Let me say this: I’m thrilled that the music community is meeting weekly at Kermit’s Speakeasy to try to sort through the issues regarding music in the city. So far, the focus had been Mimi’s in the Marigny, which shut down voluntarily because there were complaints about loud music (turns out a few neighbors were complaining more about Mimi’s jukebox and a couple of party buses, not live music or DJ Soul Sister). It was strange and very discomforting  to hear that Mimi’s had been targeted because the owner is stringent about keeping noise down, does regular decibel level checks and even has window treatments that block sound.

Be that as it may…

The people who meet at Kermit’s are mostly people who love music and who are upset that the city does not seem to be responsive to changing the laws and ordinances that affect both live music in bars and clubs and on the streets. Yes, there are a few musicians; but very few attendees who represent music venues (the folks who are operating illegally and have issues most probably don’t want to draw attention to themselves); a few representatives of Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs and Mardi Gras Indian tribes; a few attorneys who are familiar with music issues; some bloggers (put them in the category of music fans) and non-profit groups; and occasionally a journalist. The city also had representatives at the first meeting.

I too attended the first meeting and was heartened by the number of people there, and I’ve been getting the notes from every meeting. But I’m too busy (writing this blog and getting the Weekly Beat to press) to go to a meeting every Wednesday, but my heart is certainly there.

I admire the group’s tenacity in continuing the meetings and trying to make a change. I’ve heard about and read notes about a march on City Hall; various and sundry complaints, rants and ventings.

What I’ve determined is that while the group has the spirit to do something positive, the knowledge isn’t there about what’s happened in the past, the efforts to change the environment for music  and the music community in New Orleans over the years . I believe this is crucial to effecting any serious change.

I wrote a piece right after the first Speakeasy meeting, urging participants to determine exactly what it is that they want the city to change.

Being really specific is important, because before you can achieve anything, you need a very clear-cut goal. There will be many ideas bandied about (I can see that in the meeting notes), and many individuals and (inevitably) groups will have different ideas about what needs to be done.

These kinds of efforts invariably fall apart when too many cooks make the broth, and human nature control issues start getting out of control.

A group like this needs a very, very strong proven leader with a lot of time on his or her hands who is receptive to ideas, can deal with the multiple creative personalities and ideas that will come to the fore, and who can sift through the ideas to determine what is the best route to follow. It has to be someone who is knowledgeable about music, politics, dealing with government and creative people, and someone who has great fundraising skills (because he or she is going to have still pay their rent and eat while they spend hours and hours of time working with this group).

This is a huge undertaking; in my almost 30 years of advocating for the music community, there’s never been one person or group that’s been able to accomplish comprehensive goals related to music. Most who might be qualified to lead the group are so busy that they can’t devote the time to this incredibly complex and important issue. In 1991 a large group of music people and local music industry advocates (myself included) went on a retreat with an experienced facilitator to try to sift through ideas and come up with a plan. We did that, came up with many goals…and unfortunately the follow-through never happened.

I’ve personally been through maybe 15 to 20 such undertakings since 1985; in fact, the very reason OffBeat came about was because I started a non-profit group (New Orleans Music & Entertainment Association–NOME) whose sole purpose was to address similar issues to what we’re still talking about today.

I was its first president, but saw early on that goal orientation wasn’t easy for creative people who all thought their ideas were the right ones. The organization eventually went defunct. Many more efforts were created and died a slow death.

It’s remarkable that people still care enough to want to do things for New Orleans music. I hoping this  group can be the one that can accomplish its goals—whatever they turn out to be.