Impossible dreams?
I was reading Sam Pfeifle’s wishes for 2007 (“Local Motives,” December 29, 2006), all good ones, although sadly, I would argue that at least two are unattainable.
For someone to finally make a home of the Asylum
You know what the biggest problem with the Asylum is, besides the overwhelming coldness and post-modern disparity that smothers that place? The gigantic bouncers with ear pieces standing out front. No one in Portland wants to go to a place like that, nor is Portland ready for a place that looks like it was imported from Boston. The Asylum needs to be the Sea Dogs, instead of trying to be the Red Sox and trying to be the Avalon. There is no “down home quality” to the Asylum. What made previous and existing music venues like the Big Easy, the Alehouse, Geno’s, and even the State Theatre successful was the level of comfort that they provided. You felt at home there. The only thing I ever felt comfortable doing at the Asylum was feeling uncomfortable. Unfortunately, that usually went pretty well.
For Portland to re-embrace the live music scene
The key to this one is not the people of Portland, it’s the radio stations of Portland. WCYY needs to step up and start fully supporting local bands with potential like they did with Rustic Overtones, Jeremiah Freed, and Even All Out. They jumped behind Lost on Liftoff and look how quickly they blew up. See, here’s the thing about the majority of people in Portland: they like going out to see music because people in Portland like to go out and drink, and live music provides them with something to do. But they’re only up for seeing live music if they are already familiar with the music being played. No one wants to take chances. It’s why the Awesome is the biggest draw in town, and before that, Zion Train (oddly enough, both Michael Taylor-led projects). It is also why bands like Paranoid Social Club, As Fast As, and Headstart! draw big crowds — because people heard them on the radio. They heard them at work and became fans. Then when they hear about them playing, they get excited because this band on the radio is playing at the Big Easy, a place they’ve walked by or have seen the Awesome at. What this does is ultimately transcend a band like Paranoid from just another local band, to a band people heard on the radio who they assume are a national band, even though one of the members might cut meat in Windham. People view them differently and actively go out and see them. WCYY, despite what your neighborhood hipster might say, is incredibly influential in Portland’s music scene, and if they were to start backing some bands again, it would then help jumpstart the scene.
I have nothing to say about Portland’s hip hop scene other than that it’s confusing to hear a white guy rapping with a beard and wearing a flannel shirt.
Best live album of the year: Waging the Wage by Dominic and the Lucid.
Ryan O’Connell
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
