peopleofwalmart.com
Live Nation: Walmartizing the concert industry...
$25 Live Nation Ticket Week
May 8-14
Cheap seats to bands you don't want to see at venues you don't want to go to!
May 8-14
Cheap seats to bands you don't want to see at venues you don't want to go to!
So true
JRAD
Dave Mason
John Fogerty
Pixies
Andy Summers
Santana
Pat Benatar
Janet Jackson
Tinariwen (!)
Stone Temple Pilots…
Dave Mason
John Fogerty
Pixies
Andy Summers
Santana
Pat Benatar
Janet Jackson
Tinariwen (!)
Stone Temple Pilots…
Am I just just that old, or are "grassroots" music scene pretty dead (I guess outside of Rap or Jambands)?
Like, where/what are the underground music scenes? Did the internet's "democratization" of music just broaden and flatten the mainstream. Is it just the immediate DMV area? IMP and their venues have lots of cover shows and legacy acts, Black Cat seems on life support, DC9 is the only venue that I ever hear of with buzz. Slash Run seems happy to still be in business (their sister venue is all but on its second round of death throes). I look at The Fillmore SS and it's the most incoherent mishmash of acts playing and lots of weekend dates just empty. It's hard to find sources for independent reviews and opinions that aren't also out to make their authors/reviewers stars in and of themselves.
Is the pipeline just young kids on TikTok or YouTube (with nothing but free time, though with their video editing and crafting skills, can't hate too much) or the Disney machine straight to what's left of the mainstream charts or am I just old (it can be both)?
All I read about independent music is how touring is such a loss, releasing music is a loss, selling merch is a loss. I guess it would make sense to stay in your basement and just release minutes long videos and reaction content and hope that you can ride that wave into a side hustle of making music. I mean hey, Kate Hudson was able to ride a nominally successful 20+ year acting career into an album's worth of light, generic retro-pop. Maybe she'll be showing up at The Fillmore this fall.
Like, where/what are the underground music scenes? Did the internet's "democratization" of music just broaden and flatten the mainstream. Is it just the immediate DMV area? IMP and their venues have lots of cover shows and legacy acts, Black Cat seems on life support, DC9 is the only venue that I ever hear of with buzz. Slash Run seems happy to still be in business (their sister venue is all but on its second round of death throes). I look at The Fillmore SS and it's the most incoherent mishmash of acts playing and lots of weekend dates just empty. It's hard to find sources for independent reviews and opinions that aren't also out to make their authors/reviewers stars in and of themselves.
Is the pipeline just young kids on TikTok or YouTube (with nothing but free time, though with their video editing and crafting skills, can't hate too much) or the Disney machine straight to what's left of the mainstream charts or am I just old (it can be both)?
All I read about independent music is how touring is such a loss, releasing music is a loss, selling merch is a loss. I guess it would make sense to stay in your basement and just release minutes long videos and reaction content and hope that you can ride that wave into a side hustle of making music. I mean hey, Kate Hudson was able to ride a nominally successful 20+ year acting career into an album's worth of light, generic retro-pop. Maybe she'll be showing up at The Fillmore this fall.
A friend has a kid in high school in a band and they just played 932 at MPP.
What about Atlantis? Surprised you didn’t mention that….
evilizac wrote:
Am I just just that old, or are "grassroots" music scene pretty dead (I guess outside of Rap or Jambands)?
Like, where/what are the underground music scenes? Did the internet's "democratization" of music just broaden and flatten the mainstream. Is it just the immediate DMV area? IMP and their venues have lots of cover shows and legacy acts, Black Cat seems on life support, DC9 is the only venue that I ever hear of with buzz. Slash Run seems happy to still be in business (their sister venue is all but on its second round of death throes). I look at The Fillmore SS and it's the most incoherent mishmash of acts playing and lots of weekend dates just empty. It's hard to find sources for independent reviews and opinions that aren't also out to make their authors/reviewers stars in and of themselves.
