It’s been a while since I’ve written anything in here.
Mainly, I just don’t have time. Life happens. And if it’s down to music or the
music blog, the music blog is going to be cast aside. I suppose I should still
have periodic updates on my personal music, rather than just rants and raves
once every 6 months, but so far, that hasn’t happened.
So what brings me here today?
Laura Veirs. I don’t recall how I discovered her music –
whether it was someone introducing her to me, or Spotify, or the radio (no, it
definitely wasn’t the radio). In any event, somehow I landed on her email list
(which I’m assuming I must have signed up for).
So yesterday I got an email for Laura’s email list. And
usually, unless they list tour dates or give album release news, I pretty much
just skim them. But this one was titled “Musical Rafting Adventure.” At first,
I’m thinking, that’s a neat album title,
so I read it, looking for updates on a new album.
But it’s not a new album. Not at all. Instead, it’s a 4-day
guided whitewater rafting trip with Laura Veirs and Kai Welch. The gist of it
is: you raft for a while during the day and get live concerts in the evenings.
And you get to hang out with Laura and Kai the whole time.
This is a vacation! And I’ve heard of the big music festival
cruises, but that’s on a packed cruise ship. This is limited to 15 people. And
it’s out in nature, not some light-up façade with smoke and mirrors.
This is the house concert of the future. Want to really get
to know your favorite indie artist? Go on vacation with them. Invite your
friends.
Maybe I’m out of the loop and this isn’t anything new(?), but
this is the most innovative thing a musician is doing that I’ve heard of, maybe
ever. This is absolutely brilliant. Sure, not everyone can afford it, but you
get a legit vacation out of the deal as well… If you were going to go on a
rafting trip anyway, why not make it with one of your favorite musicians?
I think we need more innovation like this. The future of
music is ever changing, so why not try to be ahead of the game? And maybe
something like this is limited to the singer-songwriter, sans production. I’m
envisioning a future indie scene where you can go on backpacking trips to learn
about songwriting. Or where you can go on backcountry snowboarding trips where
your base camp has a small music studio set up.
Music seems to be polarizing itself to where you’re either
in a me-too genre where you’re a face in a crowd, displaced from any interaction
with the artists, or you’re in a genre seeking the most intimate way to communicate
music to your fans. This is just the next step. And it’s a good step to see
happening.
