[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.The word you hear the most is scene.Regardless of whether the context is positive (“We’ve really got a nice scene developing here”), negative (“Those kids are just into the scene without caring about the music”), or merely expository (“Our band seems to get slagged on by a lot of the local scenesters”), the F-M alt-movement2 is obsessed with the concept of establishing an underground scene—the people, the atmosphere, and the perceptions that go hand-in-hand with subterranean rock ’n’ roll.3It’s probably the clearest local illustration of youth culture: the backbone of the establishment is created by kids under eighteen, and the major players are all in their early to midtwenties.Outsiders tend to view this faction as “the Ralph’s Bar4 punk clique,” which really isn’t accurate.Contemporary punk rock is more of a philosophy than a sound,5 and—unlike the late-’70s British scene—it doesn’t have much to do with fashion.6 Modern punk is just stripped-down, straightforward music with no frills and few compromises.7 How accurately that label fits the F-M music fraternity is unclear; some bands are straightforward simply because they lack talent, and some are uncompromising because they’re never in a position to be tempted by success.Nonetheless, the current status of the F-M music scene is thriving.8 As the gap between mainstream and alternative culture closes, more and more young people are drawn to what grassroots, underground rock represents.There is also a solid base of local musicians; although promoter Jade Nielson admits the scene has grown stagnant,9 he thinks the level of virtuosity has never been higher.“There has kind of been an overkill because there have been too many shows without enough different bands,” Nielson10 said.“But, at this point in time, there’s no question that there is more talent in town than ever before, simply because the musicians are a little older and more mature.”Nielson tends to get most of the credit for shaping the current musical direction of Fargo-Moorhead, and it’s easy to understand why.The twenty-four-year-old promoter has turned the back room of Ralph’s Bar in Moorhead into one of the Midwest’s premier underground venues; in the past year, he’s produced shows by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Southern Culture on the Skids, Mule, Railroad Jerk, and last Monday’s Killdozer concert (as well as an outdoor summer rock festival headlined by the Jesus Lizard11).He began seriously promoting bands in 1993 at the now-defunct Elks Club in downtown Fargo.“When I first starting doing these shows—especially the all-ages shows—it didn’t matter who was playing.The audience was basically kids who wanted to hang out with their friends and be seen, along with a small core who were really into the music.We’d get a bigger crowd if I brought in somebody established, like Arcwelder,12 but it was basically the same people going to every show,” Nielson said.“Now, the crowd is definitely affected by the music itself.People are picking and choosing what they’ll pay to hear.I even see that at Ralph’s.”In terms of influence, however, the biggest single show was probably put on by rival promoter Bjorn Christianson and GodheadSilo13 drummer Dan Haug.Their 1991 Fugazi concert at the Elks is consistently mentioned as the primary catalyst for the subsequent proliferation of F-M hardcore interest.“I think we had about five hundred people at that show, which was a surprise to both of us.I know a lot of people seem to consider that a starting point for what has happened since, but I don’t,” Christianson14 said.“I think this whole situation predates the Fugazi15 show, and by quite a bit.Things around here really started with bands like Floored and Hammer-head and Buttchuck.16 I think Floored started playing live in the late ’80s.” Not surprisingly, locating the conception of Fargo’s scene depends on who you want to use as a source.Several contemporary scenesters cited a teen center on Fargo’s Fiechtner Drive called Exit 99 as the catalyst.Before closing in 1992, Exit 99 was home to several noteworthy shows such as Cop Shoot Cop and Bikini Kill.It acted as the breeding ground for the current generation of local artists.“Exit 9917 was done well, and it was done professionally.And—for a lot of bands in town—that was the first place they played at.But it turned into too much of a young kids’ club,” Nielson said.“Since they couldn’t serve alcohol, it was hard to get college students to go there.A lot of the time, it was just teenagers who were sitting around and smoking cigarettes.”In reality, the “scene” has probably always existed in one form or another.Yahtzene editor Phil Leitch (at the ripe old age of twenty-six) is considered the oldest active member of the Fargo underground.“I would certainly say there was a scene before the 1990s.For me, the scene began in about 1984, but there were a lot less people involved,” Leitch18 said [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl centka.pev.pl
