I asked people on Twitter if I could interview them about their local/underground music scene and they all gave me some great new bands to listen to AND!!! some super cool thoughts on the scene.
julia from maryland (@juliaef_)
how did you get into your local music scene? My favorite band (Twin Peaks) is from the Chicago music scene, so I actually find myself gravitating more towards artists from Chicago as opposed to Baltimore. Everyone in that scene is like one giant family, and they’re always so supportive of each other. I started getting into and supporting the music scene this past summer, and started going to a bunch of shows and found my niche in the garage rock community, and just became really close with other people coming to these shows and even band members as well. Also it just seems like every great band right now comes from Chicago, but that’s just my opinion.
do you think venue size impacts crowd participation/excitement? I’ve seen crowds get rowdy and excited regardless of venue size, and I think it just has a lot to do with the crowd that comes out to see the band play. Two good examples of this is when I saw The Frights play a sold out show in the basement of a church in Philly, definitely one of the most wild, sweaty, and packed shows I’ve ever been to. Meanwhile, Peaks played three sold out nights in a row in Chicago for NYE at Thalia Hall, which is a pretty large venue, and the energy and crowd was about the same as when I was at that basement show in PA. The bands I see live usually are all from the same genre of music, so the crowd energy is pretty similar each time.
do small shows create a different feel for you than bigger club/arena shows? Smaller shows definitely create a different feel for me as opposed to bigger arena shows, and the bands I support tend to be on the smaller side therefore they book shows at smaller venues, which means everyone is closer together and it’s more likely that you can stick around after the show to chat with the members of the band. Everything feels more personal.
how do you think the local music culture impacts you + your peers?
It’s an incredible way to meet more people who share the same interests as you, I’ve met all my closest friends from going to shows and traveling to see different bands, we feel like one big family unified by our mutual love for music. what are some of your favorite local/underground bands? I’m really into the Chicago music scene, my favorites right now that definitely deserve your attention are Twin Peaks, Post Animal, NE-HI, Knox Fortune, Whitney, Lala Lala, and DEHD. Some other bands worth checking out are Snail Mail and Canker Blossom (Baltimore, my hometown), and Fleece (Montreal, Canada).
nayelli from california (@nayelliabarca):
how did you get into your local music scene?
i got into my local music scene in 2016 because of mt eddy now, danger at the time. i hadn't really gone to very many local shows prior to that. my interest in their music kinda introduced me to the local music scene.
do you think venue size impacts crowd participation/excitement?
i do think the size impacts the overall crowd excitement and participation because people in smaller local shows are typically more down to have fun however that may be opposed to a bigger venue where i've noticed that some people would rather not participate and look cool and judge those who decide to participate
do small shows create a different feel for you than bigger club/arena shows? small shows def create a diff feel for me because everyone just feels more united for the most part
what are some of your favorite local/underground bands?
i'm really into mt eddy and unpopular opinion. my friends in the band and is one of the sweetest people ever. such an intellectual
allison from california (@allisonjaackson):
how did you get into your local music scene?
i got into my local music scene by looking pretty hard for it honestly. i loved music but i live in oc/la, which honestly the “scene” down here is pretty bad, so i had to try out different venues and scour the internet for small local bands i might be interested in, and from there it caused like a chain reaction of finding new venues and bands and stuff like that. do you think venue size impacts crowd participation/excitement?
i definitely think venue and audience size impacts the energy of a show. personally, i think small shows are the way to go 100%. i recognize that bands get big and more people want to see them and so that calls for bigger venues and a less personal atmosphere, but i do think it takes away from what a show is supposed to feel like. there’s something super special about moshing, about being packed in with not that many other people who are all screaming every lyric because they’re all die hard, getting to stage dive and crowd surf and hang out with the band members after the show. do small shows create a different feel for you than bigger club/arena shows?
small shows are absolutely my favorite way to go. before i got super into music, i’d go to concerts for bigger bands at therefore bigger venues with more people, and i still do sometimes and they’re fun but i prefer small shows WAY more, and most of the bands i listen to play at small venues with a small fan base anyway, so that works out. how do you think the local music culture impacts you + your peers?
