city hall has chance to get music

City Hall Has Chance To Get Music Agenda On Key

He who has the gold makes the rules.

That's always been especially true when it comes to local musicians.

After all, they've watched over the years as big ideas have been

chased and big promises have been made while the small matter of

helping put money in the pockets of local musicians rarely hit the

civic radar.

Off Notes

It's too bad, because it has sent the unmistakable message to the

creators of our most famous export - music - that we are awfully good

at talking the talk, but just can't figure out how to walk the walk.

While our tourism industry and our city brand are built on music, our

economic development pitch hits the high notes, music CD's are handed

out to VIP's and nothing is bragged about more than Memphis Music, we

continue to give our musicians the blues.

We thought of all this recently when we read that the members of the

Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission are still waiting for

someone in local government to make them a priority.

Off Key

It's been 10 months since the public music group broke away from the

private Memphis Music Foundation and Memphis city government promised

to make priorities of the commission's funding and the hiring of a new

executive director.

Of course, it was a priority that would be address in government time,

so only now is city government even getting close to starting the

selection process for the new head of the agency. Sadly, City Hall

officials say that the appointment will be made by the city mayor.

It sounds like an off key decision, because once again, it suggests

that the city fathers don't believe that musicians are capable of

controlling their own destiny. We don't want to be too harsh, because

the administrative officials who've been heading up this process are

unquestionable music fans. We just think they don't understand how

much the confidence in our music industry has been eroded, and how

top-down decisions like this are interpreted by musicians.

Blown Deadlines

Besides missing the deadline for the selection process for the

executive director, city government has also blown the schedule for

re-launching the website of the Music Commission. That's especially

frustrating, because before the Music Foundation was created, the

Commission had an interesting, entertaining and perfectly serviceable

website that the Foundation blew up during the period that the two

organizations were sharing staff and agenda.

That was in the heyday of the big talk and small results. Time and

time again, the Music Foundation claimed that a breath-taking project

was about to be announced, and time and time again, it just died

without another word.

There are encouraging signs from the Music Foundation these days as a

result of the much-needed change in leadership. New head of the

Foundation Dean Deyo promikses a musician-centric approach in the

group's agenda, and refreshingly, he has sought to build bridges

rather than create headlines.

Moody Blues

Hopefully, city government will soon untie the hands of the Music

Commission members, and that new Director of Public Service and

Neighborhoods Kenneth Moody will put this at the top of his to-do list

and see his role as enabling the musicians to set their own agenda

rather than City Hall dominating their decisions.

Commission member and blues musician Billy Gibson said it well in an

interview with David Williams of The Commercial Appeal: "We are in

desperate need of some leadership. I just have to say this, as a

Memphis musician. It's a frustration because we're always waiting to

move forward. We're always in a 'transition.' I hear that term used.

I've been on the board for a year and we've been in transition for a

year. It's time to get to work."

That's a tune we all should be humming, because it's time for

transition to be a wrap and allow the Music Commission to compose a

new future.

More Than Elvis

Speaking of music, one of our city's best events, the International

Blues Challenge, was featured yesterday in Crain's Business of Life

under a headline we'd love to see more often: "Memphis beyond Elvis.

There's more to see than Graceland."

We were reminded last year of just how important this Blues Foundation

event is when a city official from Monckton, New Brunswick, dropped by

to talk about urban policy. She was in town with her husband to book

acts for the city's yearly music festival.

They try to attend the Blues Challenge every year, and her effusive

praise for the event, the special Memphis vibe and the quality of the

acts was enough to make the toughest Memphis critic break into a

smile.

Hard-Core

As Crain's pointed out, "The most hard-core blues fan will want to

snag the all-inclusive $150 package, which includes receptions and a

keynote luncheon. For everyone else, the $70 option will get you in to

hear the semifinals and finals."

Other recommendations included a "different music experience" from

American Dream Safari, the National Civil Rights Museum, "tiny,

eclectic" Talbot Heirs Guesthouses, the ducks at The Peabody, Central

BBQ and Circa. All in all, it was a big hit for Memphis and the

International Blues Challenge.

This year, the 24th edition of the Blues Challenge runs from January

31 through February 2. It promises to be even better than last year

when 90 bands and 60 solo acts and duos filled clubs up and down Beale

Street on the first two days, culminating with the finals at the

Orpheum Theater on February 2.

World Beat

It'll be a good time to enjoy some great music from around the world,

but more to the point, it's a good time to support the Blues

Foundation, which continues to reflect positively on Memphis by

keeping our blues traditions alive and well. There was a time when it

seemed inevitable that the Blues Foundation would have to close its

door, but under the new management team there, it has not only

survived, but it's organizing outstanding events like this.

Come to think of it, another of its fine programs is Blues in the

Schools, which has scheduled programming throughout the week of the

Blues Challenge, and it will feature Gary Allegretto, Spencer Bohren

and the duo of James Nixon and Shannon Williford.

At least, while we too often give our own musicians the blues, we can