Written by guest contributor and Drummer, Galactic & Co-Owner, Tipitina’s Stanton Moore. The Save Our Stages and RESTART Acts are both bills that focus on us, the music community, and helping us to make it through to next year.
It is hard to imagine a world without music or live music venues. The Covid pandemic and the economic crisis that has followed in its wake has brought us dangerously close to that frightening reality.
Live music venues are where up-and-coming musicians cut their teeth and learn their craft. The venues are where professional and veteran musicians earn their living. Trying to make a living as a musician is already challenging enough. The revenue from recorded music has been dwindling for years so musicians have been turning to live performances and touring to make a living. If musicians cannot make a living playing live music, many may have to seek out other lines of work. The thought of less music in these trying times is a harrowing concept to grasp. Music brings joy, relieves stress, and makes us healthier as individuals and as a society.
Live music venues nurture the music of the upstarts as well as the stalwarts. Venues are a place of community both for the musicians and the patrons. The I more talk with friends and family the more I hear and realize that we as human beings need community, and we need each other. Without financial help, we are dangerously close to losing many of our most beloved classic venues in this country.
As Congress is currently considering a stimulus packaged, we have to protect the future of music and the venues that nurture it. Please take a moment to reach out to Senator Kennedy, Senator Cassidy, Representative Richmond, and Representative Scalise to ask them to support the RESTART Act and the Save Our Stages Act here: https://nitolive.org/resources/take-action/.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Stanton Moore is a dedicated drummer and performer especially connected to the city, its culture, and collaborative spirit. Driven and inspired by the thriving music scene of his hometown which includes such greats as Professor Longhair, Doctor John, and The Meters, Moore’s name is now mentioned amongst these Big Easy mainstays. In the early ‘90s, Moore helped found the New Orleans-based essential funk band Galactic. Building on their fan base by adding an esteemed list of all-star collaborations to the six albums that followed, Galactic continues to amass a worldwide audience via recording and touring globally. In 2018, the five members of Galactic purchased the famed New Orleans music club Tipitina’s.
Photo Credit: Linda Del Rio
Pingback: Looking for a festive NOLA gift? Try Preservation HALLiday Grams