Attendance?

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 9 Oct 2012 2:56 am

Jim Cohen wrote:
Tony Prior wrote:...the newest wave of guitar players are not really focused on become excellent musicians, to me , learning to play is just one more thing they are doing..in-between Facebook and tweeting.. I believe the bar is lowered....
But Tony, don't you think there have always been 98% hack guitarists for every 2% who were serious about becoming excellent musicians? Lord knows how many times, coming up, I had to play with, or listen to, guitarists who couldn't even tune their guitars reasonably. Guys like that are still in the majority, but there's always been and, I suspect, always will be, a serious minority of dedicated music students.

Jimbeaux, agreed,( mostly ) now add the new social connections...when we were kids, we used to go home after school, eat our Table Talk pie , then go in our room and practice our guitar, in tune or not....it was what we did...today... after school, the upcoming generations spend a majority of their time uploading photo's to FB , tweeting that they just got home from school...go to Micky D's for a 1/4 pounder and watch reality TV...sure there are few that have a desire to become a musician, thats a given. I recently went to a local artists jam...most of the artists were certainly under 25..many in the 18 range..they were strumming guitars, a few James Taylor licks here and there but mostly singing songs about breaking up with the girl next door...they were not focused on the musicianship....of course some are...I have gone out to the clubs and seen many bands play, most of the players can play a little but you can see they are not schooled musicians...they are not playing any "Keith" or "Chuck" licks....there is only so much time in a day and our newer generations are filling it up with stuff that we could never have even dreamed of when we were at the same age. As kids..growing up..we were connected to the music, that was our social connection...we played and studied records with guitar solo's, that was our thing..we hung around with kids who did the same thing, then we started a band, we fantasized about playing in front of people..girls...today , they look at pictures of Justin Bieber while they listen to his MP3's! The desire is down on the scale, they have too many options for occupying time...the social media options far outweigh the practice guitar or piano option . I'll go on a limb here, half the kids today probably can't even play baseball let alone know what SPUD is !

Eric Philippsen · Post by **Eric Philippsen** » 29 Oct 2012 6:22 am

I read all the postings here and think:

1) I agree with 98% of them.
2) Scotty needs to make some changes.....again.

Too many of us older players, which is the big majority of us, are livin' in the past. And, yep, those WERE great days. Shoulder-to-shoulder crowds at the convention. You couldn't find a seat. Everywhere you turned there was a jaw-dropping performer. Etc.

Conventions like that aren't coming back if you "wait for the economy to change" or blame "the way kids are now." Instead they're just going to get more embarrassingly unattended as we die off. If you think they're not then you're wrong.

Here're some suggestions. Get a name act(s) in and charge appropriate admission to pay for that act. Yeah, it's not that easy. Do it anyway. Jeez, get a Robert Randolph or a country star. Just do it.

Let people rent booth space who sell used instruments. Yeah, it's Scotty's right to maintain his monopoly of that. Fine. Bye-bye vendors.

Change the venue to someplace less expensive than downtown St. Louis. Lemme see, I'm thinking of going to the SGC? Wait a minute. It's in downtown St. Louis? Jeez, traffic? Parking? Naw, I ain't going.

I'm sure my words will draw outraged responses from loyal attendees and players. If that happens, I'll just recall that story "The Emperor has no Clothes." Keep doing what you've been doing and you'll keep getting what you've been getting.

Or worse yet, keep doing what you've been doing and you'll end up with no convention.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 29 Oct 2012 7:06 am

Eric makes some good points, maybe hard to take for some, but they are good points.

Downtown St Louis (or downtown any big city) is not the ideal place in my opinion. Where to have it that can accomodate the ISGC is an issue. Although I went to every ISGC from 1978 to 1997 and many after I moved to Florida, I never liked the downtown location. Many times we would drive over from Kansas City and stay at some other hotel and just drive downtown to the ISGC during the day, by 6 or 7PM we were gone from the downtown area. Several times, because of work, we would just drive over for the day and then drive back to KC.

There have been many major singers at the convention, e.g. Ray Price, Waylon Jennings, Vince Gill, Darrel McCall, etc.

