It's been an amazing year People ask to have original music acts at their events, ask to get local CDs stocked in their store, the Journal adds Steve Thorpe as a regular columnist reporting on the original and acoustic music scene. People are visiting here from other places, play an open mic, and then never leave. We have people coming back here who left years ago to play in LA or Nashville. More bars book original music acts. Before a TV interview for a Labor Day concert, the reporters comment on the extensive scene and how they intend to cover it more.
Someone gets a call from a record company.
More open mics are added at new venues, people who stopped playing out 10 years ago are out again, someone releases a CD practically every week. The X decides to add an original regional music show on Sunday evening, Biff's Beat. Not everything that happened this last year was directly due to the Songwriters Invitational. We have dozens of people in performing, recording, business, media and the community involved in different ways. A powerful thing.