I have often wondered why it is people have chosen the internet to vocalize their beliefs upon rather than a page or from a stage; however, it has recently come to my attention that the accessibility of the internet is much more convenient than that of the tried-and-true methods of printing, copying, and distributing a zine or writing, recording, and touring for an album. This realization, I believe, is a perfect example of how the music scene has evolved and, quite possibly, degraded itself: despite my young age, I am well aware of the blood, sweat, tears, time, energy, and dedication that individuals have put into building the underground and independent music into what it is today - little of which is still around, most of which is hanging out in the back of clubs or staying away from the "scene" all together.
Of course, coming from someone who is plugging away at a keyboard rather than standing inside of Kinkos, xeroxing page after page until my eyes can't focus, this holds little to no merit. However, I am not one to let the recognition of this irony be lost upon myself; it is this irony that has lead to the birth of this blog.
What used to take months worth of searching for demo tapes, seven inches, and shows so far spread out that friendships spanned states and years now takes a few clicks of a mouse to obtain - the scene has gotten so much smaller and yet so much bigger. In what can be called a mixed blessing, kids from all-around the world can access bands and labels that would otherwise go unheard of in their community. However, this easy accessibility has also caused for a lack of effort among those participating in the underground and independent scene; the amount of zines, independent record labels, and distros has dropped noticeably in the last ten years.
Maybe it is nostalgia, maybe it's just complaining for the sake of complaining, but coming into a scene at the naive and tender age of twelve, zines, labels, and distros were something that pulled you in, made you feel like a part of the community, something that has gone the way of girl jeans, shoe-string belts, and Saucony running shoes.
Therefore, this blog is the beginning of an attempt to create something. What this something is, I'm quite unsure of at this point. An education on the history of various music scenes? A compilation of album reviews, old and new, to spark some sort of discussion among listeners? A place to bitch and moan about the minute details of an otherwise well-oiled machine known as the music industry? It remains to be seen. Until then, read on.
(Photo credit: Jim Rassol, Sun Sentinel)
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