CITY EVALUATION

Chris Pickett
August 4, 2010
ENGL 320 Unit 3 Project

INTRODUCTION

Every city around this nation is unique in its identity, especially with regard to musical identity. No two
cities are exactly alike and that’s what makes it difficult to nail down a place to set up a music promotion
service. Even though with the coming of the digital age, where music can be shared across the country
at a moment’s notice, a strong local fan base needs to be set up before any band can take its act on the
road. Certain locations around the nation draw musicians due to the makeup of its music scene and the
reception of the city’s people to certain styles of music. Some of the most important aspects of a city’s
musical identity are the history of the music scene in the city and the club and musical venue scene.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The goal of this document is to define the musical identity of a few cities around the nation, cities that
have been known to be considered hotbeds of musical activity. It is important for the promotion service
that I am proposing to be centered in a location where there is a wide variety of musical tastes in order
to service as much of the needs and wants of any given community around the United States.

METHODS

The research presented in this document is all based on opinion, and therefore everyone’s taste will be
a little different. I will try to obtain information from many different sources as to offset the bias that is
likely to be found when researching a topic such as this. This document will describe a few different
regions around the nation on a few different levels: the history and previous identity of the given
community and the club and musical venue scene. The regions I have chosen to focus on are
Athens/Atlanta, GA; Seattle, WA; and Minneapolis, MN.

MUSICAL HISTORY

Athens/Atlanta, GA

Athens, GA and Atlanta, GA, are less than 60 miles away from each other and are both big names in the
music industry and so I will discuss them together here. This region has one of the most varied musical
histories and has been a heavy hitter in terms of major musical acts and even whole genres that have
been spawned from the creativity of these two cities. This section will describe the recent musical
history of these cities.

Atlanta became prominent in the music scene in the 1980’s with thriving New Wave and indie rock
scenes. Some of the prominent bands in the New Wave movement came from Atlanta, musical groups
such as the Brains and the Producers. The hip hop scene in Atlanta is probably the strongest and most
renowned aspect of Atlanta’s musical identity, producing such stars as Ludacris, Lil’ Jon, Outkast, and
Usher. Other major bands from different genres also hail from Atlanta, including the heavy metal bands
Mastodon, Norma Jean, indie rock artists Kaki King, Cartel, and the Indigo Girls, and the blues-rock artist
John Mayer.

Athens, GA, has also had a long history of musical successes. Starting in the 1970’s, the college music
scene started so see some of the bands that would later go on to become national headliners gaining
recognition. The biggest band to get its start in this decade was the B-52’s who went mainstream in the
1980’s and had many chart-topping hits. Another one of the biggest bast to rise out of the Athens music
scene was Michael Stipe’s R.E.M., arguably one of the biggest bands in the late 1980’s and into the
1990’s.

Another of the most lasting pieces of the Athens music scene is the Elephant 6 music collective. This
group spawned many influential indie rock bands such as Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples In Stereo, and Of
Montreal. These bands had a defining role in the introduction of indie rock in the United States and the
typical “indie rock sound” is based on what these bands produced.

The last aspect of Athens’ musical identity is in the genres of folk and bluegrass. While bluegrass was
present in the Athens area since the late 1800’s, it was never a prominent fixture in the identity of the
music scene until very recently. Bands like the Drive-By Truckers are developing the Athens’ folk and
bluegrass sound and are increasing in popularity throughout the area.

Seattle, WA

Seattle has been a musical metropolis since the post-war era starting in 1945. The local big band and
jazz scenes even rivaled that of New Orleans, LA, and produced some excellent musicians. One of the
biggest names to come out of this era was Ray Charles, and while born in Hollywood, CA, he recorded
his first single and made his first television and radio appearances in Seattle. One of Seattle’s most
influential artists from this era was Jimi Hendrix, although he didn’t attain much fame or success until he
moved to England.

The 1970’s and 1980’s saw a major influx of punk and alternative bands making a large splash in the
business and was crucial in the development of grunge music, which became the entirety of Seattle’s
music scene in the late 1980’s and into the 1990’s. Seattle is probably best known for producing rock
legend Kurt Cobain and his highly influential band Nirvana and inventing the grunge sound. Grunge can
be described as a mixture of metal and hardcore punk, but slowed down from either of those two
genres. The first true grunge band was Green River which was started in 1985. The first nationally
recognized grunge band did come in the form of Nirvana, though Chris Cornell’s Soundgarden was
signed a few years earlier. Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Eddie Vedder’s Pearl Jam became some of the
biggest bands in the whole nation, and they all sprouted from Seattle in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.
The grunge sound influenced many different bands and music scene across the country, although it
experienced a sharp decline after the suicide of Kurt Cobain in 1994.

