If Live Music Isn't Dead, Then Where the Hell is Everybody?

There are several factors to be considered here and there isn't a simple answer.  There are aspects to the answer that could be considered simple, but there don't appear to be any easy solutions.

Throughout my life, I've been a part of 4 distinct "scenes" that were each different and unique, but all shared the commonality that there was strength in numbers.  That strength is no longer felt here in the Berkshires and from what other touring bands have shared, it is lacking everywhere.  Sure, there are pockets of true scenes still left in the underground community, there would have to be, but instead of growing over time, the scenes have slowly withered away.

All this talk of "the scene" locally is a joke, there is no scene.  There is no support of friends, there is no support of other bands, there is no support of touring bands, there is no support of shows, there is no support of much of anything unless your band is playing, then the rest of the world must drop everything and come to "your" show, but what about the other shows?  This isn't a competition.  In order to build something, in this case a true scene, people need to be supportive and conscious of what's going on around them.  What good is a scene if there are 20 bands in an area but when one of the bands has a show, the other bands stay away because they're not playing the show?  Bitterness and jealousy are scene killers and this is truly a sad state of affairs because all of the control lies in your hands.

Successful show:

Typical Pittsfield show:

The Knux and Jordy Towers Pack the House and Are Joined by The Dance Cancer and Dreimz! (November 25, 2011)

By Andy Poncherello

The Knux from Los Angeles (by way of New Orleans) and their tour-mate Jordy Towers added a Pittsfield stop on their current tour towards the end of September and what a great idea this turned out to be!  The Knux had never heard of Pittsfield and I'd never heard of The Knux but  when I found out they had just recently appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, I booked them in a heartbeat!  This was by far the biggest show that had rolled into Chameleon's in club's short history and what a way to put it on the map.  Local rockers The Dance Cancer were added to bill after approval of The Knux management company and I snuck local hip-hop artist Dreimz onto the bill just because I could.
 
The show was promoted everywhere and even the Berkshire Eagle ran a great interview with The Knux, who's show was on the same night as a jam-band show (ho-hum) that was directly sponsored by the paper.

Like The Knux, Dreimz has a punk rock background and it shows in his rhymes.  His set was a throwback to the way it used to be done and he rapped over his self-composed tracks.  He was a lot of fun to watch and put on another great show as expected.

The Dance Cancer have been getting better and better since each and every performance and this was no exception.  Noah, Ethan and Tom were joined for the first time by drummer Tom Brown and they sounded like they'd been playing together for years.   Great polished set!

After a set-change, Jordy Towers' band took to the stage and got the room read for one fun set from this dynamic performer.  Jordy was formerly known as Optimus and his backing band for the tour was the remains of the band Revis.  The combination of these four musicians was a perfect match.  Jordy's songs jumped off the walls of Chameleon's and blow away anything you'll find online.  People sang along and new much of his set, it was awesome.

The musicians playing with The Knux immediately started to change over the stage to accommodate the headliners.   Everything was set in just a few minutes and the band flew into the intro that opens their new album "Eraser" right on cue.  Joey and Krispy Lindsey tore the roof off of the club as their set included almost every crowd favorite in their repertoire.  The sound was spot-on and the new lights installed specifically for this show added so much to their performance that they kept on playing and playing.

When their set was finally done, their DJ kept spinning vinyl, the soundguy got behind the drum kit and their guitarist kept playing beats as the crowd kept dancing well past 1am.  This was a great time for sure and if you weren't there, don't miss them the time they're in town as they'll be back!

Reason 837 Finally Reunites and They're Joined by Nice Try Kid! (November 23, 2011)

By Andy Poncherello

The members of Berkshire County's Reason 837 hadn't performed together in over a year since their drummer, Mike, headed off to Burbank to work for the Walt Disney Studios.  The idea for this special reunion was relatively last minute and it was fun to work on the details for this show.  Local upstarts, Nice Try Kid, were personally asked by Reason 837 to share the stage with them and it was a great selection.

Nice Try Kid has the energy to make some pop/punk noise in the local music scene and their set was a good introduction for all in attendance.  Many current bands of this genre fail to check their Blink-182 influence at the door and rely too much of mimicking rather than creating something fun.  Nice Try Kid  manage to keep it fun and lively.

After a short break, Damian, Justin, Mike and Brian took to the stage as if they hadn't broken up just over a year ago.  Over the course of their inactivity, the members of Reason 837 moved across county, had a baby, got reprimanded at Target and created an award-winning computer game.  Not too shabby, but we weren't here to hear about their non-musical accomplishments, we wanted Reason 837 and after a few nervous delays, they were ready!

Reason 837 played all of the favorites and had a great time while doing so.  It was nice to hear these songs again by the guys live and you could tell that they were enjoying themselves.  This was Cody's (Damian's son) first time seeing his father perform with his friends and it was a nice touch to this solid reunion concert.