Seacoast music forum elicits ideas on how to improve the local landscape

The local music scene has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. Bands have come and gone, venues have opened and closed. Internet technology has enabled listeners to access endless quantities of music from home on iTunes, YouTube, Web sites, MySpace accounts and podcasts, all ready for download. In short, there are plenty of cheap and convenient entertainment alternatives available to distract people from the purest form of musical performance: live shows. 

According to blues guitarist Bob Halperin, a long-time veteran of the Seacoast music scene, the local climate was much more vibrant two or three decades ago. If you asked area residents who their favorite band was in the 1970s or ’80s, Halperin says, most of them would have named a local band. There were often lines out the doors at clubs, and working musicians had no shortage of available gigs.

Although there is still an exceptionally diverse abundance of local talent in the area, public awareness appears to be way down. “I’ve seen things around here when they’ve been much healthier,” Halperin said. “The music can go away. I don’t want to see that happen.”

Halperin and drummer Joe Rogers, both members of Portsmouth-based Americana band Wooden Eye, recently decided to pool their resources and take action. The two musicians, along with Seacoast Local and The Wire, put together a Seacoast music forum at The Press Room in Portsmouth on Oct. 27, inviting musicians, venue owners and promoters to share ideas about improving the local music industry. About 35 people showed up, and approximately half of them aired their views.

Rogers said his goal is to “brand the Seacoast area as a destination to see music,” making it a viable economic industry for both artists and club owners. The key to achieving this hinges on three key areas: networking, education and market development, he said.

The first person to step to the microphone at the forum was Al Barr, a local punk singer who has risen to stardom as front man of The Dropkick Murphys. With the closing of The Elvis Room almost 10 years ago still fresh on his mind, Barr said what the scene really needs is a new mid-sized venue that can fit up to 250 people and attract nationally touring bands.
“You open a place, you have national acts come, you have local bands open for the national acts. It’s as simple as that,” Barr said.

Jazz drummer Jose Duque, band leader of Zumbatres, expressed disappointment with larger venues for rarely offering stage time to local bands. Dave Hunter, singer and guitarist for Portsmouth-based rock band The Molenes, said more smaller rooms should take risks on live shows featuring full bands.

Others, such as singer-songwriter Seth Gooby, of Breakfast Song, and Rick Dirck, of Portsmouth Community Radio, said the Seacoast would benefit from a large public festival highlighting local acts. “We should be able to close down the streets for musicians,” Gooby said.

Keyboardist Owen Thompson, of recently defunct band Tiny Whales, suggested that bands should put more effort into promoting their music by contacting local newspapers and radio stations. He pointed to a number of smaller venues that regularly host live music, including The Red Door and ellO Gallery in Portsmouth and the room formerly known as The Space in Kittery, Maine. Unless local musicians can fill small rooms with a crowd, investors are unlikely to open a larger venue in town, Thompson said. 

Several other guests also pointed to the importance of promotion, including singer-songwriter Michelle Moon and bassist AJ Tobey, of The Minus Scale. “Promotion is probably the thing that there’s next to nothing of,” Tobey said. “It’s sort of a matter of getting everybody together.”

Folk artist Harvey Reid and jazz saxophonist Alan Chase stressed the importance of drawing attention to the Seacoast’s musical variety. Noting the range of genres represented at the forum, Reid got a chuckle out of pointing out that tattooed punk rocker Barr and acoustic folk artist Emery Hutchins were sitting at the same table.

“The key also in this area is the diversity of music that’s available … That’s what brought me here 25 years ago,” Chase said. “We need to embrace the diversity of the musical culture here.”

Jo Lenardi, of Flea Marketing, said she can help with promotion. She has been in the record business for 35 years and has worked with acts like REM, Joni Mitchell and the Flaming Lips. Lenardi said she could help attract larger bands to the area and help promote local groups.

Shane Watkins, of experimental Seacoast group NSI, said he knew few of the people at the forum and wished there was greater communication and awareness between fellow musicians. He suggested some kind of local music magazine. “I just wish I knew a faster, easier way to know who everyone is,” Watkins said.

Dawn Boyer, leader of the gospel choir Rock My Soul, suggested greater collaboration between musicians with other skills, such as Web development and graphic design.  

Jay Gardner, proprietor of The Press Room, highlighted some of the challenges club owners face. Between gas prices, home entertainment and concerns about drinking and driving, people are hesitant to go out and see live music, he said.

Part of the solution is to educate the public about local music and make people aware of area bands, ideally convincing them to tear themselves away from the TV set and go out. Organizers of the forum hope to form a steering committee and advisory board to generate and implement more ideas.

A second public forum will be held at The Press Room on Monday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. For more information or to get on the email list, write to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it