Deep Thoughts

Here is a train of thought that I recently had while walking along the street listening to old Asian Man Records albums:

"Man, I remember when teenagers used to book all kinds of cool Asian Man bands. Like that time my buddy Ryan booked Mike Park for that killer acoustic show or that time we brought Mu330 and they showed us what ska-punk was all about. Those guys were cool. Their singer, Dan Potthast, played a huge role in my moving to Santa Cruz. But now these kids don't do much beyond book their own bands and don't pay attention to anything else otherwise. What do I do to get them pissed and take action? How do I make them pumped? I guess it's a money thing. Man. Why does everyone in Santa Fe need to make money playing music so badly? I guess it's their livelihood, but really, it's not like, a stable source of income, nor has it ever been. Not making it in the big leagues or in a town like Austin must sting and all, but it's kind of like being pissed because going to film school wasn't your one-way ticket to Spielberg-ness. OK, maybe that's a stretch, but I mean, why should it be anyone's responsibility to pay out the ass for music? I suppose I see these musicians' point, though, and venues could probably foster stronger relationships if they paid a little more. But still, the corner of a restaurant is hardly a venue, and maybe if the bands built up an actual following they could ask for more. Does anyone care? It's strange here…what with people acting like a small room full of their friends means they're like, The Beatles. I wonder if a lot of bands are still pissed at Cowgirl. They seem to be doing OK. I tell you what, too, that time Lou Barlow played on the patio of Cowgirl was excellent. How do we do more stuff like that? There probably isn't a way. It seems more and more that the populace doesn't really give a shit about what's good or not. Sure, dancing is great and all, but there should be more to music than a decent rhythm. I'll hand it to that Austin band, the Wheeler Brothers, though. Their performance on the Bandstand was not only mostly awesome, but there were all kinds of ages and creeds dancing their asses off on the Plaza. I guess I'm just sick of not having a specific outlet for the stuff that interests me. Or maybe I'm burnt out? Either way, I can't be the only person who looks through the SFR calendar and thinks, 'Jesus, how many times do we have to see these same people play the same songs?' I miss Paolo Soleri. I miss the old Warehouse 21. I miss the days before YouTube and ASCAP ruined everything for everyone. Most of all, I think I just miss having a scene that was vibrant and worth caring about. OK, Alex, just relax. Things have gotten a lot better recently and will continue to get better. Yeah, Alex, that's true, but sometimes it's hard to hang, and you just want to put sentences like, 'All y'all local bands need to take a step back and really fucking think about what you're actually doing.' But then you'd get hate mail. Aw, fuck it. Maybe that's what needs to happen. No more Mister Nice Guy…no more gritting your teeth and not vocalizing thoughts about how just because a band plays outside and people naturally gravitate toward the loudest thing doesn't mean that there is actual success there. Still, though, Felecia Ford sure killed it with Broomdust Caravan at that Make Music Fest the other night. So I guess I'll just go with mom to see Lyle Lovett in September, and I guess I'll let Sarah drag me to Albuquerque to watch Connor Oberst blatantly rip off Bob Dylan. I guess ripping off artists is better than covering them and acting like geniuses…sort of. And God help me, I do like Chango. Wait a second. What am I bitching about? I get paid to watch and listen to music, and that ain't bad at all. Still, I wish somebody would book that band Hard Girls from San Jose. They rule."

Santa Fe Reporter