Club Scene Indy - The 80's vs. 2015 (Part 1)

Since I reviewed local bands in the 80's on a couple different levels...with my own newsletter and for Indy Zone, an entertainment publication, I have often thought ‘what has changed locally at the clubs and with the bands that play the circuit…anything’? Certainly today's social media and overall Internet explosion has transformed how we communicate, which is a huge benefit for bands, enabling them to promote themselves with little to no need to pay someone else to do this for them now.  For me, having my own blog, I can publish a review within less than 24 hours after seeing a band vs. hoping to make a deadline to get a review in, and then having to wait a period of time for the next paper to hit the shelf. I think most involved would agree that back then it was a happenin’ time…clubs were hoppin’ with rockin’, rollin’ action week day…weekend, and eventually extending live music to Sunday night at many of those venues.  I truly lived for it, as did so many others.  There was certainly no shortage of incredible young talent available to play and a locale that matched the musical appetite. Those in my circle were in their 20’s at the time. Now most of those people are around 47 to 55 or so. There was a party attitude then, and now with the older group having experienced all that responsible adult life entails, they are now finding themselves basically empty nesters and looking for something to do on a weekend night. I thought it would be interesting to poll those who were then and/or are now involved with local music.  I was hoping to get a greater response, but I plan to do a part two later this year and add some more, as my blog is just getting off the ground.  (please email me at: NitaAtLargeInIndy@aol.com if you would like to have your comments added)  My goal with the ‘Nita @ Large In Indy’ blog is to provide a resource and be 'the' resource  for Indy…band and local rock music fans alike. Also, please 'like' my Nita FB page at: https://www.facebook.com/nitaatlargeinindy?fref=ts.  I hope to get more clubs on board to make available what bands are playing at Indy bars. (See my new section: ‘The Hot Spot Club Calendar’)  Also, to blog on the bands I have seen, and the oh so many more I need to check out...so that people looking for a night of entertainment can read the blogs and determine if it is a band they would like to listen to. Perhaps if they did not have a review, maybe they wouldn’t go see them. I just started the blog in mid-November 2014, and already after barely six months it has reached 32 countries (including the U.S.) The interest is there…now it needs to continue to grow, and I will be expanding in some other areas related to music as well. Below is an alphabetical listing of responses I received:

 

 

Audio Hitmen - Jason Oldham:  (Not speaking for the entire band or the music community) 

Nita @ Large In Indy (NLII): “Thinking back to the local Indy club scene in the early-mid 80’s to early 90’s, and juxtapose that to 2014-2015 time frame, your views on…..Is it better or worse in terms of venues to play?” 

Jason: “I turned 21 in November of 1991, just as the scene was “dying” out or changing.  Grunge was taking over the rock world.  I did briefly have a fake ID and was able to go to some of the great venues like Bentley’s and the Razz-ma-tazz.  Back in the late 80’s/early 90’s there was really one main all-ages venue where great music was played almost every weekend, national, international and local bands alike all played there; that was the Arlington Theater.    I was in college at the time and didn’t have time for a band during those years, but was a musician and had played around town quite a bit.   I always felt like we supported each other, in my opinion.  Very similar to today’s local bands, it’s the same group of guys, we’re just 25 years older.  We all seem to cycle from band to band, but there are rarely any hard feelings.  There seems to be an understanding that bands come and go, but you stick with the musicians with whom you’ve formed a brotherhood.  We are seemingly one degree of separation and willing to step in to help when needed.  You need an amp, you can borrow a nice ½ stack from a buddy.  Your drummer is sick, someone is always there to pick up the beat for you so you don’t have to cancel gigs. 

I do think it’s a lot harder today to make any kind of money today. You’ll notice that most of the full-time professional musicians seem to play in several bands to make ends meet.  I know a few who play in 4-5 bands. Without mentioning names, I recall a local drummer once posted on Facebook that he was fired from a band he didn’t even know he was in. J”

(NLII): “Is it a competitive market with other bands or is it more of a ‘brotherhood’?”

