The underground scene in America

As far as I'm concerned, the only thing missing is more concerts outside of Washington, D.C. If you actually want to discover indie bands, you'll find them just fine—I know about [mandelbrot set], Lavender Field, and plenty of other obscure stuff... but the real issue is that I never get the chance to see any of them live. Beš. 👎

boldscout72 said:I have no idea if there are any bands (...) in (...) Indianapolis

Indianapolis COG, the American The Rapper! :2up: :2up: 😁

like The Humpers

I think you're overreacting a bit. You can't honestly expect everyone to dig your band...

Look, obviously. I’m not expecting a standing ovation from everyone. We're just regular people, college students trying to make something meaningful happen. 😉
Everyone's entitled to their opinion. If I've decided to play the "clown" on stage, then yeah, I can handle some criticism, but I don't deal with straight-up insults. I'd say anyone with a lick of sense would agree with me on that.
Anyway, let's move on. The topic is supposed to be about our local underground scene in its early days.

Kevin Chavez3 said:Indianapolis, the American The Rapper!!! :2up: :2up: 😁

I've got respect for Coby, for sure, but honestly? Because of how they seem to view the band and their whole vibe, I checked out on them a long time ago (sadly)....🙂

Look, not every band is going to put in the work. Jeez. 🙄 😁

np Didjits

Nicholas Perez33 said:Of course we’re going to do our part—I mean, I certainly would... Ghetto sounds absolutely incredible, truly—so if there is any way for me to lend a hand, you can bet I’ll find a way to help. But then again... someone else probably wouldn't be so willing.
Regarding the whole publicity aspect—I think I misspoke earlier. What I actually meant was... well... "popularity"... 🙂
You know how it goes—whenever you mention Peach, most people in America who actually appreciate that kind of music will immediately recognize the name, or better yet, they probably already have their tracks sitting right there on their hard drives... They’re just genuinely good, you see? People recognize talent when they hear it without needing some massive, obnoxious ad campaign shoved down their throats. It’s just simple, honest, and straightforward... like a good bowl of chili. 🙂

On the other hand—and I say this with total sincerity—it’s actually quite a shame that there isn't some major American music magazine out there just... telling people they absolutely *have* to listen to Marshmello. Because, honestly? They really should... 🙂

It’s true—when you mention Peach, everyone immediately knows exactly what you mean and who you're talking about; there’s a certain weight to it... a real gravity, if you will. But we really have to consider that there is a distinct line between the mere consumers and the actual people participating in the scene and building it from the ground up. Now, I wouldn't necessarily *want* that boundary to exist—heaven knows I don't—but that is simply the reality of the situation. Most of us know one another quite well, and that sort of hand-to-hand, face-to-face marketing works wonders for us, but to an outsider, it might feel like a closed circle... a bit of an impenetrable fortress. I find myself wondering about the kids in Miami, or even those kids way out in Columbus... how are they ever supposed to break through? How do they reach this level? A guy from Miami was just venting to me the other day about how he couldn't even find Corporate Ghost in a local record store—so how on earth is he supposed to track down 7th Heaven? For a band of that caliber, it isn't just a matter of whether it's "worth it" to catch a gig in Miami; it feels almost nonsensical. I mean, what's the point? Playing to two random people who happened to stumble upon the venue and three guys waiting at the bar? We are all painfully aware of the massive amount of incredible bands currently in the scene, but as Kevin Chavez3 so eloquently put it—we just have nowhere to actually see them. And if we look back at our own little history, it’s become a rather repetitive cycle... a bit of a loop, really. Back in the early 2000s, we had Galaxy, Vivian Girls, Ejesus & Munchkin, Kukuriku Street, Lavender Field, and Analen. Where did they all go? They were all spectacular bands, but unfortunately, they all seemed to gravitate around the Swamp... and time has shown that those folks didn't give a damn about the scene itself. Will this vicious cycle continue? Well, I certainly hope not... provided I can actually manage to do something about it...

LONG LIVE THE SPAM!!!!😁

I honestly wish I could draw a parallel between all this and that whole situation from a few years back with Galaxy and Nomad... but I just can't bring myself to do it. (Though, if I recall correctly, the Galaxy crew hasn't even played a show outside of places like Indianapolis or Washington, D.C. 🙄 )

Goddamn you, boldscout72, you have to get everything in before me!!

Anyway, I think building a scene requires something specific. You see it perfectly with the current local indie wave: a handful of people who might lack raw musical talent but have massive amounts of enthusiasm. They end up carving out their own niche by creating or managing some kind of media outlet to cover the movement... but it feels like nobody actually wants to put in that work 😢

Basically, they're just posers.

edit:Instead of starting a whole new thread, I'll just add to what was said above—that idea about how nobody would bother going to see or listen to bands in Miami or Columbus... that's just not true. Miami is so starved for any kind of decent event that if I showed up solo with a Melodica, slapped three posters in the right spots, and spread the word to the right people, I think a decent crowd would actually show up 😁.... plus, there are plenty of bands in Miami you could actually jam with 🤣 yeah.

