“When I first started playing here, it was very cutthroat. Bands would go out of their way to be a**holes to other bands. They would talk trash to anyone within earshot if another group was brought up in normal conversation. Everyone had a, ‘My band rules and the rest of the people that play music are inferior wannabes’ attitude. Today, I believe that the hard rock, metal and hardcore bands have become more of a community. Although we differ stylistically, we are united in our goal. I see many bands that are more than willing to help others, whether it be with venue info, CD production, or helping them to the next level. Straight up rock guys are hanging out with hardcore kids, cats are f***ing dogs – let’s hope the future brings us more of the same.”

“Since I have been playing in my area, I have most noticeably found more people coming to our shows. I have seen more dedication and more fans emerging from our previous bands. Also, I have noticed a profound impact through word of mouth. We have been the ‘talk of the town’ and have been headlining several shows.”

“It has not changed much. There are not many places for bands like us to play. We have a good fan base started, but sometimes it feels like we are being held back. There are a lot of musicians in this town, some are good and some are full of s***. Certain people feel that they are the best and no one can achieve their level of excellence. I feel if there were more metal, hardcore, etc. based events, more bands like us in the area would have better turnouts at shows. This is what I feel the music scene is like in St. Joe. Some people’s egos are bigger than their performances, and we try to, and definitely plan to do so in the future. This town is full of good music; more people just need to help bring it out.”

“The scene around here has really blown up. We keep hearing from more and more bands popping up and wanting to play shows and so forth. It is actually quite invigorating, seeing as when we were fans, there were less than a handful of bands in and around the area.”

“Due to the fact that Evansville is only about ’0 miles from Louisville, Kentucky, I feel like our scene in past years has lived in the shadow of the Louisville scene. In the past, any good band from here was just considered a ‘local band.’ Now, after years of clubs opening one month and then closing the next, Evansville has sort of come into its own. We have two clubs that run shows every weekend. We have bands, such as Mock Orange, that tour in Europe and Asia, as well as other bands like Side Walk Slam (Tooth & Nail Records) and the Redemption Song (Facedown/Strike First Records) that have great Indie record deals and do quite a bit of touring. Evansville is also a favorite spot of a lot of touring bands. The kids here are super loyal and love to support their favorite bands, whether they are local or touring. Every band on the road knows that there is nothing better than playing a show packed with familiar faces even when you are hundreds of miles from home. Playing Evansville’s Club 1123 is now a must for any hardcore or punk band touring the Midwest.”

“Upside, there is a better sense of community and less of the ‘rock star’ b.s. It used to be impossible to get anyone to get off their couch and go to a show, unless they knew someone in the band that could help them in some way. Now you see more people just going to check out bands they know nothing about. Downside, there are fewer venues to play.

“Basically, since we were first around in the ‘80s, the bar crowds have diminished to about 20 percent of what they used to be, and most bars want to pay about 20 percent of what we used to get on average. Attendance is probably due to the fact that they raised the drinking age from 18 to 21 and patrol bars looking to write DUIs with a vengeance. Pay is probably related to income, although I am appalled that most bands these days come into a bar expecting the venue to provide lights and sound. Professionalism and pride in this aspect has really started to scrape the bottom of the barrel – another excuse for the venues to lower the offer, and deservedly so.”

“Most of the bands that I listened to in the area have come and gone. I think that there is a lack of originality in the Midwest scene. Bands that are catching my attention around here would be Unmerciful, Diskreet, Disinterment, Obsidian Shore – we should be glad to have these bands in the Midwest.”

“Topeka had a weak music scene five to six years ago. Nowadays, with new venues, it is getting better, except for styles of music. Rock and metal are big here in Topeka, but more and more, there is this teeny-bopper craze of pop-punk music going around.”

