ION INDIE MAGAZINE March 2015, Volume 10 | Page 133

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For many musicians, Jam Night at the local night club or music venue is the opportunity to play before a live
audience, meet up with friends, try out your chops and polish your stage personae. I spent years and years
driving all over to jam at this club and that. I recently read an editorial by a musician complaining that all
Jam Night does is provide liquor manufacturers free labor to draw patrons in to consume their product.
Perhaps so, but I personally go jam every chance I get, searching for the perfect guitar solo the way a surfer
seeks out the perfect wave.
I would have never developed my skill, chops, showmanship, total lack of stage fright fear and passion for
live music without spending my whole 20’s and 30’s at jam night. It is essential for musicians to get out and
play for live audiences. It also keeps the local live music scene going. As far as the argument that no one
ever got a record deal from being "discovered at Jam Night"...I almost did. When I was 24 (a long time ago),
I was approached by a gentleman in a Country Western bar (you heard right, I jammed with everybody!) one
Sunday night when I was playing. He claimed to be a talent scout from Nashville, and said I was one of the
best guitarists he'd ever seen. I was downright rude to the guy, telling him you expect me to believe a big
time talent scout from Nashville is in this crummy dive in a blizzard on a Sunday night, looking for
“Tomorrow’s Stars”? I asked him if I looked stupid. Sure enough, two weeks later I came back to jam on
Sunday and found out he really WAS a big label talent scout. Well, life is funny, you just never know. But
please go out and support local music with your consumer dollar for all the right reasons.
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THE BIG LOVE FEST comes to Akron, Ohio's MUSICA COMPLEX
Saturday, February 28th. Event organizer ZACH FRIEDHOF hosts the
day-long, activity-filled gala for the second year as an accomplished
live performer of 14 years, and co-founder of THE AKRON PEACE
PROJECT.
“About five years ago, a friend and I looked around the community and
saw a need. And inspired by Gandhi, we decided to set out and fill that
need" states Zach, whose 15th studio release is entitled "The
Antidote". He continues, "I am very impressed with what our (Akron)
music scene has to offer, and Northeast Ohio in general. We have Soul,
we have Folk, we have kind of gypsy-like musicians here and great
bands like THE HELP and THE ANGIE HAZE PROJECT."
Photo credit: Kevin Richards

To learn about the Big Love Fest, visit: https://www.facebook.com/BigLoveAkron
For information on The Akron Peace Project and their activities, visit: www.akronpeaceproject.org