What’s up dudes,

I have been sitting here for about 20 minutes trying to figure out how to start this blog.  How do you begin to explain something that you feel so strong about, that sometimes you can’t help but be filled with frustration when people show indifference to what you hold dear.  Even worse, when they dare to speak badly about it, when they not only show disdain, but outright contempt for it.  How can you make people believe that your not crazy for believing in that “thing”.  I guess I just have to come out and say it.  I LOVE LOCAL MUSIC!!!!!

That was easy.  I love local music.  I guess that is why I host a local radio show on 100.5 Max FM called the Locals Lounge every Sunday night between 8 and 10pm.  I guess that is why I have been behind local bands since I first got my own radio show about 5 years ago.  Ever since I met a band that thought I was a “somebody” and gave me their demo hoping that I could play it on the radio.  That name of that band was Plan B and they have since changed it to The Influence.  They reminded me of why I love local music so much last Thursday at Scotty Quixx when they played a Soul Haven Project music showcase along with The Hemmingway Method.  What a show.

I have seen probably over 200 local bands over the last five or six years.  This was the first time that I could picture what a local band would look like, sound like and how the crowd would react to, if this had been a headlining national touring band playing the Norva, The Scope, or even The Amphitheater.  Talk about a “perfect storm” leading to an incredible audio and visual display that those in attendance enjoyed. 

How could you not want to experience what was felt that night on a weekly basis?  How could you not want to go to your favorite bar, club, pub, dive, hole in the wall, or what have you, and enjoy the sounds that are on par with anything that the rest of the nation can provide?  The reason I play these bands on the radio is because they should be played on the radio and I’m not the only one who believes that.  There are others on the radio that do the same thing.  People like Shelly of FM99 or Hunter Hughes formerly of Bob FM.  Of course all the guys at NPR like Jae Sinnett or Paul Shugrue  show their support of local music and does one of my good friends Ross who know runs The Late Late Rock Show having taken over for another defender of local bands, Chad Boykin.

The local music scene also comes from no less of a pedigree than Gene Vincent and Ruth Brown my friends.  Anywhere from Bruce Hornsby to N.E.R.D to Waxing Poetics to Missy Elliot can be heard on the national charts.  Bands like The Left Wing Facist could have made it bigger.  Bands like The X-Raves, Snuff, At War and Luckytown should have. 

There is plenty of talent in this area, regardless of what kind of music floats your boat.  You want metal?  Try some Skeshun 8 or Construck.  Want some straight up rock?  How about Revery, Counterfeit Molly, Butter or Freedom Hawk.  What something alternative?  Still Pink might float your boat.  Ska?  What more do you need than Jackmove.  Punk has been kicking ass with The Villians, The Rats and The Muddrackers.  Of course acoustic music is well represented by Skip Friel, Joanna Lynn, and Charlton Phauff.  Of course bands like Family Tree and Thinking Cap Trio take care of the Jam side. There are plenty of other bands in plenty of other genres so please feel free to indulge my friends.  The fruit of the local music vine is indeed sweet my friends.  No need to go to the store, when that fruit grows in your own backyard.

Later dudes,

The Silver Fox