Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Dec. 9, 1977, edition 1 / Page 18
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
18 Weekender Friday, December 9, 1977 : - Vii- Mix-.-A The Carmina Consort will present "In Dulci Jublio" at 8:15 tonight in Gerrard Hall. The concert will tell the Christmas story through the music of medieval and Renaissance composers. The consort, now in its fourth season, is composed of nine area musicians who specialize in performing early music on period instruments such as recorders, krummhorns and viola de gamba. There is no admission charge. r 'i . w . I I f I t V-r ' i- 1 .v If 1 1 i I ' 1 J , M'f rrr I a I i . . : .Uvt f; 4 ; I . ' I 6 : 1 r.-Clt 'k'' ) , oe DeLuca Local musicians stay afloat 5, f . f K - i if id o Chapel Hill may not be the most profitable town for a musician, but the atmosphere is a good one for making music, says Joe DeLuca. DeLuca is a bass player for the rock band Night Shift. Staff photo by Sam Fulwood III. By ETTA LEE Staff Writer Chapel Hill musicians need a strong sense of survival. They work long hours for limited audiences and pay. They frequently are forced to take outside jobs to support themselves. Joe DeLuca is a bass player for the Chapel Hill rock band, Night Shift. Unlike many area musicians, Joe supports himself through his music. According to stereotype, the budding musician seeks fame and fortune in the big music cities New York or Nashville. Joe shatters the stereotype. He left New York after studying music there and came to Chapel Hill to perform in Hot Grog. He had no idea he would stay here. "I like Chapel Hill," he says. "I've been here approximately two years now. This is the longest I've been in one place at one time. I've never been one to plan ahead, I guess. I stay in a place as long as I dig the people. "I've thought about going back to New York a hundred times since I've been here. And eventually I guess I'll be branching away from Chapel Hill particularly if Night Shift gets notice from a record company and we get to go on tour." Local musicians have differing opinions on the state of the music business here, DeLuca says. "It's not difficult to get by in Chapel Hill, in my opinion. It's a little more impersonal in a big city and there's a good audience for new music here. Musicians can be original here." The Chapel Hill music market has its financial disadvantages, though, DeLuca says. "In another way I feel I've sacrificed something in coming here. In New York there would be more clubs to play and I could make more money, but then, on the other hand. I don't have the same expenses here that I would have in New York. "Musicians don't make as much money here for one thing, there aren't many clubs here and performances are more spread out. Another thing is that North Carolina doesn't have liquor-by-the-drink. Bars pay more to a band where there's liquor-by-the-drink. There's a big difference in a bar serving a 50 cent beer and in a bar serving $2 drinks. DeLuca first started playing guitar seriously when he was a senior at New York State University at Stony Brook. From there he studied jazz and played with 'Lightnin' Hopkins, "a blues genius from Texas." "I've been playing professionally for about eight years," he says. "It's a big commitment to play professionally. It's been hard at times. "But there are ways to support yourself. You meet a lot of people who can help you out. You have to spend a lot of time performing in bars. I don't really like bars that much." Playing professionally also means compromising your music interests at times, DeLuca says. "A musician also has to be really versatile to support himself in music here. In my case, for example, what I would really like to play is jazz. I was mainly playing jazz before I came here. But in order to pay the bills, I play rock and roll, I play at weddings and I play at parties. . . .It might not be what I want to be playing, but at least I'm playing." Just to keep playing is sometimes an uncertain goal, DeLuca says. "Being a musician is a really unstable way of life. Even now, sometimes I kick myself and wonder if I have a future. "I'm excited now about this new band I'm in Night Shift. This band could really make it, I think. The vocals are wonderful. It's a mature band. We've all been involved in a band situation before. "Night Shift plays a mixed bag lots of different types. We play some classic rock tunes and we're introducing our own original tunes. I feel really good about this band. We have a common goal, since the band comes first." "You have to keep music interesting. It's important not to play by rote. You can go through the motions of practicing, but you're not really making music unless you keep it fresh. You have to develop the habit of playing every day. It's therapeutic." Night Shift will appear at the Mad Hatter Dec. 8, 9 and 10.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 9, 1977, edition 1
18
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75