Following is a look at the new breed of up-and-coming Charlotte bands, many of which you'll be hearing from in the future. And if not, well, don't come crying to us.
One Six Conspiracy 1. When did you form? We've been together for a year and change.
2. How would you describe your music? Rock music.
3. The term emo -- hate it, or accept it? We accept the term emo, but it generally applies to older bands; nowadays, it's all really just rock.
4. How would you describe audiences at your shows? You'll normally see a lot of youth there, due to the fact that many local bands are aging... you're beginning to see college kids as well.
5. How would you describe the scene? The scene in Charlotte is actually not very good. You don't have a reliable or set amount of people. I guess the age bracket has a lot to do with that. The scene is definitely growing, though.
6. Favorite other local bands? Codeseven, Near the Never, Aria, The Paris Centerfold, Beloved.
7. Favorite places to play in the Charlotte area? Our favorite place is Tremont's big stage... there are tons of cool little places to play, but the locations are so far out of the way and largely inconvenient.
The Jukebox Hero
1. When did you form? Fall of 2000.
2. How would you describe your music? Melodic rock & roll (it's all rock & roll... all this genre division just gets to me).
3. The term emo -- hate it, or accept it? Accept it, but think it's a stupid buzz word. "Emo" people are stupid in the way that they use it... Music is an emotional thing, so of course it's "emo."
4. How would you describe audiences at your shows? Agewise, between 13 and 21 usually (we just got out of high school). People-wise, we usually all play these shows together, so it's kind of a mixed crowd. We usually bring out between 100 and 400 people, depending on the show and the night.
5. How would you describe the scene? I wouldn't call it a "scene" at all. Whenever we're playing, it seems to me that there are so many different types of people, most of whom just like to hear good music. But as far as the music scene as a whole goes in Charlotte, I think that it's getting better.
6. Favorite other local bands? One Six Conspiracy, Arlen, Near The Never, Young Tom Fury.
7. Favorite places to play in the Charlotte area? Tremont... Fat City and all the galleries in NoDa are fun as well -- a more personable atmosphere.
Near The Never1. When did you form? December 1999.
2. How would you describe your music? Very energetic post punk, spastic and noisy to slow and soft.
3. The term emo -- hate it, or accept it? HATE. This seems to be the "default term" when it comes to any band that is not "Nu-metal."
4. How would you describe audiences at your shows? High school to college age with a few older folks. Anywhere from 20 to 400 people can be at shows considering the amount of promotion, bands, time, etc.
5. How would you describe the scene? The scene is either highly liked or highly disliked. A lot is involved in this scene and not many people know about it. Many people never have experienced a show where there are no drunks, everyone is friendly, the band actually is happy to be there, and shirts don't cost $30.
6. Favorite other local bands? One Six Conspiracy, The Paris Centerfold, Walsham, Hopesfall, Young Tom Fury, Aria, My Dog Kootch.
7. Favorite places to play in the Charlotte area? Tremont Music Hall (the most supportive, and is very fair with money), JB'z (small bar on Sugar Creek, very awesome atmosphere), high schools (always easy to book, everyone knows where they are, always have great auditoriums), Hart-Witzen Art Gallery.
Young Tom Fury1. When did you form? Around November 2000.
2. How would you describe your music? Hot rock & roll for fat kids to dance to. Straight energy rock to make folks feel nice inside.
3. The term emo -- hate it, or accept it? Neither, really. The way I feel is that music is music. Usually if you want to make music, you do it to say something. All music is emotional. I think middle-aged housewives are emo, though, and I accept that.
4. How would you describe audiences at your shows? People who enjoy the tunes mostly. Fat kids. People who want to have fun and not worry about things. Sometimes we get a younger group, but it's mixed mostly.
5. How would you describe the scene? There's a lot of really great bands who just want to play. It seems like it's just getting bigger and trying to grow as much as possible.
6. Favorite other local bands? The Residence, Angel Named Israfel, One Six Conspiracy, Near The Never, My So-Called Band, anybody we've played with at the Boiling Point.
7. Favorite places to play in the Charlotte area? The Boiling Point, Fat City and Tremont.
Beneath A Dream 1. When did you form? A while ago.
2. How would you describe your music? We are dynamic indie rock obsessed with screaming and trying to be tough.
3. The term emo -- hate it, or accept it? Emo was sooo 1998. We are toughguypopmo.
4. How would you describe audiences at your shows? (Usually) 16-20, 100 or so average for local shows, too obsessed with image.