It’s not that they aren't willing to give to anyone—it’s simply that the cash has dried up. That is the sole reason, really... There just isn't a Soros left around to bankroll some new Nomad.

boldscout72 said:It’s not that he refuses to give to people; he just doesn't have the cash. That's the bottom line. There isn't another Soros around to bankroll a new Nomad.

Look, the internet is the perfect, dirt-cheap medium... it's right there for anyone interested in this kind of scene... yet, still nothing. (And yeah, we're back to talking about the state of the economy... but I don't think that's the root cause here.)

I'm going to go cook. 👋

You really can't expect a single individual to be both the architect of a scene and its primary caretaker... it’s just not feasible. That kind of thing demands an immense amount of someone's time—not to mention their sheer grit, sacrifices, and let's face it, a fair bit of suffering too. Though, who knows? Perhaps we might see a shift in that dynamic someday...

Cook up something spectacular. 🙂

hollowseal33 said:I mean, it really is the perfect, super affordable medium... it's accessible to anyone who shows even a tiny bit of interest in this kind of scene... yet, somehow, still nothing happens. (Though I suppose we're circling back to the economic situation in the country again... personally, I don't think that's the root cause of everything.)

So, what are you waiting for? Forget the blog; why not build us something actually useful instead of just another DOP? Offer up some raw info, connect all the dots into a network, and I promise we’ll be right there ready to spam whatever you need. Less talk, more rock, girl!😉

If you could just create something like that, I truly believe everyone reading this thread would be more than willing to jump in and help out.

Let's go buy everything from Dead Mula! 😁

np Ramones

Nicholas Perez33 said:So what are you waiting for? Drop the blog and start making us something actually useful instead of that DOP stuff. Give us the raw data and connect all the dots. We’re ready to spam whatever you put out there. Less talk, more rock, girl! 😉

Forget about the grind. I'm done with it. 😳 😉 😁

Lasagna!!!!

LAZANJEEEEEEEEE!!!!

I am suddenly feeling quite the craving... Honestly, Dead Mula was absolutely stellar, though things rarely ever actually happen there—if anything happens at all... I can already see how this will go; it looks like Nicholas Perez33 is going to have to handle everything on his own...🙂

Kevin Chavez3 said:Look, I get it, not every single band is gonna grind. Jeez. 🙄 😁

As far as I'm concerned, they don't even have to try hard, but if they actually book a gig, they should probably just show up and honor the deal...😉
but hey, whatever, it's just some band that was cool back in the day ten years ago.😁

Robin Booth said:Honestly, it doesn't really matter; they're just a band that was somewhat interesting about ten years ago.😁

Well, I suppose Elvis wouldn't have been Elvis if people weren't constantly talking trash about him... 🙂

The core issue with the alternative scene—unlike metal, punk, hip-hop, or hardcore—is that "alternative" covers such a massive spectrum of sounds that it’s nearly impossible to pull bands and fans under one umbrella through the media, local clubs, or indie labels in a market as tight as ours.
I mean, your average punk kid is going to have a blast at pretty much any punk fest, but when you're dealing with the alternative crowd, things get way more complicated.
Plus, there’s some truth to what Nicholas Perez33 was saying about everyone constantly stepping on each other's toes and those bad vibes circulating.
It's like... these alternative types act like they've been chosen by destiny; half of them seem to think they're making "divine music" (for some reason, my grandpa's old records come to mind here)
But despite all the headaches, I’m personally down to help fix this and rebuild the alternative scene on some actual healthy ground. How? Well, I play in three different bands, and I'm ready to put in the work to build stronger ties with other acts. Because that’s where it all starts.
This concert by Nicholas Perez33 is just the beginning... let's get lost in it.🙄 😁 🙂

Nicholas Perez33 said:man, Elvis wouldn't even be the King if he hadn't gone and trashed his reputation like that... 🙂

okay, fair enough... maybe I'm exaggerating just a little bit here 😉

boldscout72 said:It isn't that they're being stingy—it's just that the well has run dry. That's the real issue. There aren't any more Soros types around to bankroll a new Nomad.

And since when did you become an expert on the Nomad payroll? I assume you worked there, given how much you know about where the money comes from. 🤔

np. magnetic fields - i don't believe you

Not really, though I do assume there was some initial capital involved somewhere... You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out how a handful of journalism students in 1998 managed to scrape together enough cash to launch a magazine. Now, let me be perfectly clear—I wasn't pointing fingers at anyone specific with that remark. Perhaps you have more insight into the matter than I do, but that isn't really what we're debating here...

And regardless of how things ultimately turn out, I’d much rather have Nomad in the mix than absolutely nothing at all.

np wilco - diamond claw

Nicholas Perez33 said:Alright, here’s an add-on, same old story 😁

exactly the same thing, except

I mean, someone from the magazine was actually at the Waitsu show in Berlin http://www.dopmagazin.com/koncertReports.asp