On Friday night I attended Dina Hall’s Songwriters In-the-Round at the Nazareth Center for the Arts.
She conducted one in May that I attended and enjoyed, so I was looking forward to this one.
Dina Hall was joined by Meghan Cary and Zach Russack.
The program features three singer-songwriters and they take turns performing originals, accompanying one another spontaneously, and giving insights about their music.
The show started shortly after 7 and I was surprised to see it was after 9 when they finished the final song of the night, Neil Young’s Heart of Gold, the only cover played.
I’d always encourage listening to local musicians, we have many very talented ones who perform at cafes, bars, and wineries on a regular basis. In those venues they are paid to perform while you eat and talk with friends. This environment is different. The musicians discuss their lives and music. What inspired them to write, how they wrote it, and little things that challenged them or they really like about a certain piece.
The show was free with a donation and merchandise was available. When I watch performers I enjoy, the least I can do is make a donation, follow them on Spotify, add some of their music to my playlists, and buy their CD.
I had a discussion with a performer at Musikfest about the CDs. She wasn’t sure if it was worth doing because most of her generation don’t have CD players and I pointed out having them available, for people like me, older people, is a way of owning your music I can’t achieve through streaming. It is also a souvenir of the show I enjoyed and something I can share with others. I’d venture to guess that CD sales make most local artists more money than Spotify as well.
If you get the opportunity, go out and support local music, especially if you can catch them at a listening venue like the Nazareth Center for the Arts.
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