Music’s great, and this city has plenty of great music. So why must I feel like so many awesome bands are getting the shaft when I go to certain shows and see a band who has been playing every show left and right, and are clearly not a very good band, talent-wise and sound-wise? They’re trying hard, really, and kudos for that, but for God’s sake, is everyone just trying to humour them? I get supporting your friends bands, but the rest of us poor saps have to watch them play and wonder, what is going on here? Where’s the good bands? All standing in the crowd or sitting at home wishing they were out playing, that’s where. —Gimme a Break!
This article appears in Mar 1-7, 2012.
The good bands are out touring the rest of the country dumbass. Do you really think a good, successful band is sitting in their moms basement waiting for a call from one of the 4 good live venues in Halifax? What a fucking toobox you are!!!
You’re absolutely right SHITD. And the locals acts that do go on the road and get success, come home and people treat em like complete nobodies. You don’t get anywhere sitting around your home town.
I find a big thing with Halifax is to support anything local whether it’s good or not, whereas in bigger cities you have to be exceptional to get more noticed (generally speaking)…there is less supporting local for the sake of being local . With modern recording technology getting so cheap everybody and their grandmother can release an album and quality of music or lack thereof is not longer a hurdle.
I think the truly exceptional artists here do break out of the box and move on to that bigger platform.
Actually, there are lots of good (and great) local bands who can’t get booked in Halifax clubs.
Face facts, people, bands want to get paid. Venues don’t want to pay unless they know they will be guaranteed to make money. (Unless you’re the same 5 bands that have been playing the circuit for the last 10-20 years.)
Venues that pay well use agents.. Agents who can’t or won’t look at a band unless they’re performing in the “big three”, which, bands can’t perform in without an agent, BTW.
Good bands who want to get paid have to practically commit murder in this town to get gigs worth coming out of the basement for – this is why every decent musician in town is in the recording studio trying to promote themselves online instead of actually playing live.
We’re all responsible for this, musicians, venues, agents, audiences. Can’t we all just get along? 🙂
Go out and check out a show once in awhile – you might be surprised (hopefully pleasantly).