In our third and final installment of our NIVA (National Independent Venue Association) series, jukestand had a discussion spotlighting three very different artists, David Ryan Harris, the Honey Island Swamp Band and OSHUN, who have one thing in common — the indie venues are dying right now and the effect on the music industry is enormous. Musicians and all supporting actors in the industry are forced to think outside the box and explore different avenues of honing their craft. One concept has been live streaming for indie venues that are open with limitations on indoor seating or capacity.
Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter David Ryan Harris played a livestream at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood recently. Ryan Harris has years of experience playing the indie venue circuit across the country for true music fans looking to devour his musical genius of R&B, soul and folk in a special setting. It’s one that he thrives on and feeds off in a live setting. New Orleans-based roots/Americana act Honey Island Swamp Band played a live stream as well recently at NOLA’s Maple Leaf Bar.
Washington, D.C. natives Niambi and Thandiwe of hip-hop/soul duo OSHUN return to New York’s Le Poisson Rouge for a livestream concert soon, part of a new monthly series. They talk about the reasons why they miss being able to engage with an audience in person…
“I really like that we get to be so close to our supporters,” says Niambi. “Even the distance between the actual stage and the fans, we get to directly look into their eyes, we get to touch their hands and we get to really engage with our fans all around the country. The level of how organic, it’s almost like we are proving ourselves, there are no dancers or lighting design. The places we play it just showcases our raw energy and talent and I think the fans and staff alike really gravitate toward that. The praise comes from the fans, but the staff, they still leave feeling like they are part of our support group because they were able to have that one-on-one experience with us. Like that feeling of, I can see you at Barclays because I saw you at Le Poisson Rouge”.
Thandi elaborated on the collaborative environment of independent venues, how the staff really become an integral part of the experience. “Another element of that, behind the scenes, contacting smaller venues, the stage managers and sound engineers, we usually get the opportunity to get to know those people and they are invested in having a good show,” says Thandi. “They have sunflowers for us as our rider. Beyond that, not that larger venues are not as hospitable, they are just as invested but may have another room that they booked”. “We understand it is a difficult time for everyone,” says Niambi. “For sound engineers, for bookers, for venues. We need the space to fully be tools of the music and the creativity that we share with the world. This isn’t our first time at Le Poisson Rouge, and we are super excited for having a positive experience there. Really this whole time, quarantine in general has given us the change to get back to basics and remind us how and why we started. Touring with the band became very difficult, so we stopped traveling with live musicians. Before we were touring, we had to figure out how to make it work with three people. Writing with acoustic guitar, doing a cappella stuff on the train. It has pushed creatively”.
Live streams are becoming the norm at the moment and may even stick post-pandemic. But one thing for sure is that artists, venues and fans are all taking a leap creatively and testing out this option to feed their hunger for live music. The artists want to help the venues just as much as the venues wish to support talent. Singer Aaron Wilkinson echoed this sentiment about playing independent venues. “The Maple Leaf is one of several venues here in New Orleans that we consider home,” says Wilkinson. “We would do anything to help them out and they’d do the same for us and any of the other bands that regularly play there. So when this opportunity arose it was a no brainer. Not to mention it was the first time in months we had a place to play together”.
“When the pandemic started, I think like a lot of people, I thought I would just have to pause my normal way of operating for a month or so and then get back to business as usual,” says Ryan Harris. I didn’t really change anything because I didn’t think it was going to last very long and it stretched longer than anyone could have predicted. Now I’m in a place where I just need to figure out where to sell my goods so I just started dipping my toes into doing the virtual shows. There were so many people giving away content on Instagram and it sort of took away the value of what a show means. I kind of pulled away from that, if Keith Urban is playing in his living room why can’t you play too? The experience is definitely weird because it takes away the two things I love in the small shows in the virtual conversation — I don’t get to look in people’s eyes and see people’s goose bump meter go up and the conversation is a totally different thing. I performed at Hotel Cafe because I’ve probably played that room more than any other room certainly since I’ve moved to LA. A lot of them probably won’t come back to be a bartender or a server. It was myself, the camera operator, the sound man and the bar manager. They are not allowed to have any more people than that. I wanted to donate the ticket sales to the staff. In terms of being a fan I’ve seen some amazing shows there. I’ve seen Dave Chappelle do two nights of shows there. I’ve seen John [Mayer] play unannounced shows. Rufus Wainwright, The Roots, Chris Martin. James Bay, we’ve gotten to be really good friends. Theo Katzman I remember seeing in that room. Even though it’s not Madison Square Garden I still pinch myself, that’s my home stage”.
To support independent venues, please give to NIVA’s Emergency Relief Fund.
