Bad music, bad scene

We just returned from a show in the Halifax region, Nova Scotia. Overall it was an interesting event but not highly successful for us.

Not only did we have the purported economic woes ravaging the attendees, but we had to endure psych warfare, a la Barney the Purple Dinosaur plays Iraq. We all know that music affects mood and we know that we will play certain types of music for certain occasions in order to match our own desired mood. The Barney reference stems from Ronson's Men Who Stare at Goats, for those that are curious.

The context for this particular Craft Show is that for the third year in a row, sales have declined, and attendance is nearing dismal proportions, and for the third year, a certain pair of "wailin' ginnys" has performed live at the show along with having their CD's on near constant rotation. I am not saying that music is the only thing that can make a show but I am now convinced that music has the ability to break one.

In this case, the ladies are not completely melodic nor are they particularly perky sounding. The lyrics to their Christmas music goes something like this: I'm happy you are coming home for Christmas (sniff sniff, moan groan) It's going to be a wonderful time (except now I have to cook a turkey dinner) I have wanted you home for so long now (but preferably at home in the graveyard) You have been missed at every dinner before (and I could really stand to miss you again) Welcome home for Christmas (but maybe I'll get lucky and get you with the car) this year..... All of these happy merry Christmas tunes sung to approximately the same melody in 4/4 time that took twice as long to play as it should.

My real issue with non-perky music at a show is that not only is it wearing on us as vendors, tiring us prematurely, but is also wearing on the attendees who have a substantial mood change with sad music. Hands go back in pockets, heads go down, frowns appear and the shopping stops cold. They soon wander back to their cars with morose spirits only to drive home with certainty that this was a bad show to attend, there was nothing worth looking at let alone buy, and the vendors were all cranky and tired, and there's just no point in going again.

So the thought for anyone planning a craft or arts show is that you should try really hard to have a nice upbeat mix of music, no operatic renditions of carols, no religious stuff, and no sad, sad tunes EVER!