Past Present and Future

 There's a story of a scene that once burned bright, every night if the week.  There were venues aplenty and bands from near and far, there was never a dull moment to speak of....

Then time started to run away just as so many left for better horizons.  A lot found better jobs, many married, they had children...Some left California for places that they could afford.  There weren't enough left to continue the same ways as before. 

So I was left alone, my crew went sober, moved to the Bay. I was now a mother myself, and I chose to stay.  There's still a few things that were strong enough to hold down an audience.  Even newer things started to spring up for, all those originally gone were in the new spots like Porchfest and there were still some amazing new collective like Modesto Artist Movement, which spring from the reopening of the Queen Bean Coffee House.

There's a lot to be said for creating safe spaces that support artists and live music. Modesto was always behind in terms of the opportunity, but never was there an all ages venue seven days a week. The fact that they Queen Bean has given that back to an eager community is going to pave the way to build more spaces to host live music.

My goal for the next year is to provide the context and the portfolio of my documentation from 1990-2010 of the events i participated in and photographed, interviews and flyers. Videos and more. This will be an introduction to the building of the scene and hopefully provide a detailed map of how to continue with these types of things well into the future.

I plan to write a weekly blog and perhaps a column for a local print publication while editing together footage I have as well as additional submissions from others. I will interview the people still willing to talk and put into context their photos and memories. I will also try to mentor and plan an event that will be documented on video and available as vlog shorts on various platforms. Taking advantage of the new blood that's dying to start at the bottom, and utilizing new media to repurpose old music will provide a bridge from one generation to the next. I will seek sponsorship on a very small level to loan or purchase basic equipment and to provide the hosting of the website and media. I will provide a lot more information about this as it gets rolling. 

If you have anything that you think will be of use in terms of photos, film, flyers, memories, or are willing to be on camera for an updated interview, please email me and send .pdf or mp4 attachments. .jpg is also OK. I'm not sure if I have the best technology available to me so if you are willing to invest in this project, even temporarily, it would help alot.

If I seek donations it will either be Crowdfunding or an event fundraiser....perhaps swag that can be purchased with profits going towards this project.

To say that this is a large undertaking for one person is quite the understatement.  I need to get help from people who can take on at least part of this endeavor.  Email me to offer your unique skills. 

Finally, I am going to try and make sure that I create a dynamic, interesting, and awesome tribute to the scene that was integral to a huge part of my life. When I "retired" in 2010, my daughter was only six years old. Her father, an incredibly talented drummer passed away in 2012. My mother passed in 2017. My colleague Robbie Giant passed away in 2021. And just this March my partner and muse David Meeker passed at age 50. 

Through the grief and the struggle to maintain in such incredible losses, the music still gives me the feeling that there's a lot more waiting for me. I may have lost people that I dearly loved, but that doesn't mean that I have to cease doing what I love. I want to be able to begin again.