If the County of Maui wants to hold onto a natural resource, one that is conceivably renewable, then it needs to invest in the youth of Maui and create an all-ages performance space. We need to do this in order to foster creativity and art, along with teaching the youth of Maui the business aspects of professional musicianship. As a musician on Maui, and a father of four children, I am deeply concerned for Maui's future, especially in the performing arts. Our children are a natural resource, and music not only provides a vehicle for expression, it will also foster a sense of community and a pride in oneself.
A few years ago, a young lady from Maui was featured on the television show, "American Idol." When Camile Velasco reached the "top ten," people from all walks of life rooted for her, because she is a "Maui girl." However, the American Idol television show is not going to create long-lasting careers in music, unless the contestant is a top three finalists, and even this has proved to be difficult for many of the finalists. For every Kelly Clarkson, there are scores of people in the "where are they now?" refuse bin. The nature of a pop music television show is predicated on an influx of the "new," or whatever is happening on the show right now. Artists such as Ms. Velasco will tour with other finalists in an American Idol revue, but once the tour is over, the time in the spotlight is over. In fact, the music industry is becoming increasingly difficult for all new artists to flourish, not just American Idol contestants. One of the reasons the Recording Industry Association of America gives for the downfall of the music industry is the loss of income from illegal downloading. According to the RIAA website, "Global music piracy causes $12.5 billion of economic losses every year." Even though this loss of revenue is certainly devastating, this is not the only reason that the music industry is failing. I believe that the reason the music industry, and music in general, is failing is because communities such as ours are not providing community support for young, budding musicians.
As a musician on Maui, I am in close contact with a variety of young people through social networking sites such as MySpace and its various imitators. Many of the kids that I correspond with often complain that there is no place for them to perform. Some organize shows at community centers or at a county park, but these are, by law, free shows. An organizer cannot charge money at the door for admission. Therefore, the band cannot make any money to further a career. As rudimentary as it sounds, it does require money to buy professional equipment and to maintain it. However, if an artist is able to charge a small admission fee, they are able to save their money and buy better equipment or possibly fund a small tour to places like Oahu or the Big Island. Music promoters would also be able to invest money into their equipment and promotion. Presently, promoting a show consists of a few flyers being created and taped up on doors at Requests music or at the counter at Bounty Music. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to get a permit to play at a community center, and because it is not a dedicated performance space, usually bands have to play with the house lights on, or in the dark. The quality of the sound is usually terrible and the people who are in attendance for the performance are often disappointed. This does not foster creativity or community. Instead, these shows are often very stressful and the youth in attendance are often pitted against the police, or similar authority figures that worry that the building or surrounding property will be damaged.
However, I believe there is a way to foster creativity and a sense of community for the young people of Maui, and that is by designing and maintaining a building dedicated to all-ages performances of all types. In 1986, Tim Yohannon from the magazine, Maximum Rock N Roll, pulled together a few people to create an all-ages club in Berkeley. Before they could open the club up to the public, they invested over $40,000 for rent and construction. They also navigated the city's bureaucracy, and filed for permits and had the building inspected by the health, fire and police departments. After 8 months of hard work, they opened the club doors on December 31st, 1986 (Edge). I was in contact with Tim at this time and from my small town in Michigan, I was able to send two dollars to what was known as the "Gilman Street Project" and become a member. Brian Edge, who wrote the book, 924 Gilman quotes Tim as saying, "the membership policy was created primarily as a way to try and control violence that was happening at shows at the time. It also turned out that the additional revenue created by the membership feeds [helped with] the club surviving (Edge). After a few years, Tim's interest in the club waned, and he turned the club over to an organization called the "Alternative Music Foundation," who have run the club ever since.
There are a few very unique aspects to 924 Gilman, (which is what it is called now) which are worth implementing here on Maui. One of these is having a volunteer-run staff. By this, I mean that teenagers and young adults can volunteer to help run the club at all levels of management. This by no means eliminates adult interaction. In fact, 924 Gilman has staff ranging in ages from 16 through 64 years old. However, I do believe that by having the youth involved in the business meetings and operational aspects of running the space will breed a sense of ownership. This ownership will help protect the building and the surrounding area. When teenagers have their own club and their own space, they are less prone to violence or destruction because it is theirs. Adults can train the volunteers how to run a successful security force, and teach them critical crisis-management skills. When I was visiting Gilman in August, 2007, the security people, who are paid 10 percent of the gross profit for each night worked, roamed through the neighborhood, not only watching out for vehicle break-ins, illegal parking, underage drinking and graffiti, but they also made sure that the women in attendance were safe from predators and would-be attackers (Gilman). Many of the 924 Gilman volunteers that I have known for over 20 years have gone on to be successful students, writers, nurses and doctors and many of them credit their time spent volunteering at 924 Gilman as their training ground, which taught them their needed life skills. According to 924 Gilman's website, nightly volunteers are needed to running the front door, to clean up after the show (Gilman). I don't know of any other business that would allow a first-time volunteer to collect money, with a minimal supervision. However, this does underscore the point that volunteers often are responsible because it is often their first time being trusted by anyone in authority. Although there have been cases of theft, for the most part, this method has worked remarkably well.
