Local musicians work to keep their music alive.
By Jeffrey Spear
There’s nothing like live music to get your hands clapping and feet tapping. At times, it’s electrifying, compelling you to jump and dance with abandon. To say the least, it’s an undeniably enjoyable and engaging art form that’s a vital part of our cultural landscape. For musicians, live performances take on a somewhat different meaning. While they’re still joyful events that facilitate creative expression and provide heartfelt connections with their audience, they’re also essential to making a living. Of course, how often they play, where they play, and how well they support themselves with music is not always predictable.
While numbers are vague, Jacksonville is home to scores of musicians who perform in night clubs, meeting and event spaces, wedding halls and private residences. Although Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers Band, both having roots right here in Northeast Florida, beat the odds and made it big, most local musicians won’t enjoy the same level of recognition or financial reward, working gig to gig for considerably lower wages, giving credence to the moniker “starving artist.”
To enjoy sustainable musical careers, locals Darren Ronan and Kyle Wehner, both accomplished professional musicians, have found ways to supplement their income. Ronan has opened shows and shared the stage with performers including Elvin Bishop, Dwight Yoakum, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Randy Weston; and Wehner boasts performances with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, ELO, Aretha Franklin and numerous Broadway tours. They both teach to supplement their income—the Ronan School of Music and Wehner’s School of the Arts, respectively.
When asked about job satisfaction, Ronan says, “Like a lot of performers, I dreamed of being a rock-n-roll star. But life here in Jacksonville is good. I love making music and have been fortunate to find so much satisfying work right here at home.” Wehner adds “I’m really happy where things are. The school is growing nicely. I’ve built a great team of musicians and feel like I’m in a good place to maintain a steady flow of work.”
Recognizing the combination of performance and education as a common means of support in the industry, Chris Thomas has selected a slightly different path. Best known as the front man and crooner for the Chris Thomas Project, a big band with an extensive repertoire of classic swing, jazz and contemporary pop, he’s also an accomplished dancer and owner of the Chris Thomas Ballroom & Latin Dance. Thomas admits, “I’ve endured lots of changes and surprises over my career. Having both music and dance in my portfolio brings me joy and allows me to thrive.”
The reality is that scheduling gigs and taking care of business isn’t necessarily learned at music school. No matter how talented the performer, artists must be committed professionals who are easy to work with, understand event parameters and have some degree of business acumen. It also helps to be part of a strong network of like-minded musicians.
Mama Blue, a well-known local blues singer and performer who appears at nightclubs and festivals throughout the region including Springing the Blues, Dancin’ in the Streets and Porch Fest, says, “I’ve had to struggle with being an artist and making a living wage. The hardest thing for me is to place a dollar amount on my art, my soul’s work.”
Without a doubt, it’s her passion for performing that stands out. She adds “There’s nothing better than sharing music with others, making contact, live and in person.”
There appears to be two common threads among these performers. The first is the tremendous amount of enjoyment and satisfaction they derive from performing live and connecting with their audiences. The second is that most anytime there’s work, they’ll take the gig—catering to everything from weddings, private parties and corporate meetings to concerts, festivals and special events. It’s simply the nature of things, doing whatever it takes to keep their music alive and their businesses operating. Of course, many of these performers still hold on to their dream of making it big. That’s a dream worth keeping.
