Dying (or shifting) music scenes

[JohnnyB]

I was talking to someone just today about how the Seattle environment has changed since I moved here in 1993. That was when Seattle was truly on the nation's stage, between hit movies like "Sleepless in Seattle" and the height of the grunge movement--Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Sonic Youth, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, etc.

When I moved here, utility poles were plastered 6-deep with 8x11 posters for bands playing at various dives all over the place. Several things happened since. 1. Seattle eliminated all-age clubs, taking all under-21-ers out of the rock club scene 2. Seattle outlawed posters on utility poles 3. Kurt Cobain killed himself 4. The country moved on 4. Earthquake in 2001 hit Pioneer Square hard, damaging many of the old music dives too much to bring them back.

I come home and log in, and this article greets me at Seattle Times Online. Anything like that happening where you are?

[Boogie1]

Aw Man.........are you telling me grunge is DEAD?

[Punkavenger]

I wouldn't consider Sonic Youth "grunge", But be that as it may... I think live rock shows in small venues/bars etc. are pretty much dead or greatly diminished all across the country.

You should have seen Santa Barbara in the 80's, what a rock n roll town! I used to go to shows at least 2 or 3 times a week. Iggy Pop, Janes addiction, Megadeth, Johnny Thunders, Sonic Youth, Siouxie and the Banshees, Echo and the Bunnymen, Meat puppets, Melvins, Fishbone, Mudhoney, Zodiac Mindwarp, Toad the Wet sprocket (local boys), 45 grave, Agent orange, Social Distortion ... on and on and on... all played here in small clubs/bars.

you should see the main drag now ... all Starbucks, shitty frat boy dance bars and verizon super stores. It makes me sick. Urban outfitter>>> fuck you!. Almost all the privately owned mom and pop stuff has shut down. Even the best deli in town... gone. Now THAT really hurts!

Honestly things started to really go south right after Kurt died... 94? (just a coincidence I'm sure... but I definitly noticed it) Then the boy bands started. Tipper Gore. MADD. Smoking was made illegal in public places. Cops everywhere jumping on the "don't drink and drive" bandwagon.

Anyone still live in a rock n roll town? In the immortal words of Samuel Jackson, Pulp Fiction (Le big mac conversation) I'm going!

[mykel]

woah, the crocodile cafe is gone? that's sad. saw the posies there a few years ago with my wife when we were on vacation. wasn't it owned by peter buck's wife or something like that? it was a cool little place. think there were under 100 people there that night and we seemed to be the only people who didn't know the bands.

[Disturber]

Our relative from Seattle came over and stayed with us over this past Christmas. She told us about crocodile cafe being shut down. Sad.

Last time I was in Seattle, 2002, we went to see the Donnas at some club that was half shady, great place. Can't remember what it was called though.

I hope we can fly over to Seattle again soon. It's time to start saving up some cash.

[Lockbody]

At least you had a decent scene in recent memory. Birmingham's peaked around the early to mid-seventies with such groups as Telluride and it's been fairly stagnant ever since. I think the last band out of here to gain any kind of national attention and hold onto it was Brother Cane (Damon Johnson - what a guy!).

Like professional sports, original music just goes nowhere in this town. It's baffled me all my life.

[Brewmaster]

The Tampa Bay Area live music scene was jumping back in 90-95 and has slowly fizzled over the years to next to nothing. The few places left for live music are strictly cover bands, there are no places left for original music that I am aware of.