RTP-area local music and culture

["Glenn Boothe / Local 506" <gboothe2 AT earthlink.net>]

First of all,thanks Ross for digging up those artist weblinks - i guess
i have a knack for finding songs the acts aren't as crazy about (or
maybe they've all moved on to new material?)

>Do you (or anyone) have a rough guess at how many active bands are
around in the triangle right now - seems like a really fertile time for
good music -

Wow, not even sure that can be answered.  Did anyone see that list of
local releases in the Indy at the end of last year...must have been
about 400 bands...that's 400 bands that actually released something.

I used to keep a running list of bands in Excel that had played the
club for quick reference.  Now, i stopped updating this last Summer if
not before, and there are still over 200 bands listed (not all are
still active I would imagine.)  Now, I try to keep the emails for the
bands I'd like to book, and there is another 56 of them (ie: that's 56
bands sitting in the on-deck circle waiting for the right show.)

Of course, a quick cross-reference shows that there are only 38 members
of those 250 bands! (ie: that's a joke about how everyone in this town
is in multiple band, further compounding the saturation problem.  Then
again, maybe there's a reason Cities got their record deal...they're
all focused on making one band as best it can be...)

>I would say rather than bars, there should be a CD given out in the pit.

Actually, I think a better idea would be to make local music
compilation and give a bunch to the cool record stores and have them
give it personally to each person who buys a 'decent' CD.   There are
tons of student who aren't interested in music period, so this way
would better focus on the target market ("hey, you like Broken Social
Scene, check out these local bands.")  Plus, it would be seen as
incentive to buy from the local store.  A win/win/win for all involved
(bands/store/consumer.)  Heck, I want in on that - include a coupon to
see any band on the CD free at local 506...another win!

Oddly enough, this is the idea that got Mac and I emailng about the
Best Buy CDs (on a different thread.) Years ago, I told him that Merge
should include a label compilation with all the Merge CDs, suggesting
that the target market for, say, Portastatic, are the Spoon fans.  Of
course, he dismissed the idea.  Well, just last week at Best Buy, I
bought the Atmosphere CD - and it included a second CD sampler for the
label Rhymesayers.  Someone gets it!

glenn