|
That
Which Was Old Is New Again?
by Ed Crabtree
For
well over a century, even before Harold
Bell Wright journeyed down The Wilderness
Road, along that road "nobody knows how
old", other writers, painters, poets,
sculptors, musicians, artists skilled in
various media, have made that same journey
in search of an elusive work of art, one
created by the hand of that great artist,
God. His palette, consisting of the greens
of summer, the red gold and brown hues of
fall, all adding color to the clay that he
sculpted with his hand into the hills and
hollers of these old Ozark mountains. This
grand work of art has been the "Holy
Grail" that these talented people have
sought for inspiration or perhaps shelter
from the turmoil of the outside world,
seemingly far from these old hills.
A
century ago, before the coming of the
radio or television, it was common for
folks to gather in the "music" room of
their Victorian era homes, and entertain
themselves or invite a traveling musician
or lecturer to spend an evening, telling
of far off places or joining in song.
Almost every small town had a gathering
place of some sort, a gazebo in the
square, or an "opera" house, what we might
call a theater today, a place for the
community to be entertained by local
performers or those from abroad. In more
rural areas this gathering place might be
a neighbor's barn, and the performers
members of the community, an impromptu
group, playing just for the enjoyment. The
well-bred traveler, with a letter of
introduction in hand, could seek out the
homes and studios of well-known artists,
and see the latest work. Such was the
times in those bygone days.
With
the coming of radio and television a great
change came about, people became less
interested the "live" performances of
lesser-known artists and more captivated
by those individuals with great claim to
fame. The small local performances were
replaced by an ever-growing trend to
attend concerts in great halls or stadiums
with seats numbering sometimes in the tens
of thousands. Groups with each subsequent
tour sought to out perform their previous
tour or that of their peers with what was
sometimes spectacles beyond belief,
admission prices also growing beyond
rational comprehension.
Then
a decade ago, the so-called Branson Boom
gave birth to a new concept. The
performers discovered that they could
build a theater of their own or enter into
a contractual agreement with the owner of
a venue, performing for smaller crowds,
and still sleep in the same bed each
night. Another great aspect of these more
intimate events was that during
intermission or after the show, the
performers could mingle with the audience,
meeting the fans that made their work
possible.
|
|
Bill Dees, best
known for his work with Roy
Orbison and that all time great
hit "Oh Pretty Woman" is but one
of the area's great musicians
enjoying the "House Concert"
tour. See www.billdees.com
for information on how you can
book Bill for your next House
Concert.
|
Over
the years giant conglomerates have taken
control over the promotion, marketing, and
distribution of entertainment, having the
financial means to do so, and only the
lucky select few artists and writers,
backed by the media giants gained
recognition for their work. But with the
Internet and developing technologies
coupled with a desire of the general
public for more personal entertainment, a
change is taking place. Before the
Internet it was financially impossible for
an artist to compete with the big
companies, the individual not having a
budget to market their work. Distribution
was controlled and the individual had no
means by which to profit from their art.
But now, every artist has a web site, by
which to promote his or her albums, books,
essays, and poetry. With the expanding
broadband technology, it will soon be
commonplace to view in your home, art
films or low budget movies, created by
talented but as yet unknown
cinematographers. The ever growing
popularity of dinner theaters, and House
Concerts, promise to deliver to the nation
the opportunity to see smaller live
performances. All these made possible in
part by the relatively inexpensive
advertising and marketing medium known as
the Internet.
|
|
A local venue that
promises a great meal and a
lively discussion of local lore
and ledgend, is The Wilderness
Road Dinner Theater, staring The
Message Tree's own contributing
writer, Jim
Barrett.
|
Artists
that have made the Ozarks their home, now
can self promote their work to a worldwide
audience, seldom having to leave the
serenity of the hills, just to make a
living. And as more folks discover the
Ozarks and visit here or choose to
relocate to the hills local artists have a
greater opportunity to share their work
with an audience right here rather than
the artists and art lovers alike having to
leave the hills to attend some far off
event, just to sell, purchase, perform, or
be entertained.
There
is a very definite return to those days
when small groups were entertained in a
host's "salon" or the community "opera
house", when folks could buy direct from
the artist in his or her studio, when
local or regional bands were all the rave.
The major touring groups with their large
entourage, budgets, and ticket prices,
will continue to be popular. The major
shows of arts and crafts with attendance
measured in the tens of thousands over a
two-day period will go on. But now those
of us who enjoy more personal
entertainment and shopping can do so
without leaving the comfort and security
of these old hills. All we have to do is
to search the Internet and other local
off-line publications for news of area
events, and in doing so support our
friends and neighbors here in the Central
Ozarks.
|
Don't forget to
attend the Old Silver Mine Days
Crafts Festival to be held on
September 12, 13, & 14
2003
to be held on the
Wal-Mart parking lot in
conjunction with the Wal-Mart
Bass Fishing Tourament.
Call Michael Haynes at
417-272-8881
for more
information.
|
|
