♬⋆.˚ My View on the STL Music Scene ‧₊ ♪˚⊹

I've been going to a lot more STL shows as of late. I've seen a lot of cool acts recently, and it has me thinking about the "STL Scene" in its various forms. A grievance I have with the scene is that it falls under this hyper-individualist view of what a band could be. I also look at the current rise of the CHI music scene, because I believe they commit this sin as well. Both have great talents, and the last thing I want to promote is in-fighting in already divisive times. However, when I think of scenes that I enjoy (i.e., Tropicalia, New York No Wave, Etc), they share a cohesive palette that I think St. Louis could benefit from.

I was talking with others in the scene, and it seems there is a shared sentiment that a lot of STL Bands are more interested in this performative, party culture that puts hedonism over the art itself. I've been to shows where band members were late to their own bill because they forgot their instruments. Y'know, the one thing you need for a show? But is that not representative of the culture? It's all about getting fucked up, getting your IG moment, or even more ridiculously, getting in one of your fans' pants. My goal is not to necessarily dismantle this variant of the scene, as I believe it will dismantle itself over time. On the other hand, I think that artists who DO have a passion for this music thing should come together in a more collective form.

As for Chicago, I cannot speak on the culture, as I don't live in it; However, on the outside looking in, I see a lot of cool bands with nothing really tying it all together except for an interest in Mod Revival. It's a tree with many branches, but no roots. The Red Xerox Tape Expo that just came out comes to mind. I will reiterate, a lot of inspiring sounds are being cataloged, but I couldn't hear that common of a thread tying the scene together. It's more like a greatest hits of Chicago than an exemplar to this rising scene.

Bringing this all back to the starting point, I believe that STL can grow into a recognizable scene like CHI. It just needs to be more intentional and cohesive. @gooman and I talked about the idea of a comp tape of bands we're in or have ties with. I would 100% be down with this idea, but I would want it to be more cohesive sonically than just having all ties be regional/personal. If we were able to create an stl collective of sorts, I would want to establish an identity that makes us stand out from the party band scene. Not to necessarily homogenize the sound, but I want to find that common root between my collaborative peers and me.

A couple of us have been talking about doing library trips as a means of art appreciation and research. I love this idea, but I also want to do a little side project myself of researching art collectives in the stl region. A couple of months back, I heard about BOLOZONE and its history as an anarchist art collective. I'm very intrigued by this, but I feel I know minimal about the collective itself. If there's anyone in the flounderverse who has more info about this or any other stl art collectives (current or previous), I would love to chat!

Until Then, 23 SKIDOO!