Scratch that last post....

( Correction... the open mic isn't canceled. I was just canceled from hosting it. The rest of this post is accurate.)

No sooner did go about promoting the Bar None open mic, does it get canceled. Not to say that I'm surprised...

Bar None is a great venue. That has a whole lot to do with the Bass player in this band, Geoff Chown, who is the sound tech there. But I feel that panic may be setting in over there. Anyone who has ever been in the bar business, or the music business for that matter, knows how precarious things can be. If people don't show up for the shows at a music venue, the venue will die.

I, personally, have been hoping for a venue like Bar None in Kingston, for a long time. Since the Scherzo went south anyway. It was shameful that a city of Kingston's size did not have a venue to host touring bands on a regular basis. I mean indie bands that can't fill the ale house.

I've been hearing a lot lately about how the younger kids are reluctant to pay cover. I say, get those ear buds out of your ears, that attach to your ipods, that play crappy-encoded Mp3's, and go see a band. Support Live Music!

What people don't realize is, that without supporting live music, really good recorded music will become more and more obscure. The rock band will never go away, but they may be relegated to the basement or garage, more than they would like. And that really cool band you've been telling your friends about, probably played hundreds, or thousands, of Bar None-type places before they got to the point where they entered your radar screen.

Sure, you may see the odd really bad band. But even that is more of an enriching, social experience than walking around like a zombie listening to your ipod.

Anyway, support this venue, or it will be gone.

cheers,
Tom