Much like the weather, Charlotte's music scene seems to be changing on a regular basis — some say it's getting better, others think it's on a downhill slide.
With two venues -- The Fillmore Charlotte and Uptown Amphitheatre, which both opened this summer -- and one more on the way (the Knight Theater) Charlotte is quickly improving its status as a go-to city for nationally touring artists at venues of all sizes.
At the same time, some fear those new concert halls are drawing acts away from their usual locally owned haunts. There could also be a problem of having a saturated market with so many options that none of them sell out.
As eyes slowly turn our way and the local music landscape tries to establish a more solid footing, those directly involved in the scene share their opinions on how things are going, what the new venues could mean for the locals and what, if anything, should change.
What's the best part of the Charlotte music scene right now?
"The new venues that have popped up will give more bands a chance to play out in the area. The younger bands may not necessarily get a gig at the bigger venues, but the smaller venues have more open slots as some of their shows may be moved to the newer larger venues. Also, the talent level is tremendous and that's in all genres of music. Variety is the spice of life and musically Charlotte is very spicy right now." -- Divakar, host of New Music and Indie Label Show and 90 Minutes on 106.5 The End
"One of the best parts right now is the expanding network of support and promotional base. With the growing popularity of social networks Facebook and Twitter, and local/regional blogs such as CltBlog, WaxMama, Vibes, Cltcheap, CharlotteMusic, etc., it's easier to broadcast, promote and review shows by both the artists and their fans." -- Laurie Koster, Web designer, artist promoter, local music scene advocate and supporter
"The diversity. The city has venues to accommodate every level of artist, from the smallest coffeehouse band to global-touring arena and amphitheatre acts. The diversity in styles of music is impressive as well. There seems to be an option for everyone, no matter what their favorite music is." -- Grant Lyman, talent buyer for The Fillmore Charlotte and Uptown Amphitheatre
"The best thing about the scene right now is the growth it seems to be taking upon itself. The local venues are seeming to bring better acts through, and there are more musicians trying to work together to keep it alive. Even the venues seem to be communicating more to try and help each other with cross promoting of shows ... seems to be bringing the scene closer together." -- Micah Davidson, talent buyer for The Double Door Inn, president of Carolina Live Music Society
"I like that there seems to be some fruitful collaboration between a few of the long-running local acts and some of the younger musicians, as well as some regional cross-pollination. I also think the free or super-cheap shows -- whether at Century's Patchwerk Playhaus, Neighborhood Theatre or Visulite -- do help expand the audience; you have to take a big-picture point of view, though. I like that the Milestone and Snug Harbor consistently take chances with their booking. I also like what Kinnikinnik Records is DIY-ing. We've tried in our own humble way to add our voice to that groundswell." -- John Schacht, editor, Shuffle Magazine
"Over the past six years, we have seen the Charlotte music scene come a long way. Personally, I think the scene has grown considerably and so has the customer's experience. The newer venues are trying to compliment what's already here. All in all, there is a ton going on, probably too much for such a nontraditional music market, but in the end I believe that the customers will keep it all growing as planned. The [Neighborhood Theatre] is just glad to be able to do our part -- because in the end, it's not rocket surgery, it's just rock 'n' roll." -- Zach McNabb, co-owner, Neighborhood Theatre
What can be done to improve the scene in general?
