Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, Davis McEntire, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Orson Weems, the executive director and co-founder of The Music Education Initiative, a diverse-led nonprofit that exists to engage, educate, and elevate the next generation of professionals in the business of music and entertainment. Prior to heading The Music Education Initiative, Orson worked as the chief operating officer with the legendary music and entertainment icon Al Bell and his global music, entertainment, and artist development company, Al Bell Presents. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Matthew, Davis, Victoria, and Orson discuss BC’s Blues Shack & Juke Joint and the initiative behind preserving the blues genre.
Shownotes:
(1:15) Introduction to Orson Weems
(1:49) Introduction to BC’s Blues Shack & Juke Joint
(6:04) The Influence of Tradition and Blues in the South
(9:04) What Fueled the Blues
(17:43) Initiatives Behind Preserving the Blues
(25:29) Orson’s Entrepreneurial Journey
(29:18) Demographics of the Blues
(36:14) Location of The Music Education Initiative
(42:00) Furthering The Music Education Initiative’s Mission
(44:39) Closing Thoughts
Links:
The Music Education Initiative
Quotes:
“These folks, they themselves were bringing enjoyment to people so that people could actually have some good times to try to think about things other than what they were dealing with in their tolls and everyday lives.” – Orson Weems, (8:16)
“… he likes to find rare and unique artists because when you have rare and unique artists that are giving something of themselves back to the audience where they can feel a memorable experience and they can go away talking about it.” – Orson Weems, (18:49)
“This exhibit here is for those that may not have seen what a larger juke joint was, but you can get a feel for it here with the way it’s been built and the way it’s open for the community.” – Orson Weems, (31:17)
Preserving the Blues with The Music Education Initiative
On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, Davis McEntire, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Orson Weems, the executive director and co-founder of The Music Education Initiative, a diverse-led nonprofit that exists to engage, educate, and elevate the next generation of professionals in the business of music and entertainment. Prior to heading The Music Education Initiative, Orson worked as the chief operating officer with the legendary music and entertainment icon Al Bell and his global music, entertainment, and artist development company, Al Bell Presents. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Matthew, Davis, Victoria, and Orson discuss BC’s Blues Shack & Juke Joint and the initiative behind preserving the blues genre.
History of the BC’s Blues Shack & Juke Joint
The Juke Joint Project: An Exhibit is an exciting and educational musical experience located in the Pryor Center on the Downtown Fayetteville Square. The exhibit features a walk-through replica of a Delta Blues juke joint from the Clinton President Center, and it was originally built inside the Clinton Library, but months later, the pandemic caused the exhibit to never be opened to the public. This unique situation created an opportunity for The Music Education Initiative to bring this experience to Northwest Arkansas. The goal of exposing the NWA community to this exhibit is to encourage discussions about the variety of arts that came out of the Delta. Furthermore, The Music Education Initiative has held open mic nights for musicians, artists, poets, etc. to share their creations, and in the future, they are looking at hosting live entertainment to continue to share the history of the music of the Delta.
Looking at the history of the juke joint, they were constructed out of cyprus, because a lot of the juke joints were located in swamps or areas that would flood, and cyprus is the wood that was able to be sourced. The juke joints were places where people who weren’t welcomed anywhere else could get away on the weekends and sing, dance, eat, drink, etc. in a place they felt comfortable. Spiritual music was some of the first to come out of the juke joints as a result of a large number of enslaved people singing because of their situations. They were told they couldn’t talk about certain things, so the spiritual ambiance of the blues came out of their woes.
“These folks, they themselves were bringing enjoyment to people so that people could actually have some good times to try to think about things other than what they were dealing with in their tolls and everyday lives.” – Orson Weems, (8:16)
Sharing the Industry with the Next Generation
One of the things The Music Education Initiative is focusing on is sharing all the different aspects of music and entertainment with the next generation. This is a result of the pandemic wiping out so many sectors of the industry that had to reboot and start over again. Moreover, along with things being shut down during the pandemic, supply chain problems weren’t a foreseen issue. Therefore, in the music/entertainment industry, there’s now a serious need for personnel to work at live industry events. Whether it’s corporate events, festivals, etc., trained personnel are still required to host a successful event due to the vast amount of moving parts. Because of this, one of the initiatives that The Music Education Initiative is focusing on is to have a production education and technical training workshop where they take someone to an event and teach them about moving equipment backstage, lighting, sound, and how to work within the industry on a basic level. They have found that most people who complete this training get hired pretty quickly, so local schools are asking for The Music Education Initiative to bring the workshops back as soon as possible.
Connect with Us!
Do you consider yourself a startup junkie? Join in the conversation by following us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! Startup Junkie wants to come alongside these entrepreneurs every step of the way. Want to learn more about our services?
English 
Spanish 
Korean