Dear Editor,
Re: Spaces designed to connect seniors, News, March 14, 2019
I’m reading that some on council want to tear down the old Minoru Aquatic Centre and some want to refurbish it for other uses.
I generally refer to Richmond as the place where music goes to die as we’re practically bereft of live music in this city. Maybe I’m biased because I spent close to 25 years in the music industry, but I’ve never seen a city with so little live music. Yes, we have the occasional performances at Britannia and the Salmon Festival is a good, one-day musical event. In general however, there isn’t much. Richmond doesn’t even allow buskers for reasons beyond any logical explanation. The local pubs do almost nothing for musicians.
Music is part of the fabric of any community and musicians these days find it increasingly difficult to find places to play in order to hone their craft. Why couldn’t the old centre be converted into such a place? Even if it was designated a live music venue for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, it would be a step in the right direction. Open mic, blues, country nights, tribute bands, local album launches — there’s almost no end to the options.
For lovers of actual live music, we’d have somewhere local to go instead of into Vancouver and places like Blue Frog Studios in White Rock. And local musicians would have their local community close at hand to support them.
We need to improve the cultural landscape and live music is the ingredient that’s been missing for far too long.
Donald Grant
RICHMOND
