Comments on: How do you perceive the music scene in Fayetteville?

By: vax

vax — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 06:31:56 +0000

georges has definately been bringing the names that I want to see the past few years, and I understand the complaints, but good bands cost good money. for the nay sayers.. they usually have pbr for 2 bucks or old style for 2, so really, a buck more a beer to see a national act isnt the end of the world. I love the smoke and barrel too, great atmosphere, packed house most the time, it just feels like an eclectic party in there every time.

As for this DJs making four times the 150 your band made, thats just not the case, unless your talking about someone like bassnectar (who is technically more than a DJ since hes doing on the fly remixes and mashing up stuff while mixing in his own tracks, which is technically a live PA) As a DJ, I cant count how many times I’ve played for a tab at the bar, or for a minimal amount. It would be nice to get paid more but I’d rather pick the gigs where I have more creative freedom and less money than dropping a bunch of top 40 hiphop at stir (who probably does pay the DJ decent) another thing is, alot of times a DJ makes decent money they have to supply a PA, and well renting or buying one costs money so that needs to be considered in the “DJs make too much money” rant too.. though I get it bands should get more, I agree, but from a bar perspective its crowd draw and not always quality that wins everytime.

I’d like to see a thriving underground scene in fayetteville again. Opal flys new place is going to be interesting for the after hours shows since they can stay open to 4am, and without alchol, the younger kids will be able to come out and see live music again so that might facilitate the scene a bit, I havent been to a house show in awhile, but its good they are around to keep the indie side of things going in the town. A church venue sounds interesting but without an angel investor unlikely. it costs alot of money to setup a venue let alone maintain one.. and unless you like the heat and cold, electricity bills are high too

bottom line, we have the best scene in arkansas in my opinion, we have the most variety and I think the shows I’ve seen go off the most were always in small venues. theres just something about being crammed in georges watching a band that packs out wayyy larger venues everywhere else, that just feels intimate and awesome. and the bands like it too and always want to come back. I think fayetteville is on the right track and I like to see that its diversifying.

sorry for the novel guys thats my two cents

By: What should Santa bring Fayetteville for Christmas? :: Fayetteville Flyer

What should Santa bring Fayetteville for Christmas? :: Fayetteville Flyer — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:05:03 +0000

[...] you wish for a better music scene? An arts festival? More jobs, or a better [...]

By: Travis

Travis — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:05:27 +0000

I know this thread is old…

But the Boom Boom Room on Dickson is going to be adding a PA system soon, around the first of the year. Full truss of LED lights were added just yesterday. My name is Travis and I will be doing the booking. I will not be focusing on specific genres, but on original music. I am taking inquiries for shows right now. If any of you guys have a band, or your friends are in a band, and your willing to promote your show and help things around here, email me! Love the flyer, good to see that at least others are sharing the same frustrations as I am.

TravisSmithBooking@gmail.com

By: Madness Prevails

Madness Prevails — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:32:39 +0000

How are the venues for supporting metal acts, the band i play in madness prevails will be doing a summer tour. send info to metalforever_2007@rock.com we would like some feedback, our ep will be out in march 2010

By: Sinistayne

Sinistayne — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:30:14 +0000

The lack of a “real scene” in this town has very little, if anything, to do with the venues and/or city policies. It’s the bands.
The fact of the matter, quite simply, is that bands have gotten lazy. Sure, they rehearse, sure they scrounge up their pennies for merch and do their best to play as often as possible, but there’s a reason, at least for me, that many people don’t go to shows anymore: They’re boring.
There is an assumption within a band that just because you’re on stage, you are entertaining, and by pure definition you are, but only as a verb, not necessarily what you are actually doing. To BE entertaining is a lot different than simply “entertaining”, if you catch my drift.
I’m not saying there are oodles of options for bands, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. If you get disheartened every time you play for a less than packed house or an unenthusiastic crowd, maybe you need to look at what you’re doing and up the ante a bit. Promote harder, play better, be challenging and interesting. Or go play covers at Rogue. Nothing against cover bands, it can be a very easy way to justify the cost of your gear, and yes, the crowd will always respond to songs they can already sing along to, but it doesn’t do anything for “the scene”. No challenge there, just another cover band.
Easy to blame the crowds, but the fact of the matter is that people, for the most part, either go to a show because they truly enjoy that band, or they want to be seen at what is sure to be a viable social gathering. It’s the monkey in us. However, it is entirely feasible as a band to achieve both: Create interesting, original music, but work hard enough to insure that you will draw a profitable crowd, both for your band and the venue. Put on a good show, interact with the crowd, schmooze before and after. Be charming, be mysterious, be different. If you look and act low-rent, chances are that is exactly how you will be perceived. There’s a demographic there, yes, but not one that is a worthwhile investment in Fayetteville.
Just some musings based on my own experiences in a costly local band. I do love this town, but if the bands don’t change, the crowds certainly won’t, and neither will the price of beer.

