2008 Woodie Awards
Sonoma County's Metal Scene
Not as dead as some may think
Kirk Juhasz, Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/8/06 Section: Opinion
Last week on the Fox radio network, broadcaster Jeff Blazy said that local rock bands have nowhere to play. He mentioned that there are so many different problems that can happen that no club owner would risk having a steady local band play. He goes on to say that the various problems that local bands have is the reason rock clubs went out of business.
I don't know about other places beyond Northern California, but here in this little county there are a few places you could go to find the local rock scene.
The Last Day Saloon in Santa Rosa has a great sound system and always has a local band playing at some point. The Mystic Theater and the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma feature many local bands.
There are also a few rock bands that have been together for a while and have played at all of these locations. Bands such as Killing of Mind and Hostility are both out of Sonoma County.
Blazy is right, there are problems that face local bands that don't face major bands. One of the problems is that one of the band members could move out of the county or state. There is not that much money for a small band playing out of bars and clubs, at least not enough money to tie them down.
This is clearly one thing that an owner must consider before taking the risk of sponsoring a new or small local band.
Another problem Blazy brought up was with the law that prohibits smoking inside the club. Apparently this hit rock clubs in a big way.
It's not enough that you're getting a show that might end up sub-par but you can't take your mind off of it with a cancer stick or blow smoke at the band if they really stink up the stage.
You really don't know if these bands are going to suck it up or not, but that is one of the great things about coming out and club hopping. You might just find or hear a group that is totally together and is really great.
Even with these few minor problems there are club owners who can make a nice profit from these small bands who just want to be heard.
I don't know about other places beyond Northern California, but here in this little county there are a few places you could go to find the local rock scene.
The Last Day Saloon in Santa Rosa has a great sound system and always has a local band playing at some point. The Mystic Theater and the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma feature many local bands.
There are also a few rock bands that have been together for a while and have played at all of these locations. Bands such as Killing of Mind and Hostility are both out of Sonoma County.
Blazy is right, there are problems that face local bands that don't face major bands. One of the problems is that one of the band members could move out of the county or state. There is not that much money for a small band playing out of bars and clubs, at least not enough money to tie them down.
This is clearly one thing that an owner must consider before taking the risk of sponsoring a new or small local band.
Another problem Blazy brought up was with the law that prohibits smoking inside the club. Apparently this hit rock clubs in a big way.
It's not enough that you're getting a show that might end up sub-par but you can't take your mind off of it with a cancer stick or blow smoke at the band if they really stink up the stage.
You really don't know if these bands are going to suck it up or not, but that is one of the great things about coming out and club hopping. You might just find or hear a group that is totally together and is really great.
Even with these few minor problems there are club owners who can make a nice profit from these small bands who just want to be heard.