theartofthetangent

So over the weekend my step-brother threw a biker rally called Roar in the Mountains in Hollidaysburg, PA.  Though that in itself is worthy of blogging, the rally merely serves as a catalyst to the current blog and I’m sure many others to come.  What stood out most to me was the bands that performed there.  Many towns have a rich local music scene, and having been part of the punk scene in my home town as a teenager, the local bands will always hold a special place in my heart.

Two bands in particular stood out, The Clover and the Marauders.  My fiance and I couldn’t stick around to watch both bands, so we bought a CD from the one we saw and vowed to check around for info on both of them when we got home.  Afterall, the CD had a webpage listed and what better way to dig out info on someone then to Google them?

Sadly, the listed webpage was under construction, but they had a myspace page.  Let me come clean about this.  I’m none too fond of social networking.  Basically I see having a page like that as just screaming “Hey! Look at me!  I’m cool and awesome, and you know you can’t get through your day without finding out what I’ve been up to since high school!”  Before you send me any hate mail, allow me to declare that I have recanted… kinda.

Upon checking out Clover and the Mauraders’ pages I began to see the infinite potential of social networking for the small town band.  It was as if the fanzines, home recordings, and personal leafleting of the punk scene I saw as a kid had been genetically engineered into one glorious super mutant ready to bring DIY back to the masses who had thought it lost!  It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling deep in my belly… like someone had microwaved a sweater and surgically implanted it in my stomach cavity.  But I digress…

For those of you not familiar with the mythos and philosophy of that strange and lovely scene known as punk, first I say SHAME ON YOU!  But I follow up with an explanation of DIY.  DIY stands for “do it yourself” and in the early days of punk, you pretty much had to do everything on your own.  Record labels, producers, and bookers simply weren’t interested in what punk was selling.  Either seeing it as too violent, not talented enough, or just too small to be financially worthwhile (with some exceptions such as the Ramones and the Sex Pistols) these groups refused to get involved.  So what did that leave those fans and bands who wanted to hear and make punk?  They had to do it themselves. The bands and their fans often bought the equipment themselves to record in someone’s basement or garage.  They sold their records, tapes or CDs out of cardboard boxes after shows.  Some fans took it upon themselves to rent out firehalls and VFWs so the bands they loved had venues to play.  Kids drew by hand record sleeves and posters and had the xeroxed at the local libraries or secretly at one of their jobs.  Some would even let an out of town band crash in their living rooms so the band didn’t have to sleep in their van.  They did everything themselves because they truly loved the scene, believed in the product.  They knew if they didn’t step up and contribute, the scene would wither, stagnate, and die.

Beyond that, it allowed the masses who enjoyed the music to get involved.  So what if you couldn’t play an instrument?  You could draw, so you could make the posters and the fliers for next week’s show.  You had a telephone, so you could call around and see what the rental fees at the VFW would run you.  You could drive, so you could go pick up the band or gather up the local crew.  You could write, so you could whip up a local fanzine that let everyone in the community know what was transpiring.  In short, just because you weren’t a member of the band didn’t mean you had to be just a fan, just another face at the show.  You could be a part of everything.  You could be just as important as the guy screaming on stage.  You were truly part of the community because you fought tooth and nail to preserve it, to keep it alive.

So what does this have to do with social networking?  Everything, my friend, everything.

When we logged onto the Clover’s myspace page, a plethora of opportunities presented themselves.  I could listen to some of their music, see when their next shows were and where, but more importantly I got to see the other bands they were friends with and visit their myspace pages.  It was word of mouth on steroids.  “Hey, if you like us, click this link and check out these guys!”  Okee dokee then.  So now I can check out the bands they’re friends with, listen to all their respective music, buy CDs or download MP3s right from their sites.  The bands had taken everything into their own hands.  They did it themselves. And many of them thanked friends and fans for helping build the sites, for peddling CDs for them at shows, for asking them to play at this venue.  It was very heartening.

So thank you myspace for making an anti-authoritarian nonconformist’s day by keeping the spirit alive… even if social networking is still kinda lame.  And humble reader, remember to support the local bands.  Everyone has to start somewhere.

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