Ian Cromwell - Locals Lounge

On the Rhythm Changes Podcast, Ian Cromwell talks about the return of his live music initiative, Locals Lounge, to in-person presentations. His first event of the relaunch will take place on Wednesday, March 9 at Guilt & Company.

Thank you to 12TH ST Sound for sponsoring this episode. Get going on your next music project today at 12thst.ca/booking.

We talked about:

• A brief recap of Locals Lounge and its history since 2016: where it presented and how it changed in 2020
• The reputation that Vancouver’s music scene has, according to Ian, and whether or not it’s true that it is a “cliquey” community
• Why Ian dismisses my common phrase about ‘wearing many hats’, and how he uses his scientific work experience to excel in the Vancouver indie music scene – as well as using it to be a good songwriter
• How social context adds most of the enjoyment to local music consumption: Ian and I both agree tremendously on this point
• The matching feelings about small, local gigs that Ian and I have, despite how my Vancouver jazz scene background differs from his
• The motto of Locals Lounge, and how it comes from what Ian saw in classical music: his own “music scene” background
• Reliance on your neighbours as something to strive for and as a virtue for Locals Lounge to promote
• Ian’s burnout episode while reinventing Locals Lounge
• The surprising lack of data collection by local music presenters; data shared among friends can fight time-wasting duplicate work
• Montreal, Nashville, New Orleans, and Halifax: inspirational music cities
• Ian’s music under his own name, Ian Cromwell: his previous project, Unmade, and what might come next for him as an artist