Ian Cromwell - Locals Lounge
Ian talks about the return of his Vancouver live music initiative, Locals Lounge, to in-person presentations.

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.
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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