Jason: “It’s certainly a brotherhood in my opinion, but there are always “bad seeds” and ALWAYS a level of competition, but it is friendly coop-etition. J   Of course, every band thinks they have something special that no one else can match.  Each tries to separate themselves from the others to bring something unique to their show.   There is a LOT of overlap on song lists; it’s difficult not to compare yourself to another band playing the same song(s).  Some of the younger up and coming rock bands, ‘Standout Story’ and ‘Decibel’ come to mind, seem to have great heads on their shoulders.  At such young ages, they understand the value of depending on each other to get where they need to go.”

(NLII): “Original vs. cover tunes playlists?”

Jason: “I have always played in cover bands.  Rock, pop, country, classic rock and metal.  I’ve run the gamut, but I love to hear great original music and support those out there trying to make it.  Again, ‘Standout Story’, ‘Decibel’, ‘Smokering’ all come to mind.  All completely different sounds, but all great in their own way.”  

(NLII): “Your views on the near future of local Indy bands/clubs?”

Jason: “All the great venues of the past have come and gone, Razz-Ma-Tazz, Bentley’s, Arlington Theater.   The current venues that I frequent are The Southport Bar and Grill, The Rockhouse and Radio Radio.  Fantastic music venues and the owners are great supporters of local music as well as touring acts.   There are a ton of venues and many have deferred to DJs because you can get a DJ for ¼ of the cost of a good band.  What I really don’t like is probably pervasive through all the bands.  Many bar owners don’t seem to put any “skin in the game.”  We, the band, are expected to bring the crowd, help sell food and drinks, pay for all the advertising (flyers, online advertising, etc.)  But the compensation isn’t always what you want.  Another downside is the drastic difference in pay from band to band.  I understand that some bands do have a huge draw and deserve to be compensated better.  But there are some bands out there who under-value their work and will play for practically nothing, or sometimes nothing.  This really hurts those out there trying to make a living doing what they love.” 

 

 

Hellwagon – Tony Diekhoff

Nita @ Large In Indy (NLII): “Thinking back to the local Indy club scene in the early-mid 80’s to early 90’s, and juxtapose that to 2014-2015 time frame, your views on…..Is it better or worse in terms of venues to play?” 

Tony:  It's changed so much. Back in the day you played all week in one bar now it's only on the weekend and one nighters. I think there are more places to play but they are harder to get in because of money. Back in the day there was a built in crowd and the bars were packed all week now it's hit and miss on the crowds and the crowds drive the money.

(NLII): “Is it a competitive market with other bands or is it more of a ‘brotherhood’?”

Tony: I think now the bands are more of a brotherhood. We are all friends and everyone really wants all the bands to do well. Back in the day it was very competitive; bands hated other bands.

(NLII): “Original vs. cover tunes playlists?”

Tony: I think today the mainstream bars want to hear cover songs. There are a few bars out there that cater to the original bands but the bands do not get paid very well and there are always at least three bands on the bill. I think back in the 80's you could mix original music into your set and it was accepted. Most cover bands in the 80's also wrote and recorded their own music because their main goal was to get signed. With the Internet anyone can be an independent artist so getting signed isn't always necessary. The cover bands that do write and record and the original bands that do the same can release a project on the Internet for anyone to buy and hear. The band also must do their own marketing without the label. I think most cover bands today are not really looking to be signed, I think they just like to play live.

(NLII): “Your views on the near future of local Indy bands/clubs?”

Tony: I think the local scene could go either way. It seems that back in the 80's the bars had built in crowds, the bars didn't rely on the bands to bring in the crowds so the bars could bring in really good bands that were not necessarily from Indy and there would be a crowd to see them regardless. Today the bars rely on the bands to bring in the crowds so really only the local bands do well. The bars could bring in an awesome band not from Indy and more than likely there would not be a crowd there because they haven't heard of the band. To me it's really sad that more people do not go out to check out more live music and check out bands that they haven't seen or heard of before. There are lots of great bands out there that are going to be blackballed because they don't bring in a crowd to make the bar money. I don't blame the bar they have to make money, I blame the fans of music who do not support the entire scene to keep new music flowing through Indy. What happens is that Indy is stuck with a few known bands that the bars will book because they are going to make the bars money. So if there is going to be more music and a variety of music then people must go out and support it.

