Working Toward a Claremore Music Scene
The non-profit Musician’s Haven has done a lot for music in Claremore. The community has felt the impact of their efforts for years at the West Bend Block Party. Director Sarah Fiegener helped organize the event since the beginning, and books the musicians for the monthly summer festivals. Through the Block Party, local events, and a Musician’s Community Center, Musician’s Haven is looking to flip Claremore’s recent history with local music.
Claremore has never been an easy place to put on concerts with young bands. The city has been without a dedicated concert venue since the late 2000s, when The (Mustard) Tree and King of Clubs closed down. Even when these venues were open, attendance was inconsistent. Claremore bands have often had to look to Tulsa for venues to play. Bands were not the only people to have to make the trip up 66. “When I moved here in 2009, I couldn’t understand why we had to drive to Tulsa for live music” said Fiegener. “I couldn’t find any jams either, not being from here, I didn’t know anyone.” This helped motivate the direction that Musician’s Haven has taken.
The Musician’s Community Center opened in February. Since then, it has provided musicians from Rogers County with a place to practice, take lessons, and connect with other players. They also make it a priority to pay musicians. “Being a young non-profit, we’re still figuring out the funding part for the organization itself, but we’ve made every effort to make paying local, original artists a fair amount the priority” said Fiegener. So far, their efforts seem to be working. “Now there are multiple live music events throughout the year that were inspired by other things we’ve had our hands in, such as the rodeo concerts, downtown food truck night, and even Main Street Tavern has live music now regularly!” explained Fiegener.
One of the current projects from Musician’s Haven is the Bison Flats Concert Series, which is put on with help from the Oklahoma Arts Council. The series brings musicians in for intimate performances. So far, New York folk group Band of Lovers has opened the series. The next installment features Tulsa’s Annie Oakley. Tickets are available at the Musician’s Haven website.
With groups like Musician’s Haven and the community oriented Claremore Collective, young area professionals, and a public that wants to have music and cultural events available, Claremore has the potential to develop a steady music scene. There is still a long way to go. Businesses have to commit to paying musicians. Residents have to commit to going to shows. There needs to be dedicated means of promotion to Claremore music fans. With Musician’s Haven, Claremore is one step closer to being a home for live music.