"I think the scene is doing better than ever: We've got a great diversity of new upcoming acts and a solid base of seasoned staples keeping the young bucks in check. As always, it just doesn't get the local press or attention it deserves from people who aren't musicians." -- Neal "MF" Harper, owner, The Milestone
"The venues and promoters here in Charlotte are all doing a fantastic job of getting acts to think of Charlotte when they are routing their tours. It is an uphill battle to make sure Charlotte is seen as a major music market simply based on our size. Having different options for venues and working together to get the fans out to the shows will only help make Charlotte the No. 1 music destination for the Southeast." -- Lyman
"The single most important thing would be for bands to exercise more personal creativity, fearlessness and reckless abandon in their music. Playing it safe may discourage criticism (of which there is no shortage) but it doesn't stimulate interest or passion in our listeners." -- Rob Tavaglione, Catalyst Recording
"More all-ages shows would be great and helps nurture a scene by embracing young fans. That and if more clubs were willing to take more chances on established indie acts that would do really well here instead of crappy cover/tribute bands." -- Scott Wishart, owner, Lunchbox Records
"More eclectic booking on a regular basis. It's improving incrementally, but it'd be nice to have a Cat's Cradle-like steady bill of independent and new music -- there's plenty of venues that size that'd fit the bill, but those are the ones that seem the least interested in taking chances. That way, musicians from the rest of the country would see how deep the Charlotte talent pool is when locals open for them. Of course, the old bugaboo of no local college radio is still thwarting a lot of bookers. And it'd also behoove us to relocate the UNCC campus to Plaza Midwood or NoDa; somebody get on that." -- Schacht
"I would like to see more of the artists and bands actually being fans of music. I think musicians need to show the general public how to be fans. A lot of acts get caught up in themselves and don't see what else is going on around them. The ones that do, wind up networking and sharing with other acts. I also think a few more festivals/events that showcase the local acts would help." -- Joe Kuhlman, co-owner, The Evening Muse
"This is a tough town. A lot of folks think DJs and dancehall garbage (just my opinion) are the real deal. We also suffer from a lack of grassroots work and support on the scene. Another thing that kinda amazes me is the lack of a big city event, summer series, jazz series or blues festival. We need to make the powers that be in this community understand that the arts contribute not only to tourism but to perception. What town this size does not have a Friday after Five with real music ... a blues festival, a big, real-time rock festival?" -- Hugh Southard, president, Blue Mountain Artists
What can bands do to get more "asses in the seats" at their shows?
"PROMOTION! And I don't mean MySpace and Facebook posts, either, although that is no doubt a requirement. Not enough bands try to hustle posters and tickets, and overall just TALK TO PEOPLE, especially people who AREN'T in the 'scene.' They might be back next month if you talk them into a good show!" -- Harper
"Be in touch with their fans more, make friends with them, solicit their support, coordinate street teams, reward them, make them feel like they're extremely important and valuable, deliver a high-quality product, don't play too often, but do play more than once every few weeks or months, look like you're having a great time when you're playing for your fans." -- Koster
"One thing Charlotte doesn't have to worry about is lazy fans. This town loves music and based on the number of shows and different size/style acts that come through, the fans are doing their job. The biggest hurdles are getting the word out and making sure that shows are priced at a point that they don't deter fans from going to shows. Everyone is watching their budgets these days, and it is the job of the venues and promoters to find the right price points to get both artists and fans to come to Charlotte." -- Lyman
"Of course, promoting is key. If you are an up-and-coming band, you really need to be in the streets promoting yourself, give away CDs, and etc. You also need to be in the face of local press people and online (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace). It's a never-ending grind. If you can get an interview on radio, do it. Any press is good." -- Mike Kitchen, The Sol Kitchen concert producer/"urban sub-culturalist"
"I think it's up to the bands to create the excitement about their music. Its not just about being a cool band with cool music, but is the cool music being heard? Yeah, the Internet is a great way to get people to listen to your music, but bottom line is there is no substitute for the live experience. Bands must perform wherever and whenever possible. Doesn't matter in the beginning if you're playing for 20 to 200 or 2000. Just get people to hear you 'live.' If you're good, the fans will come back to the next gig and bring friends." -- Divakar
"More support from the city, arts council and such couldn't hurt. More of pushing a 'creative vibe' and an arts-and-entertainment agenda rather than throwing money at specific projects. I'd still like to see a citywide music festival in the spring or fall become a regular part of the landscape. Also radio -- we are severely handicapped in that department in this city. Perhaps if more influential individuals and organizations could be encouraged to promote shows, they could actually bring some desirable acts to Charlotte and would probably be quite successful in getting people out to the shows." -- Lea Kuhlman, co-owner, The Evening Muse
"More cohesiveness between the scene and the fans. People complain constantly about the scene not being vibrant enough ... but there is plenty of music in town -- local stuff as well. People just need to take more responsibility upon themselves to get involved. Tell your friends about shows you are going to, or shows you are planning on going to. Reach out to the bands you love and find out how you can help promote them the next time they come through town." -- Davidson
"A little more self-promotion never hurt. There's a vast middle ground between being an annoying douchebag and telling folks you really believe in the music you make and would like to share it with them. Also: Make more interesting music." -- Schacht
"It sounds simple, but the answer is PRACTICE. And don't expect everyone is going to LOVE everything that you are playing. I don't think acts are brutally honest with themselves. People have a knack for finding out when something is great. No one is above practice and rehearsal; one little rule I think local musicians forget is that practice is what you do on your own to get better at your instrument, and rehearsal is what the band does to get better at playing together. Look like you deserve fans. Look, not act like it." -- J. Kuhlman
Do you see the scene being on an upward or downward trend?
