As I have stated on the first page of this website. There seems to be some kind of an unknown force that continues to keep the original hard rock community grounded. As an active advocate of the aforementioned scene, I discovered recently that there have been two more casualties in this ongoing crisis. Pretty soon we will all have to drive out to Nowhere, Alaska just to see a show. Not for some festival or fair either.
The venue pops up, we play some shows, then someone gets pissed, and we lose a place to play. Take the case of the Pax Cafe for example. I learned recently that there will be no more "punk" or "metal" shows due to complaints of "noise". Tenants that reside in the above portion of the building find the sound to be quite a nuissance. The landlord doesn't want all the noise and certainly doesn't want unhappy tenants. The Pax will still feature music, but in a more palletable decibal range. Mellow jazz, folk, bluegrass, or contemporary acoustic rock will still be welcomed at the Cafe. Whatever the style of music however, must be within a reasonable volume limit, so as to not offend surrounding residents.
As mentioned in an article I had written about the Mead's, there were 300 plus in attendance at a show I had recently seen. The fire code capacity of the Cafe is close to one hundred, including staff. There is also a fire station that shares an alleyway / driveway with the Mead's, and I'm sure the owner of the cafe doesn't want the hassle of municipal matters of safety. So if there is a show at the Meads, be advised that when the place is filled, that's it. People will have to stand outside.
So...... original hard rock: 0 ,........Uncontrolable force of impending doom: 2. It's like "The Nothing", in the "Never Ending Story". What the hell is happening to our beloved scene? It's either happenstance of noise ordinance, spacial capacity law, or blockheads with no respect for other people's property. Techno raves and electronica have contributed to this musical subjugation as well. D J's get paid well for their services. A three to five piece original rock band, (most times in Anchorage) won't recieve any monetary compensation for entertainment services. To be in a band is a lot of hard work. Time, money, pride, and dedication to do what one loves, and wants to share with others. Especially to be in an original hard rock band in Alaska. It's all do it yourself. There's really no other way. That's why we need to cooperate and unite for the better of the scene.
Does anyone remember "Gigs"? Original idea..... local original talent without experience to have the opportunity to play for an audience that would otherwise not have much to do. This is Alaska. Our choices range from, dark movie theatre, to bowling, to billiards, to getting wasted and trashing a vehicle in the middle of nowhere, or to commiting acts of hostility against one another and/or the community. Great original idea behind Gigs. There are multiple different reasons why Gigs did not survive however. Location served as one of the biggest factors, and that it was managed by people that had more important things to do in daily life than to run a teen club. So mostly Gigs was run by its patrons and personage of inexperienced or indifferent persona. Not exactly the best of revenue generating methods of maintaining a business. So Gigs had to die...... It was inevitable, it was heart-breaking, and such a relief. Looking back I miss that place a lot, but it had to die.....
It would be nice to have a place that was similar, but that was run properly. About the only way the scene will survive is if we get over competetiveness, cooperate and unite together for the common good of the scene. There has got to be a way to make everybody happy. Contact me at [email protected] Let's organize something and get this on its way. If you have a band, if you want to see the bands, if you have any ideas for the scene, or can contribute in anyway to the cause contact me or any or all of the bands listed on this website. Support your local scene. Keep hope alive. Love to all. |