A format change may be the answer. The Dallas Texas show has grown to be THE Steel Guitar show of the year. Many vendors that used to go to St Louis now go to Dallas. The Texas Steel Guitar Assn (or whatever the actual name is) learned from Scotty, like all other Steel shows have, maybe Scotty needs to take a hard look at what they are doing that has made their show a success.

Having said my 2cents, I plan on being at the ISGC in 2013.

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 29 Oct 2012 4:55 pm

Scotty, started EVERYTHING. Scotty is the reason for every steel show that has been held and will be held. The Texas Show learned about how to hold a Steel Show from Scotty's Show. Scotty made the mold.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 30 Oct 2012 8:39 am

Keith Hilton wrote:Scotty, started EVERYTHING. Scotty is the reason for every steel show that has been held and will be held. The Texas Show learned about how to hold a Steel Show from Scotty's Show. Scotty made the mold.

Of course this is true , understood and respected, nobody denies it or takes issue with it..., in fact I think we are all saying " do something" to keep it alive and growing. Like any business, we have to revisit the business model and perhaps adjust now and then...the convention is a business , one that was started years back, one that is still active decades later but is experiencing a different set of circumstances. I believe all the comments are saying " seeing it is decades later from when it all started,perhaps making a few changes to the entire program will allow it to flourish once again"...

25 years ago , heck even 10 or 15, we all would have driven 500 miles to see Buddy, Loyd etc play a set...( I did) this was well before any Internet, YouTubes etc...today, it's upside down...the trick is to do make people want to travel 500 or 1000 miles to see the show..give folks a reason to make the trip...regardless if it is downtown or out in the pasture...it's whats on the stage that matters at the end of the day...

I think Scotty already knows this , he has been around the block a few times on this...I'm sure he will carry on...

Larry Denney · Post by **Larry Denney** » 11 Dec 2012 11:53 am

Speaking of the Convention in St. Louis I have been 5ys in a row & yes attendance was down. Question, does anyone feel that the Liquor had anything to do with it. Just heard folks talking and was curious.

Bill Ferguson · Post by **Bill Ferguson** » 11 Dec 2012 12:28 pm

"Something with the liquor"

What are you referring to?

Jeff Scott Brown · Post by **Jeff Scott Brown** » 11 Dec 2012 12:30 pm

Larry Denney wrote:Speaking of the Convention in St. Louis I have been 5ys in a row & yes attendance was down. Question, does anyone feel that the Liquor had anything to do with it. Just heard folks talking and was curious.

This was the first year I went so I don't know what might have changed with respect to liquor. To what are you referring?

JSB

Henry Matthews · Post by **Henry Matthews** » 11 Dec 2012 1:08 pm

Liquor had absolutly nothing to do with the attendance at the convention. I don't drink at all but as far as I can remember, beer has always been sold inside the convention. It's never bothered me. I may be wrong so correct me if I am but didn't notice any liquor unless you call beer liquor.

Probably the same liberals gripping that want to take Bugs Bunny and the Roadrunner off TV because it's too violent.

Bill Ferguson · Post by **Bill Ferguson** » 11 Dec 2012 2:30 pm

actually beer and mixed drinks have been sold at the counter behind the sound booth as far back as I
can remember

Dennis Detweiler · Post by **Dennis Detweiler** » 11 Dec 2012 4:02 pm

During the 70's and 80's drinking was a part of the social atmosphere of the convention. It was a weekend to socialize, unwind and enjoy the picking. Those of us "elders" that are still above ground and healthy enough to still attend have cut back on the drinking to preserve what's left of our livers.

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 14 Dec 2012 5:07 pm

Dennis, they say whiskey improves with age. I can assure you old drunks do not improve with age. Many of my past friends who used too much tuning fluid are six feet underground. Come to think of it more have been put in the grave yard from smoking related illness.

