Does NYC's music scene suck?

[rauri76]

Due to high rents, having to pay for practice space, Manhattan being too expensive for artists to afford, high priced bars, clubs closing, cabaret laws, competition with every other form of entertainment does the NYC music scene suck?
Where in the USA is it?

[squinchy]

it may indeed suck.
Being a musician here is awfully thankless and expensive. And although there are supposed to be these great bands from NYC (yeahyeahyeahs, Oneida, interpol) why is it that they do not wow me? I mean they're good...but so is my band that has been toiling in relative obscurity for so long I won't even tell you. Maybe that is problem--we are no longer young and cute.
What's great about NYC is that nearly every touring act stops by here to play...so it is a great place to see music from elsewhere, but as far as homegrown music, I must shrug.
Bear in mind I do not go out to see live music unless I know the group(s) playing....there are so many bands here and coming through here that there eneds up being a quantity vs quality issue. But perhaps if I took a chance more often I would find some real gems.
Monday nights at the cooler on 14th st used to be free night and it was perfectly acceptable place to nurse a 5 dollar beer and check out whoever was playing, gratis. I saw some great bands there--Ass Baboons of Venus, harvey sid fisher, other dimensions in music, musica transonnic, and lots of japanese rock and free jazz. Of course, at the time I didn't have a full time job and had tuesdays off....
Also keep in mind--I was born and raised in NYC and may have a more jaundiced view of reality than my fellow man.

[I'm Painting Again]

I think it all depends on your point of view. There seems to be always something interesting to see in NYC in my opinion. There always has been. You really have to seek it out though. I agree that those bands are really not that impressive except Onieda, they had impressed me very much.

[helstab]

Interpol is great.

[eeldip]

its that oberlin connection that is screwing up new york!

[ottokbre]

The Walkmen are a lot of fun. So are the French Kicks.

[squinchy]

its that oberlin connection that is screwing up new york!

right on! less rock from fancy colleges, please...
sigh. I suppose I shouldn't 'playa hate' as the kids say these days.

[janusmusic]

Having played there a bunch and being a band from cleveland ohio...it's a different atmosphere for sure. Borderline competitive between all the bands playing on the bill. Which when you take into consideration all the difficulties to just be in a band there, I guess it makes sense. Who knows. I talked to someone last time who lived in NYC and he asked me how much we pay for a practice room I said $400 he said "a piece? that's about right" umm..no 400 divided by 3 bands total. Just different ..also seems to be a sense of striking while the irony is hot. and oh boy is it hot!!

[trashy]

Have you heard the Double? I think that's a pretty great NYC band. No "real" releases yet. Of course, I think all of the guys in the band are from Cali., so that may explain their greatness...

[axial]

personally I feeel that when the odds are against a music or art scene it breads more intense art and music, it may take along time but it will be !

[phat-ass]

Check out the Holy Ghost if you guys get a chance.

phat

[llllllllllllllllllllllll]

ditto on Oneida, YYY's, the Walkmen, and Interpol.

No one's mentioned the Liars or TV on the Radio? I strongly urge all of you to check the latter band out. Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Aaron Hemphill (the Liars) play guitar on their new EP. And the vocalist is fantastic.

They're coming to Houston in Nov. and I can't wait!

[rauri76]

I couldn't agree more Squinchy, fashion, looks and hipness seem to have more to do with the success of bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs than talent or music. Musically I was not impressed with what I heard especially considering all the hype but damn they look so kewel, got that whole prep school kinda punk thing. As Billy Joel said "Ya can't dress trash till ya spend a lot of money. Hot funk cool punk even if its old junk its still...." Another example would be StellaStar from NYC. I saw them at a showcase, not impressed, ripped off a Blink 182 melody (kill me now) and the vocalist is a wannabe Robert Smith. But damn they look cool and they got a record contract.
Marketing is more important I guess.
Quantity over quality is definitely a problem. I gave up on the "scene" a while ago. Now I just stay home and save up for gear.
I dunno with the regentrification etc. I think I missed NYC's heyday.

[squinchy]

yeah, NYC's heyday may have been 20-30 years ago. I would love to know what people who have toured think about playing in NYC. I know that when I've gone on short tours (just been down south as far as Athens, GA and back), the experience of playing a show seems to get more pleasant in direct proportion to distance from Manhattan. This in reference to both the club and the audience.

I like the Liars, they put on a good show...haven't heard the Holy Ghost but am curious. Fiery Furnances is a band I saw that were quite good--but not sure if they are NYC based or what. I think they are.
I am conflicted b/c I hate the experience of going to see music and being disappointed by an uninspired show but then I think the fact that NYC has so many musicians who come here to live/work brings some fresh perspective on music and performing. Maybe this message board is a good place to know who to check out.

[eeldip]

playing new york is a nightmare of sorts, but not so much because of the scene, but because of the tolls and traffic and parking. [lets see, we are in philly, which is like 80 miles from new york... so we better leave about 4 hours to get to the club]

i dunno, my shows have always gone over decently well in new york, but i would always rather play maxwells (they seem to give out more money anyway) despite hoboken having just as bad (if not worse) parking issues.

people always complain about new yorkers being indifferent, but i find that cities with smaller, more intense scenes are more indifferent (like DC or portland).