the hum / By Bob Doran

Organic Gumbo

Fortuna may have lost its all-ages haven Out of the Sun, but the scensters persevere. Monday, Aug. 25, they’re throwing an end-of-summer back-to-school all-ages punk rock bash at the Fortuna Vet’s Hall with four bands: Nural, The Material, A Farewell Device andThis Dying Wish.

And so it begins. With the students back in town, CenterArts kicks of its new season Tuesday with two shows at once. Aussie folk rockersThe Waifs are in the Van Duzer playing tunes like the title track from their fine new album, sundirtwater: “Well if your holding out on something, then just reach and we’ll rise above — give me Sun, give me Dirt, give me Water, give me sweet everlasting love.” Meanwhile in the Kate Buchanan Room British roots RastasSteel Pulse lay down some serious reggae led by the dreadlocked David Hinds.

Then Thursday HSU’s Associated Students take over with HumWeek 2008(apparently named in tribute to this column) withOzomatli, Brett Dennen, !!! and Upright Citizens Brigade. More details next week. Advance warning from Mike Dronkers: “Brett Dennen will perform live on KHUM 104.3/104.7 during the noon hour on Thursday, Aug. 28.”

Between the free exchange of music in the digital age and the rising cost of touring, how does a musician make a living? That question arose when I talked with Jason Munning, lead guitarist for the San Francisco-based folk/country/rock band Ten Mile Tide. Jason and his twin brother Justin are out front in the band, who have a sound that reminds me of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. (Jason had not heard of them.) The money thing came up because I noticed that all of the bands recordings were available as free downloads on their website.

“I wonder how independent bands ever did it,” said Jason. “Everyone talks about how file-sharing make it hard for musicians to make money, but the fact is, as an independent band, if we hadn’t given our music away for free, people wouldn’t have heard of us and no one would be buying our CDs. We went the other extreme and promoted giving the music away: Download it, burn it, post it, whatever. That model might scare some record labels, but it’s brought us a following. Believe it or not people still buy our records from the website, to give as gifts or maybe just to support us. We found that it increased our touring income. That’s where bands make most of their money today.”

He admits that it’s harder with current fuel prices. “We focus on anchor dates, private shows, weddings, or festivals where we make more money. At this point we have those coming in. It would have been hard to start off cold, and the truth is, we’re still trying to figure out how to make it all work.”

Wanna do your part? Ten Mile Tide plays Friday at the Red Fox Tavern. Pay that cover and don’t spend too much on drinks. Buy the damned CD after the show so they can fill the gas tank.

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