Once in a while, somebody has to say something good about Baltimore...

This is a small bit for something I am writing for my new zine. If you want to read the current issue, check out the link at the bottom of the post!

In so many ways, the city I have made my home is a very difficult place. Crime and murder, bad city Government, an underlying level of mistrust among hardened souls. It is easy to become jaded and apathetic about everything. But conversely, I can’t think of a better place for an artist trying to learn his or her craft.

In many ways, Baltimore, home of John Waters and the Visionary Arts Museum and Hampden and the Pigtown Races was the perfect place for an act like mine to get started. Unlike New York or L.A, the atmosphere is not cutthroat or even very competitive. The natural tendency of anyone performing in this town is to understand ones’ place in the universe. Which is to say, while there are those who rise to the top and move on, there are those who simply exist and that is okay, too. In my time here I have seen one man bands, noise groups, punk bands who could barely play their instruments, even a little girl who used to perform with a man who played guitar for the adults.

There is plenty of room even for a guy like me, who doesn’t even play an instrument...

Davezine Number Fourteen: The Bad Roommates Issue, available now!
http://davecookson.tripod.com/Davezin...