boston, as an avenue for thought

i just returned from a weekend in boston, my first time there in years. one of my stops was to see the Paradise Lounge, the premier smaller size, concert venue for indie- and up-and-coming bands/artists. while the DC area does boast Iota, it does not boast a club quite as versitile as the Paradise. For one thing, the PL has two rooms, much like the Black Cat, and both seem to have serious draws (unlike the Black Cat, who's backstage quite frankly, is kind of lame). As well, the music slection at the PL appears to be between the Black Cat and Iota veins, catering to more than one demographic , but with a little more emphasis on WXPN-style music (more songwriter based). DC, of course, has zilch in the way of intelligent music radio, local or otherwise.

i stuck up a conversation with a few members of the band i caught, HEM, who were wonderfully mellow. they are playing at IOTA this friday it appears and i may just catch them so i can more fully appreciate them, via an entire set. sallie, the lead singer, mentioned that they are a full-time band and that she used to be in TV production. as i thought about the fact that they have 7 people in their band and hail from new york city (brooklyn), i had to think to myself "how in the world can anyone make a living in music, espcially in a band with that many mouths to feed. sure, there are supportive spouses, friends and family, but the business plan to me just doesn't add up.

i also spoke with kristen, who books at the PL and my suspicions about the boston music scene were confirmed. while people complain about how weak the DC scene, the boston scene seems to be better - as long as you're from in town. breaking into boston, especially if you're an out-of-town songwriter, is extremely tough. it seems to me that larger cities are all this way because the populace is too spread out establish a consistent reliable draw. philadelphia has the same problem. playing at the grape street is cool, unless you friends live in south jersey or even south philly. practicality can be a major issue when you're an up-and-comer. nyc gets away with this because it is sectioned into neighborhoods. folks who go to the village have their choice of a dozen clubs, essentially solving the problem by establishing a mini-city. austin has done the same with 6th st. of course, asking cities to plan their live music development with foot traffic and proximity in mind, might be alot to ask. but if i'm not mistaking, cincinnati has done it. its an interesting premise i just thought of now as i was typing this entry.

for that reason, i don't have a nice tidy ending.