subtle and quiet and in most instances redundant. And the fact that I was continually distracted by the annoying woman at the bar below me, speaks to his inability to engage the crowd. Apparently Nina Violet has just released her first solo CD which I actually look forward to hearing. She has a very beautiful voice and is a great string player (I think she also plays the cello).

All in all, this show definitely re-vitalized my love of Beth Orton's music and I am glad she is not stagnant in her style, that she is allowing her music to grow with her.

Heart of Gold

at E Street Cinema, 3/1/2006

The film, "Heart of Gold," is a Neil Young concert, filmed by Jonathan Demme. Normally, I wouldn't post about a movie, but Demme has a way of making films of live performances that really capture the essence of the live performance experience, and use all the tricks and tools at his disposal to create a kind of hyper-real experience. Remember "Stop Making Sense" and "Swimming to Cambodia"? The guy's got a gift... and more obscure, remember the PBS performance art series, "Alive from off center"? That was too good to last - and he had a hand in that too...

Anyway, there are many good resources already online where you can learn more about this beautiful film. I first heard about it thanks to Greg Sandow's blog post. There's also an interview w/ Young and Demme on Studio 360:
[link to transcript]
[or stream the segment, requires RealPlayer]
[or download the Studio 360 podcast for 2/12/06 - this is the segment included as the podcast for that week. here's the feed address]
They were also on "Fresh Air." Someone's got a good publicist...

I love the new songs in "Prairie Wind" - and many of his old "hits" sounded fabulous as well. Kudos to Neil Young (and the audio mixing team) for achieving the impossible: not letting Emmylou Harris steal the show. She certainly added a great deal, but her presence wasn't overpowering. (I only mean that as a huge compliment re: Ms. Harris' abilities...)

The performance was staged in a bizarrely anachronistic way - I guess to make it seem timeless? Costumes were a bit over the top, but the performance was so fabulous, and the cinematic treatment of it so perfectly executed, I really have no complaints. It's an absorbing document of a mature artist at the top of his game. 4 stars. A must see. Better than Cats.

unrelated: a hilarious review of Scott Stapp's show at 9:30 club thanks to DCist.