Music in all of its forms has a variety of effects on everyone but retains a commonality that defines the very essence of its soul. Music is so much a part of each one of us that many times we take it, and the artists and musicians that create it, for granted. I don't think it is intentional but sometimes, the part of music that appeals to us all, the familiarity of the rhythm or lyrics or music, makes us believe that its existence has been timeless. We tend to forget that the music was created for a specific purpose by a specific songwriter or songwriters and that although we relate to the music in a manner that is very possessive, we have been given the privilege of doing so by the people who created the compositions. Many times, we forget them and the efforts that they put into these "personal" creations.

Songwriting is an art, not much unlike painting, where an individual takes a canvas and from that canvas, a picture magically appears. The songwriter's canvas is a piece of paper, or in this age of computers, a white screen. The songwriter's brushes and paints are the guitar and piano, or in this age of computers, a midi program. The variety of colours on the canvas are the variety of words and notes that are used to construct the musical piece and have it appear out of nowhere for you the listener.

Songwriting is indeed an art, and we have some of the best songwriters in New Brunswick, right here on this River! Since beginning our "In the Kitchen - a Songwriter's Circle" series last November, we have been witness to an amazing array of songwriting talent in a relatively short period. What we have to do now is expose this talent to a broader audience and make sure the audiences we have here appreciate the complexity and quality of the talent they are hearing.

Music is a very large part of the lifestyle in Miramichi and that is one of the reasons I enjoy living here. Unfortunately, it is also one of the reasons why many people have a tendency to take what we have here for granted. The adage that "if you're from here then you can't be that good" doesn't cut it with me. In fact, if you want to get into a long- winded and far reaching discussion with me just start talking about that and I guarantee that you will be here for so long you'll have to take out a sub-lease on a piece of my floor. In the 15 years I have been involved in the music industry in New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada, I have heard many new and established songwriters in a variety of styles but none better than what I heard here in the last three months.

We have a wealth of untapped talent on the Miramichi and I think it's about time we stand up and make note of it. The music industry in New Brunswick is very diverse but it is also in its early stages of development. We have the opportunity here to take part in its development but it will take a concerted effort by everyone to help promote what we have. I hope this column in the weeks and months to come will be a small step towards recognizing the talent we have right under our noses.

But there are many things that each and every one of us can do to help this cause. One way is to support the local artists by purchasing their product. Recorded music in whatever form has become increasingly more accessible to everyone. CD burners and high-speed cassette duplicators are common place in most homes today. But consider this the next time you think about making a copy of that local artists' recording. The cost of recording a CD or cassette locally ranges from a very low $2,500 to a high of $15,000 depending on how and where you record it and how many pieces of product you receive. A lot of local artists try to finance their recording project by pooling the money they make from local gigs. Most bands do not have many opportunities to play here and actually be paid a good wage so the short fall is made up from money out of their own pocket. The hope is that they can recover the money once it is sold on the open market. That's right folks, sold! It may not seem like much, but for every copy that you make you may be preventing the artist from recovering his/her money and endangering future recording projects since they cannot recover the money they already have invested in their CD. Think about it!

The other way of supporting the artist is fairly obvious. If they are playing somewhere on the River, take the time to go out and see them even if it costs a couple of bucks to get in the door. People routinely pay $15, $20, $30 or more to see concerts by so called big names acts but are very reluctant to pay even $5 to see someone who happens to call this place home. I don't know about you but to me that's quite a contradiction.

This leads me to the third way of supporting local artists. Some of us, through our affiliation with various organizations and societies are sometimes in a position where we are organizing an event that requires entertainment. Well, as the slogan goes "Shop Local"! It absolutely amazes me when I see meetings, festivals and conventions being held on this river and local entertainers are obvious by their absence. Now, in all fairness, there are some people that are hiring local entertainers for their events and my applause goes out to them, but there are many, too many, that are not. And "hire" is the operative word here. Don't expect to get local entertainment for nothing just because you happen to know the people that will be on the stage. Recognize that this is an industry that contributes to the economy of the area. Would you always expect to receive products or services for free from your grocer, mechanic or clothing store? I think not! So why would you expect to receive a service from an entertainer for nothing?

Don't answer that unless you want to take out a sub-lease on a piece of my floor. Listen folks, these people who are honing their craft of songwriting and singing and entertaining have put a lot of time and money into developing their product. Don't belittle their efforts by not offering to pay for their services.

Oh well, I guess that's enough rambling for this one. I hope to highlight many of our local artists and entertainers as well as musical events in future columns. I'll also try to keep the ranting to a minimum. Anyone with ideas or comments about this column, or if you need information about any of the artists or events that will be featured here, email me at music@saltwatersounds.com.

Paul McGraw is the principal owner of Saltwater Sounds, a 2002 & 2003 nominee for East Coast Music Awards Retailer of the Year. He has been actively involved in New Brunswick's Music Industry for the last 15 years, not only as a performer and songwriter but also as a member of organizations such as the NBMIA, Music/Musique NB, The N.B. Arts Council and the ECMA. Paul is one half of the lively and entertaining duo of Connie and Paul, who have been entertaining audiences throughout the Maritimes since 1987.