Suddenly the world of music has been turned upside down. In the span of one week, rappers Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar for a song called "It's Hard out There for a Pimp," and the State of New Mexico decided to keep under-21 shows at clubs and bars legal, at least for another year.
Let's start with the latter situation. We all know it's virtually impossible for a club to survive in Santa Fe. That's not necessarily a criticism, merely a fact of life. It is, if I may be so Zen, what it is.
To differentiate, a bar relying primarily on alcohol sales has an easier time-it's the booze that's the draw; oftentimes the music is an afterthought. There's a subtle difference between a bar and a club-my definition of a club is a spot where DJs, bands and dancing are the draw to bring the population in the doors so that, of course, they spend money on alcohol.
A club is a rare spot in Santa Fe for three reasons, but increasing the number of underage shows could help address those reasons. First, it's tough to make music a draw in a town that is less musically savvy than most. Again, not a criticism: It is what it is. Case in point was the Arcade Fire show several months ago at the Paramount. Arcade Fire was one of the most critically lauded, talked about, written about and listened to bands of 2005. They were hot, hot, hot, selling out shows across the nation, bringing the patrons in the door. And yet the show here in Santa Fe was sparsely attended, which is a shame because this is one of the best bands in the nation.
The second issue is, because of situations like this, local promoters are afraid to take risks on anything but a sure bet. A band like Arcade Fire has indie cache among college students, the younger set and hipsters, but little name recognition among an older crowd. And without something they can relate to or recognize, the older crowd ain't gonna shell out the dough.
The third issue is that folks around town get tired of hearing the same acts-many of the same DJs, singer-songwriters and bands play week after week. Now this is a tough spot, because it's a positive thing that acts struggling to make a living are able to score consistent paying gigs. The problem is, in such a small town, the novelty of seeing even the best band in town four times a month wears thin quickly. So, again, shows often are sparsely attended.
All three of these issues could be alleviated if more emphasis were placed on allowing the under-21 crowd to attend certain shows.
The main reason: Kids are into music. The popularity of Warehouse 21 shows, the large number of local bands featuring younger folks, the wall-to-wall attendance at the rare past underage shows (especially hip-hop) are examples of how music still remains a bonafide force for people under 21. So not only are bands with underage members an untapped resource for local music, the fans are too.
Tapping into that resource would provide new blood and energy to our local scene. First, underage people are going to see their friends play. The list of bands that can only play at Warehouse 21 because either the members are underage or their fans are is a long one, full of quality and innovation. Unfortunately, many over-21 patrons have never heard of these groups, because they're restricted to W21 and house parties. I say, book 'em at a club, cordon off an underage area, charge five bucks for the latter and adults get in free. You'd have twice as many people attending the show, and maybe the grownups would find a new band to follow, a new sound they didn't even know existed in this town. And the next time, the grownups would go see the group-the music as the draw-and spend their money on beer; the kids would go see them and spend their money on cover charge.
Why are these kids willing to plunk down their cash to hear music? Because of the constant refrain I hear from this age group: We want someplace to go hear music. We want someplace to go dancing. This is a demographic aching to get its groove on, to interact with creativity, and if a venue opened where they could play that out-and I'm talking a real venue, not a restaurant trying to be a club, not a hastily patched together one-off show-well, if you build it, they will come.
Finally, people under 21 know more about music than the old fogies. Some band you've never heard of is very familiar to them, via myspace or pitchfork.com or Fader magazine (you know, where kids get their information these days). So booking bands like Arcade Fire, if minors are allowed to attend, is a much less risky venture for promoters. Which means more cutting edge bands, which means an improved music scene.
Hell, I suggest we start with booking Three 6 Mafia for an all-ages show. The hip-hop group's shocking win shook up the Oscars like a paint mixer, and I guarantee you most people over 30 have never heard of them. Their enthusiasm was funny and endearing and a blast and, in winning, they blew a breath of funky air through the staid and stultified pop culture of the Hollywood world. Don't you think we could use a touch of that here?
