DownByTheRiver is a not-for-profit event based in Durham City operating for the benefit of musicians and their audience All generated income goes directly to the artists.
I’ve been involved in grass-roots music promotion on and off now for 25 years. In the mid-nineties I started and ran a gig/label/artist management imprint called Zambra which was based in London, it was quite successful on an underground level but as often is the case these things have a certain shelf life. High points were live sessions on Radio 1, a VH1/MTV live set and sold out gigs at the iconic 12 Bar Club which at the time was located on Denmark Street, W1 or ‘Tin Pan Alley’ as it is better known.
What I’m doing now with DBTR mirrors Zambra in many ways, in as much as it is rooted in DIY culture and ran ethically. It is mainly gig promotion I do now but I have been involved in a couple of recording projects recently – a good friend of mine (Dr Bone) owns The Washoose Studio in Lanark, Scotland and worked with the late-great John Martyn on a couple of his later albums, so he’s my go-to guy as far as recording goes.
In terms of what I want to achieve, it’s pretty simple really. I want to help build the live music scene in Durham, make sure musicians get paid for what they do and give up and coming local artists a listening and supportive environment in which to develop their musicianship. I always insist the audience give the musicians the ‘gift of their full attention’. It seems to have worked because my audience are serious about music and do listen. Musicians appreciate that and always seem to go away with a good feeling which is not always the case, especially in pub gigs.
A question I’m often asked is ‘Why do you do this’? Followed by ‘you are crazy, you are working for nothing’. My answer is this – Musicians changed my life. I had my eyes opened by people like John Lennon, Bob Marley, Joe Strummer and Neil Young and have had so much pleasure listening to, watching and working with musicians, this is my way of re-dressing the balance.
I also read this - written by a guy called Alex Wilson, who describes himself as a mediator, touring musician, hobby philosopher and beard enthusiast. His words really hit home and convinced me that running DownByTheRiver as a not for profit gig is the right thing to do.
Alex said….’I had a conversation backstage recently with a fellow musician about what has been dubbed 'the beans on toast lifestyle'. Basically it involves scrimping and saving 24/7 to stay afloat when your income is severely limited by barely-profitable giging and the costs of running a band, which is essentially a small business. The story everyone already knows about musicians is that they are trading stability for authenticity. What I think is more interesting are the details of how it plays out in reality.
The positive aspects of this lifestyle are not often spoken about, since they get a little metaphysical. But since I started my 'career' as a touring musician in early 2012, I've had the opportunity to travel to over 20 countries, playing my own music to wonderful, happy people from all cultures and all walks of life. Real connections with others are forged - briefly, but powerfully. It's hard to overstate how much of a joyful experience this can be and I'm always looking forward to the next gig, anticipating whatever new experiences might lie ahead.
It also feels like an authentic life, insofar that you are giving pride of place to your creative tendencies, which for most serious musicians is their life-skill, the one thing that they are clearly best at. Being able to forge a space in the world for this, and a space that has the potential to enhance the lives of others in small ways, is a profound experience that permeates one's overall outlook.
The troublesome reality, however, is that the numbers game of the industry means the vast majority of musicians will never earn what most people would consider a reasonable income. Musicians, knowing the odds, do their best to press ahead through the stress and exhaustion of balancing day jobs and band commitments, seeing the financial and social stability that their friends are settling into as a speck on the horizon to try for at some later date.
When I started out I optimistically believed that I could safely balance music with a largely austere life of renting, frugal eating, minimal (non-musical) possessions and negligible disposable income. This view was buttressed by the novelty of touring and the excitement of so many wonderful experiences. As the years passed, I've realised that the contentment that comes from touring is more temporary then I thought and, as it wanes, the feeling that you need to consolidate other parts of your life gets more pressing.
I don't think I'm very different from most musicians in this way - we can experience wonderful things but with a sense that our musical lives exist on borrowed time. We never know exactly when we will get off the ride, but we know there is a final stop somewhere on the road and that there is a significant remainder of our lives to come after that. It can be heart-breaking to realize that your greatest skill cannot be the major vocation of your entire life - a heartbreak that those with a passion for a trade, a science, law or business will not need to grapple with.
That said, let it be known that the majority of musos I've dealt with have a healthily perspective on their struggles to balance matters artistic and financial. The contradiction is a reality that they all live, but they are grateful for what they are able to experience even if they can't achieve the full extent of their dreams’.
How are musicians/artists chosen?
I go out to loads of live music events so I’m always on the look-out. I read the local music press too and do research on line. It has to be something I’m into and a lot of care goes into my programming. I think the audience appreciate that and they know pretty much I try and promote good quality music even if some of the musicians I promote are relatively unknown. I’m quite eclectic in my taste so there is no hard and fast rule. Over the last few years I have featured everything from gypsy jazz to cutting-edge electronica to blues, folk and Americana.
Why Durham? And how were the venues chosen?
I’m a County Durham native so really it seemed logical to put gigs on in our beautiful city, plus there didn’t seem to be that much happening in terms of the music I was into. It started at The Peoples Bookshop. In 2014 I put on a series of gigs by protest singers under the banner of ‘Club Resistance’. It was a success but I felt a bit constrained by the political nature of the gigs and wanted to do something that was not political at all. So I launched DBTR at Empty Shop in Durham in 2016. I have put shows on at The Mining Institute and The Cluny in Newcastle and The Georgian Theatre in Stockton but Durham is definitely home territory.
The venues were chosen because the people who run them bought into my ethical policy. For example, the guys who own the Claypath Delicatessen are music lovers themselves so they enjoy the gigs and take a few quid in drinks and food sales so everyone is happy and working to the same end – building the Durham music scene, encouraging the arts and getting a buzz from putting on something genuinely ethical. Our audience know that when they buy a ticket or pay at the door they are directly supporting the musicians so though it means a lot of work and effort to bring things together it’s definitely worth it in terms of growing something organically.
https://linktr.ee/downbytheriver9