By: djstorms

djstorms — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:14:05 +0000

STS9 is coming to Fayettenam 3.3.10. Its time to get weird folks!http://sts9store.com/Store/ChooseTicket.aspx?sid=10303

By: Nate

Nate — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:04:42 +0000

Smoke and Barrel and house shows are saving this town, or at least trying to. Maybe other joints will start following suit. I do, however, agree with Roger on his point that many folks refuse to come out if there’s nothing ironic about the act performing. It seems like serious talent and/or creativity is being phased out in favor of pretentiousness and sarcasm.

By: Infidel

Infidel — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:14:51 +0000

Doesn’t some of this lay in the hands of the citizens of Fayetteville? It seems like it takes a lot to get anyone out to a show. At Son Volt last week, which to me is a pretty well-known act, barely half the inside stage at George’s was full. The same thing about the Mcleod/Burson Jazz Trio. They’re on hell of a group, but I bet you won’t find more than 10 or so people on any given Tuesday. I agree that de-Chesterfication of Fayetteville led to a downward spiral in the music scene, but at the same time, if no one is going to come to the shows, how do we expect to build a great music scene?

By: jc

jc — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:37:12 +0000

Simple facts about great scenes:
1) MANY people are fanatically motivated to promote and attend shows.
this is not the case here.
2) There is a geographic area that houses young, poor, idealistic, and fanatic art lovers and artists. (and drugs.) (hugs too.)
this is not the case here.
3) There are tired (not old) artists and scenesters like Roger that forgo family life and wealth to open dirty bars.
thank god for those guys… you know who you are.
4) There are usually oppressive social and economic problems.
funny enough, this is where its starting to look up.

The kids need to go a little crazier here. IMHO. craziness will follow.

By: roger

roger — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:28:20 +0000

you mean your real name isn’t milky?

By: roger

roger — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:27:41 +0000

eagle.blood@gmail.com

By: milky

milky — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:10:01 +0000

Hey Rog, what’s your email addy? I have more to say but don’t want to lose my anonyminity here.

By: roger

roger — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:11:23 +0000

i would be willing to do whatever. but really only focus on my own projects that are unpopular. i still book shows i think are worthwhile. but i’m old and burned out and like wade and clunk i’ve probably lost thousands of dollars booking shows. i have some contacts with booking agents that book a lot of bands so if a space materializes i could help pretty easily. this really won’t happen unless local bands bring in bands and open for them to get a crowd. my old band had to do this a lot to get bands shows, we did this for many years and it’s hard to convince most bands to lose money and promote shows to get bands to come. i still do this but like i said i’m old and young people are getting really strange to me, and most likely wouldn’t show up unless it was free and there was free beer, and it was ironic in some way.

By: milky

milky — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:54:17 +0000

I keep trying not to compare the scene now to the Clunk/JRs days… Chris and his establishment had a massive role in forming my little high schooler brain. I love that there are more and more house shows popping up, I hope those keep happening through the frigid months. But it’s going to take more than conversation to make a really intense and diverse scene again. Who wants to get together to try and make this happen? Roger, you would be an extremely valuable resource here…

By: Andy Roo

Andy Roo — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:08:40 +0000

There are many great bands in town, but honestly there are very few great bands that travel through Fayetteville. Often, the closest that touring bands come to us is Tulsa, Dallas, or St. Louis. When bands choose to come through Fayetteville or Little Rock, they are often adding a few days to their tour for shows in relatively smaller cities that won’t be able to guarantee a fair gig price. That is the sad truth that won’t magically change overnight.

