This is a topic which I’ve been talking about a lot with people especially since I believe it to be an important one in this city but I’m also very aware that I need to tread lightly here since offending the wrong person/people could have very serious consequences for me.  So please excuse the vagueness of my examples.

I have always laughed at the culture in this city but admittedly, I’ve been a bit unfair about it.  Compared to some cities, there is actually quite a bit going on here and a lot of decent local talent.  But since I moved back in 2006, I’ve noticed a very unsavory aspect of the cultural community here and the effect it’s having on the culture here.  I know all too well that every group/club/band/organization/charity/company/family/circle of friends/etc has a certain amount of politics in it.  It’s an inevitable part of of human interactions and as irritating and destructive as it maybe, it’s not going to disappear anytime soon.  The problem though is that when the politics of a group that represents a city (or province or country) begins having a negative impact, it should be considered unacceptable.

I spent last night with a good friend at a local club listening to some live music being performed by a few local musicians.  The politics of the organization who run this club is quite thick and through no fault of my own, I found myself caught in it last year.  Okay, I understand that they were looking for a different direction (the polite thing to do would’ve been to contacts other members to figure out if there were any holes in their plans or at the very least, justify their actions to members).  The decisions that affected me personally as a musician revolved around the club’s house band.  Why these decisions were made is still unknown to me but seem to have benefited only a small number of people; those people being certain core members of the society.  In doing so though, they’ve created bad blood between musicians and to what end?  I suppose that not being in the inner circle, I will never know but be sure that I’m definitely going to talk about it!

I also understand though that as this is a small city, there are many musicians who play in a number of groups yet that total number of all bands in the city is low but what I saw last night and have seen all year is a case of destructive political interference.  The band last night was a perfect example.  All are members of the society who are admittedly pretty good musicians (some attempted to try different instruments with little success though) but they were not very good together.  It was clear by the raggedness of their playing that they don’t rehearse very often and yet these core musicians in the scene are allowed to perform there virtually every weekend (and in a larger local festival).  Why?  If the groups they play in are not at a high caliber, is it not better to look for other bands?  If you’re desperate and can’t fill in all your slots, perhaps it’s a sign that you’ve bitten off more than you can chew and you need to reduce the number of bands performing at your club.  Not to mention the fact that it’s plain tacky to consistently have your ‘friends’ performing without giving consideration to others.

This is unfortunately a running theme amongst the cultural institutions of this city.  I’ve seen incompetent people ruin many bands and theater companies and create shady atmospheres within the performing arts communities.  One of the reasons though why I believe it’s so thick in Saskatoon despite the amount of potential talent is that the standards of the community at large are not very high.  For example, last night I saw mostly friends (and students) of the band  who were of course enamored by the people on stage but very few people who seemed to understand the lack of cohesion amongst the musicians.  Yes, that’s a terribly snobby attitude but on the other hand, if those who know better (whether they’re musicians themselves or simply aficionados) spoke out with both their voices and wallets, perhaps we would see some change.  People need to start asking questions about what they’re seeing instead of just handing money over ‘just to be out’.

I think another reason why this issue bothers me so much is that this ‘amateur’ behavior taints the city.  Whether it’s a performer, a tourist, or even a corporation, why come to a city if there’s nothing great going on?  There’s even the issue of us Sasaktoonians as individuals.  People can be quite heard on culture, especially asshat right wingers but what many don’t understand in the positive impact the arts have on people as individuals (getting off the couch, being social, actively using our minds) but also on the community at large (obviously by creating a sense of community but there is also strong economic impact that the arts have on a city despite the funding).  And it therefore behooves us all to ensure that we have a cultural scene here that is the best it can possibly be here in this city.  Who’s with me?!