Indie music: Scene? What’s that?

My colleague’s post about cover bands reminded me of something I wanted to bring up. Going back to Hot Box winning GO Music Awards’ Best Band category, I had a discussion that night with Richie Rebuth (guitarist for Rags 2 Rich’s, The Rugs, The Unmistaken, etc.) and asked him why he thought the selection of finalists skewed toward an older demo. His response: The bands typically thought of as being big among the I-wouldn’t-be-caught-dead-at-My-Place-Lounge demo (Yeltsin, Sweetwater, Cornbelt Chorus, etc.) wouldn’t play to a crowd such as the one at Rock ‘n’ Ribs, so they don’t get voted on.

It’s a potentially good point, but I’ll go one step further: The aforementioned bands tend to be favored by the indie-rock listener, and indie-rock listeners don’t care if the general public knows who their favorite bands are. In fact, that would go against the very idea of indie music. Indie rock is the latest evolution of the punk rock modus operandi–nonconformity, an embracing of that which is different. You won’t find anyone with safety pins in their cheeks, but a healthy appreciation of things that don’t stick with the public consciousness is prevalent. That independent (getting it?) approach to lifestyle permeates the music, as well as how people find it. Forget radio; it’s about going to small, intimate shows, having a transcendent experience, connecting with a band’s music and taking it home with you. Once it’s there, in your living room, on your stereo, it’s your band, because your neighbor (probably) doesn’t know about it and ClearChannel-loving America definitely doesn’t know about.

Digital music file sharing and MySpace Music further encourage this sense of discovery with the music, and it’s great for the individual bands. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin was a darling of the blogosphere before it was picked up by Polyvinyl Records, after all. The indie approach can work for bands, but does it work for a music scene? If some of the most talented bands in the city play for audiences who likely don’t care if the Rock ‘n’ Ribs (just the handy example) crowd, or middle America as a whole, gets ahold of their music, does that work against Springfield music, which always talks about how good it is but has had trouble making that notion stick on a national level?

I say no, but we’re in a time in music when the paradigm is shifting and the old ways of “making it”–sign with label, get on radio, book big tours, make $$$–likely won’t apply for much longer. As that changes, our definition of success for local acts will have to change, too. And for middle America, and the part of it that lives in Springfield, that may mean going to a small club with a handful of other people for a little connecting.