New Northern: Offshoots - a safe and judgement free zone for musicians and audiences
Paying musicians as much as I can has always been a big aim for me and the New Northern fund has allowed me to guarantee a fee to the musicians who perform at my events!
For our fifth New Northern feature we spoke to the Leeds based promoter Anna Ross who runs an event called Offshoots. Anna impressed the Jazz North team with the ethos behind Offshoots in her New Northern application and were keen to hear how the bursary had helped to develop the night further.
"I run this event to create a safe and judgement free zone for musicians and audiences, something often missing within the jazz community. I believe that making the music industry a more positive space will start from the attitudes and environments in the early stages of careers”.
"My name is Anna and I run Offshoots, an event which runs 1-2 times a month with the aim to promote a diverse range of jazz musicians in grassroots venues across Leeds.
“ I believe that making the music industry a more positive space will start from the attitudes and environments in the early stages of careers”
Paying musicians as much as I can has always been a big aim for me and the New Northern bursary has allowed me to guarantee a fee to the musicians who perform at my events!
Having the confidence that no matter what, I will have the funds to be able to pay the musicians for their work meant that I was able to experiment more freely with event venues and performance layouts - having gigs with 2-3 bands and an experimental night with 4 solo performances in Holding Patterns, a new cafe/listening space in Leeds.
With this funding, I've put on some of my most successful events so far, boosting my audience and creating new relationships with venues and creatives in Leeds".
You can follow Offshoots on instagram to hear news about upcoming events.