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NEWS WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
SCENE CHANGE
Live music in the digital age
BY JANENE GIER
jgier@kansan.com
In 2005, Rolling Stone Magazine named Lawrence one of the "Best Lil College Towns" in the country, largely based on its local music scene. The same year, a New York Times travel column claimed Lawrence had "the most vital music scene between Chicago and Denver."
Five years later, the Lawrence music scene is still alive and strong. But now, local musicians and venues face new and increasing pressures and competition, making it harder to draw the same large crowds to events and possibly threatening the esteemed reputation of Lawrence local music.
SO, WHAT'S TO BLAME?
Before the days of iTunes,
new bands could draw a crowd
just because it was the only
way for people to hear their music. Previewing music on the Web has become routine taking away valuable opportunities for bands to create a live music experience.
The vibe and ambience that a great live show produces comes from combining lighting, sound, crowd presence and an interaction with the musicians that can only be experienced by attending at a live show, said Bethany Hess, office manager at the Granada Theater, 1020 Massachusetts St.
"It's a shame because every band has something to offer live that they can't offer on the Web," said Danny Spence, a recent KU graduate who reviewed albums for student run radio station KJHK.
Spence said bands that didn't put their highest-caliber music samples online failed to attract listeners that would have otherwise become a fan from hearing their material live. When people sample music online, he said, it had to be as good and powerful as possible to bring people out to the shows. "I think we've raised a generation where being in front of the computer seems normal," said Jon Niccum, who has covered the music scene in Lawrence and Kansas City for various publications for the last 20 years.
The California Crains perform at KJHK's annual Farmer's Ball battle of the bands at the Bottleneck last November. The other acts three acts were Cloud Dog, Dutch Newman, and Katlyn Conroy.
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Niccum said the increase in computer use in the past decade has definitely become a contributing factor to the decrease in live concert attendance.
DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY
Corcoran, a KU alumnus and manager at Love Garden, 822 Massachusetts St. It's about drinking beer and getting laid.
Spence, also an MC and DJ for a monthly open mic night at the 8th Street Taproom, said the DJ scene has taken off with a fever.
When the club scene started to take off in the late '90s, attendance at live local shows dropped off, said Niccum, who noticed the transition in '97.
For college students, it's not about the music, said Kelly.
"People are much more likely to be open when they're dancing to songs they know." Corcoran said. "If they're playing booty jams at some joint, that's where people are going to be more likely to go."
SAVING UP AND FORKING OUT FOR THE BIG NAMES
People will spend $500 to go to Coachella or some big festival for the weekend, Corcoran said. Even though it might be a terrible place to see a show, people are convinced they need to go because all of their friends are going, he said.
"Bigger names can guaran tee a huge crowd," Spence said. "And people will pay more for the bigger, out of town acts."
turnout for the bands isn't what they deserve," Hess said.
Hess said she noticed a big drop in local attendance at live shows in 2000, around the same time she began attending big shows in Kansas City and Topeka.
"Of course people are and were still performing, but the
In 2006, the Wakarausa Music and Camping Festival, held in Clinton State Park, sold nearly 20,000 tickets, with 80 percent of attendees coming from out side Kansas. In 2009 the festival moved to Arkansas."
Larger venues in Lawrence like the Granada and the Taproom have the space for large shows, said Zach Hangauer, owner and operator of Range Life Records. in Lawrence, but local bands don't normally have the fan base to fill those places.
"Every now and then there's something that comes together where a local band turns one of those places out," Hangauer said.
WHERE FROM HERE? Now that Hess works at the Granada, she said she is right in the middle of the local music scene.
"Build it and they will come," Hess said. "When a person comes to a show, it's a one time experience and it has to be a remarkable one."