Over the last year since my kids started their band I’ve had the opportunity to rub shoulders with a ton of people in the local music community. Bands, managers, promoters, bartenders, venue owners…and they’re all pretty amazing people. Each of them is pursuing a dream at one level or another. Some are artists looking to make a living in music while others are doing their best to provide those artists a platform from which to execute their craft. There is a thriving artistic community in this city I love.

From Don at Imagine Books and Records to Renee at Jack’s Patio Bar to the fine people working hard to run venues like Fitzgerald’s, the Korova and the 1011 and countless others, there are people doing their dead level best to build something in our city. They are the supporters, the purveyors, the champions of artists new and old in San Antonio. But, let’s not forget who it is they are supporting.

The list is far too long to name them all, but I think of artists like Hydra Melody, Tera Ferna, the Black Market Club, the Heroine, Deer Vibes, Last Nighters, Chris Taylor, the Rosedale Highs, Maeta, Optic Arrest and yes, my favorite, Octahedron (bias noted). That list barely scratches the surface of a host of artists who have given themselves to a passion that consumes them. They give everything they have each time they take the stage because they believe that creative expression, especially through music, inspires people in a unique way.

Many people will say they support our local artistic community, but few will actually take the time to actually see what’s going on out there. I have and every time a show I’ve attended ends I find myself wondering when the next one will be.

Next time you hear of a show going on, go check it out and bring a friend or two. There’s a great community of artisans doing some pretty cool stuff. Go show them some love. There’s no reason the San Antonio music community couldn’t be something really special.

Imagine…