ONE MORE THING...

the Catch 22 disease...

It's about time I expouse my views upon you all once again. I found myself frustrated the other night with the Catch 22 of the local music scene. To get all flowery and use metaphore galore: The music scene cannot grow if you allow only the perennials to blossom.... it gets dull looking at the same tulip year after year and seeing all the other flowers choked out by morning glorys. The sad part is that this viscious little circle seems to have no real remedy.

Here's the scenario: Local music scene is dying and can't draw an audience - The audience complains that there is nothing new coming out - the token lush in the crowd shouts "FREEBIRD!" - Regional bands can't book gigs in Central PA because they haven't played here... because they can't find gigs - the audience shouts "FREEBIRD!" - Local booking powers rely on local bands that have a proven draw in the area... but it's the same bands, the same fans... and the local music scene dies some more of the same disease as those who bothered to come out to shows lose interest or move on.

People like Jacquee (Pictured above) and her band, More Fire, as well as Matt from Slow Andy, and Tony from Wayne Supergenius have stood out for me as examples of the vaccine for this disease. They are not only willing to open their eyes and see the symptoms, but they're also motivated to find the cause and remedy it. I've singled these particular people out because they are bonefide members of the Scene Salvation Committee... and have stood beside me...even pushed me forward to change things in whatever ways we can. This is not an exclusive club... This is not a clique... This is just us, trying to make things better. We often hang out on the message board and will be putting together meetings periodically. Please join us...

In support of the Scene Salvation Committee (name change is possible...we haven't voted on a name yet.) there is a new link on the menu to the left for a LIVE CHAT. Organizing a meeting time for in chat will likely happen on the message board in the Scene Salvation forum. We are leaning toward 10PM weeknights...nights have not been determined, but feel free to use the chat room any time you like, anyway.

Also, please note that the scene is rising in other areas such as Baltimore... There is Last Ride Records, which is a newly formed association of 5 bands working together to improve the scene as well as the Vault, a popular venue in downtown Baltimore. You can get involved with the vault as well... See below!

Do you think the local live music scene needs a good kick in the a**? If so, then you should probably check out a newly formed group which will help improve Baltimore's live music scene. Just visit http://www.VLMA.net for further details. If you or someone you know might be interested in becoming a part of this group, you may join up at http://www.VLMA.net/forums/.
Best Regards,

Jack Liebsch II
The Vault / VLMA

For the first time, TheLab can bring you video clips from a concert. I apologize in advance for the poor sound quality, but these video clips were taken with my regular still digital camera. Check out clips from the 7 Days Torn performance at the Recher Theatre on April 5th! Click the 7DT logo to see a list of available clips. If you clicked the link...and viewed the video... wouldja please let me know what you think?! I need to know whether or not doing such things is worth the effort in the future.

(also note,7 Days Torn will be playing the Stone Cellar on May 23rd.)

Be safe, have fun, and enjoy every moment... see you out there! - Ang