a re-print from “The Record”
What is it with pop music that attracts our youth? This form of musical expression, ready for the making, is for anyone wishing to embrace a musical instrument, pen and lifestyle, and prepared to take over the unsuspecting student at the click of an Ipod.
Up until now our music industry has been controlled by accountants and lawyers, graduates of the school of thought that anything goes when it comes to making money. Like serpents in the Garden of Eden they are superb salespeople.
Popular music had to be edgy. It had to be about what parents didn’t want their children doing. And, because every generation rebels against the establishment, music industry people thought this would help sell records and CDs. They were right.
The last thing the industry wanted to see were mommy and daddy’s good little boys and girls singing and dancing on stage (although there were exceptions with artists such as Pat Boone). With popular music having its roots in bars and clubs the behaviour of young musicians had to reflect the lifestyle of drinkers and partiers. Not anymore.
We are at a stage in pop music where young musicians are going to have to start reflecting the socially-conscious advances we have made as a society over the past few generations. No longer is it acceptable to throw garbage out of the car window while driving to Sherbrooke from Knowlton for instance. I can remember picking bottles out of the ditches along the highway and exchanging them for money at the local grocery store when I was a kid.
No longer is it acceptable to drink and drive. The clubs have seen their day. Why does music have to be associated with the drinking culture anyway? Still, a good venue has to have a bar at the back of the room or in the lobby. Can’t we listen to music without having a drink? Is the music that bad?
For the moment, clubs and festivals (usually sponsored by beer companies) are still important venues for musicians, and besides, most artists and their audiences are adults. All the same things are changing for the better.
Radio Communautaire Missisquoi’s biggest sponsor is McAuslan Brewing in Montreal, a company with a social conscience. It supports RCM’s annual “Stop!” show at the Maison de la Culture de Waterloo (MCW) because it believes in helping to develop independent music in the Eastern Townships.
McAuslan Brewing has had a strong commitment to the Arts since it first began in 1989. Peter McAuslan, the founder of the brewery, has a home in Frelighsburg, Quebec and is well known to the Montreal arts community as a true patron of the arts, winning the 2008 “Prix Arts-Affaires de Montréal” awarded by the Montreal Chamber of Commerce and the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
McAuslan Brewing has shown support for the arts through an extensive sponsorship program over the years, including various festivals and events such as RCM’s “Stop!” show – Channel 9 on Videotron’s Vox network out of Granby.
As much as RCM takes its role seriously in the community so does McAuslan Brewing. We are very happy to have McAuslan as a supporter of RCM’s music development program in the Townships, and look forward to creating a new frontier for young musicians like Purple Cérise Experience, one of this year’s “Stop!” show contestants.
PCE is a very talented and ambitious trio of 19 year old musicians from Waterloo and Granby. Their music is instrumental pop mixed with jazz and formal musical training, yielding a very interesting alternative to today’s radio music. Without organizations taking on the responsibility of providing artists with an outlet for their work, where would we be as a community?
The “Stop!” show is a battle of the bands TV show that requires all contestants to perform original material live in studio and be judged by local music teachers, professional musicians and the general public. The challenge lasts for up to six months on TV and wraps up with a live show at MCW where the final results are divulged; first, second, third and public choice winners. The 1st place winner gets to have a CD recorded and released by RCM, the rest are guaranteed airplay on CIDI. And everyone gets a t-shirt!
Today the rock ‘n’ roll dream is sold by serpents trying to make a buck, and willing to abandon our youth with a guitar in hand and a heart full of dreams. Who cares if they don’t have places to play or radio stations that care. What message are we sending?
The wheel has to be reinvented and rebuilt as soon as possible. We encourage all of you who are interested, willing and able, to join our ranks and to help shine a light on our beautiful part of the world. We have not come this far for nothing.
This year the “Stop!” show RCM fundraiser will be held at the Maison de la Culture at 7pm on April 10th. Tickets are $15. For more information you can call the station at 450-242-9873 or MCW at 450-539-4764. Hope to see you there. Also, you can go online to view the latest “Stop!” show performances at www.rcmmedia.org/blog/category/stop/ and once all the performances are posted please vote for your favourite bands.
Maurice Singfield is an RCM volunteer, director-general and vice president of the board. Tel: 450-242-9873 / 1-888-539-2098,
Tags: Maison de la Culture de Waterloo, McAuslan Brewing, social conscience, STOP!
