Music In A Small City

As a life long member of the music industry, it's often assumed that I'm based in a major city. But with technology has come the freedom to live, create and build a business from almost anywhere. So while I've lived for extended periods in Boston, rural New Hampshire and Los Angeles, for the last three years, the small city of Roanoke, VA has been home. 

Chasing big dreams once required being near big companies in big cities. Now, more of us are making our own dreams come true; and for a growing number, small cities provide the atmosphere to develop and sustain a career as part of what urban theorist Richard Florida has dubbed the creative class.

I'll spare you my enthusiasm for Roanoke, the people and institutions that make it special, and the wonderful friends we've made here. Simply put, in addition to lower costs and fewer distractions, strong small cities offer creatives enough of the things that make life rich, but not too much of those that don't.

Created for the CityWorks (X)po small cities conference, this short video by Brett Winter Lemon features a small sampling of Roanoke's creative class talking about why small cities are great places for music. I was honored to be included.

In order of appearance: Bruce Houghton (Hypebot, Skyline Music) Gary Jackson (GJP, Kirk Avenue Music Hall), Jamie Booker (The Bazaar), Dylan Locke (The Music Lab at The Jefferson Center) Frances & Lee West (independent promoters).