Earlier today I was asked by Portland, Oreg. music website LocalCut.com to respond to a recent article in Paste Magazine that calls into question Seattle’s music scene. “What,” I was asked by Casey Jarman, the website’s editor and my former coworker at Willamette Week (the weekly parent of the site), “is right about the article, and what is wrong about it?” I intended to write a brief comment, but ended up writing an essay. Jarman posted the rant, along with response to the Paste article from other Seattle-based websites, on the LocalCut site. But I thought Sound readers should have a chance to ruminate on it as well. So, here it is:
“There may be some growing pains affecting nightlife as Seattle continues to grow and density increases, but Seattle music has moved from ’scene’ to industry,” says James Keblas, Director of Film & Music for the mayor’s office. –Excerpt from “After the Goldrush,” Paste Magazine
For the most part, this article is dead on about what is going on in the Seattle music scene right now, but Corey DuBrowa really does a disservice to the complexity of the situation by insinuating that there is some sort of “demise” of Seattle’s influence in the national music scene. What is happening here isn’t a death, but a shift that the above quote from James Keblas spells out in no uncertain terms. From everyone I’ve spoken to about it (and let me tell you, everyone wants to talk about how our two burgs stack up), this is what I have gathered:
After Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Pearl Jam hit national charts, Seattle was saddled with a reputation as a musical center that attracted thousands of musicians and music fans (which, you folks might know, Portland is experiencing right now), and cash from a music industry eager to capitalize on the hype (which Portland has yet to really experience, and likely never will). That, plus the incredible amount of money from Big Tech and Big Coffee that flooded the economy, has helped drive property values up and many struggling musicians out. What is left over is the aura of a musical ground zero, populated by the established musicians and music fans from that early-’90s boom who have turned their love of music into successful businesses. The sound of grunge may have faded, but the people responsible for making and following that sound hold the cash and pull the levers here…and they have created a robust and unique music industry.
Now Seattle boasts one of the largest distributors of digital music (Amazon), one of the best internet radio stations in the world (KEXP), and a number of influential record labels, including the industry giant Sub Pop. The list goes on: tons of music websites, Microsoft’s digital music division (responsible for the Zune), the Experience Music Project (host of the only large-scale annual meeting of music critics); Sasquatch! Music Festival (the Seattle-produced music festival boasting one of the best lineups of any outdoor festival) and the magazine I edit (which finds plenty to cover on a monthly basis just within the Puget Sound area). Plus there is a fully-staffed Office of Film and Music that is constantly wooing more industry players to the city (Keblas recently told me that he wants Seattle to be the capital of music licensing in America… however you feel about that, it’s good for the independence of local musicians).
It’s a different world up here, but Seattle is certainly not in decline. If anything, this city is more influential than it ever was in the early ’90s. It’s just that the influence is now held by radio station DJs and programmers, label heads and the music fans that work in the tech industry…not necessarily by big-time artists. All of those industry folks might not be going out to shows every night (if they did, chances are the clubs would be doing better), but they are giving artists in the Pacific Northwest the national exposure and distribution necessary to maintain their own independence and the Northwest’s standing as the capital of independent music.
Of course, along with the wealth and prosperity for business-owners comes a more uptight, difficult culture for artists to exist and create in. Clubs close down, but other ones open. This is the ebb and flow of a city where life is more difficult, but the spirit of creation is never quashed. Pedro the Lion’s David Bazan, most of Death Cab, Eddie Vedder, Blue Scholars, Rocky Votolato, Damien Jurado, Jesse Sykes and other established artists still call Seattle home and draw inspiration from it. And there are a lot of new faces making great music. For LocalCut readers, I have compiled a short list of what I’m digging right now.
Mark B’s Seattle Music Picks:
Throw Me the Statue: myspace.com/throwmethestatue
Fleet Foxes: www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes
The Cave Singers: www.myspace.com/thecavesingers
Dyme Def: www.myspace.com/dymedef
Grand Archives: www.myspace.com/goslowpoke
PWRFL Power: www.myspace.com/pwrflpower
Joshua Morrison: www.myspace.com/joshuamorrison
Image courtesy of the website. Yeah, it’s low-res. So what?
March 7th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I’m a huge fan of the “sky is falling” editorial (sarcasm) and all that, but “scene” vs “industry”? Seattle’s influence on the national music “scene”? I think the semantics are a bit out of whack here. The only influence Seattle (or any other city) has on the national music “scene” is through the industry. It’s not like folks in New York, LA and Nashville were watching Nirvana on CNN.
The scene is the community and the people making music locally. As you point out, the music is still here, it was here way before the 90’s and it will continue to be here.
March 10th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Keep up the great work.
March 17th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
I told Corey he was going to catch shit for what he wrote, but I liked the idea he (hopefully) was going to stir up some super intelligent passionate responses — which obviously is yours, Mark.
After this, the fan article, and the Indie Rock Must Die essay, I have to say that you are Kicking Ass. I echo #2 above … please keep up the great work, sir.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:05 am
I just found this blog too! Well best of luck with the projects.