The Downside to What I Do
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I travel the country as a freeter creating music. I've been playing mostly ukulele for almost a year now after getting rid of my acoustic guitar to pursue the subdued clean sound of nylon string instruments. I'm unsure if it's because I'm a Cis-Passing Black Male in The South or if its that I'm not a young white/white passing girl obnoxiously singing cover songs but I face alot of discrimination when playing this instrument. I'm generally ignored/neglected by most people who are not instrumentalists. In the video you can clearly see the host introducing another artist to the audience mid-way through my set as if subliminally telling me to wrap it up. However, they had not done that to the violinist that had played just before me. The violinist thinks highly of my compositions. The ukulele has been heavily stigmatized after entering the U.S. Since its appropriation the ukulele is seen as a novelty item instead of the cultural artifact that it is. Many of people see me, confirm that I'm playing an ukulele, and immediately discredit me as a novelty instead of viewing me as an indigineous person playing an indigineous instrument in an indigenous way. They don't hear a composer adept at playing several instruments with a background in classical and flamenco guitar. Or hear an artist invested in truly expressing themselves. Because I refuse to cater to society's sense of nostalgia I've had people attempt to pay me to stop playing. I've been kicked out of a couple venues. I've been called less of a musician. I am one of the LOWEST EARNING MUSCIANS IN THE FRENCH QUARTER. Yet, most musicians I meet do not deny my talent and skill. So it all just inspires me to sorta push my compositional mind harder and to push the limitations of the ukulele. The drone string and tuning make the ukulele unique onto itself. Composing something complex is how I ensure it can only be played as a whole on ukulele. Eventually the distinctive sound will become undoubtedly one of a kind and unreplicatable (my true sound). My creative mind has become a fertile seed waiting to take hold in the womb of a guitar yet again. It's only a matter of time. I will reclaim other indigenous instruments as well. Watch me blow them away in my next video😘