 

 

Masquerade (1984) - Richie "Ekid" Edwards:  “Masquerade was the first band I played in at Annie's which was an under 21 club over off of Mitthoeffer circa 1984.  Other bands I was involved in were:  ‘Labyrinth’, ‘Choirboy’, ‘Filthy Rich’, ‘Lights Out’, ‘The Bar Trollops’, and ‘Linda Lee’, the only country band I've ever been in.  Of those, ‘Choirboy’ and ‘Filthy Rich’ had the biggest local following and were all original, the rest of the bands were cover bands. 

Nita @ Large In Indy (NLII): “Thinking back to the local Indy club scene in the early-mid 80’s to early 90’s, and juxtapose that to 2014-2015 time frame, your views on…..Is it better or worse in terms of venues to play?”  

Richie: “The scene in Indy, in my opinion, has never been "great" for our genre of music by any stretch.  It was so strange because when we travelled out of state to places like Michigan and Ohio, even Iowa, they were absolutely incredible in comparison.  They not only had bigger venues in which to play, but the people who came to see us were much more into it than here in Indy.  We played The Silver Dollar in Lansing, Michigan; the place was huge, and the stage was huge and elevated about five feet off of the ground.  We also played The Tanz Haus in Traverse City, Michigan...another cool club with rabid fans and a celebrated history with such acts as Ted Nugent and Bob Seger, both playing there in their early days.  I'd have to say the biggest venue we played was Fat Jacks in Council Bluffs, Iowa...that place was another big club with a killer stage.  People don't seem to realize that bands set out with a light show and sound system pre-designed for a fairly good sized stage.  There were several places where we couldn't even set up our entire light show and our light designer and head lighting director, Chuck Gillespie, would get very disappointed when he could not set up the full show.  In response to the 2nd part of your question about the "scene" in general, I'd say it is worse now, than it was in the 80's & 90's, at least for rock and heavy metal...obviously I can't say how it is for other styles of music.”

 (NLII): “Is it a competitive market with other bands or is it more of a ‘brotherhood’?”

Richie: On the topic of competition, I'd say it was more of a friendly rivalry.  Everybody was trying to be king of the hill for sure, but it was never nasty as far as I recall.  We were all in the same boat and we all knew if someone got signed to a label that meant attention for the entire Indy music scene, so that was good for all of us!  I think everyone supported everyone else, so "brotherhood" is probably as good a descriptor as any.

(NLII): “Original vs. cover tunes playlists?”

Richie:  I like playing covers, it's fun and obviously people know most of the tunes you are playing...however, I absolutely LOVE playing all originals.  There is nothing that compares to writing your own songs, having them turn out to be real ass-kicking rockers, AND having people come to love them!  To see people singing along is the most incredible experience I've ever felt, and I'm sure my fellow bandmates and fellow musicians would agree.  It gets personal when writing your own materials...you put your heart and soul into those songs, so when someone comes up to you after the show and tells you how much they love your songs, that's the biggest compliment of all.  

Richie: (Closing thoughts) Looking back on that period of my life, it just felt like we were all where we were supposed to be, doing what God had intended us to do!  We all had one goal: Conquer the world with our music!!!  Speaking for myself, I was never more comfortable with my life than I was between 1984 to 1998...specifically 1989...I remember driving somewhere with Charlie Bushor (the amazing drummer for Labyrinth/Choirboy/Filthy Rich) and we were discussing 1969 and Woodstock.  It was 1989 and there was a lot of talk about it being the 20th Anniversary of Woodstock.  Charlie and I were traveling that summer in our band Labyrinth and we both just felt like it was going to be a spectacular summer, and it was!  We both knew we would look back someday and remember the Summer of '89, much like people were looking back to Woodstock and the Summer of '69.  Every generation has that one moment they recall as being pivotal for one reason or another...it was the most incredible time and I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

 

Rok Hollywood – Daren Short

Nita @ Large In Indy (NLII): “Thinking back to the local Indy club scene in the early-mid 80’s to early 90’s, and juxtapose that to 2014-2015 time frame, your views on…..Is it better or worse in terms of venues to play?” 

