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🧐 DID YOU KNOW that it takes 5000+ Spotify streams for an indie artist to afford a cup of coffee? ☕ That’s a lot of caffeine debt.

⚡ Enter The Pack: Where streaming actually pays musicians fairly. 🚀

👉 Support the movement: crowdfunding.startsomegood.com

#thepack #localmusic #musicstreaming #buylocal #cooperatives #lovelocalmusic #ausmusic #ethicaltech #makemusicfairagain
crowdfunding.startsomegood.com

A WALK IN THE PARK WITH WILLA COWARD

The ground at Huron Natural Area was slippery with a coating of late-March snow when I met musician and concert photographer Willa Coward for a walk. Despite wearing footwear better suited for dry conditions, we ventured onto the trails to experience the beauty of the area and talk about the local arts scene.

Coward has been playing drums for most of her life, and is a member of the bands Body Nest, One More Lane and A Horse Named Friday. She has training and experience on the saxophone as well, but despite engaging in vocal exercises, Coward does not consider herself a singer.

“I know how to scream pretty well,” she said. “I can go really loud.”

Her talent for large vocal production led Coward to join a screamo band, a punk style which she describes as cathartic, emotional and hardcore. Not content to stick with one style, Coward also plays chamber folk, power violence, psych rock and shoegaze post rock. 

“[I]t really is…all types of music that I’m drawn to,” Coward said. “There’s nothing that really deters me.” 

With such a diverse range of styles in her repertoire, Coward lets the music dictate what she brings to her performance, focusing on the needs of the piece to guide her contribution. 

“I basically come at it with whatever feels right, whatever is adding to the song,” she said.

Originally from Caledon, Coward came to Waterloo to pursue music studies at Laurier and was in her second year when the pandemic hit. Burn-out and the challenges of lockdown meant that she chose to leave the program halfway through. 

“It had been the longest time since I played for the sake of playing, or just for the love of it,” Coward said. “[S]chool and I just didn’t really work well together.”

Coward turned her attention to practice and performance but also invested in building the local music community. As we walked along the boardwalk surrounding the pond before heading up another slippery trail, Coward talked about the importance of bringing people together to experience shows, and the emotions that can accompany music.

“I just wanted there to be more music, more things for people to go to, because…they’re pretty necessary,” Coward said. “COVID hit, and everything just became so scattered and dispersed. There wasn’t really that core…to tie people together.”

The community in the region felt welcoming to Coward, which is why she wanted to invest in building local shows. She described people showing up for the love of the scene, and relationships growing from those connections. 

“I feel like…we have a very good community based here, especially in terms of music,” she said.

Community and music connect through photography, another artistic outlet that Coward pursues. She brought her camera when she went to music venues, and began shooting the shows that she was attending, learning through trial and error.

“I didn’t know what I was doing at all. I was winging it!” Coward said. “It was just something I hold really close to heart. It’s nice to have that documentation…to say that it happened, and it was important to a lot of people.”

Coward shoots music shows on a film camera, preferring that medium to digital. Film facilitates other connections; people will approach her at shows to talk about her technique and process. Coward told me about finding a local store to develop film.

“[It’s] run by the sweetest older couple who I would trust with my life,” she said.

We left the trail area and returned to the covered shelter by the natural playground with a view of the art murals to finish our conversation. For Coward, coming to Huron Natural Area meant a return to a site of fond memories. Two years ago, she spent part of her birthday on a hike here at a time of year when the landscape was green and lush.

“I remember being so taken aback by it…I could have walked for hours,” she said.

For Coward, green spaces are where she can focus on herself and be solitary while appreciating nature. Being outside allows her to connect to the sensory experience and helps her when dealing with difficult situations.

“It’s very calming,” she said. “It puts you back into your body.”

We finish our interview by discussing movies. Coward enjoys films that show a quiet reflection of daily life, as well as off-beat cult comedy classics, a further example of the variety of art that she surrounds herself with.  

