We're at HCC's Main Stage admiring one of the concert hall's two Steinway Model D pianos. The newly renovated, acoustically superior venue seats 246 and is located on the second floor of the school's Performing Arts building in Ybor City. Saturday morning, renowned Tampa Theatre keyboardist Rosa Rio will play one of these handsome grand pianos while leading a workshop on the American Songbook — with any luck, she'll also share tales from her days working with Orson Welles on his famed radio broadcast The Shadow. And give pointers on how to make it as a musician for almost an entire century.
The American Songbook workshop is part of the first Homemade, a free symposium aimed at helping local artists grow artistically and succeed commercially in do-it-yourself mode. Considering that we are witnessing the decline (perhaps the demise) of the major record label system and entering a new era of online distribution, now is an ideal time to engage in discussions ranging from "Building a Song" to "The New Music Democracy" (led by Rockapella's Scott Leonard).
"Some ideas don't generate much of a response," admits Hillsborough Community College Special Projects Manager David Audet. "But for this one, the enthusiasm has been very high. Everyone I contacted sounded very excited to participate."
Audet was able to bankroll Homemade with a $5,000 grant provided to the Artists and Writers Group by the Ybor City Development Corporation. The Bay Area Artists and Musicians Organization (BAAMO) — the nonprofit responsible for concerts like last week's Clash Tribute show at Skipper's Smokehouse and the annual Florida Bandango showcase in Austin, Texas — assisted in organizing and promoting the event.
HCC provided the venue. All the workshops/discussions will take place Saturday on the Ybor Campus at the Performing Arts Building, which is catty-corner to the Cuban Club. In addition to the Main Stage, activities will take place in the 60-seat Studio Theater, the 100-seat Rehearsal Hall, the 20-seat Ensemble Room and the 40-seat Art Gallery. The events are basically divided between art and commerce (see sidebar for times). Focusing on the art: The American Songbook; Building a Song; Instruments: History and Use of the Bouzouki and Concertina; Inside the Song: Singer/Songwriters; Jazz: Stylings and Improv; Jazz: Models and Arranging; Writing Comedy Songs; Videoing Live Performance; and the Pranayama of Voice. Focusing on the commerce: The New Music Democracy; Media Panel: Getting the Word Out (I'm a panelist); The Art and Business of the Jingle; and Creating an Electronic Press Kit, all of which should aid musicians in maximizing their audience.
Granted, all the workshops might not be for everyone. But think twice before dismissing something like The American Songbook. Ms. Rio, who is in her 90s, or about to turn 106, depending on the person you ask (she keeps her age a secret), most likely isn't into BitTorrent file-sharing but she definitely knows something about surviving in a constantly evolving (and devolving) industry. "What has been interesting about my life — but I can't say I loved it — [is that] every time I found something that I loved and thought that I'd be doing it for the rest of my life, something always came and took it away," Rio told Creative Loafing in 2006. "I'm a theater organist accompanying movies, and it's wonderful. Then one day Al Jolson comes in and sings 'Mammy' and I'm out. Then I'm in radio. One morning we wake up, television took over."
Musicians are facing similar challenges today and are required to have a much greater skill set than ever before. In terms of artistry, a working knowledge of music history is important in an age when listeners' tastes continue to broaden, and expectations for fresh twists are increasingly greater. And being your own manager/marketing team/impresario will soon be just about the only option when and if the major record labels finally crumble. Homemade should provide a sound forum for thoughtful exchanges on these topics. At the very least, it'll be a good networking opportunity for local artists, an opportunity to put names to faces and perhaps inspire some left-field collaborations.
"Our goal is to keep everyone together throughout the day," Audet says. "Keep them talking about the industry, giving examples of different styles of performance and have them interacting in small groups.
"The idea is then next year to have multiple dates. We had a lot of people who were interested in conducting workshops, but we only had six hours to work with this year. We want this to grow as an annual event."
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2008.