Lately, its been kind of frustrating, seeing the local music scene where it is today.
A lot of bands vent this frustration, so I don't mean to come off whiney. I don't have any witty words on who's fault it is, or anything like that. Just maybe an observation.

I see more and more bands leaving the bay area.People blame all kinds of people and things for it. Its actually a mystery to me exactly what is making our "scene" , "suck" so much. Most people head to SF, which is already pretty full of bands, and in some ways has tons to offer. A lot of people try their luck by heading out to tour CA or nearby states.

There was also that Promoter Ordinance that got passed in SJ. For those of you who don't know, it was basically a shady way for the city to get its 'cut' of whatever money was being made off shows. Essentially, to book any show what so ever in SJ , you need to have a promoter's license, and need to pay the city $1,000 a year. That doesn't sound too bad, but it really changes how shows can be done. Not anyone can just book a show. I already see a lot more shows happening in the outlying towns around SJ, just to escape the ordinance.

I think the one thing though, that really sets it up, is the saturation of bands, and shows happening locally. Ryan was talking to me one day, and kind of dwelling in nostalgia. He talked a lot about how the scene used to be, and the shows that we had going on. I didn't go to many shows. I came in right at the end of the Golden Age of San Jose Hardcore that everyone remembers so vividly. The way he talked about shows, they were far and few between, and since shows were so scarce, people would always go. It was THE event. They were much cheaper, I would imagine too. I remember going to see Strata at the gaslighter with someone (before I even knew who Strata was), and they were charging $8 at the door. My friend said "Strata, charging $8 bucks at their own local show? this is a rip!". Now you're lucky if the show is even $8.

and lastly, the economy has been destroying everything. No one wants to buy expensive gas on a regular basis, which means they don't drive much, and since they have to save for Gas and such, going out to the movies or shows is pretty much becoming too expensive for the time. I hope we shift out of it soon.

This sounds like mindless complaining to anyone, but for a musician , who makes it their goal to play awesome local shows...its a bummer to see everyone being so pessimistic about local music, and eventually, it catches on. Everyone is seeing things from a different perspective. There could be a group of 15 year olds out there, who think that our scene is the most awesome thing ever. I guess its just how you look at it.

thats my rant for the month.

We're playing The Retox Lounge on August 9th, and San Jose Skate on August 23rd.
all info on our myspace.

-me