A friend recently told me he lives in Key West “because it is a music town.” But what does that mean? Is it simply a town with a lot of musicians? Maybe a little, but it’s much more than that.
Recently we held a fundraiser/jam for our good friend Dave Hoffman, a guitarist who needs some help. Over 30 musicians showed up with friends to play for free and help fill the tip jar with donations for Dave. It was a great success. No bickering or ego bruising. People shared the stage and their gear without a second thought. Everyone showed respect and kindness because they were friends. We’re bonded not only by our occupation, but by our lives, our passion and our challenges.
Players attend these events to let struggling friends and fellow musicians know they matter, that they have value and that people care about them. Too often, during a tough time, doubt about our worth accompanies the darkness. But knowing that someone noticed you were gone, and realizing that your art, indeed your mere existence, has had an impact on others, often provides the motivation to make things better.
The limited resources of our remote location also contributes to the sense of community that makes this a music town. Some specialized services are only available on the mainland, making the cost of obtaining them prohibitive, but we all know folks who have had to leave our island to fulfill those needs.
More than head count and geography, though, gratitude helps make us a music town. Many of us come from less privileged musical backgrounds with limited or no formal schooling. But years of playing in bars, clubs and backyards while traveling in vans with four guys has taught us what no lessons could. And from that comes an appreciation of every opportunity and fortunate circumstance that finds us. Many of us have had to struggle for gigs, gone unpaid more often than not or been in bands that never got a chance. These experiences help us value Key West even more. Live music is played here from 8 a.m. until at least 3 a.m., continuously. There is always somebody being paid to play somewhere in this town. Age, sex, race, preferences and pronouns don’t matter if you’re good at what you do — and good to others. If you’re not a good person, this music scene will not be good to you. Players here protect the music scene and each other.
Finally, there would be no music towns without music lovers, and this town is filled with people who appreciate live music and value the people who play it. So many great supporters show up every night to listen and enjoy our rich tapestry of performers. And plenty of them came out to support Dave the other night. They sat and listened for hours and chipped in to help however they could. That’s what makes this a music town.