"Live music is definitely on the decline, thanks to all other growing forms of entertainment like video games, TV, Internet porn and bum fights. Cultures change." -- Harper
"Right now, with the recession impacting everyone, I think it's turned slightly downward, and we have to work harder to get people back out to the shows." -- Koster
"I'm in the middle on this. In my opinion, people don't support what they don't know. It's hard to bring bands here that you feel are very good and the Charlotte community doesn't want to come out and support because they have never heard their music on the radio. Also, they are too lazy to look them up online. We need to be more open-minded about the scene. We all know everything on the radio isn't good, so take a chance, educate yourself and experience something new. For the record, TREND can be a bad word." -- Kitchen
"Up, because I think we are at a kind of low place at the moment. Nowhere to go but up!" -- L. Kuhlman
"Very slightly upward. In addition to more esoteric booking recently, the addition of more venues (I'm talking about clubs, not corporate behemoths where a beer costs $10) can't hurt -- well, it might hurt a venue that books on auto-pilot and recycles the same tired shit every month, but who cares about those places anyway?" -- Schacht
What impact will the new venues – Knight Theater, Fillmore, Uptown Amphitheatre – have on live music in charlotte?
"Not much change to the 'scene' unless you consider corporate entertainment products to be a 'scene.' I like the small 'scene' stuff where people know each other's name and treat each other like a family. May help some locals gain attention by opening up at some of these type places." -- Harper
"I think the public who are on the fence about going out to see unknown bands, and have a limited budget, may opt to spend their entertainment dollars on a larger show versus a local show with a yet-unknown smaller act. However,the larger shows could have some of the local/regional acts open for them and give them an opportunity to get exposure and promote their own smaller shows." -- Koster
"New venues can help and hurt. We definitely need more venues but will these venues allow others to use them? Some venues allow only certain types of music. That's not good. It also depends on where these new venues are located. Knight, Fillmore and Uptown Amphitheatre are in good locations. I like the size as well because that can create better bands who want an intimate show. Again, it depends on if these venues are open to new things." -- Kitchen
"We have already started to see the changes in the scene. There have been bands leaving some of the local venues to play in the newer rooms. And that means that there is a drop-off in the talent and the crowds going to some of local rooms. But it has also given room for new talent to come into town for us to see as well. So it is kind of a natural cycle. It is still really new and you just can't really tell what's really going to happen." -- Davidson
"They are going to cause the price of seeing a show to go up! Because they are paying ridiculous prices for artists -- this causes other clubs to pay more and making all the clubs charge more for tickets." -- John Ellison, owner, Amos' Southend
"Quite honestly this is a double-edged sword. It means Live Nation has officially targeted Charlotte and it may drive all of the mom-and-pops out. It could go either way. With the fees and approach, it could sour people out of the circuit; it could also provide enough options to make Charlotte a serious music town. I am just not sure. Live Nation scares me, anyone with that type of power can potentially hurt as much as help. I see a couple of venues I like looking at potential destruction. We will see!" -- Southard
Want to share your thoughts? Come to Project: Homebrew on Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. at the Neighborhood Theatre where a panel will discuss all of these issues, hear your comments and answer your questions.
Project: Homebrew set for Oct. 1
This isn't the first time we've thrown a CD release party, but this one's going to be a bit different from the last. In order to celebrate the release of Jeff Hahne's Homebrew Volume 3 -- our third compilation of music by local artists -- we've gathered seven of the featured singers and musicians from the CD for a live show and a group of panelists to kick off the night with a laid-back chat about the state of Charlotte's music scene.
Starting at 8 p.m. in the Neighborhood Theatre (511 E. 36th St.), Music Editor Jeff Hahne will moderate the panel, which features Ramseur Records President Dolphus Ramseur, 106.5 The End's Divakar, Double Door Inn talent buyer and President of the Carolina Live Music Society Micah Davidson and President of Blue Mountain artists Hugh Southard. During the discussion, we'll answer your questions and talk about issues higlighted in this week's cover story.
Then, as soon as the panel is over, the music kicks off with Bums Lie; the reggae-tinged rockers will be followed by an eclectic mix of artists -- Actual Proof, Scoot Pittman Trio, Pradigy GT, Raised by Wolves, Evelynn Rose and Heywire.
And the best thing of all, the event is free -- and everyone in attendance will get a copy of the new Homebrew CD, featuring music by 18 local bands, thanks to the sponsorship of Highland Brewery, CD Warehouse and Carolina Live Music Society. See you there!
