Handling one or two of these resolutions will make a huge difference in our music community and to your life in 2012. I mean who cares about those cigarettes, fast-food love handles and missing college degrees. Oh, yeah—I don’t like even numbers.
Go to a festival
You don’t have to spend $200 and camp in a tent to go to a festival. But you won’t regret going to MoogFest, Hangout Fest or Bonnaroo and experiencing a big show. Or make it simple and head down to the Bessie Smith Strut or Roots Fest, which is super close and local friends.
Tell your friends
This is simple: Tell your friends to get off their asses and spend $8 to have a good time. Drink less and it will probably keep you from making an even bigger ass of yourself. (Trust me I know.)
Open your mind
Get you some culture. Go to the symphony. If Vivaldi is too much for you, then grab your friends and go on a night when Black Jacket Symphony covers “Dark Side of The Moon.”
Share your opinion
Share your ideas with local venues about who you want to see—especially if you know they are playing nearby. I mean it is your city.
Pass down the love
You don’t just wake up one day and change your mind about paying more attention to local music. It’s something that grows inside of you and can be passed down to younger generations. This year, take your favorite teen or smaller human out to Nightfall, the 3 Sisters Festival or an all-ages show. You will be helping to de-Bieberize our youth and, in that sense, saving the world.
Buy one local CD/T-shirt
When you enjoy a show there are small ways to return the favor. Small acts playing town need gas money. That $5 CD or $10 T-shirt may be the difference in making it to the next show. Good karma.
Learn to play an instrument
How do musicians make money? Most don’t only play gigs after their full-time jobs or serving shifts at Waffle House, but many also offer music lessons. If you see a musician out that you like ask them if they offer lessons. If they don’t, search Craigslist (just do a background check). Another great place to start is The Mountain Folk School of Chattanooga.
Go to a new venue
Some of us are very attached to our favorite clubs and venues. A feeling of pride—or fear of entering an unfamiliar space—arises when we’re confronted with going to a new place. Fact is, you need a healthy dose of all the clubs and venues Chattanooga and the region has to offer for a balanced diet of rock (or country, dubstep, or whatever.) If you refuse to set your feet into certain places, then at least take a chance on a theater of venue that’s off your beaten path. Some great choices to kick off 2012: Barking Legs, Pasha Coffeehouse or Market Street Tavern.
Show your talent
Trust me, I am just as guilty as most of letting go with good buzz and a country music cover, but there are better ways to show your talents than karaoke.
If you are really lucky and can play an instrument, there is no reason for you not to show your greatness at one of our local open mics. If you cannot, please see Resolution No. 3.
Here’s to a new you and kicking ass in 2012!