Also, it’s difficult for local bands to successfully tour for the same reason. They just need to exert a lot of effort, or book one big show with a crowd that is guaranteed to pull a big crowd for whatever their scene is. What we’re often left with is great bands that play often and people get tired of seeing the same music (well the people that show up to actually see the band).

I think there is a lot of potential for a healthy music scene, but it’s going to require a lot of involvement from our community. If you feel the scene should be or could be better, just find a way to bring music here or share your music.

By: Tonya Janks

Tonya Janks — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:26 +0000

The fact that Fayetteville Flyer is the best website for finding out what’s going on music wise and there are only 20-some comments shows that the music scene in Fayetteville is not thriving.

If there isn’t a buzz, then there isn’t a scene.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:40:15 +0000

As someone that has set up a lot of shows, I know that most places are willing to try just about anything. The problem is the people that step up and really make things happen are usually horrible. Its the squeaky wheel that gets the the grease. They take whoever approaches them. If you aren’t happy with the music scene, but you actually have an idea or know a band that is awesome then try and get them to come and talk to venue owners about it, and make it happen. It’s really easy to sit back and groan and complain and it’s really hard to start a “collective” or whatever, why not just start by making an effort. I have thought for a long time that it would be a good idea to get some kind of listserv or something that people could relay bands looking for places to play to. Some place you could tell everybody that books bands in town that Band X needs a show on this date. I know lots of people that talk to bands from out of town all the time but often have to turn them down and don’t have an easy way to refer them to others, I’ve experienced that myself playing out of town myself.

By: Barter House

Barter House — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:08:12 +0000

I’m currently planning on building a small, but well-to-do studio in a house I do not yet have, but will hopefully (and most likely) have here in Fayetteville next year. But instead of money I’d like to try bartering with local musicians to record them. Because I’m in need of some things just as local musicians are in need of recording their songs, but I don’t feel like taking their money. I’d also like to invite local artist to perhaps donate some small prints or pieces of theirs to have around the space so when the bands are recording they might see something they like and talk to the local artists about doing the artwork for their album. It all sounds really idealistic right now and probably wont’ work out that well. But hey, it’s a dream. I’m going to start building the studio sometime soon, since Christmas sales will be nice to benefit from. And I’d be happy to take any help or advice from anyone. I’d also be up for doing house shows. But I just figured this would be a nice thing to say since Roger recommended a collective label, which this probably wouldn’t be, though Barter House Records has a nice ring to it. But I really just want to mesh with the rest of the scene around here, I’d like to experience making music with a lot of different people and I think this would be good.

By: roger

roger — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:09:51 +0000

i think a collective record label would be a good idea. and a collective space like taylor mentioned. obviously these things would take money and input from a few (or many) people. i have put out a 7 inch and it’s expensive. i’m funding 2 more records next year.(my band’s and real live tigers)… if fayetteville had it’s own label (think max records in little rock or dischord in dc who put out hometown records and support local bands in other ways too) i think we could really get a lot going. i would like to put this idea out there because personally i would like to hear albums by Memphis Pencils, Color Club, Perpetual Werewolf, Auger, FMS, Egyptr, The Radio Sky, etc. by this i mean albums recorded really well and that look great with local art, etc… i have demos, or cdrs of a lot of these bands but it’s not the same. i’m sure there are bands i’m forgetting… you can already buy deadbird’s “twilight ritual” at sound warehouse. it rules.

By: Marty Party

Marty Party — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:08:45 +0000

Quantity is not quality and there is no accounting for taste.

As Roger said previously, Fayetteville’s not going to get big any time soon. And if it does, I think, we’ll not like it so much, for what’s great about this town is the amount of art relative to its size. In this sense – that is, in terms of volume – the music scene is undoubtedly thriving. But I don’t have to tell anyone that quantity and quality are two different things, or that the only real evaluative question – that of quality – is invariably one of taste: “Do you personally like the music that is played in Fayetteville?”

We should judge a music scene not by it’s size and diversity, but instead by how much we enjoy it.

So how is the music scene in Fayetteville? Well, it depends on whom you ask.