5 Minutes Later: A Tale of 2 Cities.
This past Saturday, Bazz, Dr. E, RyMac and Old Hank pulled off a super fun, old school CSC multi-show mad dash.
And we were struck dumb by the contrast (well dumber than usual).
The night started at Twisted Tea Bazaar (first show we’ve caught in this fab little room) to catch the incredible promise of Sage is Alive at their record release show. 5 minutes Later, we were at the Southern to catch Wilson Springs Hotel, an absolutely elite RVA Country outfit.
We’re not gonna get in the weeds here and talk about players, set lists, and lyrics.
This is a story of bifurcation. The absolute fissure in the Charlottesville music scene between the bulwark of Americana — it’s bands, venues, fans and booking agents — and the crocus emerging from the snow vibe of our younger, harder, heavier metal scene in town. Before y’all jump down the blog’s throat, we use the term Metal because what the fuck else bucket do you want us to put amplified punk, garage, post punk, heavy metal, etc in? If you’ve got a better word, please by all means, dm it to us. On second thought, don’t dm. Start a blog to chronicle it.
Those who follow the blog know that we love our rich Americana tradtition in Cville. But you’ve also seen us try our damnedest to support the young’uns who NEED heavier music to voice their angst, anger, joy, love — whatever the fuck a young’un feels. And they need your support. From a venue, booking agent, size of fan base and certainly word-count-in-the-trades perspecitve, Americana (and it’s imminently non-ADHD and patient cousin the Jam Band genre) has a strangle hold on the scene.
And yet.
And yet there’s Ed over at Superfly giving his floor to the kids. And Koda at Durty Nelly’s. And now Gwendolyn at Tea Bazaar. We lament the loss of Metal Mayhem at Ace (yet have no understanding of the business and interpersonal issues that plunged the knife into its nacent breast). We golf applaud the Southern as they dip their toe in the water, and ask them to do more. We look longingly from afar at the frat/sorority house party scene at UVA that must be a fucking blast although we promised to never go Ol’ Blue from Old School and start crashing the party.
We thank and treasure Pinkish, Soul Meets Body, Heaviside, Sage is Alive, and Uga Buga for keeping Metal alive in this town. We marvel at 7th Grade Girl Fight and Shagwuf for never losing their steely razor’s edge.
Rock and Roll is about the kids and the kid in us. Let us never forget kids created it. And they need our love and support to make it.
Most of all, If you are one of the quadrillion gray-haired Americana fans we see at every show in town, get your 70’s on and go support these bands! They’d love it! They won’t bite you. In fact they are some of the most well-behaved peeps we’ve met (just stay out of the pit to avoid breaking a hip).
It’ll be the most fun you’ve had since, I don’t know, Altamont or WoodStock or Seattle.
Stay tuned for an addendum to this thought. Bazz is gonna cover the Luke Combs blast zone at Scott Stadium this weekend and put his 2 cents in the hat.
