{"id":108442,"date":"2020-12-17T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-17T13:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=108442"},"modified":"2020-12-16T22:41:46","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T04:41:46","slug":"live-music-on-life-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/live-music-on-life-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Live Music on Life Support"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Proud Larry\u2019s Owner Scott Caradine Reflects on Importance of Live Music as Pandemic Persists.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
by Alexander Norris<\/a><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a sunny Wednesday afternoon in early November on the Square<\/strong>. College students and locals converse as they meander along the intersecting streets that branch out from the trunk of Oxford<\/strong>\u2019s historic courthouse; friends meet for lunch and revel in old memories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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photograph by Alexander Norris.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At times it feels like a sense of normalcy has returned to the Square. However, that feeling quickly fades as you pass under a large milky white tent and look back to see the light bounce off the steel sidewalk barriers of South Lamar Boulevard<\/strong>, fortifications that now guard the entrances of institutions like Proud Larry\u2019s<\/strong><\/a>: a small-town pizza joint, bar, and music venue that has been in business since 1993. During its time on the Square, Proud Larry\u2019s has hosted live performances by renowned artists like John Mayer<\/strong>, The Black Keys<\/strong>, Elvis Costello<\/strong>, and Warren Zevon<\/strong>. However, the business of making memories through melodies was paused when the pandemic lockdown forced Proud Larry\u2019s to close in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe music industry was really banging when things came to a screeching halt,\u201d said Scott Caradine<\/strong>, owner of Proud Larry\u2019s. \u201cIt was busy; we were selling more tickets here for shows than we had ever sold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically, Proud Larry\u2019s hosts around 200 live shows a year and averages $100,000 \u2013 $200,000 a month in revenue generated from those performances. But, after being shut down for three months and going through a fall without a proper college football season, Proud Larry\u2019s has taken a 25% hit in live music revenue; a blow that Caradine said could take years to recover from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think from a business perspective we are very fortunate at Proud Larry\u2019s that we are a full-service restaurant,\u201d Caradine said. \u201cWe typically, over our 27-year existence, have done about 65% food business and 35% bar business, just you know: beer, liquor, and wine; we\u2019re able to break even, we\u2019re able to keep our head above water right now, it\u2019s tough, but we\u2019re doing it\u2026 but we missed the live music side of things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scott Caradine; photo by Alexander Norris.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since re-opening in June, Proud Larry\u2019s hasn\u2019t had live music for about nine months. But, that all changed on Nov. 6 when Proud Larry\u2019s staged a 40-table reduced capacity concert featuring Will Griffith<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 known musically as The Great Dying<\/strong> \u2014 a local folk-rock singer-songwriter and bartender at Proud Larry\u2019s. The Great Dying has a rotating roster of Oxford artists, but the act usually involves Griffith on vocals and guitar accompanied by Craig Pratt <\/strong>on guitar or Kell Kellum<\/strong> on slide guitar. Born in the Mississippi Delta, Griffith describes his music as \u201cdark country\u201d because it\u2019s an amalgamation of punk rock and country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After having his tour canceled by COVID-19 earlier this year, Griffith said the experience of playing in front of a live audience again was the ultimate high for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t played in front of a crowd in about 244 days, and I was just stoned,\u201d Griffith said. \u201cI was so high on the feeling of performing again; excuse my language, but everybody there was so horny for live music, people that were there were music fans and fans of The Great Dying, so it just could not have been a better situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n