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Well, this offering may seem different to my usual approach. This is because I have been repeatedly asked to convey the critical sentiments of various local musical interests, who shall remain anonymous for as long as they wish.
Thanks to all contributors for their honest concern.

First of all, many people claim that music in this town is in the doldrums.
This is simply because it's is the same "tired old faces", grinding away with the same "old boring stuff", with the same "old holier-than-thou attitudes". It's also said that real musical collaboration is totally missing around here. That is, "it's just desperate little cliques trying to out do each other in competition for the `glory' and the hard-earned dollar"……. As one frustrated music lover said to me, "if the local music industry was an orchestra it would sure be a horribly out-of-tune mess". Another regular complaint is that "local music is confined to venues where alcohol, cigarette smoke and loud music are the order of the day"; in short, there's nothing suitable for families and young people or people who just want a relaxing night out.

There have also been strong objections made concerning the "unprofessional posting of live-music advertising" on walls and telegraphs poles around town. Such action is apparently illegal, although not yet enforced. Yet, illegal or not, many argue, the practice detracts from the visual harmony of the streetscape, and in the shabby mish-mash the messages are hardly noticeable any way. The bottom line is it's definitely not a good look for the town and, consequently there's an unfavourable light cast on musicians, in general.

One observation especially worth noting was that given the extraordinary amount of musical talent in this area, and what MUSIC could naturally and effortlessly do to help bring the best out of our area, "it is a real pity that the local music scene seems so corrupt". However, perhaps the most interesting suggestion that occurs again and again is that major improvements would effortlessly happen, "overnight" if musicians just stopped bad-mouthing and competing with each other. It would also greatly help if they gave up blaming audiences, venue management, the business sector and even the Murwillumbah Musicians Club, for their "self-inflicted musical misfortunes". It's just a simple matter of "certain musicians getting off their antisocial butts and honouring the real Spirit of Music, for a refreshing change".

In light of these criticisms, there is definitely some truth in what is being said, in my opinion. So, to sum up, I suggest that those who graciously accept and understand the criticism as being entirely reasonable, and who are genuinely concerned with improvement, get together to find more ethical ways of doing musical business. Of course, that would definitely require rising above issues of personal taste, loyalty and other egoistic differences and thus also letting go of limiting ideas, so we musicians can "think, talk and act outside of the square", as one observer put it. If this can be done just for the sake of THE MUSIC, and all it implies, the effort could be surprisingly very well worth it from then on, for all concerned, I reckon.

In closing, I quote a piece that was handed to me by one critic: "Music remains the only art, the last sanctuary, wherein originality can reveal itself in the face of fools and not pierce their mental opacity".
James Huneker