Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirby Vidal
Hi Kirby, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Kirby, a singer/songwriter, songwriting teacher, and event organizer based in Hollywood. I came to the Westside in April after being fed up with how little progress I was making in my music career. I traded my car and left my friend’s house to look for students at bars. I didn’t know anyone out here, and often times had to look for safe spaces behind store fronts, cafés and bars. I would play open mics as often as possible and went to as many shows as I could to find opportunities to play and meet new people. What started as a fight for clients and resources quickly began to help me form a community of musicians in the Westside area.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Believe it or not, sleeping on the street and food insecurity were not the most challenging parts of this journey.
I’m a survivor of human trafficking, and have had to recover through the damage that caused my brain. That battle with PTSD has been ongoing most of my adult life.
The hardest part was realizing I had to rely on others as much as I relied on myself. I wasn’t alone; recovery helped me see that.
Understanding that my community wants to help me solve my problems has helped me with a lot of the hopelessness that I have faced. Another challenge is trying to change an industry that lacks basic respect for it’s artists and places barriers to keep smaller artists from seeing the stage.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My team and I run the Westside Music Collective (AKA Dubbem), a support and advocacy group for up and coming musicians. As a Collective, we plan and organize shows, free to play and free to the public, and connect artists with resources and opportunities to achieve their goals. We strive to make “pay to play” venues obsolete by uniting the musicians that are being pushed aside for superficial reasons. We support our network that continues to give us stability and purpose.
What’s next?
In the future, I want to make being a working musician, who’s paid a fair, livable wage more accessible and easier to attain.
Artists and creativity are the core of the world’s cultures. I get angry when I see my friends have to pay to share their art, with little gain.
Westside Music aims to solve that issue. We connect artists with venues that respect and value them, and we foster an attitude of wholesome support.
With more people’s help, we can leverage this large and growing community to get artist paid!
We plan to keep hosting and keep connecting talented individuals as long as they let us.
Pricing:
- Email/dm for details!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://audio.com/carvereality
- Instagram: @dubbemshows
- Other: [email protected]
