Make Fun Not War
I've been playing in local bands for about 15 years, and going to shows for a little more. There have been two distinct high points in the music scene for me during that time: roughly 1995-97 and right now.
Both eras had many great bands that sounded different from each other; a lot of brother-sisterhood between bands; reliable venues (ten years ago there was really only one, but it was a good one); a lot of enthusiastic people who get stuff done; a core group of familiar faces who go to all the shows.
I don't like to drop names too much (ha! google THAT!), but suffice it to say that yesterday's ______, ________, and _______ are today's A-Mode, ClamSeals and Scrib. I feel a groundswell of enthusiasm for crazy local music right now that I've only noticed during these two periods. There have been great individual bands at other times, but I never felt a real collective sense of momentum for an exciting music scene. Now, it's only getting better.
That said, music scenes are very subjective by nature and what I consider a high point might be a low point to someone else. What do you do when you want to love "the scene" but think it sucks?
There's no easy answer to this question. Above all, you need exciting bands that get people really pumped up for a show. I get excited by bands that are unpredictable in some way, because every show has the potential to be full of surprises. Maybe musical, maybe visual. Maybe the audience will do something interesting. Maybe there's a band that isn't rewriting the rule book but plays its guts out every night, no matter who shows up. That's exciting too.
This way might not work for everyone. I know there are people who are attracted to music that's dependable and reliable above all else. Music that respects tradition. Different strokes for different folks. Get people excited however possible. Whatever works. Just make shows fun, make them an event worth talking about. Bring people together who aren't already. It's incredibly satisfying when that happens. My old band seemed to have good luck with it.
I don't think there's a lot to be gained in complaining about what's around you. I guess this is a motivational tool some people use to try and make things better. "Everything around us sucks, we've got to do something". That doesn't work with me. It does the opposite of what I've just described. But wait... if something sucks, what's wrong with saying so? Nothing, I guess. But sucky things stay that way unless better alternatives are presented. So to me, complaining without building something better is just a waste of time. I'd even say complaining is a waste of time, period unless it's very clever or funny.
At my age, I'm lucky enough to have observed the punk scene, pre-commercialization (pre-Nirvana... who were a good band btw). One time I was talking to an elder statesman of the scene and I asked him when he went to his first show. He said he was 14, so that would have been 1981. I said it must have been so much cooler to be involved so near the beginning of it all. Then he said something that surprised me. "No, it wasn't any better than it is now actually." With me feeling like I'd been born too late, this made for a bit of a role reversal. But at this point I'd have to agree with him. Time and history have nothing to do with anything. Scenes are what you make them. It doesn't matter that there are bazillions of awful bands out there. Ignore that shit. Make more good ones.
Don't tell me how it shouldn't be done. Show me how it should.
Both eras had many great bands that sounded different from each other; a lot of brother-sisterhood between bands; reliable venues (ten years ago there was really only one, but it was a good one); a lot of enthusiastic people who get stuff done; a core group of familiar faces who go to all the shows.
I don't like to drop names too much (ha! google THAT!), but suffice it to say that yesterday's ______, ________, and _______ are today's A-Mode, ClamSeals and Scrib. I feel a groundswell of enthusiasm for crazy local music right now that I've only noticed during these two periods. There have been great individual bands at other times, but I never felt a real collective sense of momentum for an exciting music scene. Now, it's only getting better.
That said, music scenes are very subjective by nature and what I consider a high point might be a low point to someone else. What do you do when you want to love "the scene" but think it sucks?
There's no easy answer to this question. Above all, you need exciting bands that get people really pumped up for a show. I get excited by bands that are unpredictable in some way, because every show has the potential to be full of surprises. Maybe musical, maybe visual. Maybe the audience will do something interesting. Maybe there's a band that isn't rewriting the rule book but plays its guts out every night, no matter who shows up. That's exciting too.
This way might not work for everyone. I know there are people who are attracted to music that's dependable and reliable above all else. Music that respects tradition. Different strokes for different folks. Get people excited however possible. Whatever works. Just make shows fun, make them an event worth talking about. Bring people together who aren't already. It's incredibly satisfying when that happens. My old band seemed to have good luck with it.
I don't think there's a lot to be gained in complaining about what's around you. I guess this is a motivational tool some people use to try and make things better. "Everything around us sucks, we've got to do something". That doesn't work with me. It does the opposite of what I've just described. But wait... if something sucks, what's wrong with saying so? Nothing, I guess. But sucky things stay that way unless better alternatives are presented. So to me, complaining without building something better is just a waste of time. I'd even say complaining is a waste of time, period unless it's very clever or funny.
At my age, I'm lucky enough to have observed the punk scene, pre-commercialization (pre-Nirvana... who were a good band btw). One time I was talking to an elder statesman of the scene and I asked him when he went to his first show. He said he was 14, so that would have been 1981. I said it must have been so much cooler to be involved so near the beginning of it all. Then he said something that surprised me. "No, it wasn't any better than it is now actually." With me feeling like I'd been born too late, this made for a bit of a role reversal. But at this point I'd have to agree with him. Time and history have nothing to do with anything. Scenes are what you make them. It doesn't matter that there are bazillions of awful bands out there. Ignore that shit. Make more good ones.
Don't tell me how it shouldn't be done. Show me how it should.
posted by the baron ash von foolishness at 10:33 AM
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