Here we go again... same shit, different week. The rise and fall of venues in Alaska. Why is this a recurring theme? Why does a venue pop up out of nowhere and then just as sporadicaly disappear? Is there some kind of underlying stream of bad luck that washes away our venues, or do the scene patrons cause their own problems? I think it's a little of both.
For example, Gary's Truck Sales. Gary was kind enough to let us use his building to hold local shows. It wasn't the Egan Center or Whiskey A Go-Go by any means, but it worked well for our situation. Gary only charged $100 for an evening of space rental, what a deal. The bands had somewhere to play, the youth had something to do, and the scene had found a home. Gary was pleased with the first couple of shows, the bands were pleased they had somewhere to play, and the youth was just happy to have a place to go on the weekends. But then everything got all fucked up. Some asshole or assholes decided it would be cool to break out some windows. Not only that, but there was some fucked up shit inside too. People got too rowdy and made a hell of a mess. There was some blood on the walls, trash all over the place, and some property damage. What the fuck?! Gary was done at that point and didn't want any more shows there. Then Rob and the other BroKin boys finally convinced him that that shit wouldn't happen any more and that stricter security would be enforced. Okay.... Gary agreed to let us have shows there again. Then what happened? People were drinking in the parking lot, kids were puking their guts out, stumbling accross the road, and no one picked up anything. There were beer cans and bottles everywhere. From a business standpoint I can see why Gary halted scene activities in his establishment. What business owner in their right mind is going to risk their business license for the sake of underage drinking? None that I know of. So in essence, the scene shot itself down on that one. Not everyone was responsible for losing GTS as a venue though. The last show that was held there was put on by Dani, and she explicitly enforced the "no alcohol, no drugs, and no violence" rule. That show went well..... not many people, but the show went smoothly. Gary pulled the plug anyway. Too much liability, too much headache, and not enough profit to sustain the effort. So the scene was homeless yet again. That's okay though, we'll find another way. We will go on regardless. The drive and determination from active members of this scene will not abate. We will find a way.
So Gary's was gone. What now? Well.... KZND in conjunction with the owner of Pizza Time was going to hold a CD release party for Parallax1. It was also for the anniversery of KZND. $6 got you in where you could enjoy the rockin' sounds of Jeb, Wupt, and Parallax1 as well as fill up on all you can eat pizza, breadsticks, and soda-log yourself on bottomless drinks. The event was advertised on The END (KZND) non-stop. There was a great turnout the night of the show. A lot of people showed up that hadn't ever even been to a local show. The outcome of the entire evening summed up in one word, SUCCESS!! The owner of Pizza Time recognized the potential and decided to turn the restraunt into a venue. The scene is saved again!! Yippee!! Everyone was jazzed. Dani was going to set up the shows, Tomis had a place to film the Anchorage Underground TV show, and the scene was in full swing again.
Bad news kids.... no more Pizza Time shows. "How can that be?" you ask, "There was only one show there and it was a great success!" Well.... this reveals the unrelenting, unseen force of impending doom that I keep talking about when it comes to this scene. For no apparent reason, the owner of the building that Pizza Time WAS in (not the owner of Pizza Time) didn't even want a restraunt in his building, let alone noisy youth. Even though there were no complaints from any of the buildings other tenants, the owner pulled the plug. Well.... it's his building, I guess he can do what he wants with it. I hear the guy is an asshole anyway and proud of it. What a bum deal.
So the scene is left again without a place to hold shows. Back to the Rec. Centers we go. Not only that but Tomis is left again without a place to film AUTV. What the fuck is going on in this retched hell hole place in bummfucked ALASKA?!! It's a combination of a whole lot of different variables that contributes to keeping the scene grounded. Dani, Tomis, myself, the bands, and all of the people in and associated with the scene are constantly working on building things up to greatness though. Rest assured that we will not stop!! We will not lose hope and we will never relent. The talents of our local Alaskan friends and neighbors MUST be exposed, they must be made public.
Peace, love, and unity for all.
Brian |
