Music ~ Wildfire Sessions
While working at the pub and doing the quiz, I started helping out the chap who was organising the open mic nights ~ taking names of artists as they arrived and arranging a play list. Then I began helping him to book acts, as open mic nights began to pick up once more (they tend to go in phases ~ almost in waves ~ being popular for a few years, then dying down again, only to spring up again a few years later).
He was a talented solo artist, but preferred his own material to doing covers, so was playing to a more limited audience ... those that appreciated original music, rather than those who just want to hear the same old stuff. His band was Stevie Jones & The Wildfires, and his open mic nights were Wildfire Sessions.
At one point there were three of us helping to book acts (including feature artists/bands), produce flyers and posters, handle advertising, and attend the nights, etc., and it was all great fun. We got into music festivals alongside beer festivals, and at one point had probably a dozen or so events on through the summer months.
By this time, with pub work and the music quiz, I was working again and only receiving a small amount of working tax credits to help me out. I became self-employed so I could handle my accounts properly and, although my income was sparse, it was enough to keep me going without ever being likely to make me rich!
It went on for many years and I was happy to do it. I've never had any musical talent whatsoever, apart from a good ear for music. If I tried to play the triangle it would probably go square! But I've always had a great appreciation for anyone who can play an instrument, or sing, or both. Many of the people or bands we booked didn't necessarily have limited talent, but they had a limited audience due to the limited appeal for their kind of music. To my mind, it was never their fault the music they loved wasn't popular, so they deserved as much credit as any megastar did to my mind. Hopefully the work I did helped to get their music out to a wider audience, even if it only remained fairly local.
I made many friends and earned the respect of people whose talent I appreciated, so it was always a high. Beer festivals were the best ~ up to three days of BBQs, music and booze ~ especially on a summer bank holiday weekend ... what on earth could be better? With the correct mix of acts, these weekends could be really special.
Ultimately, what I believe happens is that these nights expand to such an extent that the limited audience ~ few of whom are very well off ~ are spread too thinly, so nights begin to disappear. Pubs will only keep them going if they are seeing a return on their money ~ which only happens if you have an influx of non-regulars in the audience, or if the locals themselves show support. The former will happen for a while, then peter out, the latter is very rare ~ and even if there is such local support, the normal bitchy nature of pub goers will lead to splits amongst them, with the fallout causing nights to end. The good ones fall to the wayside at the same time as those that are less well organised ~ but in the last of the better ones, it can lead them to have to close all their nights, which spoils it for everyone.
So, eventually the nights dwindled to such a level it was no longer viable to maintain the same presence Wildfire Sessions once had, and I left it to him. But it did allow Stevie to spend more time developing his band work and they still gig to this day. One day, he may even be recognised for the talent he has ... but I'm unsure if he's even bothered about that, so long as he can afford to keep gigging he's happy. Everyone wants to be a star, but not everyone worries if they don't make it there ...