5. How would you describe the scene? Scene shmene. We've got good bands and decent fans. We have fun and love what we do. Does it matter? (Author's note: Take a Ritalin.)
6. Favorite other local bands? Aislinn, One Six Conspiracy, The Paris Centerfold, The Beloved, Darkstar Observatory.
7. Favorite places to play in the Charlotte area? JB'z, Boiling Point, Tremont.
One Amazin' Kid 1. When did you form? Seven years ago, with many line-up changes since.
2. How would you describe your music? Pretty emo-rock.
3. The term emo -- hate it, or accept it? Accept it more so in its original form. I feel that emo was a different entity originally. Bands like Sunny Day Real Estate and Mineral had real emotion to their music. Now it seems that if it is melodic rock with punk influences, it is emo.
4. How would you describe audiences at your shows? High school to college age. At first, it was just a few kids here and there. But it has definitely grown.
5. How would you describe the scene? At first, the scene was a place for people who were on the outskirts of pop culture. In the past couple of years, it seems to have taken a turn. Now it's where all of the "cool kids" are.
6. Favorite other local bands? Walsham, One Six Conspiracy, The Radio Silence, This Hero Dies and some others.
7. Favorite places to play in the Charlotte area? Tremont.
Walsham1. When did you form? Zack and Matt got together two years ago, picked up Rory around a year ago, and after several other guitarists picked up Mike around six months ago.
2. How would you describe your music? We would say we are mostly a hardcore band with a mean emo streak. What turns out is some pretty melodic guitar, girly singing, mixed with sensational hardcore breakdowns with gut wrenching screams. We say we are just metal kids that look good in pink.
3. The term emo -- hate it, or accept it? We accept it as just a word to describe a type of music. Some people get all bent up about how all music is emotional and that you can't call one type of music emo, but it's just a word. As we say, emo is just metal spelled backwards.
4. How would you describe audiences at your shows? Mostly from the ages of 15 to 19. We usually bring 20-30 people per show, and the support of the GoodxAsxDead crew who follow us to most shows is greatly appreciated.
5. How would you describe the scene? The "emo" scene is kids mostly in high school who dress in tight jeans and a lot of striped shirts, lots of color. But if you are referring to more of the scene in which we play, the hardcore scene, those kids are a little bit older, being either in college or in their 20s, also dressing in tight jeans but are more drawn to wearing either black or white colors.
6. Favorite other local bands? Hodges For House, Hopesfall, Between the Buried and Me, Undying, Codeseven, This Hero Dies, One Amazin' Kid, Marigold, One Six Conspiracy.
7. Favorite places to play in the Charlotte area? Anywhere we can play where the audience is close to us.
Hodges For House1. When did you form? Spring of 1999 -- we were sophomores in high school.
2. How would you describe your music? Crazy high energy hardcore punk thrown in with some Washington, DC post-hardcore and 70s guitar rock.
3. The term emo -- hate it, or accept it? It is a buzzword too often used to describe the indie pop punk movement.
4. How would you describe audiences at your shows? The people at our shows are great. They're usually really friendly and aren't afraid to dance and sing along and go nuts with us. The crowds average about 50-60 guys and gals of ages 16-25.
5. How would you describe the scene? The scene seems strong. There are a lot of familiar faces at shows. Some more diversity at shows would be a great thing.
6. Favorite other local bands? Walsham, The Pelicans, One Amazin' Kid, Black Lagoon, The Angry Scots, Hopesfall, Weekend Excursion.
7. Favorite places to play in the Charlotte area? The Boiling Point, Tremont Music Hall, Andrew Dugan's basement, anywhere that wants to rock with us.
Fliptrick1. When did you form? Two years ago, though we've gone through some transitions.
2. How would you describe your music? Rock.
3. The term emo -- hate it, or accept it? Hate it!
4. How would you describe audiences at your shows? People are generally positive and into the music; ages range anywhere from 14-20, and we usually have a pretty decent crowd at a show... definitely a positive vibe with everyone.
5. How would you describe the scene? The scene is somewhat lacking in support, though those ones who are into it give it their all to make it great and enjoyable.
6. Favorite other local bands? All of the ones we have played with have been great to share the stage with and are fantastic guys to be around... what a tough question!
7. Favorite places to play in the Charlotte area? Hart-Witzen Gallery (though they steal your money, it's a good place to play), Tremont, and the many parking lots we have taken over within the past year or so!