??Music?? on the Squares
 

I couldn't agree more. The Villages definition of "LIVE" music these days these days is sad.

Worse yet is that the majority of people don't seem to care As long as there is a beat that they can line dance to they are fine.

As a musician, I can tell you about the hours spent over getting just the right chord or harmony only to watch the audience move back and forth like robots counting their steps with a blank look on their face.

But then why pay five or six talented musician when you can pay one computer operator or some guy to dance around in silly costumes "entertaining" the masses?

Sad.

I like all the music ! The one advantage about DJs or one of the singers that has tracks on their computer is they play all of the new popular songs out now. They can download the track right on the spot.
As for line dancing, I think it's great that women or men with no spouse or significant other have an opportunity to get some dancing in with friends an enjoy the square.
I love it that we have a mix of entertainment for everyone's taste.
If someone doesn't want to listen to a DJ, just go to one of the other squares. That way everyone should be happy.

Stdole
 

Dr. Winston.... I must agree with your post. There are a few talented entertainers.

During the breaks... the same songs and same "dancers" counting the steps, at 3 different Squares.

I would rather see entertainment 1 or 2 nights per weeks at the Squares
with talent as opposed to seven days per week. No town has that much talent performing 21 groups per week 52 weeks per year.

Now the music can be mixed.. Jazz, Country, Oldies, etc...

Don't know about the squares this Friday night, but Eaton's Beach has a great live band that night from 5:00 - 9:00. I know I will be there. Open invitation to all that want to join us!

Second Slice has played at Eaton Beach. They are an awesome band.

Is it y'all?

I mean, is it y'all's band?

:a20: yes, it is!

I love Scooter......he's got a computer, but also personality......:wave:

EXCELLENT use of apostrophes, Gracie!!!!

Unfortunately this is all true. The quality of music has declined over the last few years as the musicians have been replaced by a guy with a laptop. To me there is nothing like a good live band. As a musician myself I truly appreciate the hard work and these folks onstage put in.

Apostrophy abuse is not taken lightly 'round these here parts.

:agree:

I agree some of the entertainment (I can't call it music) at the Squares is very bad. I also feel it has gone down hill the last few years. I enjoy a live band, Uncle Bob's Rock Shop is very good as is Bobby Blackmon & the B3 Band. I would enjoy seeing more local bands perform. I have seen Vinyl Recall perform many times and would love to see them at the Squares. Anyone know who we can contact to express our opinions on the entertainment?

I have been away from the town squares for some time now so i hadn't been aware of this situation. I recall that Rocky and the Rollers packed them in?

does anyone have an idea why this has all gone down hill

I think it's a matter of them saving money in the so-called "off" season. However we were at Brownwood on Saturday night and they had a guy with a laptop and the place was packed from side to side and top to bottom.

Of course at LSL and Brownwood Morse & Co. has figured out some scam to get Sumter County taxpayer dollars to pay for the acts there, so I'm surprised that they are not using all live bands since they're not paying for it.

Rocky and the Rollers perform to a standing room only crowd EVERY time they play at any of the squares! They also sell out TWO cruises each February.

There are other good groups as well as some mediocre ones but everyone who comes to the squares has fun no matter who performs.

My pet peeve....Have you ever noticed that they will play 20 fast dance songs then a slow dance one and 95% of the audience will get up to dance and fill the floor? A
It's not just here as I've seen this everywhere. When a slow dance piece is played there is a crowded dance floor. Fast dance is fine and I like it too, but they need to look at what brings out the people and in the long run what brings back the people. We very rarely go out to dance at the squares now because we know we'd be spending most of the time setting waiting for a slow song.

Dj's are great and should be contracted to keep the music going during the bands' breaks. However, there should be live music every night. There are plenty of musicians in the area and the Villages should make good on their advertised promises of live entertainment every night. Vary the types of music more --big band, country, rock and roll, jazz, classical, zydeco, r&b. Heck, I could even listen to a good singer with a keyboard, or a "sing-along" pianist like on a cruise ship. Just publish the genre of music along with the names of the performers and I will know to stay home on disco, rap, and heavy-metal nights!

I didn't mean to give the impression that I am against line dancing or any kind of dancing for that matter. If people enjoy dancing, let them.

It's just frustrating to me, as a musician when you work hard to get things sounding good and you look out at the audience and most of them don't care.

It also bothers me that so many musicians can't get work because of the computer operators. And, as has been pointed out, The Villages advertises "LIVE MUSIC" seven nights a week. A guy with a computer is not live music. One person singing to tracks is technically live music, but it's actually live singing to recordings.

It's not the fault of the people singing and playing to tracks, I might end up doing that myself someday. It's the fact that people that hire entertainment don;t want to pay enough for a full band.

That was Scooter the DJ. He has a big following. People here love him. He's a great entertainer and everyone has a lot of fun.

Rocky usually does 2 or 3 fast then a slow. That's a good way to do it.

I guess I am just a big party pooper, but I would rather have fewer nights with entertainment if they are going to have a DJ. If money is an issue, have 1 live band each night at 1 of the squares, with DJ's at the other squares. Nothing against the DJs, but it just isn't what I would want. I agree that Scooter is the exception, but he really works the crowd.

