I’ve literally started writing this column dozens of times. Let’s hope I can finish it this time...

Some of you know me, some of you know “of” me, and the rest of you don’t know me from the proverbial “Adam”. So, first, just a bit of vague background. I’ve been in original music-based bands for eight years in this area. Some of those bands never got out of the garage despite our delusions of grandeur, and others have had varying amounts of success locally and regionally. I’ve been very blessed to have always loved and believed in each group at the time (though I may cringe now). Point being, I’ve been on both sides of the tracks so to speak. I know what it’s like to beg for a gig and feel unappreciated and I know what its like to be maybe not a big fish but at least a recognizeable breed in an extremely small pond (which ain’t worth much, folks). So I’ve stood in everybody but the most fortunate’s shoes in our small little corner of the musical map. My hope is to pass a little of my perspective on to you, whoever you are.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the state of our little musical Union, aka “The Scene”-as have many of you, judging by the discussions on the local music forum lately. The one thing that I find most disturbing is the general air of disrespect and assumption musicians who should know better are slinging at each other. The mud slinging most often is based around the genre-specific musical tastes of the “slinger” differing from the “sling-ee”. While it’s true that opinions are like....well, you know the rest, the very real venomous intent of many of our fellow musicians is disheartening.

I’m not gonna lay some ‘Can’t we all just get along’ new-agey garbage on you. I would like you to consider something, though. That old cliche about this area being a small pond is pretty accurate. A music scene is very like a little ecosystem-it takes all kinds of music to thrive. It’s all about balance.

It’s unfortunate that so many musicians shut themselves off to music because of some ill-informed hunt for credibility, as if by adhering to the guidelines of a pseudo-established sub-genre they are automatically relevant. It’s just not so, folks. There are two big reasons why this line of thinking is particularly dangerous.

The first is that it encourages stagnancy. A shallow pool of influences will create a limited number of colors to paint with. After awhile, it all looks the same.

The second is that in following this line of thought, you limit your relevance to a specific time period. Metal was relevant once; so was new wave. Remember when grunge broke mainstream?

The bottom line is this: Write and play from your heart. If you do that, you won’t have to worry about whether or not you’re relevant. Relevance is earned, not a birthright determined by the sonic palette of the sound du jour.

Chris Meck
chrismeck@thezone.org

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