I think the comment below carries a lot of weight. Sam aside, it’s always been my understanding that the Observer is, and has always been, an “alternative” rag. I took that to mean that they are a little left of mainstream. They hire cool, hip writers and critics, who write about a lot of cool hip things. I can’t recall a time, at least in the last decade, in which they paid much attention to the metal scene or the country scene or even the regular ol’ rock scene other than to diss ‘em. Not their cup-o-tea, and these genres aren’t particularly “cool” and “hip” to the readers of the D.O. I suppose. I dunno, I’m assuming that they have a division of New Times filled with folks who research and provide demographics of their readership. The critics have always come off as arrogant music elitists, I just always figured that was their schtick in a sense.
I think it’s important to understand that the Observer doesn’t claim to be a “local music supporter,” nor the end-all resource for all music in DFW. They cover a certain niche of music and venture into other areas (hip-hop, country, etc.) when they deem a band worthy of print. I rarely pick up a hard-copy, but I’ve been told that the Curtain Club/Liquid Lounge/Clearview collection’s weekly ads were MIA in last week’s edition. If they pulled out because of things Sam has written, then that was a bad business move on their part as far as I’m concerned. Sam, nor any other writer/critic at the Observer should be expected to kiss the asses of their advertisers just because they advertise. If that were the case, we’d never get to read the real thoughts of the writers.
I’ve been exposed to a broad range of genres and bands in the past 6 years that I’ve been a promoter. While there are genres and bands that I don’t particularly like, I still could look past that and note the talent and quality regardless of my personal taste. I’ve said this like a gazillion times, and I’ll say it again…nobody, but nobody can tell me what music to like. I don’t give a flying eff what anyone thinks of my taste, it’s my taste, therefore it’s good (or bad) to me.
When I started TexasGigs almost 4 years ago, I did so because I saw a need. I tried to cover as many genres as I could, as well as provide as much information about shows, bands, music news, etc. I’ve been criticized on numerous occasions about being too broad, but in all honesty, my taste in music is broad. I’ve spent bazillions of hours in smoky clubs checking out bands of all genres. I learned a tremendous amount about the metal/rock scene while working with Chaz and TexasRadio1, with our co-hosts Mark Beneventi (Harder Beat) and Jerry Rutherford (National Noise). We interviewed and listened to the majority of the local rock/metal/hardcore bands. We went to their shows. We got to know their fans. And while those particular genres are nowhere near my personal preference in music, I still learned a lot and found that there is a very solid, very vital metal/rock scene in Dallas. I’m talking about packed clubs, passionate fans, and thriving bands. Plus, between the 4 of us, we introduced a wide range of bands and artists in various genres to each other. Hell, Jerry Rutherford is probably the most hardcore metal fan I’ve met to date, yet he’s the one who turned me on to Shanghai 5, a band definitely not metal that he happens to like.
I started out in this biz with alt.country/Texas Country/Red Dirt bands. I know that particular scene quite well and have found some amazingly talented bands and musicians. Again, you wouldn’t know that we have a suffering music scene by the crowds who pack into Adair’s and Love & War and White Elephant and Woody’s. In fact, I interviewed Justin Frazell a few months back and asked him his thoughts on the current state of the DFW music scene and he looked at me like I was crazy. You’ll find 200 people on any given Sunday afternoon at the KHYI Shiner Sundays at Love & War…that’s 200 people in raging 100+ heat outside to hear their favorite Country bands.
I think at this point that if you want to read about bands/genres you particularly prefer, then you pick the right publications/website/whatever that features these types of bands and music. If you want hardcore/metal/rock, choose Harder Beat or DFW Heavy Metal. If you want Country/Red Dirt or Blues, then a few good choices are Buddy Magazine (copies can be found at Bill’s Records, Sons of Hermann) or Miss Lana or This is Texas Music or Texas Music Guide. If you wanna know more about Rap/Hip-Hop/R&B then your first stop should always be DFW Hip-Hop.
I gotta ton of links to blogs/sites who concentrate on the indie/shoegaze/experimental/yada…yada scene starting with Dallas Observer and ending with Gorilla vs Bear. Lotsa links here.
I guess I’m just a simple gal. I don’t listen to certain music or artists because it’s the cool thing to do. I don’t dislike bands just because this week’s know-it-all bloggers or critics say I should. Music, at least to me, is a part of life…a really good part. It’s gotten me through good times and bad. I can hear a song that’ll take me back to an exact moment in my life, and allow me to re-live it, even just for 3 minutes. I don’t need to break down lyrics or discuss guitar riffs, or debate the validity of a certain genre. Hell, I just wanna hear good music, enjoy good shows, and see a lot of very talented artists find their place, make some money and continue to offer me the music I so desperately love.
Bloggers such as We Shot JR maintain that “supporting” or covering the music “scene” as a whole is not what this town needs. They stand firm that there are only a few really good bands in DFW and the rest suck. I disagree, but hey, that’s their opinion so more power to ‘em. I happen to think it’s important for bloggers/critics/writers/reviewers/et al get themselves out to shows in all genres before they deem that the entire DFW music scene basically sucks. Just because a person doesn’t like a particular genre, doesn’t make it suck. Music is subjective. Nobody is an expert. Nobody has the all-knowing last word, and if you choose to join the herd just to come off as cool or hip, then you are missing out on a whole lotta music you may never have a chance to experience.