I must agree with Dr. Boogie. My husband played in various bands in NYC for 40 years - classic rock, southern rock, acoustic material, trios, duos, 4 and 5 piece bands. His bands opened for The Gregg Allman Band, Zebra (huge in the City and L.I.), Mountain...anyway, we looked forward to the live bands when we moved down here, not because we dance (we don't) but we love most music genres. We've stopped going to any of the Squares. Too many times we were enticed by the captions of "exciting duo" or "fun singer" in Section D of The Sun. Invariably, it was a singer with canned music, and we'd leave. DJs are fine if you dance. Give me a real band any day. The advertising of "Live Music" every evening is a joke.

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I don't think the poor entertainment is seasonal. I recall it being pretty sad last winter too. They don't want to spend the money for quality music.

Keep music alive. Use live musicians.

Small Minority
 

My guess is that your proposal would be counted as a very, very small minority if the question were ever put to a vote.

Don't Forget...
 

Unlike earlier years when the Developer probably subsidized the long-advertised 365 night music on the squares, that subsidy has probably been removed now that The Villages is in the process of final build out.

The entertainment on the squares had a dual purpose. One was to entertain the residents. But the other was to draw large crowds of people into the commercial town square areas to spend in the businesses that pay the stiff rents charged there. With no music on the squares, how well would the restaurants, bars, ice cream shops, etc. do with no one wandering around town?

I believe the entertainment is funded by the central business district from funds collected as part of the rental income from businesses leasing in the downtown areas. In that sense, there is a budget for entertainment, I'm sure. The Entertainment Department does a pretty good job of contracting with acts that are willing to perform for four hours with ten minute breaks each hour for a modest fee. (I've talked to some of those performing in the squares and their fees are in fact very modest.)

But more than anything, I doubt that anyone could convince anything close to a majority of Villagers to give up their nightly entertainment--even if they only participate occasionally.

If the businesses around the squares see business dropping off and attribute that decline to weak entertainment, I would expect some retailer "music activism" as they are the ones in a position to effect change.

We avoid going if it is a duo or DJ, or worse, a single performer. Just not interested. (Haven't seen "Scooter", Bonnie, maybe we should check him out)

But I must say, we have seen half a dozen great groups! (Besides Rocky and the Rollers) and we are new residents.

"M-pire" was awesome. 8 piece group. 3 guitars, a sax, 2 vocalists. Check them out!

I personally feel that it needs to be 4-5 artists to be called a "band". I want drums and any brass is the frosting on the cake!

Today I fly back home to The Villages from Ca and can't wait for my hubby and I to hit the pool and a square for some music after my long flight! Hope we have good options!

We do love the squares and the people watching is always good, regardless!!
But there's nothing like a great band on a breezy summer evening!!

The nightly music here on the squares is free, unlike admission and drinks to ANY venue in NYC or anywhere else. To us what's a "joke"--a really bad joke--is the cost of a night out in NYC, and the lack of personal safety to walk around at night as we have here in TV.

The merchants and developers are our hosts at these nightly town square gatherings. A host should be treated with respect and a gracious thank-you, not public trashing and condescension.

We enjoy all kinds of music - CDs, radio, live performances and DJs. Some of the music at the squares is fantastic and some is just okay. The good thing is there is a lot of variety. We don't line dance but are planning to take some lessons since line dancing seems to be so popular at the squares.
We went to Brownwood a few days ago and listened to and danced to 3 for the Road. They were excellent yet Brownwood was nearly deserted.

I am sure it will be lots of fun at Eaton's Beach this Friday. We are sorry to miss it but hopefully there will be many more to enjoy.

Amen brother!!!:22yikes:

I so agree. After having played professionally in the 70s, weddings, new years events, parties and club dates of all kinds, we put a lot into getting it right. Guitar, bass, drums, horns and vocals. Were we perfect, no, but damn good. Played a lot of Chicago, CCR, EWF, 60s and of course Standards. I feel that most people on the Squares only hear a beat, not the MUSIC. Some of these musicians are really good, some are destined to be playing the squares where the liquor makes it sound better than it may be.

Payment per performance on square
 

What is the average payment for performers on the squares?

There is the magic word..."FREE". Morse Industries promised FREE music. They never said what music..but "FREE" music/entertainment. Therefore it could be nothing more than a Wurlizter juke box on the stage with and a guy with a roll of quarters. It's FREE. That sorta-kinda ends people's right to complain about it. Enjoy it or don't..that's your choice but the price of admission is right.

Kahuna has it right..so much of what "used to be" were marketing tools for TV. Whatever you think of WVLG it's little more than a program-length commercial for TV. Much of what Villagers currently take for granted has been done for the purpose of promoting the SALE of homes in TV. What happens when there's nothing more to sell? Doesn't mean that everything goes away but there's much less pressure on Morse & Co. to provide "goodies".

The times they could be a changin'

IMHO, the averages may not tell the whole story.

EXAMPLE: M-PIRE out of Orlando performs here in The Villages.
Their BASE RATE per Evening is $ 5,000.00

Rocky and The Rollers probably CLOSE to that $ amount

Other Performers= NOT Even Close to the above Bands.

I so agree. It's free !! I love it all. Where else in the world could we go that has 3 squares with music every night and such a wide variety ! Something for everyone ! We all have different tastes, favorite bands, favorite groups or singers. If you don't like one, you go to another. Sit and listen or get up and dance. Livin' the dream !! :clap2:

M-pire was awesome. Hope they keep coming out to the squares!!!