Smoke and mirrors

My lyrics and I adore electric guitars, effects boxes, drum kits and moxy rock and we abhor taking them out to smokey bars to play. But at this stage, we don't have many choices.

Tonight I gird my loins in machine washables to hear my friend play in one of the best listening venues of the land. John's impressive songs and sounds will permeate my insides and so will a whole lotta smoke. Then I'll go home, disinfect the hair and wardrobe and wonder how tomorrow's recording of vocals will fly, post smoke inhalation.

I went to the White Stripes' unforgettable show in the State Theater downtown Cleveland. Nobody smokes there -- the joint's too classy. Did the audience miss the foggy hipness of the rock club? Did we squirm in our velvet seats, gawk at the ornate ceilings? Hardly. Jack and Meg White obliterated our sense of space. They had us on our feet the whole time and who could notice anything but their art? I took deep gulps of exquisite sound waves cutting through clean air. It was delicious.

How much am I willing to sacrifice for the music I love? Until rock bands taste the big time, we play in 'clubs' (to spiff up the image a bit). It's a simple formula: alcohol sales=revenue=$ to pay the band. In Cleveland, smoke and alcohol are joined at the hip; health and music got divorced in Vegas way back when. You've got to prove yourself worthy of a better formula: a zillion avid fans=ticket sales=$ to pay the band (alcohol and cigarettes can go make out in the parking lot).

There's a statewide movement toward the clean indoor air embraced by Florida, California, New York City, Toledo & Columbus OH and even pub-rich Ireland. Meanwhile, musicians play the hazy halls: we love this music even more than health itself. Logic tells me our non-smoking listeners, who make the same sacrifice for their favorite bands, would gladly pay for a ticket to hear them smoke free. Bar owners tend to resist this formula -- the old one is so easy, if you suspend your better judgment long enough. The crusade is on to shed the obfuscation. Stay tuned.