I've never truely fancied myself as a writer. A new friend of mine pointed out the signifigance of the words that I use and the particular way that my grammar flows through speaking and typing, so I decided to follow in her footsteps and become the Memphis Alternative Music Examiner, which I have to tell you, in itself, is a selfless and financially unrewarding venture. The perks are amazing and I have been fortunate enough to meet great musicians and learn more than I ever knew about the Memphis music scene. I've been going to the bigger shows in Memphis for the last 5 years or so, but recently have been able to get out to the smaller shows with less-known artists in the scene. I've realized that it's a dog-eat-dog business in Memphis and there are a lot of bands that don't receive the acclaim that they should receive. For instance, I have followed around a band called Haven Hill from Memmphis via different places in Arkansas, and I have to say, they are an amazing band. I was able to get an early copy of their album that is going to be released soon and I can honestly say that from song 1 to song 11, the album is full of radio-friendly, radio-ready hits, but you could not tell this if you went to any of their shows. The first one at 1884 Lounge at Minglewood was a good turn out, but the people there were too interested in mingling than actually listening to the music, but I was blown away by their sound. The second, a show at Stage Stop, drew a crowd that looked as if they were there to drink beers, not listen to a rock band, but I looked around and saw how impressed and interested people became in the music that was layed in front of them. Then came a show in Little Rock at Rev Room, was actually a really good turn out. And last was a show at an awesome distillery in Little Rock, which drew around 50 people. But no matter what, the music was awesome and the people that heard their music became fans. The fan base of good rock music has been diluded down so much due to the lack of radio play and popularity-vibe associated with local bands. But for all the pop BS and crap music that is played on the radio around here, there a few handfuls of super talented, extremely grounded musicians that deserve to get their music heard because it's their passion.
This is what I've learned. I don't know who will read this or who will care, but I intend on doing all I can to raise up this Memphis scene and to get these bands to get together to Voltronize and create an unstoppable force that is the Memphis Music Scene!
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Josh Stark - Memphis Alt. Music Examiner / Blog
What I've learned in a month of "examining" Memphis music...
I've never truely fancied myself as a writer. A new friend of mine pointed out the signifigance of the words that I use and the particular way that my grammar flows through speaking and typing, so I decided to follow in her footsteps and become the Memphis Alternative Music Examiner, which I have to tell you, in itself, is a selfless and financially unrewarding venture. The perks are amazing and I have been fortunate enough to meet great musicians and learn more than I ever knew about the Memphis music scene. I've been going to the bigger shows in Memphis for the last 5 years or so, but recently have been able to get out to the smaller shows with less-known artists in the scene. I've realized that it's a dog-eat-dog business in Memphis and there are a lot of bands that don't receive the acclaim that they should receive. For instance, I have followed around a band called Haven Hill from Memmphis via different places in Arkansas, and I have to say, they are an amazing band. I was able to get an early copy of their album that is going to be released soon and I can honestly say that from song 1 to song 11, the album is full of radio-friendly, radio-ready hits, but you could not tell this if you went to any of their shows. The first one at 1884 Lounge at Minglewood was a good turn out, but the people there were too interested in mingling than actually listening to the music, but I was blown away by their sound. The second, a show at Stage Stop, drew a crowd that looked as if they were there to drink beers, not listen to a rock band, but I looked around and saw how impressed and interested people became in the music that was layed in front of them. Then came a show in Little Rock at Rev Room, was actually a really good turn out. And last was a show at an awesome distillery in Little Rock, which drew around 50 people. But no matter what, the music was awesome and the people that heard their music became fans. The fan base of good rock music has been diluded down so much due to the lack of radio play and popularity-vibe associated with local bands. But for all the pop BS and crap music that is played on the radio around here, there a few handfuls of super talented, extremely grounded musicians that deserve to get their music heard because it's their passion. This is what I've learned. I don't know who will read this or who will care, but I intend on doing all I can to raise up this Memphis scene and to get these bands to get together to Voltronize and create an unstoppable force that is the Memphis Music Scene!
Reply