Daren: In my opinion, it’s worse.  There seemed to be more venues back then.  And the pay was better.  The whole scene seemed better.  People went out to see bands a lot more back then.  Not just on one weekend night, or the other.  Both nights.  And on weekdays too.  Tuesday nights at Bentley’s and Wednesday at The Razz (Ma Tazz).  Bands could play 3-5 nights a week at one venue, then go across town and do the same thing.  This could last the whole month with the various bars that had bands almost every night.
 

(NLII): “Is it a competitive market with other bands or is it more of a ‘brotherhood’?”

Daren:  I think that it’s both.  In some ways, bands “band” together.  And in other ways, we are all competing for people’s attention.  Being competitive is good when it is done in a healthy way.  We up each other’s game by being competitive.

(NLII): “Original vs. cover tunes playlists?”

Daren:  We live in Indiana, so you have to play covers to make much money.  Bands can keep busy with both covers and originals, but it depends on if you are concerned with making money or not.  You can play a lot of shows, even with originals, but most shows don’t pay much, if anything.  In Indianapolis, people play it safe and go see what is familiar to them.  People don’t seem to take chances on seeing new bands, as much as going to see bands that they have seen a lot. It also depends on the band’s goals.  Some bands have big goals and aspirations of being successful on a national level and others are content with playing covers, staying local and playing on the weekends.  With our band, I like to keep our options open and be available to do whatever comes our way.  We are known as being an original band, but we do cover shows to make money and to increase our exposure.  We will do cover shows and mix in originals and then do opening sets for a national act and mainly showcase our originals.

(NLII): “Your views on the near future of local Indy bands/clubs?”

Daren: To me, the future is up in the air.  It doesn’t seem to be changing much around here.  Bars are opening or incorporating live music into their weekly calendars and some bars have closed or have decided to forgo live music.  But after growing up here in the Indy music scene of the 80’s and early 90’s, local, live music as of late, hasn’t been as vibrant or thriving as it was then.

 

Southport Bar & Grill (SB&G) – Dave Clifton (Co-owner)

I had an opportunity to sit down with Dave and we had a nice chat about the mid-80’s and the here and now in local music.  SB&G is bringing in several national acts to their club, and I believe that puts them in the forefront of the music scene, after just three short years in business.  It’s a great showcase of local and countrywide talent at one location. With the ability to seat 250 in their concert hall, it lends an intimate atmosphere to the events.  Bands like Autograph and Faster Pussycat making a return to the market verifies our discussion of 80’s style music experiencing a resurgence. There have been many changes since the late 80’s in this area…as grunge style music took over in the early 90’s. Perhaps the decline back in the day was from the 20-somethings settling down, having kids and all those responsibilities that hit us as adults.  Now nearly three decades later, those same people have grown children, and are looking to get out and enjoy the music they grew up with and love.  Dave says the age group of people patronizing his bar is between 30 to 70. What is happening now is many if not most of the bands playing today, played in other bands in the local venues during the 80’s.  Hopefully, as Dave believes, live music is on the rise, even though dj-ing is a big thing these days, and obviously a money saver.  Granted, it is an expense to bring in an entire group of people and he is grateful for having good contacts, and plans to continue to be aggressive in bringing in the bands that us 80’s era folk have such fond memories of. Marketing strategies are important, increased sales are a must.  It is a business and you have to attract the right people to be successful, and there is a chance it might not work out, although I believe SB&G is offering something many others are not.  He considers it is important to have the local bands play, as many of them have a good fan base.  The club scene has changed over the years….do you recall ‘happy hour’ specials? Yeah, that’s a thing of the past.  SB&G offers a dining menu that goes far beyond the nachos of yesteryear.  How convenient it is to meet up with friends, enjoy a meal and hear some great music! Sure, there’s some healthy competition amongst the bands, I think that’s just normal…but Dave and I agree there is also a camaraderie and respect in that musical sphere.