Your Precious "SCENE"

[DirtySanchez]

Inspired by another thread.

What do you think of the scene?

I personally see a few little "quirks" i would change, but overall I love it.

One obvious reason is whether we like it or not we are competitors.
I see a bunch of shit-talking behind the scenes. People go up to musicians after their set and say "Good set man", then proceed to talk shit after they walk away.

Now I've said some things myself , but I've never contradicted myself like that. If I didn't like your set I won't compliment you and if I compliment you, I won't talk shit.

If you don't play my fave genre does not mean I hate your band.
So many bands/musicians bash different stuff, like fuck that sissy shit, or those guys only play country shit. I really am not a big southern rock fan but, man Those boys in the Hurricanes can play the shit out of it, and have my utmost respect for just being such personable dudes. I personally had some of the best times at their shows and probably knew/ dug 5 or 6 songs.

Another thing is this area is pretty small and "rural" regardless what the
crime rate reflects. Everybody knows everybodies business. Personal grudges actually impact things. "That singer fucked my one girlfriend back when he was in a hairmetal band in 89, so now Me and all my friends will never go watch his kickass Bluegrass band even though my cousin plays in it." (Songsmith this is a fictional account and if it resembles reality in any way it's by accident and I'm sorry.)

BUT,
This scene also RULES for some reasons:

Lots of diversity, whether you like bluegrass, hairmetal, thrash, punk, hardcore, country, blues, metal, pop, it's all here. Theres even some rappers if you like. People can do something every night in this town and find something going on at quite a few different places. Whoever said this scene was dwindling is delusional.

Bands who want to work with each other. Lot's of bands out there who are willing to share shows to get you into different places. We've done shows with all different types of bands and this really helps build your fanbase as well.

Fans who care. Man there are some passionate people around here when it comes down to "their" bands. I love it.

ROCK FOR THE TROOPS!!!! Where else does awesome shit like this happen?
Nowhere, that's where. Why? Because we may not always agree on things and we may talk shit but we also make up a small community of some of the nicest, unselfish, neighborly people you'll ever meet. That's how we roll. If one of ours is in need there's always a benefit or well wishes, or words of sympathy or random acts of kindness, and usually a combination of all of the above. I feel really proud to be a part of this "SCENE" and Rockpage in general.

We may not be perfect, but we're pretty great!!!

What do you think?

[HurricaneBob]

Good post!

I think we are lucky to have what we do as a scene. A lot of places dont have a Rockpage or a JP to cover entertainment. Ive heard this from out of state and town bands that wished they had something like we do.

It would be a whole different place without these.

[Jim Price]

I agree.

I think the scene is pretty healthy right now. There is a lot more diversity; you can pretty much find your preferred musical flavor around here in some way, shape or form. A few months ago at the Blair County Arts Festival, I had a musician from outside the area compliment me about how I'm writing about so many different kinds of music in my Pennsylvania Musician column anymore. That's because there is a lot more variety in today's local music scene to write about! And it's very cool to see musicians supporting bands and shows that are outside of their own genre, and turning their own fans onto those musical forms as well.

Rock For The Troops is a shining example of what this scene can do when it pulls together. This past Sunday, the "End of Summer Jam" was another example of unity. Although attendance could have been stronger overall, it was still a healthy crowd of fans and friends who showed up, not just to see their own favorite band, but to take in the whole show - lots of these folks hung out til near the very end. And the bands themselves largely stuck around for the duration as well, either staying for the whole day after their performance (like Spirit Lost, most of them stayed for the whole thing after they kicked off the show at noon), or came early to enjoy the other bands before they went on (Jeff from the Hurricanes was there from the start, even though the Canes didn't go on until late afternoon). It was good camraderie throughout the day, musicians helping each other with equipment, or helping soundman Jamie Shumack diagnose and resolve technical issues. It was all good, no egos. It made things easier for myself and organizer Mickey Luckenbaugh; the concert actually stayed close to schedule for the entire day! On behalf of Mickey, thanks to everyone for making it a great day!

I also observed a good example of scene unity in State College on Saturday night, at the triple CD-release show at the State Theatre with the Nightcrawlers, Ted McCloskey & the Hi-Fi's and the Rustlanders. All three bands and their fans were there for the duration, and a number of State College musicians who didn't have to play that night were in attendance to support this special show.

Every music scene has its problems and disagreements; it's to be expected with any group or community of people. But I think at the end of the day, we do have a diverse and unified music scene that works well together more often than not. I can say that I'm quite happy to be writing and reporting in the area that I do!

[jangel]

Just my opinion but the "SCENE" is what you make it. You can make it positive by being a part of it and continue to build on it. Sunday was a great day weather wise and music wise at the Cresson sportsmans. Mickey JP and the staff did a great job. It was also great to meet some of the musicians taking part in the shows. Since I work most of the time and gig on weekends I don't get to see many bands. But it was great to see a lot of young musicians taking part and kicking ass. And of course the veteran musicians kicked ass also.

[bassist_25]

Brian, I agree with you 100%. I think that I've said this before, but when it's all said and done, I think the best thing about being a musician is all of the great people I've met along the way.

Just my opinion but the "SCENE" is what you make it. You can make it positive by being a part of it and continue to build on it.

EXACTLY!!!

