Supporting Local Talent

Local talent, what does that mean? If you stop and think for a minute, you should be able to come up with several people, friends and/or family, that have talent. You probably have certain talents. Many people categorize their talents to hobby status. Sewing, singing, playing a sport, building things with your hands, there are tons of talents that people use everyday. I would like to address musical talent since this is a Music Blog (but we will use other examples as a comparison).
        In most communities, you will find a number of people with musical talent. Playing a musical instrument and singing to some degree is shared by many people. Look at your local churches. The praise portion of worship would be in distress if not for the local talent in the form of piano players, singers, guitarist, drummers, and sound engineers. How many churches have full-time employees that fill these slots? Not many. Most people do this as volunteers and out of the goodness of their hearts. Several of the Medicine Men either currently play or have played in the past at their local church. They also consider their talent more of a hobby or gift as opposed to a profession. With that being said, many of these people have an extraordinary talent that inevitability garners them some degree of success. That success may be no more that making a few dollars at local events, or becoming somewhat of a local hero. Most of the time, if money is involved, it usually isn’t enough to even begin to pay for their equipment, not to mention paying for gas to and from the gig. Most people just resign themselves to doing it for fun, a hobby!
        But, what about those that aspire to take their talent further? What part does support of local talent play in these peoples lives and quest to become a professional? First, having support (I’m talking real support, not just an occasional encouraging word), can be the difference between “making it” and spinning their wheels. Support of local talent offers an avenue for the talented among us to show off their talent. It allows them to polish their talents, to become a better musician, singer, actor, you name it. Practice makes perfect! It offers them a means to be heard and seen by people in the industry that could make a difference in their professional career. It is a springboard to achieve their dreams. That doesn’t necessarily make it easy, but it does offer a starting point.
        We have several examples from right here in our community. Our own Samantha Stephens is a good example. Sam performed at our May 2013 show. She traveled down with her band from Nashville! She is realizing her dream. Whether or not she has made it to the top is a moot point because she is daily involved in the music industry in the Music capitol of the world! Samantha got her start here in Dodge County playing locally, with many of our local musicians. I’m sure she did her share of festivals, church sings, and local events. She got support from her family and friends. People supported local talent and it paid off. It’s great to see Samantha living the life that she dreamed about, and it’s really cool when she comes down and performs at the Magnolia Theatre. But, what if she had not gotten the local support? That is just one example.
        We also have many talented musicians, artist, and performers in Dodge County and surrounding areas that need your local support. They are not hoping to “make it big” they just enjoy doing what they do. Most of them just want to share their talent with others. They can’t do it without local support. You see, what it comes down to is; we can’t have local talent without the supporters. The supporters are the most important slice of the pie. Without you, we would be sitting at home playing to a CD or a YouTube video. It is people like you that come out to the shows and encourage your family and friends to join you. Your support allows us to pay the bills so we can keep offering quality entertainment. We have many, many volunteers that make the six yearly Medicine Shows a success. They work tirelessly and give it all they have to insure a great time for everyone. Our pay for all of that work is seeing you (the local supporter) smiling, clapping and enjoying yourselves! If you are happy and enjoy the show, that means we have done our job.
        So, next time you see a Facebook post, an ad in the local paper or radio station, or a poster in a local business, please consider attending the show. I guarantee you we will do all we can to make sure you have a great time! Until next time........
Dave