Local scene involvement

[Balor/SS1535]

Be serious about what you do and no fucking cunts.

This is probably the only ethos that should matter in this or any other art.

[NO PART OF IT]

I did the rounds of playing at least once a month, whether it be diverse line-ups or strictly noise/experimental, and I'll say that the times are just different for live acts/music in general.  Without the internet, people used to go see the same band every month, and now they have access to too many options to do that, especially in a larger urban environment.   So for me, I am careful not to keep treading the same water, and I'm much more motivated to leave the country the next time I tour (where people still buy CDs, apparently!).   

Having toured parts of the USA a few times, I'll say that the paradox of wanting to play with people you know VS. playing with people you don't know who will leave after their set and ask for more money than they deserve, it is very real.   Some cities do this more than others, and the more solidarity, the better, but it's hard not to have it become "cliques", and I'm thankful to those who have welcomed me in the past even more for this reason. 

[GEWALTMONOPOL]

The idea to build a local scene is not just to look after the locals, it's to provide fertile ground for acts from all over the world to come and play. It's about the ability to realise an interaction with others. A scene like the ones described by NPOI will never be strong nor prosperous and it deserves to languish and die.

[xdementia]

When I lived in Boston I was throwing most of the free time I had into the local scene - which for the various forms of experimental/noise/avant garde was very large - but me and only a few others were the ones open to more edgy pe/industrial/harsh noise. I was doing about 2 shows a month for 5-7 years playing at least every other month myself. It eventually started to pay off in that the shows were still "hit or miss" but the "hits" became more frequent. But by "hits" I mean shows that were an awesome experience. I rarely made any money on shows and if I did it was paltry, of course this didn't matter but when the efforts were getting to be so time and energy consuming and at the end of a big fest with Brighter Death Now, Post Scriptvm, Bolcksholm, Raison D'Etre + more I merely broke even I decided I'd rather get back to using my spare time to make music - what I originally got into this scene for - rather than help enable others so much.

After I left Boston I noticed a real void in the scene for 2-3 years. No one seemed to be booking much in the  pe/industrial/harsh noise vein at all. I think since I've left some have begun booking shows here and there but I'm not sure it's back to being the touring stalwart that it was when I was going full tilt.

So when I moved to Seattle in 2015 I was happy to not have any contacts in the scene and to pass touring artists to others who were doing shows. I've now been here for 4 years and I've played and attended enough shows to know the right people, be recognized, booked when I want to be but I prefer to be more of a distant observer rather than involved all the time. Live my own life and be a part of the scene when it's convenient and advantageous for myself and my project.

Seeing certain artists play multiple times a week whatever wanky set they put together that afternoon or even those local artists trying to get on every "hot minute" touring artist shows seems like wasted effort to me. The time they are wasting being part of drama and preparing new live sets constantly should instead be used to craft new recorded material, or at least that's where I'm at now. I find it's best to play locally no more than once each season at the most and pick shows wisely. I turn down more shows than I play these days and it's a great thing.

That said I still think touring is the most effective way to get known. Making those physical in real life connections are a way bigger deal for spreading your sounds and the experience of a great live show... there's nothing like it!

[Gefühlloser]

I tried to involve myself with the local scene here which is absolutely non-existent. Did a live harsh noise collab with some guy in a Man Is The Bastard influenced band (yeah I know, destined to fail, right?). Then he's going to play some donations event for Planned Parenthood (lol), and out of boredom I say "do you want me to do noise over your set?" and at first he's like "yeah, sure", then within the hour he messages me back saying:

"It's come to my attention some things that you've said, and our band believes in equality for women and all races. I already knew of your views, but I let it slide, but when we performed I felt like a hypocrite. We can no longer collaborate, but we can share noise in messages here still".

LOL, so I asked him "what are my views that you speak of? what gives you the right to decide my views for me?" and he can't respond, just says that he doesn't want to talk about it, and doesn't need more stress in his life. Then I totally ripped him a new ass, and told him to sell his noise equipment. The only "noise" he knew of was some random somewhat obscure early electronic music. After that I completely became uninterested in anything but mocking the local "scene" openly in the public forum.

Where I'm from originally is far more interesting. 763/612 represent. There is some of that weird artsy kid crossover there, but also some gross mother fuckers that make that nasty ass shit.

Euros or Japs as a rule are way more interesting to observe than most of the scene kids in the USA.

[ConcreteMascara]

That said I still think touring is the most effective way to get known. Making those physical in real life connections are a way bigger deal for spreading your sounds and the experience of a great live show... there's nothing like it!

I don't think this can be overstated.

[Cranial Blast]

In my town there is nothing.
I m not sure, but I'm probably the only one that plays harsh noise.
I only played once in a little festival in my hometown with other musicians and they were pretty shocked.
There is a couple of places for "arty experimental music", but the only time i went to one of this "event" I was disappointed (obviously) and i prefer to don't have nothing to do with them.

I'm also from a small town outside of a metropolitan by a good amount of distance. I'm not very far from the metro, but a long enough distance evidently where "noise" is not a thing! I've tried to connect with local other artists too, whom are different in approach completely/musically and often get the same reaction as you did, where it's like WTF!? luckily I've got one guy locally who understands it all, but for the most part it's like WTF is this?! I think it's best to just stay away from all local scene when there isn't much of one to begin with. It's definitely harder when you're not right inside of a city.

[DivusDeMortuus]

Honestly, I would be surprised if there was a noise scene in Nevada. Then again, I'm a bit out of the loop as I've only went to a handful of shows in the last couple of years and those were mostly punk and metal. Before that I hadn't gone to any shows for at least 10 years, so in that way I guess you could say I kept a distance from any local scenes and at the shows I generally tend to keep to myself.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Things do start from something, and I could give quite nice example. Some years ago, there was guy who had been visiting my store occasionally. Always looking for old vintage recordings, blues, jazz,.. things I usually do not have, but occasionally 2nd hand LP's may come. He had been only buying man & guitar type recordings, and had no history in "metal" or "punk" or such. One day I am listening DIESEL GUITAR CD and he goes "what is THIS?!". Never heard, or knew there is things such as "guitar drone". He buys DG stuff, returns in few days and asks is there something else that sounds like that. I sell him Haare. He likes it a lot. After some drone releases, he quickly progresses into total harsh noise. It was matter of months, without prior relation to the "typical underground scenes". He became one of the most active harsh noise buyers locally, and remains so still today.

I never thought "No scene" would be valid excuse to not make something. Someone got to start it, and in truest form of DIY, one can't expect it is "the others" who'll have to do it. Getting noise act to play among noisy hard metal or wild hardcore punk can be easiest way to get things started. Some will hate, but you never know if it will be the birth of something new.

[Bloated Slutbag]

you never know if it will be the birth of something new

Nothing to add.