After the surge of grunge music, the alternative and indie rock scenes started to see major success in
Seattle. Bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate, Modest Mouse, Death Cab For Cutie, the Fleet Foxes,
Band of Horses, and the Postal Service all have had a major influence on alternative and indie rock, with
some of these helping to define the sound of indie rock while also seeing major mainstream success.
The makeup of the current music scene is still rooted in the indie rock sound.

Minneapolis, MN

Popular music from Minnesota starts with possibly the most famous and influential musician of all time,
Bob Dylan. Dylan was from Hibbing, MN, but got his start in Minneapolis from 1959-1961. He is
credited with defining the modern folk sound. Other popular folk artists from Minneapolis include Leo
Kottke and Boiled In Lead, both of which are still performing.

Another one of the biggest artists in the nation also hailed from Minneapolis and was part of a very
influential and successful R&B scene in the 1980’s. Prince debuted in 1978 and with him came a number
of popular R&B artists from Minneapolis, including Mint Condition.

The next biggest and arguably most enduring scene in Minneapolis is the rock scene. The mid 1970’s
saw an influx of punk talent and the hardcore movement produced some of the iconic and influential
punk bands, the Replacements with Paul Westerberg and Bob Mould’s Husker Du. While never
achieving too much mainstream success, nearly every modern punk band was in some way influenced
by the sound and the feel of these early American punk rock bands. The Minnesota Historical Society
claims that the year 1984 brought the Minneapolis music scene into national prominence with Prince’s
Purple Rain at #2 on the Village Voice “Pazz and Jop” critics poll, the Replacements’ Let It Be at #4, and
Husker Du’s Zen Arcade at #8. Other successful rock bands from Minneapolis include Semisonic, Soul
Asylum, the Jayhawks, the slowcore band Low from Duluth, indie rockers Tapes ‘n Tapes, Motion City
Soundtrack, and the Hold Steady.

The last influential music scene from Minneapolis is the one that is currently producing results, and that
is the hip hop scene spurred on by the Rhymesayers music collective. Artists such as Atmosphere,
P.O.S., and Brother Ali have seen recent mainstream success and do not look to be slowing down
anytime soon. The artists with Rhymesayers also seem to be bringing a new brand of hip hop, one that
hearkens back to the original lyricism and uplifting messages of the original hip hop songs of the 1980’s.
MUSIC VENUES

As I have never been to most of the following clubs and venues, I will have to go by the opinions of
others to decide what the best musical venues around the nation and in these specific areas are.

Athens/Atlanta, GA

The Athens/Atlanta area is home to many great musical venues. Paste Magazine lists a good showing of
its Top 40 Music Venues around America in this area of the country. The ones on the list are as follows
(descriptions taken from Paste Magazine’s list and www.Indie-Music.com):

 40 Watt Club – Athens, GA – “Legendary for its sweat-soaked late-night shows, the 40 Watt has
been the innovative and unconventional Athens music scene’s Ground Zero for the last three
decades.” Introduced the world to: R.E.M., Vic Chesnutt, Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor
Control, Drive-By Truckers, Of Montreal.
 The EARL – Atlanta, GA – “Thanks to booking agent Patrick Hill, the mood is more jamming and
idiosyncratic Neil Young. There’s nowhere else in Atlanta so dedicated to not letting people
forget the rock, showcasing the top tier of local bands alongside nationally acclaimed indie acts.
With its junk-store chic, the Earl embodies the garage-band spirit.”
 Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, GA – “When it opened in those heady post-Indigo Girls days of the early
’90s, founder Eddie Owen hung vertical banners admonishing audience members to leave the
listening room if they wanted to talk. The result is one of the most artist-friendly
singer/songwriter venues in the country.” Introduced the world to: John Mayer, Shawn Mullins,
Josh Joplin.
 The Melting Point - Athens, GA – “The multi-tiered structure offers a myriad of seating options
fine tuned to meet the needs of each show. Soaring twenty-two foot high beams in the ceiling
play off the new garage doors along the mezzanine that invite the outside in. Music fans are
never more than 53 feet from the stage with clear views and ideal acoustics.”
 The Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA – “One of Atlanta’s oldest venues, this converted Baptist church is
not only aesthetically pleasing—with its towering stained-glass windows—it’s also an
exceptional location for shows of any genre. Spirits (of both the divine and alcoholic persuasion)
always flow freely.”