Also it’s important to remember that this is a business…an industry if you will. Clubs are in business to make money. Landlords are in the business to make money. The Observer is in the business to make money. Bands and artists would very much like to make money. It’s all a vicious circle - bands need to draw so that clubs can make money and pay the bands and keep the doors open so that bands can draw so that clubs can make money…. Quitcher bitchin’ about the state of the scene and do something about it. Sam tried as best he could with the restraints of editors, higher-ups, etc. He did what he was hired to do. He did an excellent job, continued to grow and get better and better ( as well as more open-minded) with every edition. He was blind-sided in the worst way, seeing that they had a replacement hired before they handed him his letter to leave.
There’s a helluva lot wrong with the music biz in DFW, much of it the nature of the beast, but certainly not all the fault of one significant music editor.
I pulled the comment below from this post because this person made some excellent points. Plus, I think the thoughts and experiences of our sound professionals deserve way more attention than they are given…
Sam was a critic. Unfortunately, he was a very myopic critic. If the music performed by bands did not fit in his narrow audio tunnel vision of acceptable music, it was crap. And that doesn’t truly serve the music scene as a whole, because the majority of the music scene is nothing like those bands. I see band after band after band as a sound-guy. I have run sound for literally THOUSANDS OF BANDS and SHOWS in this scene and abroad. I have worked with the most horribly inept, self delusional, arrogant asses you can imagine, and the most professional, respectful, and talented bands ever to come from the DFW area. Unfortunately when talent is involved, the numbers are not in most peoples favor. The majority of bands in this city are either not very good or musically interesting. (But, and here is the key… they and their friends all think they are.) But having said that, there are greater numbers other than the .0001% of the bands that the observer historically worships who are worth seeing, and they have friends and scenes that support them. Some are bands just starting out and trying to find a voice. Others are just doing it for fun and to impress girls. Others are way too serious in their own minds. And just because you do not respect metal for instance, does not preclude there are some decent metal bands in this town. Personally, I hate most hip hop. Should I just bad mouth any hip hop artist booked to do a show I have to run, and make fun of them to people at the bar and club? No, I run sound for hip hop acts with the same effort and enthusiasm I would for any other type of act. I am a sound-man, and it is my job to be as objective as possible, and not throw my bad attitude and ill opinion into the mix. I can’t just decide I only like to run sound for Chemistry Set and Salim and fuck everybody else! The same is true for a music critic. You have to look at the totality of the scene, not disparage it as all garbage outside of your limited tastes. What if your food critic only ate steak tartar. Hated seafood? So therefore every restrauant is not worth the salt on the table if they serve seafood, cause only steak tartar rocks! That’s not very informative. It borders on obsessive though.
Personally, I blame Robert Wilonsky for young Sam’s impressions, because these are the same basic bands and venues Robert touted 8 years ago, or at least the same musicians, and Roberts a pretty charismatic and opinionated man. Hey, Ol’ 97’s are great. Sorta are incredible when they are. Midlake..not my cup of tea. But there you have it. You can’t accurately cover a music scene when you only focus on an extremely narrow faction of it. You are playing the ‘cooler and more informed than you” card that used to be the role of the snob in the music store. That role is not helpful to the readership. I doubt the majority of the readers of the D.O. are into Midlake, or Sorta. I can usually confirm that by their attendance records. And that my friends, is the subject nobody wants to accept. It’s not about the art, it’s about money, and American Idol is freakin huge man! .
Radio has never cared about the music that is played, they only care about the advertising they can sell. MTV has never cared what style the music was, or the message being spread, just how much revenue in ads it can produce. And clubs and promoters ultimately don’t really care what bands play, they care about selling alcohol and tickets. And the majority of professional acts don’t care who pays them, as long as they get paid. Sad fact of life, not very inspiring, but that’s the way it is. And if everybody in this town continues to have a stick up their asses about showbiz reality, there won’t be anyplace left for your fledgling band to play. It will all go away. So get your bags and start headin for San Fran, or NY, cause the scene here is being destroyed by arrogance and apathy. Everybody in this town acts like they are immediate stars simply because they shopped at Buffalo Exchange and Urban Outfitters. Not everybody can only play on the weekends. And NO club in this town has a built in draw anymore. Not enough people to sustain it. Bills are really high in case you haven’t noticed. Can you imagine how much it costs just for electricity in most of the clubs in this town? Everybody acts like the clubs are their rich friends dad’s house. They are not. If you don’t spend money, the clubs will go away. It’s up to your band to try to inspire friends to see you, and to work hard to get on bills that complement your music with someboy who draws more than you. (Perhaps I will start a blog pointing out facts of life about any music scene. I’ll let ya know. )
Granted Deep Ellum has taken a large kick in the ass in the last two years. It’s unfortunate for me to see, because when I was the age of most of the local bands now, there were NO places to play. Deep Ellum started out as a place where kids could get together and create something new. It’s really a shame to see this new generation just kick it to the curb. You will regret it eventually.
I wish Sam the best of luck in his future endeavors. Getting fired abruptly is never a cool thing. But he has cost me a lot of work as well thru closed nights directly due to his juvenile verbal attacks on a scene he doesn’t fully understand or support. He doesn’t live in it like those of us who work it on a day to day basis, trying to provide a garden for talent to spring forth. Sometimes there are droughts Sam. Sometimes there are droughts.
PS: If I were a club owner/manager or a band dependent on the amount of cover charges in order to get paid, I’d start putting out some serious surveys to find out where your customers/fans are coming from and how they heard about the show. I might just do that at an upcoming show. I’m very curious as to why people choose to go to shows if they know nothing about the band(s)….or if the weight of the Dallas Observer or any other music source really does drive people to shows…Dallas is not particularly a live music loving town, but I see new faces out a lot…wonder where they are coming from…hm…
I know I’ve rehashed this story ad nauseum, but it’s my blog and I’ll do what I wanna…about a half decade ago, in a drunken stooper, I caught 
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