Larry Denney · Post by **Larry Denney** » 15 Dec 2012 12:46 pm

I see where you Guys stand on the issue of Beer. But I was concerned because I don't want to see the convention get smaller, just larger. I did hear some folks talking that think Beer does have an impact on
the attendance.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 15 Dec 2012 1:31 pm

There is no alcohol served in the performance areas of any TSGA event, and our show is bigger than ever, though mixed drinks are served at the bar out in the lobby. I feel that if someone wants to imbibe, they can do it in the lobby area... or, they can mix their own drinks and sneak them into the hall, since I know quite a few fellows that do that very thing. We're steel players, not the Alcohol Police.

I'm not big on controlling the peaceful actions of others.

Henry Matthews · Post by **Henry Matthews** » 15 Dec 2012 9:13 pm

Amen Herbster!!

Darrell Birtcher · Post by **Darrell Birtcher** » 20 Dec 2012 4:51 am

My two cents worth:
I don't think that charging more to get a
"big name" will help in this economy. It
will deter people from coming.

As for old heroes vs new heroes, everyone
that performed were my heroes! So were the
attendees. My girlfriend and I met so many
nice people and made many friends. Steel
folks are the BEST. This show is about STEEL,
not about stars! There's not an honest steel player
out there who isn't humbled by this instrument
and it's rich traditions, especially those trying to
push it into new territory.

As for alcohol, I didn't witness any
inappropriate behaviour, so what's
the big deal?? Alcohol sales are an
important part of the bottom line for
any venue. Btw, I don't drink alcohol
but have nothing against those who do.

God bless Scotty and Mary and their fine family,
along with all those that carry on the steel traditions.

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 20 Dec 2012 8:37 am

Well said Darrell. I agree with everything you said. Also God bless Scotty and Mary.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 17 Jun 2013 2:07 am

revisited..

I think many of us can say..we were 15 or 20 years younger..or more, when we started attending the yearly show..

NOW..we are 15 or 20 years older..or more...there are days we don't go 1 mile to get a Hot Dog let alone make the St Louis trip.

we are missing the next wave of interested players.

Economy..? Sure to some degree..but I doubt that's what the major issue is. Families still go out to eat, still go on vacations, still go to the movies etc...Us older guys( gals) are still buying gear, amps, guitars etc...New interest is the driving factor, attracting a NEW audience...as someone mentioned above..give people a reason to come...and this has been a topic here since way before the economy took a flush...at some point all of us will be so old we won't even remember we went to a Convention..who replaces us ?

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 17 Jun 2013 6:17 am

Good Point Tony and right on. I went for my last time in 2011 Now at 75 I think it's more of a hardship. One could not help but notice the age of the attendees. Oh there were some late 40 year olds and 50 year olds but the name players list is shrinking. Another question is who replaces the better known players? Good to see TW going into the Hall of fame he deserves it. A true no brainer, As of now he is probably the most visible of any of the name players. His credentials are solid.

Ron Page · Post by **Ron Page** » 24 Jun 2013 8:42 am

Maybe creating a Facebook page and having talent night auditions on YouTube would begin to attract the younger players and audience. A little advertising on XM and internet radio might help as well.

Chubby Howard · Post by **Chubby Howard** » 1 Jul 2013 5:45 am

I talk about it all the time on my radio stations and my website myclassiccountry.com anything for Scotty and the steel guitar!!!! Chubby Howard

Tony Palmer · Post by **Tony Palmer** » 6 Jul 2013 12:02 pm

I went for about ten years in a row but stopped going about five years ago because it seemed to me about 90% of the performers were the same every year, and worse, it seemed to me, I could be wrong, they played the same songs every year.
A few headliners that were booked for Friday and Saturday night actually played the same set two nights in a row!
So for me it just got to be too predictable and repetitious.

Cartwright Thompson · Post by **Cartwright Thompson** » 7 Jul 2013 2:52 pm

Amen, Mr. Palmer.

Dennis Detweiler · Post by **Dennis Detweiler** » 7 Jul 2013 3:07 pm

Emmons was never predictable and a factor combined with his skill that filled the hall when he played.

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 12 Jul 2013 7:58 am

Dennis Detweiler wrote:Emmons was never predictable and a factor combined with his skill that filled the hall when he played.

DD -

You could replace "Emmons" with "Newman" in your quote and it would be still as true. FF.

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