Seattle, WA

Seattle’s rich history of music lends itself to also having many first-rate musical venues. Paste Magazine
also listed a good number of venues on its Top 40 list. Other venues around the area (including Portland,
OR), are also listed here as they are within relative distance to Seattle. The ones on the list are as
follows (descriptions taken from Paste Magazine’s list):

 Crocodile Café - Seattle, Wash. – “Former lawyer Stephanie Dorgan first bought “The Croc” back
in 1991 and has faithfully served Greater Seattle’s hipster community ever since. Don’t be
 surprised to find the back row of the club (which also features an adjacent café) filled with
famous local musicians on any given night.” Introduced the world to: Death Cab for Cutie,
Modest Mouse, The Long Winters, The Postal Service.
 Department of Safety - Anacortes, Wash. – “Occupying a former police-and-fire station in a
town of 15,000 people halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, The D.O.S. is a five-year-old
artist-run community that puts on creative underground happenings when not hosting bigger
acts like TV on the Radio, Destroyer or Laura Veirs.”
 Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, Ore. – “This one-time greasy spoon located in Portland’s Eastside
scuzz-junkie district has retooled to become the Rose City’s hottest nightspot. Its lodge-like
upstairs dining room and “spare no sonic expense” 300-person downstairs music venue have
made it the favorite of both picky local bands and up-and-coming touring acts.” Introduced the
world to: The Decemberists, Viva Voce, The Thermals.
 Gorge Ampitheater - George, Wash. – “Situated on the banks of the Columbia River in the
center of Washington State, this converted vineyard boasts the most jaw-dropping scenery of
any outdoor venue, anywhere. Purchased by Universal/House of Blues in 1993, the Gorge has
become a perennial summer favorite for acts capable of filling its 20,000-seat capacity.”

Minneapolis, MN

Although only one musical venue from Minneapolis was listed on Paste Magazine’s Top 40 list, it is easily
one of the best venues in the country. I have also listed a few of the other top Minneapolis venues from
City Pages (descriptions taken from Paste Magazine’s list and from www.CityPages.com):

 First Avenue - Minneapolis, Minn. – “First Avenue boasts that, early in his career, Prince made
the venue his regular performance spot, even going so far as making it the set of his iconic film,
Purple Rain.” Introduced the world to: The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum, The
Jayhawks, Peter Himmelman.
 400 Bar – Minneapolis, MN – “One of the West Bank's longest-standing rock-club landmarks,
the 400 Bar is like a monument to local venues everywhere. Aside from live showcases of local
regulars, they often land shows by touring national acts and buzz bands on the verge of blowing
up.”
 Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN – “This resurrected former theater is one of the best places
to catch a concert in Dinkytown, whether it's a big-name touring act or some local heroes
that've graduated past bar-band status. The Varsity boasts a spacious floor and an elevated
seating area providing multi-level sightlines (and couches!), a high-grade sound system, vibrant
lighting and the kind of art-deco decor that lends a certain swanky elegance to whatever pop
debauchery might be unfurling on its wide, easily-viewable stage.”
 Triple Rock Social Club – Minneapolis, MN – “Since they opened in 2003, the Triple Rock has
become one of the big destination punk, indie rock and underground hip hop clubs in the Twin
Cities -- a good-sized music venue catering to pretty much every cool kid in town. Arrive to
shows early to grab a booth at the bar, which boasts one of the metro's best vegan-friendly
menus.”
DISCUSSION

Almost anywhere one goes around the United States, great music venues will be there welcoming with
open arms. The three regions listed above lay claim to a good number of great music venues listed by
one of the most respected voices in the music industry. The quality of music venues can enhance or
limit the musical output of any given region, and as is seen by the wealth of notable names that have
come out of all three areas, there is definitely a high quality to the individual music scenes.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

I don’t feel that there is any way to recommend one of these regions over another. All three have
storied and successful musical histories and will continue to produce quality material for years to come.
All three regions also have many great places for the local talent to cut their teeth musically before
hitting it big time. The variety in every area is also very high, with hip hop, indie rock, and folk rock
present to some degree in every place. I will go ahead and recommend either Seattle or the
Athens/Atlanta regions over Minneapolis, though, based solely on the fact that more venues were listed
on Paste Magazine’s Top 40 Musical Venues list. Otherwise, it’s a toss up. I would feel very comfortable
starting my proposed music promotion service in either of these two fantastic locations.

WORKS CITED

"City Scenes: Atlanta." Indie-Music.com. Web. 01 Aug. 2010.

"Minneapolis Bars/Clubs Directory." Minneapolis News, Events, Restaurants, Music City Pages.
Web. 01 Aug. 2010.

"Minnesota Historical Society | Minneapolis Music Collection." Web. 01 Aug. 2010.

"Music of Athens, Georgia." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Aug. 2010.

"Music of Minnesota." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Aug. 2010.

"Music of the United States." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 31 July 2010.

"Popular Music Artists from Atlanta, Georgia." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Aug.
2010.

"America's 40 Best Music Venues." Paste Magazine. Web. 01 Aug. 2010.