Appreciating a solo musician is a dying art these days; we're raised to pay attention to the one who talks loudest--not best or most wisely. Listening, that most fundamental of life skills, is lacking. Not everyone is this way; and there are people who are unsatisfied with most entertainment offered today. The Song Walk provides an opportunity to step outside of the realm of conventional culture; a chance to hear artists who are not always the loudest, but who have powerful messages to share. It's a chance to listen; and a chance for the artists to perform for audiences who are eager to hear them.
Traditionally, solo acoustic music (often placed under the rubric "folk") has borne messages of social consciousness. Though there are many areas in which they are expressed superficially, in this day and age there is a real lack of media through which such messages may be expressed with any real depth. At this time we need these messages to be said and heard, and we need the conversation they engender. Hopefully, the Song Walk, in providing a venue for these messages' expression, will likewise provide a forum for discussion--another traditional aspect of this art form.
Flagstaff's musical community is incredibly rich and diverse; the Song Walk provides a chance to appreciate and support it.
