Why Do YOU Go To Shows?
If you go to local shows around here, ask yourself this question: Why do I go to shows in Fresno?
I was talking with a friend recently about why I (Mitch on Speed) go to local shows. I go to maybe one or two a week – max. There are many reasons, I guess. I’ll list three. 1) because there’s not much else to do in Fresno; 2) I like live music. Well, music period; and 3) I like the social aspect – talking with people and whatnot. I’m guessing these are reasons most people would give.
I’ll be honest. If I went to local shows solely to see the music, then you’d probably only see my face at approximately one show per month. Let’s examine this realistically. How many times a month can an individual watch "band X"* play every other week at Tokyo Garden and/or Starline, without getting bored outta their mind? After a while, that person will get tired of "band X" and stop going to their shows. Don’t get me wrong; I like Fresno bands. I like some of them a lot. But there’s only so much a person can take.
*I don’t wanna name any specific bands. No reason/point in doing that.
There are a few things I’m trying to say here. First, it disappoints me that Fresno doesn’t have a bigger variety of solid live bands. Within the "indie" scene (that I tend to frequent), I can count the amount of bands that regularly perform on one hand – and, interestingly enough, that number is slowly declining. I find that pathetic. With a city of Fresno’s size, there should be a TON of bands playing out. But where are they? Are they in their parents’ basement waiting for the right opportunity to expose themselves to the world? Please, tell me where they are hiding. I’d really like to know. (If you’re thinking to yourself, "Well, if this guy wants more bands, then why doesn’t HE start one up?" then refer to my "Jaded" blog. You will find your answer there.)
Alright, alright. I know some of you are saying that there’s a decent variety of bands playing around town. But I said good bands, remember? Just kidding....just kidding. But seriously... What’s up with that? I guess one could argue that some of the local venues are tight-asses and it’s hard to arrange shows, but I don’t buy that. If a band really wanted to play out, they’d find a way. One suggestion: more house parties.
In a perfect world, mid-sized nationally touring bands would roll through Fresno and local groups could open up for them. But, as we know, it’s very difficult booking decent out-of-town bands in Fresno (I’ve tried, believe it or not). I mean, who was the last semi-popular indie band to come to Fresno? Earlimart? And from what I heard, even they left pissed off because there was hassle in getting their money (guarantee) at the end of the night. I guess you can look at The Belmont’s (formerly Big Game) roster and see a bunch of hardcore/emo/punk bands, but I’m not really into that stuff. It’s cool if you are, though. Not that you need my reassurance or anything.
I may be going off on a tangent here, but it kinda pisses me off when I see cities like Visalia, Modesto and Bakersfield getting WAY better shows than Fresno. I’m not knockin’ those cities; I think that’s fantastic. More power to ‘em. It just confuses me as to how smaller cities can get better shows than us. It boggles the mind! (This is a WHOLE other subject I don’t want to get into right now.)
So here’s my idea: Since we can’t seem to get any cool bands to come to Fresno, I think some local musicians should get together and start an indie cover band. You know, cover songs that people actually know. (Examples: Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bright Eyes, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Decemberists, Cat Power, Arcade Fire, B-52s, the Shins, Elliott Smith, King Cobra, the Gossip – WHOEVER!!!
Sit back a sec and try to think of the last time you heard a local Fresno band play a cover. The last time I remember hearing one was from Pinkeye. They used to cover "Divine Hammer" by the Breeders. They used to play a really cool Beach Boys song, too. I almost forgot about that. Great song. Some of you remember that, I’m sure. I’d bet that an indie cover band would pack the frickin’ house at Tokyo. Am I wrong? I’d venture to say that people would MUCH rather see their friends playing covers of their favorite songs rather than originals (sad but probably true).
This goes back to what I was saying before about seeing the same band play every other week. Even if an indie cover band doesn’t start up, it would be cool if local bands threw in a recognizable cover every now and then. I can TOTALLY see No Cello covering the Black Keys. It would definitely peek my interest a little. You can’t deny that EVERYONE likes to hear a good cover. So, yeah.
Hmmm, what else did I wanna cover in this blog. I can’t really remember. I guess all I ask is that if a Fresno band decides to play out a lot, that they step up their game and do whatever it takes to make the show interesting and fun. Isn’t that why people go out to see band in the first place, to have fun? If a band plays the same exact show over and over and over, then people will get bored. The audience has to be left wanting more. That’s one reason I like Pinkeye so much. No matter how often they play, they keep it light-hearted and fun. Hell, Pinkeye got banned from the Starline because they played past 2 a.m. And the only reason they kept playing is because people couldn’t get enough. Now that’s the kinda shit I like to see.
So let’s brainstorm as to how bands can make their shows more interesting, ‘cause I sure as hell don’t have the answers. Also, if you decide to comment, maybe briefly include why you like going to local shows. And, please, be honest. No bullshit.
p.s. I expect a looong response from James L. on this one... Don’t let me down, kid.
2nd p.s. Sorry if this blog made no sense whatsoever. Ha.
