Moving DEMO Forward

Even as its mission has morphed over decades as a non-profit, the promise of the Diverse Emerging Music Organization (DEMO) has always been a compelling story that is necessary and vital. When I tell people immersed in the Minnesota music scene that I am DEMO’s Executive Director, they respond, “Oh yeah, DEMO!”

It’s clear to me that, whatever direction DEMO has gone, the local Minnesota music community, its fans, its stakeholders, its musicians, and the media that surround all of it, have always been curious, supportive, interested, and most importantly want DEMO to succeed.

Why?

Because at its core, DEMO creates a place where our primary focus is being the advocate of music for music’s sake, beyond any barrier, hurdle, or defining box. This purpose was created by our founder and Minnesota music luminary, Steve McClellan. And, even though at times it has been hard to articulate how exactly to do it, DEMO exists to represent that moment where music as an art form takes front and center stage over all other considerations, shunning words like marketability, popularity, genre, and profitability.

Steve, whose job for 32 years was first to create and then run First Avenue, one of the world’s most recognized music venues, is probably best described by comedian Louie Anderson:

“The first time I met Steve was at First Avenue. He ran the place, his big smile and realness, that didn’t scream boss, to me it murmured artist. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized Steve wasn’t there to be a boss, he was there to nurture, keep, protect, and create a safe place for the artist and an even safer place for the music! Thank God for Steve McClellan; without him, there would be no Minneapolis Sound!”

DEMO, I believe, was created and exists to do just that: “nurture and protect.” Our mission statement today reads: Preserving and Promoting Minnesota’s Independent Music Legacy. Our most recent manifestation of this is the Minnesota Music Archive (MMAP) and I think there is little doubt it is one that will have an impact on generations to come.

Created in 2020 from a generous donation from Paul Lindner in memory of his late wife Julie, and with additional support from the Minnesota Historical Society, the MMA’s mission is to create an archive of all available independent and small commercial recordings with Minnesota roots, preserving them for all time. The focus is on unsigned artists and those from minor (or discontinued) record labels.

This new initiative has given us that truly clear and precise mission: Promoting and Preserving Minnesota’s Independent Music Legacy. The MMA serves as the heart of that mission.

Minnesota-based record producer John Fields probably best sums it up for us when he says, “It is high time we archive these treasures for past, present, and future fans to cherish. I am thrilled DEMO is digging deep into our amazing Minnesota music history.”

There is so much work to be done finding and archiving what has already happened in the first 100 years of Minnesota’s recorded music history and as an organization, we have only scratched the surface. But we are moving fast, learning fast, and plan to accelerate even more over the coming years.

But looking back is only one part of things.

At first glance, an archive may sound only like something that looks backward and is just a history website, but that assumes music history is frozen. It is not. Each day, inspired by what came before them, artists move the needle forward (or possibly blow it up altogether), adding their imprint and making new history. DEMO’s mission has always been about encouraging musicians to just “do what they do, follow their instincts and heart”. As Steve told Andrea Swensson in a 2016 interview: “To me, it’s the street level stuff that happens that’s important.”

And the archive recognizes this more than anything else ever might.

Local musicians will never stop making music or stop innovating and, or for sure, never stop releasing songs in an album format to show their work to the world. It is just a sad fact that very, very few of them will “succeed” in any measurable way that the word success might imply. DEMO, though, has always existed to say that it does not matter. It still needs to be made. Just do it! And with the archive, we can promise a place where we honor that hard work.

This is why the Minnesota Music Archive is not just a mission to preserve the past, it is also a promise to all future artists that no matter what, their efforts to contribute to the art form of music will always matter and be accessible for generations to come. Steve hates looking backward and wanted DEMO always to be looking forward. The Minnesota Music Archive embodies that with its promise to present artists and future ones as well as celebrating ALL of Minnesota’s past music creators.

Ironically, Steve is not a huge fan of recorded material once stated to Minnesota Public Radio, “I always like the Frank Zappa quote, ‘Once you record it you’ve sold out’. Because the whole experience of music is that moment.”

But moments do pass, and the DEMO board has set out to make sure Minnesota’s musical legacy is available for all generations to come.

In fact, McClellan’s’ personal collection of recorded material gathered during his years at First Avenue and while serving as DEMO’s leader provided the first round of material archived. A very deep dive into Minnesota’s musical past that stokes a fire of curiosity.

DEMO has big plans for 2024 and beyond. An archive-themed podcast is in the works, an expanded Art-A-Whirl event is taking shape and there are plans to host several events under series names like DEMO’s Cross Contamination Art Series and DEMO’s Fix It in the Mix??!!! The stories behind your favorite Minnesota albums.

But perhaps Twin Tones record label founder Peter Jesperson sums it up best when talking about our founder and what DEMO stands for.

“There is no one in the history of the Twin Cities music scene that I admire more than Steve McClellan. The latter half of the term “Music Business” has confounded many (including myself) who were drawn to this constantly mutating and vibrant art form. We, who are firm in our belief that business must always serve the art, desperately need an advocate who understands and supports this fundamental axiom. In my experience, Steve is one of the few people who have consistently been able to straddle the fence between art and commerce while always keeping the balance of power straight. I applaud the people at DEMO for their efforts…”

The DEMO board and its signature initiative through MMAP will keep that balance alive for generations to come. There are many ideas, big and small, to “promote” and to “preserve” our local music scene. Over the next few years, many of them will begin to unfold. In other words, no matter where you start our history, with DAMF’s (1999) or with DEMO (2005), we have been around a long time, but the truth is, we have only just begun.

Mitch Thompson

Executive Director/DEMO