RHYTHM & RAIN  In any decent sized city or town, there are a lot or a few nightclubs, restaurants, bars, and other venues where rock bands and other musicians perform live – in a tradition that extends back to the mists of pre-history. As a tourist area, the Mississippi Gulf Coast region has more than its share I imagine. Our weekly “Marquee” insert in the local newspaper SunHerald has a full page or more devoted just to the bars and nightclubs that mostly feature local bands. One of those bars, The Inn Zone was and still is on Highway 90 around the corner from where I lived in Ocean Springs from 1999 to 2002; and a local band that is still active called Rhythm & Rain was on their marquee in that time period nearly every weekend. I imagine that the bandmembers have day jobs, but this goes to show that musicians can have some measure of renown, not to mention an income stream entirely on a local level. (December 2015) |