Local Music

  Today for a class at DePaul called Discover Chicago: Music Scene I had to write an essay discussing the topic of local music. This was in response to some of the venues we checked out our first week here and a book called "The Hidden Musician", by Ruth Finnegan.

Ruth Finnegan

  Now, if you ever get a chance to read this read this book... I advise you go practice instead because it's a quite difficult read and she talks circles around her main point, taking up to 10 pages to explain one simple concept. If you're really into the philosophical side of the music scene then I this book might be able to hold your interest and you should give it an attempt since she actually does present some interesting. On the other hand, if you're more into performing -as I am- then I suggest you use the hours it would take to get through that book and get some more practice done instead.
  Below is exactly what I submitted for my class and I discuss what it means to be a local music scene and how exclusive of the community affects this... Enjoy!

  A good place to start when taking a look what constitutes a local music scene is the idea of an inclusive or exclusive music scene. When thinking about the inclusiveness, or exclusiveness, of a community’s music scene there are a couple different things to take into consideration. The first is if we take a look at a community that seems to be an exclusive genre of music we notice that it’s not because because one genre is being suppressed, but instead one is more much popular or accepted. Take a look at a city like Omaha and how they’re know for their Indie Rock. That’s not saying that they suppress everything but Indie Rock, but instead that’s simply the music that is most promoted in that area. Chicago is also known for having a wide variety of music, but two genres that people could consider the roots are jazz and classical. With so many great classical ensembles that are world renowned, such as the Chicago Symphony and Chicago Lyric Opera, and being the birthplace of urban jazz these two genres stick out more when you think of Chicago and are well supported publicly by the community. At the same time this isn’t to say that Chicago suppresses all over kinds of music, and genres that aren’t at the forefront of the public create a huge “underground” following. This is the kind of vibe that the Metro thrives on. They get to be well established within the Indie Rock genre, but still retain a certain underground, garage band feeling at the same time. It can be argued that if it wasn’t for this slightly exclusive environment then venues like the Metro wouldn’t be successful.

  With all the being said we can look at communities that seem to have a more inclusive scene. Honestly, I can’t think of a community that I consider to be truly inclusive because every music scene likes to define itself by certain genres. This isn’t a bad thing because it doesn’t really affect how accessible the music is to the patrons anymore. If people aren’t into the mainstream music in their area then there’s bound to be some underground group that’s also into that group and will provide for the need of that genre in the community. Besides that the internet has also revolutionized how people access music because it’s no longer an issue of not being able to find a certain genre that you’re into nearby. With iTunes, YouTube, Pandora, and endless other providers it’s possible to get access to any kind of music imaginable with just the click of a button.

  The internet, and technology in general, has played such a pivotal role in the music and that is now why I consider that there is no longer such a thing as “local music”. In the first chapter from Ruth Finnegan’s book “The Hidden Musicians” she asks a question that many people since then have also taking a look at; “Why should we assume that music-making is the monopoly of full-time specialists of the prime responsibility of state-supported institutions like the national orchestras or opera houses?” (pg. 9).

  Back in the day people would work and practice privately until eventually they would emerge in their communities and this formed the essence of local music. Bands, or any other any other of musical group, that grew up in a certain area and then emerge inside their community are what I consider to constitute a local music scene. These days once a group sounds good enough they’re immediately putting recordings on YouTube, SoundCloud, Facebook, and everywhere else on the internet that gives them that internationally marketing opportunity. You might try to say that these bands still constitute a local music scene, but since they are constantly try to expand themselves to an internationally level the name of the city they came from might be one of the least important aspects of the group. This isn’t a bad thing, and in fact maybe it’s good that people won’t judge a group as much just because of where they come from; it’s kind of like judging a book by its cover. I wonder what connotations would come today, compared to a few decades ago, if you said a string quartet came from Jackson, TN. What if the quartet was from Dubuque, IA? Does where this group comes from change the quality or style of music they’ll play?