Picture this. It's Monday night in Maumee, Ohio. Maumee is suburb of Toledo. The local bar has just undergone an ownership change. They're not so sure that live music, especially blues, will sell beer the way karaoke will. None of this matters in this part of Ohio on a Monday night come football season. The idea of a national touring blues act coming to this small town and doing any business with a late addition to the schedule might appear to be a long shot at best.
Yet here we are, the Candye Kane Band. As we hit the stage, lo and behold, the room is full. It's because of one thing. The local Blues Society. In this case, the good folks at the Black Swamp Blues Society.

For any touring blues band, the local blues societies are the people who put gas in the tank and cold drinks in the cooler. They can be the difference between an empty room and a packed house. This doesn’t seem to apply to big cities that have blues societies. In the smaller towns however it’s the blues societies that seem the happiest to see you and are incredibly supportive as well.

At the Cincinnati Blues Festival, it was the BS, as in "Blues Society", whose volunteers drove the army of golf carts carrying equipment and people from the parking lot to the hospitality tent and into the backstage area. In Edmonton, BS volunteers swarmed the stage between
sets and moved equipment and followed directions to the “T”. They bring the food, run the gate, sell our merchandise, make us tea, and sometimes even do massages. They take pride in spoiling us. We musicians are pretty good at getting spoiled by the way.

The only thing they want in return is a little access, and some interaction with the artists. This interaction and accessibility is what makes the blues unique. It is a special connection and relationship that takes place between the fan and the performers. It helps to make this an interactive living breathing art form.

I read articles all the time bemoaning the future of the blues, and how the form isn't bringing in younger talent, isn't expanding its appeal, and the fan base is aging. This may be true but for perhaps a perfectly plausible reason.

Not everyone grows up loving the blues. A lot of fans come to the blues as they get a little older. The reason for this may have a lot to do with the "reinvent the wheel" nature of popular music that makes so much of it ring hollow to the more mature fan. Festivals, cruises, and local blues societies are a big part of this appeal to the older fan. Those of us in this field make lasting acquaintances with people we see only once or twice a year.

It's not just touring acts that benefit from these small town blues societies. They can be invaluable resources for local talent as well. They’re the ones in charge of sending bands to the International Blues Competition in Memphis.

It is often the blues society members who come to see you, talk about you, and buy your stuff. If you're a musician, these are the fans that can help your career. They can even serve as a valuable networking resource. Sometimes they might know who needs a musician before the musicians. For instance, I owe a great debt of gratitude to a blues society member named Deb who gave me the heads up on the Candye Kane gig.

Blues Societies and their memberships are increasing rapidly as people discover not only how good today’s blues music can be, but how much fun it is to be a part of the “scene’. Support your local blues society, because they support us, the working musician.