by Rob Yamanoha -
www.robyamanoha.com
Being a musician
and music lover here in Hawaii has its
pros and cons. We have an array of
artists who are of the highest class of
musicianship, offering the public a
tremendous amount of quality listening
enjoyment. And, as in most places in the
world, we have an over-saturation of the
mainstream music market by the dominant
form of popular music.
But for years I’ve
been hearing from a lot of people
(musicians and music fans alike) that
the so-called "popular" bands here in
the islands have developed a very
generic sound. And when asked what they
mean, I often get the query, "Is that
all the public gets to hear?", or "Why
do the musicians feel they have to take
the easy route and do what everyone else
is doing to make the quick buck?"
Overwhelmingly, the response is that
music fans just want something
different, and that the "hottest" bands
aren’t really as hot as it seems.
It’s hard to say
that I agree or disagree, because I know
of quite a few musicians whose
originality and musicianship are making
a HUGE impact on the scene; a couple of
my favorites are Gomega of Maui
(voted Maui’s best band 2006) and
Inner Session of Oahu (recent Na
Hoku nominees). These are artists who
are actually doing it, with "no
sacrifice in musicianship to cater to
the norm" as Inner Session’s tag line
says. But then there are still those who
continue to put a pedestrian effort into
crafting the art from which music is
derived, recycling the previously
recycled, and unwilling to (or incapable
of) exploring musical progress. And a
LOT of people continue to enjoy it.
As cliché as it
may sound, I offer this perspective: to
each his own, and if you don’t like it,
then don’t listen. I, for one, am not
one to complain. Instead, I’ll continue
to do what I do and stay true to myself
in my humble attempt to create quality
music while retaining my artistic
integrity. That’s my way of stimulating
a healthier music scene, and it’s more
productive than sitting around grumbling
about how "tired" the music here has
become.
As I see it, there
are TWO very simple things people can
actually do to contribute. As a music
lover, you can:
(1) STOP
complaining, and
(2)
START supporting your favorite
artists by going to their shows,
buying their music, and sharing
it with your entire network of
friends, family, and associates.
Artists themselves
can help by:
(1) STOP
complaining, and
(2)
START putting their best foot
forward and REFUSING to conform
to the pressure of pop
commercialism.
They can also be
supportive to others like them who are
trying to make music of uncompromised
quality. People who complain but don’t
actually DO anything about it
have no right to criticize (let’s leave
that to the music critics). Inaction
IS an action—it’s like acceptance.
Outside of record
labels, concert promoters, radio
executives, and the like, I believe
there are two things that drive the
music industry: the ARTISTS and the
FANS. Everything else is superfluous. In
the end it lies in YOUR hands to make it
happen. So what are you going to do
about it?