With a handful of new movie recommendations each, we ended our discussion and parted ways, and Willa Coward returned to her life and work in the community of local artists 

alojapan.com/1263050/guy-rescu Guy Rescued From Mount Fuji Gets Rescued Again After Going Back For Phone | Real 106.1 #1061 #BlackLivesMatter #blm #BreakfastClub #dababy #Drake #HipHop #insomniac #LilBaby #LocalArtist #LocalMusic #Migos #MountFuji #MountFujiNews #MountFuji #news #RAP #Real #rnb #富士山 A man who was airlifted from Mount Fuji last week was rescued a second time over the weekend…when he went back to get his phone. The man, from China, was rescued from Japan’s m…

Here’s something wild: musicians now make more money from crowdfunding than streaming.

Why? Because platforms like Spotify pay them so little, they have to ask fans for money just to get by (and so do we).

😡 That’s not a business model. That’s exploitation.

💡 Let’s build a system where musicians don’t have to beg to survive. Let’s make fair streaming a reality. crowdfunding.startsomegood.com

#thepack #localmusic #musicstreaming #buylocal #ethicaltech #makemusicfairagain

crowdfunding.startsomegood.com

Two of my friends' bands are performing this evening at Government House Music on the Lawn. It's the last of the Summer #FreeConcert series. I'm going early & meeting a couple of friends there; Mom will probably come too.

Cookeilidh – High energy modern takes on Celtic, Irish, Scottish, Maritime and Folk music.
Some of my past photography for them is on their website. I did photography for their 2nd album liner too.
cookeilidh.com/

Tight Hair Disco – The best of booty shaking, hip bumping, finger pointing disco bops.
My roller derby referee friend plays bass for THD.
tighthairdisco.com/

More info on event:
ltgov.bc.ca/blog/government-ho

www.cookeilidh.comCookeilidhVictoria BC Celtic band playing a variety of Celtic, Irish, Scottish, Maritime and Folk music

Taking Mom to her first free outdoor concert at Government House, tomorrow. My friend, Nadene, is coming down from Ladysmith to go with us. My horticulturist friend, Natalie, is meeting up with us there, after her haircut appointment.

I signed 3 of us up for the free Government House tour too. Mom's only been in one room there - when my parents came to support my past speaking engagements there. They've met two different BC Governor Generals, at those past public speaking engagements. I've been in most of the rooms there but never actually took any guided tour. We are going to stroll their gardens, before the evening concert begins.

There's a series of 3 #FreeOutdoorConcerts there & tomorrow is the first of them. My musician friends are playing in 2 different bands on July 18th. We are attending all 3 free concerts.

I miss #LiveMusic a lot & haven't been able to enjoy many shows because almost all are indoors & not covid safe. I'm really looking forward to these free outdoor shows.

July 4:
Trophy Dad – Local raucous Rock n’ Rollers
The Sutcliffes – A rollicking round up of all your favourite Beatles tracks

July 11:
West Coast Soul Collective – Tunes for grooving and shaking
The Midnights – High energy multi-genre hits to get you dancing

July 18:
Cookeilidh – High energy modern takes on Celtic, Irish, Scottish, Maritime and Folkmusic
Tight Hair Disco – The best of booty shaking, hip bumping, finger pointing disco bops

The Jasper Cultural & Historical Centre will be holding a Canada Day concert and BBQ in the yard. Come to the Centre and enjoy a hamburger or hot dog while being serenaded by the Medicine Hat Jazz Trio, Absentminded, and Wiggle Room! Entertainment starts at 4pm on July 1st and be sure to bring a lawn chair or blanket if you are uncomfortable just sitting on the grass! #CanadaDay #JulyFirst #JasperCentre #MapleCreek #Saskatchewan #Museum #BBQ #Concert #SWSask #LocalMusicians #LocalMusic #Jazz #Pop #Music #Hamburgers #HotDogs

We're only three days away from ROOTS FEST 2024 at Canopy + The Roots in Dahlonega, GA!

Come check out some great local bands getting grungy including me in my capacity as one of @DoctorDeathray 's Implements of Destruction - we're ready to rock our tattered souls off for your entertainment, and will also be offering soul shreds as keepsakes at the merch table, so come on out and get some!

canopyandtheroots.com/event/ro