Is the pipeline just young kids on TikTok or YouTube (with nothing but free time, though with their video editing and crafting skills, can't hate too much) or the Disney machine straight to what's left of the mainstream charts or am I just old (it can be both)?
All I read about independent music is how touring is such a loss, releasing music is a loss, selling merch is a loss. I guess it would make sense to stay in your basement and just release minutes long videos and reaction content and hope that you can ride that wave into a side hustle of making music. I mean hey, Kate Hudson was able to ride a nominally successful 20+ year acting career into an album's worth of light, generic retro-pop. Maybe she'll be showing up at The Fillmore this fall.
I do know there are a few hobo venues in DC, but you'd need to talk to Azaghal or Killsally about those deetz… but basically house shows or the handful of hobo shows is where I think you'd find anything local.
Hutch wrote:
What about Atlantis? Surprised you didn’t mention that….
I'm kind of counting it as part of 9:30. It's cool, saw YLT there. But it's one of those places that feels a step too sanitized.
Manufactured retro vibes with current ticket and drink prices.
Personally, I find it hard to figure out what the business plan of a venture like that is, connected directly to its parent venue.
Like does the business come down to literally the metrics of dollar amounts for each venue to be open and hosting what show each night?
Like is it worth even turning on the lights and running the HVAC at levels tolerable to humans for band-x beyond even staffing?
Also, not meant as a knock, but the Atlantis lineup kind of feels like IMP's answer to the acts playing at Fillmore.
Side rant: Remember when the shows pages would actually include info about the bands on the schedule to, I don't know, maybe entice possible uninitiated audiences? I enjoyed checking out the listings and seeing if any random bands' bios piques my interest.
Ok you seem ridiculously cranky so good luck finding your answer!!
Hutch wrote:Oh I am ridiculously cranky. It's probably just the back-to-back 12 hr. workdays. I really liked the vibe of Atlantis (and drinks everywhere are expensive, so eh). I do miss things like being able to peruse a venue's website and take in info of the bands on the schedule. I'm bummed, living in Hyattsville, that Rock n Roll Hotel shuttered, and The Runaway (Slash Run's sister restaurant) stopped doing live music and appears to be all but out of business. It was nice to have places a little closer travel-wise and with more (if sketchier) parking.
Ok you seem ridiculously cranky so good luck finding your answer!!
evilizac wrote:Hutch wrote:Oh I am ridiculously cranky. It's probably just the back-to-back 12 hr. workdays. I really liked the vibe of Atlantis (and drinks everywhere are expensive, so eh). I do miss things like being able to peruse a venue's website and take in info of the bands on the schedule. I'm bummed, living in Hyattsville, that Rock n Roll Hotel shuttered, and The Runaway (Slash Run's sister restaurant) stopped doing live music and appears to be all but out of business. It was nice to have places a little closer travel-wise and with more (if sketchier) parking.
Ok you seem ridiculously cranky so good luck finding your answer!!
Rhizome is like 15 minutes from you!
That is true and I do be forgetting about Rhizome.
I should have learned from the time that I forgot about Dre.
I should have learned from the time that I forgot about Dre.
I want to hear more about Jules stint at walmart, of course he'll respond with fake news!
