About
I wanted to start a blog. I wanted it to be scene. But I wanted it to be more scene than just the scene.
That’s why it’s called SO MORE SCENE–because it’s so more scene than you’ll ever be.
You don’t know what being “so scene” means? In a nutshell, it’s a phrase used with varying degrees of scorn and mockery by kids in the alternative music scene. I take it to be the quintessential phrase that represents the self-aware (and self-imposed) stereotypes of a musical subculture.
If you don’t think you are “scene” but end up using the word to describe someone else, you are probably so far gone in the scene that you can’t even recognize yourself in the mirror. Therefore, I think you should embrace the term and deal with the fact that you cannot fight being scene.
Look, we’ve all been there…a painful breakup, a tough family situation, a harrowing time in political history, a bad hair day, etc. And when times get tough, the tough grab an eyeliner pencil, put on a studded belt, and crank up the pop punk music. It’s simply human nature.
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I had been deeply immersed within the indie rock scene for some time, going to countless shows that involved 5 dudes on stage wearing ratty jeans and tshirts, playing mediocre music that involved whispering, a distortion pedal, and a useless keyboard player. I would find myself within the all-to-familiar concert constellation of geeky bloggers in the front, junior-level record label and PR flacks in the middle, jaded music journos and creepy old dudes in the back, with your regulation skinny-jeaned, v-neck tshirted, shaggy haired, glassy-eyed hipsters interspersed throughout. Frankly, it was boring the heck out of me.
Then at the end of March 2006 I had to research a band called Fall Out Boy in order to talk about them on the radio. I really didn’t know anything about them other than they were a band and that they were probably popular with the teenybopper-set. I surfed YouTube and watched interviews, music videos, and fan videos. I read LiveJournals and visited band Web sites. I went along my merry way, until a week or two later I happen to catch “Making the Video: ‘A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More Touch Me’” on MTV.
I seriously had a moment when I said to myself, “Woah, this looks like so much fun–why am I not listening to this kind of music?” Indie rock music is so much about being cool and elusive, but these bands seemed to be much more about geeking out and reaching out to the fans. And the fans were obsessive compulsive, giddy 14-year-olds who loved these bands more than life. I couldn’t believe how much energy and devotion these kids had. I knew this side of the music industry existed, but I had never really been exposed to it before, but I found it absolutely incredible. I instantaneously realized I had wasted my youth living on Long Island listening to Broadway showtunes, when I should’ve been wearing black jelly bracelets and out going to bad emocore shows.
Something had to be done.
As I became more and more interested in a slew of bands you’d see on Warped Tour, I started writing about them on my blog, The Modern Age. At first it was tolerated…then it quickly became a sore spot for my hip and fashionable friends and readers. People started leaving comments like, “Fall Out Boy sucks, you should know better” and “How can you like such great bands like the Stripes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs and then like a 5th generation Blink-182 clone band as much as you do. Did you notice tons of jr high kids at the show?” It became apparent to me that I could no longer post stuff about my love of non-hipster music on the main site–the public just wasn’t having it.
I needed a safe haven where I could fangirl all I wanted over my more dubious taste in music, so I started a secret blog for a week and a half just to see if I had enough content to sustain a Web site. Turns out I did, and now I’ve gone public so I could share my fandom with the rest of you. I am absolutely not an expert in this genre of music, so I’m really depending on you guys to clue me in to the bands you think deserve some attention.
I’ll be honest with you–none of the music I write about on here is going to end world hunger, or create peace in the Middle East. Some of the music might not even be very good. But the most important thing about this stuff is that it makes people happy. Some of the music saves kids’ lives and gives people hope. Have you seen anything more joyous than a sea of 1,000 kids simultaneously jumping up and down at a Taking Back Sunday concert at Irving Plaza like it’s the best day of their lives? I know I haven’t.
At first you’ll feel slightly embarrassed that you sort of enjoy the stuff that I’m writing about, but after a while it’ll feel so good you don’t know how you lived without it.
I hope you enjoy, and please don’t be afraid to act like a little girl.
xo,
miss modernage
