Great interview. It's important to recognize that Kevin has linked up with Submerge 100% to make the festival happen this year. It's a very tall order and there will be a lot of loose ends given the financial situation, but we should give these guys total support.
I also want to endorse the idea of the festival, as it goes forward, providing assistance to rebuilding the music programs in Detroit schools. All of the history of Detroit music -- jazz, soul, techno and more -- is immersed in the music programs of the elementary and high school systems over the decades. You simply cannot have a musical scene in a city of any serious consequence that doesn't have that as a starting point for kids who otherwise are mere consumers of whatever is provided from commercial music. Even a little bit goes a long way to help school music program, and most of all some attention to "extracurricular" activities which have been defunded in our country's mad rush to siphon support from the public sector and to concentrate wealth. I gather it's a real mixed situation right now. On the one hand, the new Detroit School for the Arts is just opening. On the other, the city may close more than 30 schools at the end of the school year. Music, art and other programs are being cut dramatically. My dad was a musician and composer and all my family went through music programs in our schools (and my sister makes her living as a piano teacher). Not everyone will end up doing things directly related to their exposure to school music programs, but it has a substantial effect on all of us. http://detroitchess.com/music.htm http://www.freep.com/news/education/newschool1e_20050301.htm ++fred