DC unfortunately has really had a hard time with the 'local scene' As hutch said there are house shows and places like DC9, Pie Shop and a few other venues…but it's slim pickens
Atlantis is still really catering to the 'already signed to a label' bands. They may be up and comming, but they aren't from dc 99% of the time
Since I've lived in the area (93) DC really has had a mediocre local scene
I've wanted so much for DC to have a scene, but I do think it's hard for locals as just about every national tourning act stops by dc (I know I bitch about how often we get skipped, but that's more the exception than the rule) so local bands are competing with know bands or cover bands almost every night of the week
I go to Baltimore and Richmond and they have a thriving scene and great acts are coming out of them all the time
DC…so few acts over the last 30 years that really had any big impact other than hobo shows
people still talk about the dc scene like it's 1983
DC unfortunately has really had a hard time with the 'local scene' As hutch said there are house shows and places like DC9, Pie Shop and a few other venues…but it's slim pickens
Atlantis is still really catering to the 'already signed to a label' bands. They may be up and comming, but they aren't from dc 99% of the time
Since I've lived in the area (93) DC really has had a mediocre local scene
I've wanted so much for DC to have a scene, but I do think it's hard for locals as just about every national tourning act stops by dc (I know I bitch about how often we get skipped, but that's more the exception than the rule) so local bands are competing with know bands or cover bands almost every night of the week
I go to Baltimore and Richmond and they have a thriving scene and great acts are coming out of them all the time
DC…so few acts over the last 30 years that really had any big impact other than hobo shows
people still talk about the dc scene like it's 1983
evilizac wrote:Nowadays, everybody wanna talk like they got somethin' to say
I should have learned from the time that I forgot about Dre.
Aren’t Pie Shop, Quarry House Tavern and Comet Ping Pong considered grassroots venues?
This notion that there isn’t a DC scene means one isn’t looking hard enough
And I’m not expert on any of this, but there is exciting stuff happening
This notion that there isn’t a DC scene means one isn’t looking hard enough
And I’m not expert on any of this, but there is exciting stuff happening
Heck I just found out about a DIY venue in Boyds, MD called The Garage
And yes I had to look it up, it’s just north of Germantown
https://livefromthegaragev.wixsite.com/live-from-the-garage
And yes I had to look it up, it’s just north of Germantown
https://livefromthegaragev.wixsite.com/live-from-the-garage
evilizac wrote:
That is true and I do be forgetting about Rhizome.
I should have learned from the time that I forgot about Dre.
Funny you should mention him. The postal worker who provided excellent service for me recently told me she went to high school with the actor who played the good Dr. in Straight Outta Compton.
Has anyone seen a show through Sofar Sounds? Its a weird proposition to me. They don't tell you the venue or the artist beforehand…
https://www.sofarsounds.com/cities/washington
https://www.sofarsounds.com/cities/washington
It’s a complicated issue….with lots of little pieces
In todays world were it’s arguably more expensive to live in DC than NYC the minute you are serious about music you are moving to Brooklyn. Or even Richmond or Baltimore. But bands been moving to NYC since Duke Ellington. It’s so close it’s very doable.
And it works both ways: all the NYC, Philly etc acts can easily play DC so DC acts maybe get crowded out. We are the opposite of say an Athens or Chapel Hill which were rather insular music scenes…our scene is so porous it can’t really develop an identity
Then there is the whole Dischord scene “overhang”…..I feel like for a good while in this area either you were a part of that scene or you were out. Not just with Ian and Disvhord but even his sister Amanda was managing bands I think (like the Apes?) and booking Ft Reno (??). And when the Dischord thing kind of died down it feels like nothing really replaced it. It’s hard to replace something that was so big…
Just spitballing
In todays world were it’s arguably more expensive to live in DC than NYC the minute you are serious about music you are moving to Brooklyn. Or even Richmond or Baltimore. But bands been moving to NYC since Duke Ellington. It’s so close it’s very doable.
And it works both ways: all the NYC, Philly etc acts can easily play DC so DC acts maybe get crowded out. We are the opposite of say an Athens or Chapel Hill which were rather insular music scenes…our scene is so porous it can’t really develop an identity
Then there is the whole Dischord scene “overhang”…..I feel like for a good while in this area either you were a part of that scene or you were out. Not just with Ian and Disvhord but even his sister Amanda was managing bands I think (like the Apes?) and booking Ft Reno (??). And when the Dischord thing kind of died down it feels like nothing really replaced it. It’s hard to replace something that was so big…
Just spitballing