[songsmith]

I've often said I moved to Blair County in 1988 because there were so many musicians, and so many places to play. You don't get to "explode" onto this scene, but that's a good thing, in that the dues you pay may become one of the best life lessons you'll ever learn. Say it with me everyone..." The dues you pay here are redeemable EVERYWHERE, as there are few places with tougher crowds."
The blast of diversity is awesome. 20 years ago, you played metal, Top 40, or country-rock/oldies. That's pretty much it, except for a hardened few who championed their respective music. Now, you can see 5 different genres in one night. Last year, I played steel guitar at ALDO'S. A fat old dude in a cowboy hat played steel at a metal bar. And I couldn't hear my amp because the girls were screaming too loud. I kinda think that says a lot about our scene.--------->JMS

[mistikalvalkrie]

Granted I've only really been around the local music scene since...um...about earlier this year but even in that short amount of time I've realized what a rich musical scene exists in this area, full of really awesome people.
Granted, other than a few drunken "bar guys" now and then, the people I've run across at shows, either musicians or fans, have been kind, terrific, tremendously cool people who are extremely welcoming regardless of the fact that you're just some kid at some bar who they've never seen before.
Not to mention the incredible talent -musically- that abounds in this area.
It kind of blows my mind a little bit.
But yeah, I completely agree with everything DS said 100%.
Discovering the local music scene for me was like finding a treasure chest buried in your backyard. It was right there all along but I never knew how great it was until I made the effort to go dig it up...okay, I suck at analogies, but you know what I mean!

[YankeeRose]

What Mistikalvalkrie said, with a few edits. I was kinda, SORTA introduced to the local scene in 2000, and contrary to what others have said, I'm hardly a kid. The rest, yeah, I can totally relate and agree, plus there is a lot to do and this is such a beautiful area to boot...a friend I've known since Kindergarten visited in June and quite enjoyed the drive down from her son's competition at the Scotia Range with the beautiful green Mountains on either side...this area's entire "scene" ROCKS!

[Banned]

Discovering the local music scene for me was like finding a treasure chest buried in your backyard. It was right there all along but I never knew how great it was until I made the effort to go dig it up

If only more people would make that discovery! It's a great social situation. Every band has a little community that extends far beyond the people on stage, and each of those little communities is part of the bigger scene. It's so much more involving than just standing in a random bar holding a random light beer.

[BDR]

This, as with many other topics, has been covered in the past, but it's a good one, and it will be hard to add anything to it without repeating someone else, but here goes anyway ...

I agree with the "Dirty One" in that our scene, albeit with flaws, is awesome. Each of us has our own goals and our own expectations, but none of us could hope for a better scene than the one we have. We're privileged in that there is indeed a deep network of people who generally care about one another and come together when it's needed.

With referrence to the "boycott" thread, as far as headbutting with club owners goes, hey, it happens. It's happened to us. All I can say is share what info you have from your own experiences and let people make the call that's best for them. That's all you can do. Just remember the whole "burning bridges" thing when you post something.

mistikalvalkrie has been to quite a few of our shows and I wanna thank her and others like her who come out for the best reason there is to come to a live show — to have a good time. We all need to do our best to remember, no matter what you're here for — creative expression, self gratification, a pay check — that, in order to keep getting opportunities to play in this scene for whatever reason, we all need to continue to give people reasons to come out. Bar owners (assholes or otherwise) won't continue to support our craft if we don't make every effort to pique the interest of the customer base. Like it or not, every time you take the stage, you're at least partially responsible for getting people there, keeping the people there and making them want to come back again. Understanding that you are indeed working for the bars when you're playing is what keeps things going.

My personal commitment to anyone — live music fan, fellow musician, whoever — who comes to a bad daZe show: I'll break my ass to make sure you have a great time and that you have a need to come back again ... and bring a few friends along next time.

r:>)

[Ron]

I'll break my ass to make sure you have a great time and that you have a need to come back again ... and bring a few friends along next time.

r:>)

That's what she said.

[BDR]

Good night everybody! He'll be here all week!

r:>)

[DirtySanchez]

I'll break my ass to make sure you have a great time and that you have a need to come back again ... and bring a few friends along next time.

r:>)

That's what she said.

ROCKPAGE RON-" Supporting local music and group sex since 1975."

[Ron]

I'll break my ass to make sure you have a great time and that you have a need to come back again ... and bring a few friends along next time.

r:>)

That's what she said.

ROCKPAGE RON-" Supporting local music and group sex since 1975."

1985! I'm not THAT old.

[stratobastard27]

I'm really glad that you guys do have such a great scene. However much anyone may bitch and moan (and I'm not implying that anyone here is), it can always get worse. Where I'm at, there are about 6 places to play that actually have a STAGE. More often than not, you'll wind up in a corner behind a ceiling support beam. And no one comes out here. 100 people is honestly, about the best you can expect around here at a regular indoor bar job. Now there are some bands that can occasionally do better than that, but it's kind of rare. It's all country or the same old shit classic rock. Pick out about 15 well known classic rock songs, and I'll bet you that there are at least 20 bands in my area that those songs are STAPLES of their list. I'm not bitching about playing classic rock, mind you, well, cause here, it's a fact of life. There are scant few original bands, Metal does not hold a prayer of drawing more than 30 people at a 21+ show, and Rap? It's not my thing at all, but I feel sorry for the one Rap group around here, as I'm surprised they haven't been lynched yet. Which is why I want to come to Altoona to play so bad. It's just hard to justify making a 2 hour trip (one way) to set up, play, and tear down to only make $20 a man.

[red]

Last year, I played steel guitar at ALDO'S. A fat old dude in a cowboy hat played steel at a metal bar. And I couldn't hear my amp because the girls were screaming too loud.

that was fun.......

[Darth Raider]

well said DS