There are several points to address when we discuss the state of Muncie's music scene: first, let us realize that "music scenes" occur in cycles. This transcends Muncie's scene and can be applied to "rock 'n' roll" in general.
The 1980s saw mainstream music being taken over by both fluffy hair and fluffier lyrics. There was, however, a legitimate rock scene still in effect (see: Minor Threat, R.E.M., The Pixies).
Again, in the 1990s there was panic that rock music was going to be sacked by the boy-band brigade. We know, now, rock music has and always will be here. This is in part due to every town's "left of the dial" bands.
Now I'm completely lost, what was I talking about? Yes, Minor Threat. I had said several points - so point two.
Muncie staples of late: Everything, NOW!, Everthus the Deadbeats, The Retreads, et al are slowly moving on or fading out. This means we are in a transition period, which luckily for us fans is being revived quite quickly with the sudden success of bands such as Arrah and the Ferns.
However, there is one problem with the scene in Muncie. I'm sure there is more than one problem, but my word count is limited so let's stick to one problem today.
Muncie has two locations for live music: downtown and the Village. Downtown includes the Civic Theatre, Doc's and the Heorot. The Village holds Village Green Records, Mo's Tavern, the Talley and the Bird.
Unfortunately, the big push lately has been to schedule shows downtown.
This is harmful to the scene on two points. First, downtown's distance from campus makes it hard for students to attend.
The Village is ideal because everything is within walking distance, so if you want to grab a bite to eat before the show or, say, some band is blowing it, you can walk to a fast-food joint and still be able to come back for the rest of the show.
Unless you have the legs, downtown is hardly walking distance from campus, and traveling by car rather than walking with friends limits the community aspect that is inherent in local music.
The second point is the age requirement for most venues downtown. Aside from the Civic Theatre, most venues require audience members to be 21.
This limits a large portion of the student body from attending shows, and if it feels excluded now, there is little hope of them wanting to get involved in the music community later on in their collegiate career. The Village, however, offers several options for all ages to attend.
Unfortunately, there seems to be less energy spent on booking shows at, say, the Talley versus Doc's. The Talley has been a staple of the Muncie music scene for years, but lately there has been little emphasis on this venue.
There should be more energy spent on venues that are accessible to all people instead of the ones that practice heavy in the art of exclusion. And when this happens, our music scene should be restored to the healthy status it once held.
Write to Peter at pkcavanaugh@bsu.edu
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