They say that music soothes the savage beast, so tonight let's talk tunes in hopes that some of the more feisty denizens of our blog community will calm down amid all of today's culture war silliness.
Something to consider on this Grammy Night amid the ongoing implosion of the music industry . . . Believe it or not, in the late 80s and 90s Kansas City actually had a somewhat respectable music scene that served as a launching pad for indie bands and artists . . .
Now . . .
THE KANSAS CITY MUSIC SCENE IS ON LIFE SUPPORT THANKS TO THE MEDDLING OF BIG MONEY MAINSTREAM INSTITUTIONS WHO HAVE BEEN HORRIBLE AT PLAYING LOCAL TASTE MAKER!!!
Just a bit of explanation and a few examples . . .
P&L District Helped Kill Local Music
By far, the mega-club and its horrible fare has decimated just about all creativity in and around Downtown. The bar scene juggernaut is the home of national C-list acts to attract party people who shouldn't both listening to each other speak. Mission accomplished.
Kansas City Public Radio Endorsed Music Is Mostly Pretty Boring
Chris Haghirian does a hell of a good job but he can't program 24 hours of a station that has struggled to find an audience. Moreover, the format is limiting and there are just too many restrictions on upstart bands that need the freedom to be weirder than what the FCC allows
Facebook Friends FAIL To Help People Find Good Local Music And Kansas City Venues
The death of Myspace was partly due to band spam and FB has avoided that fate by way of algorithms that keep local promotional efforts at arms length. Like it or not, social media simply isn't a great place to find new, local music given the constant hateration, digital production advancement making it nearly impossible to distinguish betwixt quality and crap along with easier access to much better sounds across the planet.
And so . . .
The Internets hasn't quite killed the Kansas City music scene but it has decimated the foundations of the local industry that helped bring the best to prominence.
Of course there are exceptions to this rule but for the most part Kansas City's music scene has been trending downward since David Cook was the toast of the town. We can only hope that a new generation of local entrepreneurs and sonic hustlers will help to bring more life back to an exceptional pool of talent across all genres.
And so, this is an appropriate place to take a pause for this evening and watch more a more successful community of artists show us how its done. Hopefully, more for the morning update . . . STAY TUNED!!!
Internet really killed local music.
ReplyDeleteWhy go out to a dangerous and dirty club when you can find a favorite band, watch all their videos and even order some of their merchandise for free?
The math doesn't add up.
I will agree that KC has some great performers but the smart ones don't define themselves as local and instead the branch out and tour instead of staying in town to work for pennies at low rent local clubs.
Great bands and artists used to go together with hot wings at one of the better midtown bars.
ReplyDeletebut no more.
More violence is really what ruined local music, it's also what makes going out in Kansas City suck.
Do you want to know the secret of towns that have a great local music scene like Portland, Seattle and Austin?
Those are safe cities and people who go to live concerts don't often have to worry about being killed.
That's the reality, the rest is entertaining thoughts but ultimately just noise.
Those are all sanctuary cities too...go figure!
DeleteYou ain't gonna save the KC music scene. This is a town where way to many musicians are playing the same old shit they learned back in the 70s and justifying it by swearing the crowds love all the old shit they do a piss poor job of performing or owning. Now a few flakes will tell you that it is the same everywhere, but that is complete bullshit.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of good agencies putting great fresh musicians on the road and making damn good money doing it. They just are not picking up the acts in KC 'cause we have little to nothing to offer. In KC the big ticket is playing festivals and carnivals and promoting imitation vanity bands that do bad copies of well known artists. Every once in a while there is a horn band playing 60s and 70s R&B and soul, but KC has sold this old school package or worn out tunes for too damn long.
Until some real music business folks come to town and explain how the cow eats the cabbage the KC music scene will continue to be a bunch of sloppy assed amateurs bull shitting their way through the same old list of cover tunes the whole damn town is forced to hear week in and week out. There are several good musicians who get it, but not enough to make something happen. If the day ever comes that KC steps into the present there might be a chance for local music in the future. For now, with a few exceptions, it pretty much sucks ass!
It's the Ziggy Stardust Syndrome.
ReplyDeleteCapitalism is in its late stages.
ReplyDeleteIt is just easier to pay Sprint Center $150/ticket for shows.
ReplyDeleteViolence really has had a huge effect on the local live music scene.
ReplyDeleteThe internet if anything could spread you all over the place faster than in the old days when you had to do it one gig at at time.
The music industry right now is in a funk all over because there just isn't the big acts like there use to be. But then who can afford to go to any of the big acts more than once or twice a year.
Reba has a new album out and looks like she is swinging back to some gospel type music. Those still doing it are looking for new material but don't know which way to turn. The old bands of past just can't cut the mustard anymore for the most part. I admit they do try but you can't do a huge rock n roll show live on stage in your 70's like you could in your 20's. Hell Slash has had a defibrillator keeping him under control for over 7 years now.
The new bands just don't seem to make it really big like those of the past. Seems like the solo artists are the only ones making it and most of them been around awhile now and getting stale IMHO.
+1
DeleteHey there TONY , totally awesome picture of Sara Jean doing her Jimmy Hendrix take , many thanks for that ! Yes , you above posters , POZERS , pussy licked pansies are correct about what's KILLA CITY our local music , bangers , Boyz and BITCHES !
ReplyDelete^^^^^ This is your brain on drugs
ReplyDeleteThis is Killa city on crack , crank , coke , weed , smack , China white , hillbilly heroine , life's , OXY , vikeocdin , & what ever else the inner city youth scholarship black
ReplyDeleteSara Jean rocks , thanks for this TKC ! THE k c music scene was dead long ago , thanks to the Boyz from the douchebag homosexual agenda bitchery black people lesbian pride bitchery terrorist hood and the mayor ape dip shit stains
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to share the best pub in KC. The people that count know where its at.
ReplyDeleteI remember a kid who came to Kansas City to try to make it in the music biz.
ReplyDeleteLMAO
KC public radio should have picked up more classical music when the one classical station changed formats. It didn't. KC's public radio station has way too much talking and way too little music.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the Grammys and the three hour long Democratic advertisement I hope they modify the copyright act and DMCA to make bit torrent sharing of all creative content perfectly legal.
ReplyDeleteTOP PHOTO - Get Your Licks In
ReplyDeleteI didn't FRET when Sara Jean asked me to show her my finger placement technique!!!
Plenty of local music. That scene's not for anyone over 30.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of lame ass music in the bars, but it's not just Kansas City.
ReplyDelete