How is your local scene doing?

[Bunk McNulty]

Okay, this is from a cover band perspective: Things aren't great, but we are doing our best to keep the scene alive. Here's a fb post from the owner of a club we play at regularly (and where our BL co-hosts the Tuesday night jam):

 

[BigBasserino]

We have the same kind of scene with originals bands in this area. Same people, same scene, following them around. Some people are in several bands and in multi bill shows play in a couple of the bands on the bill.
Then there are those who end a band and start another a week after the last one ended and they all just sound the same.

This sounds like my town. I remember my buddy's ambition was to play in the band of the (then popular) local promoter. Well, after years of silence, he did! Turned out the guy happened to come out of hiding because he had a side biz that he was making a documentary of himself on, and that opened a door to shovel crap he didn't want to do on him. When the going got tough, packed it in and chalked it up to "not actually liking the direction of the new material" despite being 3/4 of the way into an album. So my guy buddy apparently keeps finding repeats of this situation, joins multiple bands that all sounds similar and chalks it up to "bands I join will last around two years anyway so it gives me windows to jump through". Whatever works for these dysfunctional types. ..

 

[sqlb3rn]

The Birmingham AL local metal band scene barely has a pulse anymore. There are a few local metal bands in Huntsville which might bring out 30 kids on a weekend.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

At least 3 clubs closed within the past 3 months. These clubs each had live (cover) music 3-4 times per week. Decent paying too. Gone.

Whoa, that's fugly. Where are you?

 

[shawshank72]

Used to be fantastic, now it’s a disappointment.

 

[Obese Chess]

Here in Portland we've got a very close-knit metal/hardcore scene with a lot of great bands full of great dudes. We are very fortunate.

 

[denhou1974]

Whoa, that's fugly. Where are you?

Houston

 

[Bunk McNulty]

Houston

You guys have been hit by hurricanes three years in a row. I would imagine that has hurt the local economy. The example being that discretionary spending for clubbing might be kinda scarce if you're fixing your roof for the third year in a row.
Or not?

 

[Swerve]

Original scene is still strong in Portland, for most genres. I think anything other than modern Country or cover bands goes over well here.

Which is funny because when I visit family in the South it’s the exact opposite.

 

[WhoSeyes]

Well I live in Barcelona, it's a city with a huge musical diversity and well, if you're a indie rock or indie pop band , electronic DJ or somekind of reggae/fusion band you can do it well...In this case you don't struggle with tribute/cover bands... But for hard rock and metal bands is another history.

Lots of tributes (here in Barcelona I know , at least, three AC/DC tribute bands and two Iron Maiden tribute bands).. lots of original hard rock and metal bands (maybe too many and IMO just a few are good enough). Too many bands , too many shows at the same weekend... It's a matter of offer and demand.. too many bands , too many shows but a limited potential crowd...

In the mid 90's / early 2000's we got a decent underground extreme metal scene too.. great tape trading/selling movement and a record store where you'd find every local band demo tape and every extreme metal record you were looking for.. Some demos were the Holy Grail for us...

Don't know about the 90s or early 00s, but nowadays it's mostly like you say. The main problem I'd say is the lack of a potential crowd.

It's the best time in history to learn how to play an instrument, to get it recorded and streaming around the world, but it may be the worst time in history to make a living of original music.