Conference napalm::heavy_metal

779.0. "What's your Scene?" by USOPS::ZAPPIA (Curiosity factor relates to # of morons) Mon Aug 19 1991 01:49

    
	So as not to clutter the "Mystic Powers" note (466) the kat fight
    	has moved here! 
    
	How many bands moved to Boston and then joined the ranks of being from 
	Boston?  Granted many of them established themselves while playing in 
	Boston but I think too many people make too much of this.  Obviously 
	geographic location has a lot to do with it as well as people who can 
	relate to what you're doing.

    	Some times it's one member who lived here for two months and then 
	the rest of the band moved in, and then they we're from Boston!  Of 
	course this is a very general statement.

	How many SubPop bands are from Seattle?  But yet that grouping played 
	a part initially.  OK, 'nough about that.
	
	I've never understood how being from a particular area implied credit
	for some people for being from there too!   The statement 'look at 
	how many bands have come out of...' Yea, so what?  I find the point 
	of interest to be the variations/similarity in sound/style among the
	various bands from the same area.  Okay, maybe the hereditary /
	environment thing plays a role too!
    	
	The comparison about the number of bands coming out of Texas, be it 
	Austin or where ever is irrelevant in my opinion to this discussion 
	anyway.  I think it's all just part of how people like to group 
	things together to make things easier for them to understand.  

	Just like the discussions of what is metal and what isn't, what's 
	alternative, etc.  I think the only thing that most people agree on 
	is what is Pop.  The geographic grouping probably appears more when 
	people discuss bands abroad.  It makes sense sometimes but if I 
	didn't know better I'd say every band in England is out of the 
	same little hamlet!
    
	Bouncing around here..People in the Boston area have no doubt
	heard of or are familiar with the Neighborhoods who after some ten-plus
	years and (as one would expect/hope) changes along the way they 
	recently got signed to Atlantic, not to go off into the major label 
	discussions but in their case this is great.  The reason I bring them 
	up is because they have changed considerably from when they first 
	started playing in Boston.  I wonder what would have happened if 
	they or someone else had penned them as this or that type of band 
	and if they had said, 'there's no scene here let's pack it in'.
	Sure they had plenty of club gigs and some larger shows before 
	but if they thought things would happen quickly.  I always liked
	the line "first you have to last".

	I think Pete (or anyone else) realizes it's not easy...

	You (Kath) raised some good points but I think the lack of a metal 
	scene per se has more to do with the lack of clubs booking 'em.
	Sure the reason may have to so with the club's feelings on where
	they think they will be successful but the whole point I'm *trying*
	to make is the lack thereof probably has more to do with external
	reasons than lack of interest by the bands and audiences who
	are interested in this music.  I'm not saying you implied this,
	I just want to state my thoughts how ever garbled they may be!

	There's also the who-knows-who syndrome plus the limiting factor
	of there's just being so many bands who want to play the few clubs 
	in Boston or anywhere else for that matter.
	
	I'd like to know what the coloration, if any, to clubs and record sales 
	of that particular type of music as to overall record sales of all 
	music.  Surely just because most clubs seem to being doing better with 
	a certain type of music it doesn't reflect most people who enjoy music 
	such as the current scene.  This is probably obvious just do the fact
	of the proportion of record buyers to those who frequent club.  I
	just want to know how a club determines metal/anything else does
	work for them business wise.  Surely it's something more than one or 
	two slow nights.
    
	In the defense to TT's they are not wimps but I stand by what I said 
	earlier that being I think they could be broader to include metal 
	assuming it's a business decision and not anything else.  I can here
	the arguments now...

	This isn't limited to just this one club.  As stated the Channel does 
	a good mix.  Also I'm not making the argument purely on the pro-metal
	front but more on the pro-music side.  I'm starting to sound like a 
	politician.
    
    	As for the "metal" scene I have always wondered about this
	speaking in the Boston area in general.  I have noticed some
	of the things that Kath pointed but again I wouldn't blame it
	on lack of demand for this music.  Granted this is on a larger
	level, for example but if Gun n' Roses sold some 14 Million records 
	surely distribution wise there's some fans scattered in this number
	(and of course those who dislike 'em) that like a much harder form
	of music, "scary metal" for lack of anything else to say! 
	Did they really say that, Pete?

	My observations on the local metal scene for lack of a better phase 
	is that it's awfully disjoint.  I don't mean this to imply that band 
	members don't get long with other bands but there's something inherently
	different.  I'm not quite sure what it is!  Maybe it's the number of 
	people who go to shows go to see a couple of their local favorites and 
	aren't really in tune with all that's going on in the local level 
	which without this you lack the continuity for the so called scene.

	After first hearing the reply that Pete was given regarding
	"scary metal" description I was going to say 'how nice it 
	would be if it were possible to open a club free of most of the 
	nonsense...no need for a moderator intervention..I'm just....

	Pete and others aren't the first people I've heard about with the 
	booking problems and another worth noting is airplay or lack thereof.
	There's seems to be a lot of political blinders in place concerning
	who gets airplay.  

	- Jim

	p.s.  Thought for the day....

	Would you rather have a club the size of the Channel with only
	a hundred or so people there on a Tuesday night for instance or the 
	relatively smaller Rat with 30-40 people?

	Actually the answer strengthens what Kath said!!!  No matter what 
	type of Music was going on at the Channel the overhead, etc. would
	be cause for them to take a closer look.

    Well, look at it this way...
    
    Kat was right on the money when she said that bands are pulling
    together to do shows together, etc.
    
    Look at two boston metal bands...FLESH and ATUNGA...both bands have 
    Extreme siblings in them (Flesh with 2, and Atunga with 1)...you
    would think these bands had it made, right?
    
    WRONG!
    
    Flesh and Atunga have banded toegther...pulled PA resources, funds,
    transportation, etc., and are currently doing shows together.  Oh,
    in clubs you assume?  NOT!  They're scheduling their own shows at
    local are VFW's, Local parks, etc.  You see, there is such a limited
    market for metal bands to play, you have to be creative, and here is
    one good example of bands with "connections" who are playing the 
    Hudson ELKS next week...
    
    WEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

    
    	Like you said, Jim, a big concern is the overhead for the club.
    	If an owner/manager doesn't think that he can at least break
    	even for a night, and most probably make a reasonable profit,
    	then [s]he's not going to book a band that [s]he doesn't feel
    	will bring in enough people ... whether the band is metal, rap
    	or whatever.
    
    	And owners don't flip a coin to make these decisions, either.
    	I'm sure they have some darn good information on which they
    	are basing their decisions.
    
    							GTI