So here's the deal.This one kid spat at Steve Tuner (Mudhoney guitarist) during Saturdays show and Steve had him kicked out. Thanks to this spitting douchebag every Sub Pop band will now know that "Hey don't play Miami, they'll spit at you!"
I've had enough with the bullshit element in our scene. You go to Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco or New York City and you don't have this bullshit. So here are things that we can do to make this scene a better one.
Miami, listen to me for 1 second, this is why good bands don't come here. If you've ever had to tour or travel the idea of playing/driving to Miami is just not a sound one. Especially for bands that are based in areas like the pacific northwest or even the mid-west. As a record label owner and touring band member I see this as clear as day. It's common sense.
Top Reasons Miami's complicated to tour:
1. It's far as shit from every other city.
2. Logistically it's a nightmare.
3. Miami's still blacklisted as a shit town to travel or tour through.
4. Scene Sucks. Word of mouth in the know is that Miami's over-rated! Shit listen to Against Me's Miami for an example.
5. Gas Prices
So here's how we change all that.
1. Go to Shows. Support the scene. I don't care if they're local or Sub Pop big!
2. Be fucking courteous to others and don't make us look like we're fucking retarded Confederate Southerners. Alabama's got that covered!
3. Let's organize this scene once and for all! A band from California doesn't care if the show is in Tampa or Miami; Newsflash it's the same area to them! They played Florida! Yay! Done Move on... That's why we don't get shit down here. It's our job to make them want to come here.
4. Bands talk to bands. If Miami sucked as a show; congrats, every band on the label's roster ain't playing there again.
5. Motherfuckers that start stupid shit at shows (spit, fight, etc.) need to be taken out of the scene entirely. Their shit will not be supported nor feared.
The Miami artists in the Art District got their shit together, now musicians and music lovers let's do our part and get our shit together.
-Chuck
photo credit: jurek d.
3 comments:
Ain't it the truth!
Fuck Miami. Let the country die at the edge of Broward. Sigh-o-nara senoritas! Let the excessive shit for brains on South Bitch have their own country run by the fuck head thugs of Hialeah. We'll throw out a couple of life rafts for the few good eggs and damn the torpedoes for the rest. Let it be said...let it be done.
What a shame, and it goes both ways! The art girl crashes the stage or the drum sticks fly off because you loudly and indelicately point out a heavy reliance on the Weezer playbook. It's like lots of people on stage or in the audience think they're James Chance or Iggy.
I've been saying this for a long time, so hopefully my insight (read: opinion) is welcome. It's a bit long, but hey, I'm sick on a Tuesday night and on vacation, so I have time.
I agree completely that Miami needs to change its evil ways a bit, but this kind of shit runs rampant in all cities. I can offer an invaluable perspective having lived in Chicago for nearly a year now: Miami has always had (and most certainly has) to work a little bit harder than everyone else. This serves as both an advantage and a catalyst for disenchantment.
I'm going to comment on the rock / experimental scene mostly.
Geographically, Chicago is one of those cities that act as a sort of bridge between both coasts, and musical acts would be silly not to drop by to make their presence known. Its central location and reputation as an epicenter for the music world forties its place on the map. Despite the myriad of talent at its disposal, the Chicago "scene" (as a whole) does a lackluster job at holding it together and showing support. There's not so much of a community as there is a group of interested people whose one thing in common is whoever's playing at the bar on any given night. No one really goes outside of their box; they stick to their cliques. Scene hipsters for the most part hardly do anything beside pose for photos.
Granted, there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule and I have nothing but respect for those who support the arts and try their best to create a feeling of collectivity amongst the music lovers. So no hard feelings, Chicago. I've got nothing but love for that city. Hip hop, blues and electro generally rule Chicago with both guns blazing, though.
Miami has the disadvantage of being located at the very tip of America's very dirty dick. In my experience, there are a lot of people who refuse to send their talent this far south for reasons very well articulated on this post. Because of this unfortunate reality, Miami's little niche culture works harder for the goods. They fact-check. They know their shit. It's not fed to them--they go looking for it. But this can be a bad thing, seeing as how this kind of knowledge can lead to disenchantment, which, in my opinion, is probably why there are so many Miami transplants all over the place complaining about Miami. It's just tough. The community's here, it's cool, but it's just like the rest of Miami: transient. And, of course, there's the crowd that typically doesn't give a shit about the community, and they don't help very much at all.
There's nothing quite like the live experience, so I really hope Miami gets its shit together. And I'm not talking about a select few (who're doing their honest to goodness best), nor am I talking about those kids who enthusiastically support both local culture and national talent at every opportunity, but the complacent show-goers, the rude kids, the ones who are so jaded they can't bring themselves to see Mudhoney circa 2008 without wanting to spit at the guitarist and, most of all, the ones who simply don't care.
Being away from Miami has me sympathizing for it, and in the spirit of optimism I have such high hopes for it, but I agree, it's high time for more people to join the cause toward making the community stronger.
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