| Northern
Utah bands are plentiful but need more exposure
By Jason Timpson
May 3, 2005 | Like many college towns,
Logan has its fair share of local bands, but unlike
many college towns, Logan lacks a permanent or reliable
venue for those bands to play. This lack of a venue
leaves local bands with little hope of exposure. Exposure
that may some day lead to bigger and better things.
As of now there are only a few places for local bands
to play without law enforcement interfering and shutting
things down. Without a venue dedicated to local bands,
many musicians are forced to play house parties, with
the police showing up shortly after.
Scooter's, a venue at 250 W. Main in Hyrum, has proved
recently to be the most consistent place for bands to
play. Problems do arise with bands being able to play
there however, with the cost of renting the space for
an evening sometimes greatly outweighing the money that
is brought in by the band. And if a band is able to
play there, the turnout is usually quite small because
people are unwilling to drive to Hyrum, or don't know
about the show.
Sean Spackman, of the rock 'n' roll band The Flocked
Cows, thinks that the problem is circular. "The lack
of a permanent venue makes it so bands don't get exposure.
Without exposure, no one knows who they are, and venues
won't be willing to let them play there, without venues
letting them play, they won't get exposure.
"I'd like to see a label pick up our CD, and get international
distribution. That won't happen without exposure and
a good, local venue," Spackman said.
What Logan needs is a venue with a central location,
and dedication to local talent. Old venues such as The
Blacklist that was once located downtown, proved the
perfect place for local bands to showcase their talent.
With an ever-changing community, places like The Blacklist
are sometimes phased out.
Mike Pofelski, of the band The Daily Worker, shares the same
sentiment about the local music scene. "There's nowhere
to play, and no local networking. Maybe there is, but
I don't know about it."
Pofelski does have another idea though. "Honestly
I'd like it to be easier for bands to play on campus.
The bands could bring in money for the university and
other things. I think it would be a really good thing."
With the prospect of noise complaints and the ever
present problem of liability. the university may be
unwilling to let bands play on campus.
Brandon Bennett, a local solo artist, thinks that
the university is already taking steps in allowing local
music on campus. "I think that the poetry and a beverage
and the guitars unplugged activities are really great
things that the university is doing to bring more local
musicians out of the woodwork."
Even with the activities that are already taking place
on campus, and shows happening at Scooter's, local artists
are still struggling to make a name for themselves.
Hopefully that will change.
Look for The Flocked Cows CD Is This What It Takes,
out this summer.
For more information on whats happening in the Logan
music scene, check out The
Logan Scene.
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