like i said, the music scene where i live is... not great. i have an appreciation for lots of music so i’m not bashing on this music because i defs jam to it too, but everyone i know listens to trap music and all the mainstream hip hop artists and that’s about it. however, i think that although they’re hard to find, the venues and the local bands that are important to people who enjoy underground music and i feel like also inspires lots of people to play music of their own because they see it right in front of them and know it’s possible. what are some of your favorite local/underground bands?
oh jeez hahah this is a hard one. i love the regrettes. they’re from la and are less of a local band now because they toured with swmrs and that’s gained them a lot of popularity. i also love this band from my school called fockstail. they haven’t put out a lot of music yet but they get a lot of inspo from green day and are super great live. king shelter is a really great band with really unique music i can’t quite put a name to, but i love them so so much. slow hollows is from la and they’re getting bigger, their music is really pretty and they’re awesome live. the garden!! they’re from oc and i’ve yet to see them live unfortunately but their music is definitely the most different of all these bands and they have such a crazy cool style. super whatevr is also great, they’re just starting to put out new music and are going on tour to support movements soon. and i guess my final one will be movements, because they’re from oc not too far from where i live. although they’re also less local now because they played warped tour, it’s really cool knowing they’re from here
sylv from south dakota (@spookysylv)
how did you get into your local music scene?
so about 4 years ago my whole high school and middle school was involved in a little thing i like to call Vape Gate. Almost everyone in my grade and tons of other high school-ers and middle schools and elementary school-ers were caught vaping and got kicked off the middle school and jv sports teams, dooming the seasons basically before they even started. in all it was like 100 people who got iss and detentions and repercussions. i was not involved because i'm a good kid but also because i don't have any 'cool' friends, so i took that opportunity to make fun of all of them for yearrrrrs. This September, i turned 18. in order to poke fun at everyone involved with Vape Gate, i joked that I could legally start my vape addiction. i have/had no intention of actually vaping, but for the sake of the joke i got familiar with all the vape stores in Sioux Falls. When i drove past one downtown, i noticed a little record store and went in. i found out that they housed a lot of little local shows so i started going to them.
do you think venue size impacts crowd participation/excitement? maybe sioux fall's music is bad, but venue size %100 affects crowd rowdiness. every show with 200+ people in the crowd i've been too has been poppin but every small show is just some bopping heads
do small shows create a different feel for you than bigger club/arena shows? small shows are nice because i feel in place. like if i move or get closer or farther from the stage i still feel like the artists are singing right to me, and it seems like they're just like me - a fan of music. its got more of a get-together feel than a 'concert'
aaliyah from california (@Aaliyah_Gomez22):
how did you get into your local music scene?
I got into the east bay scene because I started listening to green day and found out the main guy from the band had 2 sons that had bands so I was gonna go see them in concert at 924 gilman and it all really started from there
do you think venue size impacts crowd participation/excitement?
I think venue size is definitely an impact on whether the crowd will have a good time. I’m not saying that bigger venues won’t have fun but smaller venues are more fun in my opinion do small shows create a different feel for you than bigger club/arena shows?
I think this answer is similar to the last but I think small shows have a better impact on the crowd. You feel more connected to whoever is performing on stage like they’re not better than you just because they’re performing. Arena shows aren’t as personal as small shows.
how do you think the local music culture impacts you + your peers?
It’s affected me in the best type of way. I went into the scene not knowing anyone and just going to shows with my sister because she was the one driving me but now I have so many great friends because of the scene. The band I went to initially see that a was a big fan of, I’m now kinda friends with and I think that’s just really cool that we connected because of the east bay scene! My 2 best friends I have I made from there. They’re genuine and so sweet and I couldn’t ask for better friends. So I think it could affect my peers in the same way. One of my other friends sees gilman as a home for herself and she’s just a really nice girl and I love that she feels that way about gilman. When you walk in the building it’s like being at home with some extended family.
what are some of your favorite local/underground bands?
Some of my favorite bands consist of Small Crush (east bay located I think), Destroy boys, Weird fun, and my favorite band is Mt. Eddy! All of those bands are really great but Mt. eddy has to be my favorite. Those are the guys I really connected with and became closer with. If ya haven’t heard of them already I would check them out and all of those other bands too!
pictures + interview by eva