.The word you hear the most is scene.Regardless of whether the context is positive (“We’ve really got a nice scene developing here”), negative (“Those kids are just into the scene without caring about the music”), or merely expository (“Our band seems to get slagged on by a lot of the local scenesters”), the F-M alt-movement2 is obsessed with the concept of establishing an underground scene—the people, the atmosphere, and the perceptions that go hand-in-hand with subterranean rock ’n’ roll.3It’s probably the clearest local illustration of youth culture: the backbone of the establishment is created by kids under eighteen, and the major players are all in their early to midtwenties.Outsiders tend to view this faction as “the Ralph’s Bar4 punk clique,” which really isn’t accurate.Contemporary punk rock is more of a philosophy than a sound,5 and—unlike the late-’70s British scene—it doesn’t have much to do with fashion.6 Modern punk is just stripped-down, straightforward music with no frills and few compromises.7 How accurately that label fits the F-M music fraternity is unclear; some bands are straightforward simply because they lack talent, and some are uncompromising because they’re never in a position to be tempted by success.Nonetheless, the current status of the F-M music scene is thriving.8 As the gap between mainstream and alternative culture closes, more and more young people are drawn to what grassroots, underground rock represents.There is also a solid base of local musicians; although promoter Jade Nielson admits the scene has grown stagnant,9 he thinks the level of virtuosity has never been higher.“There has kind of been an overkill because there have been too many shows without enough different bands,” Nielson10 said.“But, at this point in time, there’s no question that there is more talent in town than ever before, simply because the musicians are a little older and more mature.”Nielson tends to get most of the credit for shaping the current musical direction of Fargo-Moorhead, and it’s easy to understand why.The twenty-four-year-old promoter has turned the back room of Ralph’s Bar in Moorhead into one of the Midwest’s premier underground venues; in the past year, he’s produced shows by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Southern Culture on the Skids, Mule, Railroad Jerk, and last Monday’s Killdozer concert (as well as an outdoor summer rock festival headlined by the Jesus Lizard11).He began seriously promoting bands in 1993 at the now-defunct Elks Club in downtown Fargo.“When I first starting doing these shows—especially the all-ages shows—it didn’t matter who was playing.The audience was basically kids who wanted to hang out with their friends and be seen, along with a small core who were really into the music.We’d get a bigger crowd if I brought in somebody established, like Arcwelder,12 but it was basically the same people going to every show,” Nielson said.“Now, the crowd is definitely affected by the music itself.People are picking and choosing what they’ll pay to hear.I even see that at Ralph’s.”In terms of influence, however, the biggest single show was probably put on by rival promoter Bjorn Christianson and GodheadSilo13 drummer Dan Haug.Their 1991 Fugazi concert at the Elks is consistently mentioned as the primary catalyst for the subsequent proliferation of F-M hardcore interest.“I think we had about five hundred people at that show, which was a surprise to both of us.I know a lot of people seem to consider that a starting point for what has happened since, but I don’t,” Christianson14 said.“I think this whole situation predates the Fugazi15 show, and by quite a bit.Things around here really started with bands like Floored and Hammer-head and Buttchuck.16 I think Floored started playing live in the late ’80s.” Not surprisingly, locating the conception of Fargo’s scene depends on who you want to use as a source.Several contemporary scenesters cited a teen center on Fargo’s Fiechtner Drive called Exit 99 as the catalyst.Before closing in 1992, Exit 99 was home to several noteworthy shows such as Cop Shoot Cop and Bikini Kill.It acted as the breeding ground for the current generation of local artists.“Exit 9917 was done well, and it was done professionally.And—for a lot of bands in town—that was the first place they played at.But it turned into too much of a young kids’ club,” Nielson said.“Since they couldn’t serve alcohol, it was hard to get college students to go there.A lot of the time, it was just teenagers who were sitting around and smoking cigarettes.”In reality, the “scene” has probably always existed in one form or another.Yahtzene editor Phil Leitch (at the ripe old age of twenty-six) is considered the oldest active member of the Fargo underground.“I would certainly say there was a scene before the 1990s.For me, the scene began in about 1984, but there were a lot less people involved,” Leitch18 said [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]