Having an all-ages club in a Californian urban center such as the Bay Area has certain elements that Maui cannot recreate. The population is much greater in California than on Maui and due to its proximity to San Francisco, attracting touring rock bands has not been a problem for 924 Gilman. On Maui, the situation is very different in this aspect. However, this challenge is also our greatest opportunity. One of the aspects that we can separate ourselves from the Gilman Street model is by diversifying the use of the space. Instead of using the space for one or two genres of music, if we open the club up to all varieties of music, which Maui has in abundance, the space will be better utilized. In fact, we could use the space for hula, AA and NA meetings, dance recitals, and poetry readings. Another aspect of having a performance space is teaching young adults how to operate and maintain the peripherals of music, such as lighting and sound system operations. 924 Gilman is one of the few places where young adults can learn how to run a mixing board. Many of the people trained at Gilman are now well-paid touring "front of house" engineers. The opportunities provided by 924 Gilman have proved to be very valuable.
Educating the youth on Maui to have control over their music careers is fundamental to keeping our best and brightest musicians on Maui. Like many small towns and islands, Maui is often a victim of what is commonly called, "brain drain." In the past five years that I have lived on Maui, I have seen at least ten highly intelligent and creative musicians leave Maui to seek their fortunes elsewhere. By leaving Maui, they often leave a vacuum in their wake because the people left behind are not able to draw from the departed band's experiences. Oftentimes, a music scene will grow and flourish until the main bands leave, and then the scene has to start all over again. Having a system in place that teaches the next generation of interested musicians how to navigate and survive, and have a semblance of control in their music career can alleviate this brain drain. Instead of participating in television contests, which are often seen as the only choice for young musicians, the youth on Maui can grow at their own pace and not have to suffer the judgment and criticism of a national audience. Thus, providing a space for our children to learn is fundamental to maintaining our musical traditions.
There are many concerns raised with a project like this, but many of them can be addressed. With any teenage hang out, drugs and alcohol abuse are a big concern. 924 Gilman does not allow alcohol on the property, nor does it allow drinking in the neighborhood. As I have pointed out earlier, paid security roam the streets and asks anyone who is breaking this rule to leave the area. It is also necessary to point out that drug and alcohol abuse occurs in many other facets in teenage lives. Drug and alcohol abuse can occur at high-school football games, the beach or the mall. And many of these places are unsupervised by adults. By offering a safe environment for teenagers and young adults to participate in their entertainment, adults have a better chance of reaching the at-risk children. That being said, by no means do I suggest that an all-ages club become second parents or drug counselors. By doing so, this would bring many rules and laws into the space and thereby separating the youth from being able to participate in the managerial aspects of the space. However, a sober and safe place can lead by example, without forcing anyone to conform.
By having an all-ages space, by definition, people of all-ages can attend. This leads to a problem of adults mixing with teenagers, and the possibility of sexual contact. Again, this is also possible at the mall or the beach; however, the confines of a club could accelerate the problem. Nevertheless, at all of the all-ages concerts I have performed on Maui, I have observed the interaction between over-21 adults and teenagers. For the most part, they do not mix. The adults congregate with people their own age and the teenagers with other teenagers. Even at 924 Gilman, the adults rarely interact with the teenagers in attendance. I don't believe that there is a solution to sexual predator behavior. Perhaps the club can host workshops to educate young men to view women in a respectful manner, a manner which is quite different from what is shown on TV or repeated as "Rock and Roll behavior."
Finally, funding and operating an all-ages club will demand wide community support. It will need the support of the local police and fire departments, in order to alleviate an "us versus them" environment. Perhaps the county could provide seed money in order to build or create the space. However, having the government continue to be involved beyond providing funds could lead to censorship or a crackdown on what could be deemed as an undesirable element. It is very important to stress that this space is to be operated and run by the youth, with minimal adult supervision.
Local musicians and sound engineers will need to be recruited to create a good sounding space and train the volunteers how to run the equipment. Many musical instrument manufacturers could be approached to donate equipment for the club. In Japan, a drum set and backline (a backline consists of bass and guitar amplifiers and speaker cabinets) is provided at many of the live music bars. Musicians are required only to bring their guitars and drum cymbals and whatever exotic equipment needed, such as percussion instruments (Griffin). This alleviates the need for bands to buy expensive gear before they can afford it.
