Levi Weaver. He came to town last year and played a house show at my friends house right around the corner from me. This was the second live show I had attended in a matter of weeks, after many, many years of a current music-less existence. And this from the girl who used to have a CD going in her room ALL THE TIME.
It was good. He was able to do a lot of sound manipulation right there in my friend's living room, which was cool. He writes his own stuff, which is also cool. Other than a few tracks on grooveshark.com, this was my first exposure to his music.
In some ways I am cautious about devoting myself to new music. Once upon a time my brother made the mistake of saying that I had good taste in music, that I managed to find the good stuff in a sea of mediocrity. It was a mistake because since then I have become paranoid about my own musical taste. Is this one good enough for me to say I like it?
I think so. I like it. I really do. Levi offers his music for free from time to time, so I have gradually been able to access most of it, even with my seriously miniscule music budget. I haven't been able to support his career the way I would prefer to. Levi has a family to provide for, and I affirm that musicians need to be supported for their work as much as any other skilled and talented traditionally employed person does. Otherwise, how can they possibly continue to produce it? And I want so badly for the music to be made.
One of the things I like about Levi is the fact that he is transparent about what he does. Not long ago he was involved in an IndieGoGo campaign for a movie project that would document his life on the road and directly address the difference between success and fame. He spent time on his blog talking about exactly how any money that was raised would be used, which I thought was cool, because I had a lot of questions in that regard. Preeminent among those was, How are you going to make this work?
Well, I was very happy last week to find that Levi Weaver has addressed some of my questions in two blog posts he has written from the road. The first one, "On David Lowery and Stealing Music," addresses ethical reasons why stealing music is wrong. I freely admit to you my ignorance. I don't know who David Lowery is. I also don't understand how anyone can argue that stealing music does not harm to those producing the music, particularly those who are doing it independently. The Chaffers used to put these clever notices on their CDs, such as "This is an independent record. Unauthorized duplication of this recording means we have trouble putting food on the table, and is also against the law." (don chaffer + waterdeep, 'whole 'nother deal')
He then balances this post with another one that arrived in my reader last week, "Part Two: Why I Believe in Free Music." I'll tell you the truth, this other side of the issue really encouraged me when I read it yesterday. I've wondered how the whole giving-away-your-stuff-freely deal ever translates into revenue. Yes, I am currently emotionally invested in Levi Weaver's success, but I have no money. I am emotionally invested in my friend, John Kelley's success as an artist, but I have no money. Same is true for Greenhorn Gardening. I try to promote these guys as often as I can, but I have only limited access to their intended audience.
And of course I am emotionally invested in the success of Dog Fight: Starship Editon. This is the product that will or will not land food on my own table.
So (I suggest you) read Levi's blog posts. While you're on his website, listen to the music. You can stream it easily and immediately. It's good stuff.
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