Manifest to Reconcile Miami's Indie Scene by Chuck

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.

mudhoney destroys everything

When I heard that Mudhoney was playing Miami I jumped up with glee. Like a little skank tween Britney Spears fan; the idea of one of my favorite bands performing after 13 years of silently head-banging in my room to Touch Me I'm Sick, 1995 and In N' Out of Grace or trying to mimic their guitar parts on my Epiphone SG finally paid off Saturday Night as Mudhoney took the stage at Churchill's Pub.

It was as the last 13 years of singing along to LPs and memorizing every musical change in the bands catalog was just part of more than a decades practice to follow the band as they performed live. The air was thick and the fuzz even thicker, these guys were fucking better than their own albums which is unbelievable to even conceive. Mark Arm and company dominated the stage and showed every spectator why they're considered Rock n' Roll Gods.

I remember reading years ago this interview with Mark Arm where he said that "the Nirvana guys would open Mudhoney's tour van and carry all their heavy equipment after shows and basically kiss their ass", I never quite understood this ego trip remark made by Arm in the interview until Saturday. Shit even Kurt Cobain must've questioned his own worth when Mudhoney took the stage.

It's been said that Mudhoney should've gotten all the attention Nirvana did. The problem is that you can't bottle and market Mudhoney like you can all the radio friendly shit from the early 90's. The closest the band got was "Piece of Cake" their major label debut, as a matter of fact with a song called "Suck You Dry". But they were too much of the real deal for MTV or Rolling Stone. Nevertheless, I'm just glad they played Miami. I can now die happy. Well after Sonic Youth rolls around here.. then yeah. Jesus take me to higher place!

-chuck

photo credit: Nick Helderman