Sean Hemingway
New Millennium Studies
Chet
February 8, 2010
In Defense of Virginia’s Local Music Scene
Although it is “off the radar” to patrons of music outside of the state, Virginia has a very developed and wonderful music scene, that is very unique compared to the local music scene in Chicago. There is one musical genre that I will be talking about in particular, and that is metal music. In Chicago, there seems to be a problem giving local metal bands little, to no exposure in a competitive music circuit.
Currently in Chicago, there are quite a few talented music bands that would be considered to be on a “local” level of popularity. Of course there are some bands in the area, as in any genre or area that are not talented, or are just plain bad. Part of the problem that I see, is that there is that local metal bands really don’t get the time of day in Chicago, and even a lot bands who have a vast international popularity in the metal scene do not come to Chicago, and skip over it. Historically, Chicago is a blues town, and there is a vested interest in Jazz among a majority of the blues audience in the area. Also, there is a significant R&B and Hip-Hop community, along with a popularity of House music, and other electronic genres. In the Chicago area, and in the City itself, there is a lot of promotion for local the genres above, but not for metal. This is not to say that there is no one promoting the music, but it is much more limited and restrained than in Virginia.
An example of this: Through research and time to observe show listings, and going to metal shows in the area, there are very few venues that support the genre. A lot of the local metal bands play at bars or clubs that have little reputation in the area. Along with that, there are no medium sized venues (to my knowledge or I have seen through my experience) that house popular metal bands and local metal bands together on the same stage. This is not to say that there are not places that display local metal talent, but there are no steps that are taken or incentives to draw large crowds to the local metal shows.
There is a venue in Northern Virginia called Jaxx Nightclub. It is a local hot stop for metal bands, and they have a reputation of showing not only local musicians, but also touring bands, and internationally famous bands there. Instantly by looking at the list of bands that have played there, one who is familiar with the genre that has never been to Jaxx might assume the venue is huge, but in reality, it is not a massive venue. It is actually located in a strip mall. When I first showed up there, this surprised me, but when I got inside I realized they had a really good thing going. On top of this, they always up local bands on the same stage as the touring bands. Even the biggest tours will start a little earlier than normal so local talent can have a chance to play on the same stage about an hour before the big bands start playing. Along with that, the majority of venues in the area are all 21 and over shows, giving young musicians a very difficult obstacle to get into shows and play themselves. At Jaxx however, they have a system so that allows all ages in the show, even though they serve alcohol. A black “x” on the back of each hand warns bartenders not to serve minors alcohol, and it is as easy as that.
I am not trying to say Chicago has no respect for metal musicians, and that they are being oppressed and they never see any spotlight, but what I am saying is that there are some very good metal musicians, and I feel that the local venues in Northern Virginia do a very good job, especially Jaxx Nightclub, does an excellent job promoting local metal bands better than almost every other local music scene I have had experience with.
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