The insurance liability is another problematic concern. Finding an insurance company to insure an all-ages space could be very difficult, but not implausible. Having all the permits and fire codes up to date, and the county's permission and cooperation, we could find a friendly insurance company to work with.
Despite having many unanswered questions regarding drugs and alcohol, sexual assault and insurance liabilities, opening up a performance space for young people is an investment into Maui's future. Millions of dollars are spent on enticing tourists every year to come to Maui and spend their money. However many of the musical entertainers in the hotel/tourism industry have reached their economic peak. The days of Martin Denny playing for thousands of tourists at the Hilton on Oahu are over. In fact, many would argue that musical development in Hawaii has stagnated. If local musicians stray from the reggae or slack-key traditions, they are often marginalized or not appreciated by radio or print media. In order for musical talent to progress, new ideas need to be injected into the process. By providing a space for young people to experiment creatively and be exposed to a variety of music genres, the music of Hawaii can again capture the imagination of the world. An all-ages space will allow the youth of Maui to feel as though they too are wanted on Maui and that they have other options than working in a hotel or leaving the island. An all-ages space is not the only solution to alleviating boredom in youth, but it does show a commitment to our resources and our children. And, as a parent, that is the kind of community I want to be a part of.
Works Cited
Edge, Brian. 924 Gilman; The Story So Far. 1st. Oakland: Maximum Rock N
Roll, 2002.
Gilman. "Booking Info." 924 Gilman. 01 Jan 2008. 924 Gilman. 11 Apr 2008
Griffin, Jeff. Personal interview. 11 Apr 2008.
RIAA. "For Students Doing Reports." RIAA. 01 Jan 2008. Recording
Industry Association of America. 11 Apr 2008
More Information:
GILMAN STREET WEBSITE
From The SF CHRONICLE:
'924 Gilman Street' Documentary maker
hoped to inspire copycat do-it-yourself clubs
Reyhan Harmanci
Jack Curran got the idea to make a documentary about well-known Berkeley all-ages cooperative venue 924 Gilman Street (commonly referred to as Gilman Street) from two sources: his College of San Mateo film Professor Jay Rosenblatt and the skateboarding documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys."
"One of the first things he taught me was to film what you know," Curran says, "so you don't fake it and it's not so much homework. It'll come across as sincere. I wanted to film something, and I thought Gilman Street would be a great thing to document."
Although Curran is resolute that discussing his film is not tantamount to discussing himself, he does allow that he was in a band that played Gilman Street. It's hard to imagine any young Bay Area punk musician in the '90s not playing there. The list of iconic rockers Curran interviews includes Jello Biafra, Ian MacKaye, Lars Frederiksen, Matt Freeman, Dave Scattered and Sweettooth. The film includes performances by Operation Ivy, Pansy Division, Fleshies, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Against Me, Jason Webley, Panty Raid, Screeching Weasel, Pinhead Gunpowder, Dominatrix, D.S.B. , and Atom and His Package.
One of the first decisions Curran made was to veto any voice-from-God documentary narration. The story is told through interviews and concert footage. "It's important for me to have volunteers and musicians tell the story," he says, "because I don't think one person should speak for the place."
Curran didn't want to speak for Gilman in an interview either, but he did say he could attribute the venue's success (it's been around since 1987) to the things that haven't changed. It is totally volunteer run. It's members only (although membership dues will run you just $2 a year). It is all-ages and no alcohol is served. Through twice-monthly meetings, issues are raised and duties are divvied up. It's an idealistic operation that has lasted.
For touring musicians, it offers the rare opportunity to play outside the usual club scene. "It's so much better than what they normally have to deal with. Shows are usually about money and alcohol sales -- and there aren't that many all-ages shows, because you barely make any money off of kids," Curran says.
For those who believed in the ethics behind Gilman Street, it was a great place to play. "You'd barely make gas money but that wouldn't matter," he says.
Gilman Street has been the model for other venues -- such as New York's ABC No Rio in lower Manhattan -- but Curran hopes that his documentary can further encourage young people who are sick of being shut out of rock shows because they aren't a source for alcohol revenue.
"I had this idealistic dream -- we were hoping to inspire kids in other towns to do something similar. By laying it out, showing how each aspect of running the club goes and how simple it is, we could show it was possible," he says. "So touring bands next summer would have an easier time."
Reyhan Harmanci, rharmanci@sfchronicle.com
2 comments:
Sytev
Very well written I can support that. Music makes so much sense to people of all ages. I can get behind your ideas.
Jeff
Thanks Jeff!
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