The Spirit of the Holidays

Kent Johnson and Liz Abbott. Photo by Marie Haddad.

Dear friends of the San Diego Troubadour! Happy holidays to all of you music makers and music lovers in San Diego! Here we are at the end of another year and we’ve had a great one, creatively speaking. We are grateful to all of you who have supported us over the years as well as your artistic contributions to the scene.

As you probably know, the San Diego Troubadour has been happily reporting on roots music and other acoustic genres in San Deigo for almost 15 years. We’re also happy that we’ve been able to remain a free resource for our community. Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of having scores of talented songwriters and performers grace our pages. The Troubadour has become a place for musicians and fans to connect, network, and share the experience of real music. We apply that same organic approach to bringing you in-depth interviews, profiles, thought-provoking essays, and music reviews. We love what we do!

What you may not know, is that the Troubadour is a truly grassroots endeavor. No fancy writers’ room. No state of the art facility. No paid vacations. We don’t even have a staff! Our writers are dedicated to music and often accept assignments as labors of love. This is why your support of our newspaper is so important. Did you know you can advertise in the Troubadour for as little at $45 a month? No kidding! And, our full-page ads, including the ever-important back page, are offered at rates significantly lower than any other daily or weekly publication in town. But, it’s not just advertisers who can help keep the ink flowing. You, too, can make a contribution to the Troubadour and know that you’re helping us
continue to champion local music. We run this operation on less than $2,000 a month and it’s often a challenge to meet the financial demands. So, as we head into the holiday season and begin planning next year’s content, we’re asking that you please consider supporting the Troubadour financially. We know money is often tight for creative folks, but even a donation of $20 can go a long way. We’ve set up a link on our website (sandiegotroubadour.com)and on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ sandiegotroubadour) to make it easy for you! You can also donate at our annual Christmas party. Or, feel free to call us to talk about placing an ad to promote your endeavors and help support the Troubadour. We’ll make it work for you!

Running this little newspaper is a challenge, but it’s worth every effort because of you… our wonderful musicians and our incredible music-loving audience. And, we can’t thank our writers enough–in addition to our photographers, delivery helpers, and team members–for the job they do for us. Creative, entertaining, dedicated… that’s our crew! We simply couldn’t do it without you.

You are all invited to our 14th annual Holiday Fundraiser and Open House on Sunday, December 20, beginning at 5pm, where we will revel in music and friendship. We’ve gone back to the potluck format where we ask that you bring food and/or drink to share. The reopened Grassroots Oasis, a concert venue near Old Town and the Sports Arena (3130 Moore Street), is the designated location this year. It’s an all-ages event, with an open mic going on inside and a jam circle/bon fire happening outside. Everybody has a good time and we’re sure you will, too!

May the holiday season fill your home with joy, your heart with love, and your life with laughter.

To make a donation, go here: https://sandiegotroubadour.com/holiday-party-fundraiser-2015/

Liz Abbott and Kent Johnson, Publishers
San Diego Troubadour