RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

There are more bands now than there used to be back in the 90s (really! 
there are!) and perhaps since we're surrounded in the culture by other 
entertaining things, the good bands don't seem like quite the miraculous 
discoveries that they did back when the dominant culture was suckier. If 
it was. Hmm. I remember being really excited by local shows back when I 
was 25 years old. But then I'm actually really excited by good local 
shows now -- Work Clothes & des_ark at Chaz's a couple of weeks ago were 
transcendant, and I was knocked on my ass last night by the Dirty Little 
Heaters as well. Me and the 5 other people in the room. Sigh.

We get old & get out of the habit of going out, and maybe there are so 
many local bands that we accidentally go to a few shows where the band 
is good-but-not-great, and then we get it in our heads that the thrill 
is gone. I don't think it is.

Honestly y'all, I try to help you people cull the wheat from the chaff, 
but last night one of my best friends told me he hadn't even registered 
my glowing praise for Leslie & the Lys and had thus missed one of the 
weirdest shows of 2005. There is only so much hand-holding I can do, 
people! Speaking of Leslie & the Lys, they apparently played Wetlands 
last night. I'm sorry I didn't hear about it until 11:00 p.m. last 
night; it wasn't on the Wetlands website as of 5 days ago. Sigh.

By the way, the Strugglers are about as local as you can get nowadays -- 
Randy lives & works in Chapel Hill, although he's really trying to break 
through with this new album so it seems like he's not around as much 
anymore because he's off touring Europe & stuff.

Re: MySpace -- um, whatever. It's extraordinarily handy for me -- 
nowadays every podunk band on the road has a myspace page & that little 
streaming music thing that starts up as soon as the page loads is a 
shitload more convenient than having to seek out & download mp3s. I 
can't imagine trying to use MySpace to find out about bands directly, 
but as a quick resource/online press-kit it's invaluable. But that can't 
be the most effective way to spread the word about yr band to potential 
fans.

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I'm still partial to radio. Not that I ever 
listen to it.

Ross

Mary M. Brunnemer wrote:
> As a person that went to UNC and lots of shows in the early 90s AND as 
> part of the 10+ year older crowd that still goes out to shows, I'd say I 
> agree with both Glenn and MOD. I go to lots of local band shows, but it 
> just doesn't feel like the "scene" (or whatever you wanna call it) was 
> in the early 90s around here. The shows don't seem as well attended 
> anymore.
>
> I do feel old at some shows, but it's usually at the shows of national 
> acts, not local bands. It's fun not to be the oldest person in the bar, 
> but I always wonder where the college students are. Sadly, as much as I 
> think I'm keeping up with local music, I still feel like most of the 
> local music I'm aware of are either reunions of bands from the olden 
> days, bands featuring ex-band members from bands that existed in the 
> early 90s, or people that I know or know of. I just recently 
> reacquainted myself with the 2 local music shows on WXDU and WXYC. I 
> learned quite a bit in just one night, went out that night to see the 
> band interviewed on the air, and ended up discovering one of the best 
> CDs I bought all year (the Strugglers--not exactly local, but close). 
> Unfortunately, there were hardly any people in attendance at that 
> (Wetlands) show.
>
> I think I knew a lot more about a lot more local bands back in day--but 
> I don't think it was necessarily because I was a UNC student. I learned 
> a lot from WXYC as a student, but sadly, the general population of the 
> campus had no idea the radio station existed. I think I learned more 
> from the job I had in the service industry (like Glenn said). Most of 
> the kitchen staff in the restaurant where I worked was in a band or knew 
> of other bands, etc. and maybe that's where I learned so much about 
> local music.
>
> I keep hearing people say that you have to put your band on things like 
> myspace these days to survive as a small/local band. Well I know times 
> are different--and maybe I'm old-fashioned--but bands did just fine 
> without that in the early 90s. So maybe everyone should follow Glenn's 
> advice and just go out and support these bands more--whether in a band 
> or not. I have been quite surprised at how poorly attended a lot of the 
> local band shows are--especially when they're free. Believe me, if it's 
> a show I'm interested in, I ain't afraid to tell 50 of my closest 
> friends to go, but it doesn't always work. And maybe there are more 
> venues around right now, but it's still sad to me that the Local 506 
> (which has been part of the heart of this music scene for so long) has 
> to have free shows and reduce its schedule due to lack of support.
>
> Oh, and I am not and have never been in a band, yet I think I do my part 
> in supporting the local music scene. So there. And uh, I've never been 
> to Teasers.
>
> -Mary
> -- ch-scene: the list that mirrors alt.music.chapel-hill --
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