Whilst big gigs might steal the limelight it's the regular activities of organisations like music clubs and societies that keep the musical flame burning on a week to week basis.

It can be something that happens on an informal level such as the monthly blues jams at Driver's Bar or regular jams at Mount Mellick, Armazem and other venues at the Mount, or it can be more formalised like the regular sessions of the Tauranga Acoustic Music Club or Katikati Folk Club, but it is these gatherings – be they country music or classic rock – that add vibrancy to the music scene.

One thing about these clubs is that they are always evolving. Perhaps a venue they are using will change management and a new location needs to be found. Or perhaps the guys in charge of the club will step down – this is, after all, always volunteer work – and a new committee will have different ideas as to how things should be run. There is always a state of flux.

Jam it up
There's a certain irony that the two most difficult times for clubs can be when they're not very popular and when they're very popular. The problems associated with not being very popular are fairly obvious. But the problems with being over-popular are just as real.

Most music clubs have jam nights. A common format is to alternate events which are effectively 'blackboard concerts” or jam sessions with more formal concerts. But popularity of those jam nights tends to bring in people who want to play music that might not strictly fit with the remit of the club. The Tauranga Acoustic Music Club recognised this. They used to be called the Tauranga Folk Club but the fact that many people turning up were playing acoustic instruments but not necessarily folk music led to them broadening their approach.

In Rotorua there are regular concerts and jam nights organised by the Bay of Plenty Blues Club. They were experiencing similar difficulties: many of the people turning up to jam were less interested in the blues per se than just having a jam. So Stevie Ray Vaughan tunes become Hendrix tunes, which become Credence tunes which become any rock tunes with a bluesy influence which become any rock tunes at all.

Muddy combo
They came up with a novel solution which other clubs could benefit from emulating. Instead of adding more rules to the jam session ('you Must play blues... etc”) they organised a competition with a few small prizes donated by local music shops. At jam night you could win a prize if you played a Muddy Waters song. If you played three Muddy Waters songs (three songs is the limit for jam nights) you automatically got a prize.

The result was fantastic. Nearly every act played at least one Muddy waters tune, several doing the full three. Not only did it make for a great night of blues but it meant that many Rotorua acts now have Muddy Waters tunes in their repertoire which they will continue to play at other gigs thus spreading the music far and wide. Their plan is to repeat this with other famous blues artists. Good call.
(And we can be proud that the grand prize for the best take on a Muddy tune during the night went to Tauranga's B-Side Band for a spirited rendition of 'Tiger In My Tank”.)

One club here in town that has continually see-sawed between wild popularity and empty seats is the Jazz Club, which until recently held monthly meetings with two bands each time at the RSA in Greerton. After some months of poor attendance it has been decided to wind it up for the time being and, hopefully, relaunch it in a different format
They're having a special meeting this Sunday (April 21, 2.00pm) at the Bureta Park Motor Inn to discuss options for starting again. They have a good possible venue in Bureta Park itself but all those tricky bits like 'do you stick with just jazz or broaden the musical base?” will need to be thrashed out.

I hope they get it sorted; the city needs its jazz club. Everyone is welcome on Sunday so this might be a perfect chance to meet a few new people and get involved.