The brown in me learnt the love of blues from an old blues man in a blues bar every night for 3 years running.  Every night we were in the same blues bar. He was a well known blues man and he knew everyone.  This bar became our hangout. I became attached to the blues, the bar and all the people in the bar.  I knew all the musicians as friends and hung out with them when they weren’t performing.  This place was legendary. Every musician you can think of, had walked thru the doors.   I have fond memories of the place.

Now that was twenty plus years ago, and things have to change.  This is our world. Progress.  Coincidentally the past weekend they were re-opening the blues bar.  They had torn it down brick by brick and rebuilt it around a new modern music hall and center.  It was destiny calling me, I had to go. As soon I walked in, I wanted to walk out.  The soul of the place was gone.  Yes it may be the same bricks, but they lost the soul.  I bet the people who did this had never spent time with the regulars and the musicians who made this place.  They could have always modernized it, but what they created, omitted the basics of the old place. Its now a yuppy restaurant slash bar and music venue.

The progress in inevitable, but great things have to be preserved.  What was needed was a renovation, but not a change of soul. However the city changed, and like all cities which are growing, it had to decide what was going to be its soul. This is now a corporate world and the corporate reboot is all wonderful and beautiful physically, but it has no substance.  Its all about image. Yes the place may succeed, but it will never be same.  In these last few weeks I have found amazing number of the places still thriving and existing in this city from 40 years ago, and now I realize why. Soul.  No one has tried to change their soul. The essence of what they are is the same.  Unfortunately in most cases its not what progress brings.   In the grand ole days, everyone was the same when they walked thru the doors, now only a certain class will be able to walk thru the doors.  Its not progress, its exclusion.

Source: ItsTheBrownInMe