I think the challenge of involving youngsters in vintage soul music can be summed up by using the European 'scenes' as a yardstick. Their events are dominated by people half the age of the average Soul - Sourcer. Why is this? How come they can get 200 like-minded young soul fans together but the UK old guard can't get 10 in? To me it's all quite simple... It's about people being comfortable with their peers. Sons, daughters, etc of the old guard are held up as some type of example of 'the future' of the 'scene', I'm with Chalky, it ain't never gonna happen. Most Euro events are completely dominated by the retro British Mod culture and the music is an extension of that. It goes along hand in hand with the scooter, the Ben Sherman etc. I think that's also true to an extent of the events in UK trying to purposely attract a younger element to their particular gigs.
At many (Most) Euro events the 50 odd year old UK soulie is in a minority, in UK it's the opposite. Just like we gravitated to our peers, youngsters do the same. It's the natural sociological thing to do. I struggle to understand how people think that that's not the natural order of things and accept that 99.9% of teenagers would balk at the idea of spending social time with people old enough to be their parents, (and in some cases grandparents!!)
Watering down the actual music is ceating something different. It's changing what WE do in order to try and influence people by introducing them to a facsimile/retro image of the real thing. Problem with this is that:
1. It fragments an already fragmented following. (You've only to read the thread on a second room to realise just how fragmented the 'scene' has become).
and
2. Creates a danger of alienating the existing older crowd. (I'd certainly not return to a venue playing, Duffy, Whinehouse, Hip Teens etc etc)
For what it's worth, I think it's best to leave the younger kids to their own resources, let them set up their own gigs, undertake their own musical journeys just like we did (do). Fashions, trends, what's cool one day and cold next, that feeling of immortality, the cameraderie that comes with travelling, socialising, pushing the envelope as far as possible. All these things happen to each generation...it'll happen to the next generation of soul fans if they want it to, lets' leave them to discover their own path instead of trying to manipulate our music/events to put a few more numbers through the doors.
Regards,
Dave