Support for ‘traditional and authentic approach’
Editor’s note: The Town of Nashville withdrew the proposed noise ordinance on Feb. 24.
To the editor:
My name is Merrie Sloan and I have been a local performing musician for 30 years. I was 16 in 1988 when my family moved to Brown County. My love affair with singing for a crowd was seeded on the stage of The Playhouse in 1989 when I sang a duet in the Brown County High School production of Godspell.
I worked above and frequented The Daily Grind when it featured acoustic acts every Saturday night. I can remember the day John Franz hitchhiked into town and began busking in the courtyard below where many of us locals would gather. That guy had an amazing tenor that was decisively clear. I’d open the windows of the leather shop and sing along with all of his songs. He kept a tattered list that he sang over and over in his wallet. In 1992 I met Tommy Simmons and Chris Little and then I was part of a folk act playing in the coffee shop. We would often busk in Antique Alley and shop owners would show their appreciation for elevating the space with song in hopes of coaxing the crowd into the cove. John Franz was eventually kicked out of his spot in Calvin Place and landed his infamous corner spot on the main drag. Just him and his guitar. No microphone.
My musical life led me to the halls of Bloomington in 1999 which has largely been my home since. I have performed locally at outdoor festivals in Brown County and spots in town like Muddy Boots, Big Woods and The Pine Room. Traditional busking in Nashville has blossomed since the years I lived and worked there.
I find it to be a testament to the welcoming spirit of artistic collaboration and to the magic of art and nature that Nashville can embody. It also speaks to the life and vivacity of a community of people who live there making music. People come to visit because it really is so beautiful when those leaves give their annual show! People keep coming back because they are reminded of a simpler time.
Sometimes people, like my family and maybe even yours, come here to live for those very reasons. Nashville is a destination and it is also a place where people live. There has always been a balance necessary for the benefit of all between the needs of the business to thrive and the residents to peacefully reside in what sometimes is a very, very busy place! Everybody really wants to be a good neighbor. If we are rigorously honest with ourselves we might find it is because everyone ultimately wants to have good neighbors.
I got to spend some consistent street time in Nashville in the fall of 2021 when I took a seasonal job. I was immediately perplexed by why whoever was playing on Franz’s corner had a mini amp and microphone. It seemed as soon as I was out of earshot of an amplified musician I would hit the sounds of another act that I would find on the next corner. Instead of an invitation to listen to music, it felt more like a demand to be listened to. It didn’t feel like bringing just art to the streets but the bar along with it. I was left feeling like some of the magic about town was drowned out; the quiet corners where, as if like a mirage, you may find art or music being made where moments before you couldn’t even imagine it or hear it, much less a block away. It just didn’t settle with my romanticized aesthetic of music on the streets in Nashville.
I feel compelled to weigh in on the conversation in support of pulling the reins on the sound frequency and encouraging a more traditional and perhaps authentic approach to live performance in outdoor spaces. I have heard there is a strong sentiment that the proposed ordinance is anti-musician. I don’t see it that way at all. When contrasted with the current ordinance one can find that the new proposal is actually attempting to facilitate music on the streets. Under the current (and oops? unenforced) ordinance many of the outdoor performances are in violation.
This proposal is clearly not about shutting anything down or preventing people from making music on the streets. This is an adult-ing moment where civics and discourse are still an option to come to an agreement that serves all parties. I would say to my fellow musicians, from my professional standpoint there is a way to keep doing what everyone is doing with less intensity and more reverence. It’s about being a good neighbor and honoring the spirit of place, like the quiet invitation the fall leaves make to just notice their brilliance in that deep blue sky. The very reason many of us found ourselves in this town, making a life.
Merrie Sloan, Bloomington, formerly of Brown County
‘Monitoring decibels more effective than imposing ordinance’
Editor’s note: The Town of Nashville withdrew the proposed noise ordinance on Feb. 24.
To the editor:
Everyone seems to be all bent out of shape about their rights in the town of Nashville Indiana.
So, who do we infringe upon to take away their rights? Will it be the residents who live in the downtown area of Nashville? How about the shop owners who provide a shopping haven for tourists? Or how about the musicians who historically play for peanuts downtown and get a lot of flak for playing too loud?
What about the numerous motorcycle riders who come to our town in a rumble to enjoy the peace and quiet? Do we need to have an ambulance, fire truck or police car shut off their high decibel sirens through downtown to satisfy everyone?
We all want our lives to be quiet, but it will have to be inclusive to provide equity for everyone.
There is a neutral ground when it comes to sound.
I agree with some that there is a difference between noise and music. I just don’t agree on who is making music and who is making noise, if you know what I mean.
The town council wants a quiet peaceful town that people can walk around and shop and there will be no conflict. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want that.
Since I am a musician and I play downtown, I believe the town council needs to consider that music is an art expression and when played at the proper decibel level and can be enjoyed by all. And since musicians for all practical purposes play for free, they should not have to pay to play. If the council wants to charge the venue owner then, that should be negotiated and taken out of the musician’s fee. Just kidding! But to what end? Does the council need the funds to continue to operate? We could take up a donation jar just like musicians do when they play and have enough to buy a tank of gas at the end of the day.
As one who has studied audio, I would also say that music or noise is best enjoyed at around 85 decibels. Anything above that can be annoying. When you get into emergency sirens, you are into 120 dB and above which is harmful after five minutes. You must consider how far the amplified music is reaching out and that is where the problem starts. Sound drops off by 6 decibels every time you double the distance from the speaker. So, at three feet, 85 dB would be 79 dB at six feet and 73 dB at 12 feet and so on. If you are in a small venue downtown, a distance of 25 feet from the speaker would generate about 67 dB which is about a normal speaking voice of 65 dB. Sound is the same no matter who you are or what you are hearing.
So, musicians need to dial in their speakers to fit the venue they are playing at. So, in downtown you would not have that issue if we all use a decibel meter before we play music outside. Rather than require a fee of $150, why not have a meter check before a show by the venue and then everyone can be happy.
To all the starving musicians out there, I hear you loud and clear.
Curtis Moore, Nashville
Thanks to artists for participation in exhibit
To the editor:
We wish to thank the many artists who participated in the 2023 Patron &Young Artist Exhibition that ran from Jan. 21 to Feb. 18, 2023 at the Brown County Art Guild. A reception and awards ceremony was held Feb. 18. The People’s Choice awards went to Patron Artist Gary Jursik for “Dutch Obsession” Oil &to Young Artist Eleanora Berretta for “Untitled” Acrylic.
Please visit our website https://browncountyartguild.org/event/patron-young-artist-exhibition for a further list of award winners.
Our appreciation extends to exhibition judge Jeff Hagen, award sponsors Gary &Patricia Rhoden Bartels, and pianist Timothy Reed &his music students. Additional thanks go to those who attended the exhibit &reception. We encourage all area artists to participate in the Patron &Young Artist Exhibition in January 2024!
Andra Walters, Executive Director, Brown County Art Guild
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