“Well, I have seen in the last three years that there have been a lot of clubs that play live bands closing – Neiners, The Bunker, Spitfire, America’s Pub does not play music. However, there are just as many bands, if not more now, which forces the clubs to be a little more picky. They need to have bands that bring a lot of people, so they can make money and stay open, while trying to mix in some not-as-well-known bands. What I am saying is that it is getting more difficult to be a fledgling and make a name for themselves, so what I see happening is a lot of these bands, however talented they may be, are going to break up because they get discouraged. It seems to me unless more clubs start opening up or something else happens to help raise awareness to the local scene, the scene may be in trouble for a while.

“The community as a whole has not so much changed, but the spectrum of listeners and respect for heavy metal has definitely increased since we formed the band and started playing. We have had people who were entirely into emo music come to our shows, download our stuff, and even start listening to more heavy metal bands as a result. So there has definitely been some progress made for metal in our surround scene since we came into the mix.”

“It has changed greatly in the last five years due to clubs allowing bands to be more original and creative. I have been doing this band thing for about 11 years here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I have been playing for 18 years or so – guitar and lead vocals. I have always played original music, never covers. In 1’’7, there were only six playing bands in this town that did original music. We started it here, and I am proud to say there are now over 300 all original acts playing venues around here now. It is definitely a lot more accepted. Tulsa is no longer eating its own talent; it is helping it. We have a growing following each show, it just gets bigger and bigger.”

“I think the bar has been raised. MTV has created a new generation of rock stars. There are so many quality bands around now that the competition is a lot tougher. The amount of local bands has easily quadrupled since I started playing in the local scene. I call them competition, but actually they are the life blood of the local scene and part of our fan base. We go out to see a lot of bands when we are not playing ourselves, and we always see a lot of our band friends at our shows, so we are all as vital as fans as we are performers, and everyone gets involved. It is a cool scene in Little Rock, full of quality bands that all deserve to be heard.”

“My perspective is different than others because I started with Sutter Cane who mostly plays bars, and ended up with Odius who mostly plays clubs with other bands. When I started, people would cheer for the band because they were drunk. Now, some visibly do not like it, but I would take criticism over someone kissing my a** because I am in a band any day. The number of local supporters grows with the increasing number of new bands. Even though some of the new ones are not very good, their fans are getting exposed to all kinds of new stuff, which is good for everybody, I think. The scene is getting stronger, and the world will be forced to notice soon.”

“The music community has changed in the sense that there are a lot of high school bands that arise for only a few months and then slowly die out, and most of the time they die out because no more of their high school friends come to their shows anymore. I have seen a lot of people supporting these high school bands and watching them evolve into much greater musicians. I am very proud of our music community. My only wish is that there would be a lot more venues and a lot more kids at shows, of course!”

“Our band Censura has only been playing shows for seven months, but already I have seen a slight change in the local music scene. Our band has attempted to break down barriers between different styles of music. We have found that it is not necessary to have bands of the exact same genre to put on a kick ass rock show. For example, it is not a problem for an emo band to play with a heavier band. It is all about getting people out to local shows and keeping the local scene breathing. In order to keep live music around, bands have to draw fans to bars, or our favorite places to play will eventually have to resort to spinning rap CDs in order to keep their doors open. So we are actively seeking to acquire allies in the local scene. In essence, we are all competing for the same fans, but that is not the way to look at it. True music fans can be brought together and many of our fans are fans of our friends’ bands. All of this works together toward a common goal of keeping the music scene alive so that we can all continue to do what we love. This line of thinking also promotes a diverse local scene. The combination of genres leads to a greater overall musical experience for everyone. Part of loving music and loving live shows is keeping an open mind and enjoying all types of music and performance styles. We have made great strides in a short amount of time, but we could not do it if we did not keep an open mind. Like I said, it is all about playing the music and working together for that common goal of preserving the respective local music scenes in the area. From the club owners, to the bands, to the fans, it takes everyone to keep this ball rolling. In these last seven months, we have played with a wide array of bands, and have created some working relationships that are not only benefit our band, but also those bands that we are collaborating with, as well as the venue managers. Hopefully, this network will continue to grow, as well as all of the music scenes in the area. The unification process has begun, and throughout the process of growing as a young band we have already seen a change in the mindset of several bands in the local music scene, and hopefully this notion continues to expand.