# south CCCCCCCity
i never really intended to use my ongoing show log to keep track of the shows i go to. in fact, i think i'll delete it. i much rather like to reflect on the ones that moved me to track my feelings about the community of music that surrounds me. our release show at Bolo was nothing short of extraordinary in the sense that it reawakened my scent for what this scene should look like and what I miss from back in the day before Covid hit, so i'd like to write about why.

for starters everyone brought their A-game. Goo Man's full band songs came through so well in the Bolo basement. the evocative nature of the harmony translates amazingly with bass underneath, the vocal and guitar melodies push further to break through the sonic wall, and the energy shifts upwards with the tight beats underneath-- it adds a new and important dimension to the music. Furthest played what is probably the best set i've seen them play, with a lot of material i hadn't heard and a shift in direction that is much more self indulgent in repetition, overt in its piercing attitude, and precise in its execution. it made me really excited to listen to what they got coming. Holofoil was beyond incredible from what i hear; i unfortunately only caught a bit because i wanted to mentally prep for our set which i regret. Piracy closed out the night with a full album set i'm personally really proud of-- a little nerve wracking considering the heaters we were following.

more importantly than the music, though (is there anything?), i was moved by the people there, their presence and what it means (yes, there is). a lot of overlapping diasporas of the stl scene or even not at all from it came together to listen to some good ass music and be surrounded by likeminded company-- the point of it all if you ask me. i'd see eyes lighting up in people watching bands they had never seen before, crammed tight in a picturesque basement, attentively listening from the stairs leading to it, or hidden away in a 2 foot wide tool shed rocking the fuck out (shouts out my goat ephraim).  i'd see unlikely conversation pairings, overhear exchanges about this or that album, show, movie, or personal artistic projects. i'd see younger people interested in Bolo, trying to scoop up any knowledge about this legendary space that hosted us (thank you mere!). i'd see all these things and they would move me deeply, making me reminisce a bit.

something strange happened after Foam closed in 2019 and the pandemic shook the foundation of our music community. back when i started playing music in south city, things felt a lot more unified to a certain degree. sure, it could be cliquey in some ways (as i get older i find myself less and less concerned about this factor, people got their friends and it's whatever), but in reality i got to be a little baby kid hanging out with people my age and older people and way older people and eventually younger people coming in new to the scene, and the amalgam of thought, disposition and purpose that resulted from this collective torch passing over the years was complex and sometimes challenging to navigate but so incredibly full of life. the music and the ideas and the art that came from having multiple generations of DIY in the same room week after week, show after show, was absolutely invaluable. you don't know what you got until you lose it, and i do think we lost a good chunk of that ethos and what it gave us over the recent years.

what i think is the biggest loss from this communal shift is the passing down of knowledge getting choked. when i first started booking shows in south city i was 22 and had no idea why things were the way they were. i rejected the proposed structure that the south city scene presented to me because i didn't understand the big picture. meeting people that had been around for longer, learning from them that DIY is bigger than one scene, wrapping my head around all the DIY communities active in the united states, the way they help and support one another, how connected all of them are or idealistically should be... these were all incredibly important lessons that showed me the depth of what we do, the importance of community even beyond my own community, and the way that our actions challenge the status quo of the country we live in. it does sadden me to see the younger generations of DIY musicians be almost completely on their own lane with very little overlap with the community i know and love. i wonder constantly what could be the unifying factor that brings all these generations of artists back to experiencing the joy of what we do in a way where we're all together and connected by knowledge, experience, and the spaces that host us.

thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone that came and stuck around the whole time. i write all this because our release show at Bolo felt like exactly what i miss from south city DIY, and it does give me hope that these communities satellite of each other can somehow finally re-join into one self-sustaining, awe-inspiring and thought-provoking firmament-- or at the very least start overlapping a little more. south city is not big, we don't have to be like the big cities. in a way that's why this place is so wonderful: it gives us the opportunity to realistically live through this life together as a community, and truly care for and about each other.

P.S.: the st louis show page was made and is maintained by two friends of mine who adore local music and curate their calendar to preserve a varied, inviting and intentional music environment. if you're playing shows in the city, i would recommend submitting them to the calendar. if you like going to shows, you're guaranteed to find something you like in their site. it's how i personally decide what to do with my evenings and i stand firmly behind it in support. i'll link it below:
=> //www.stlshowpage.com

=> //juliocesar.flounder.online/pages/blog.gmi return to blog
=> //juliocesar.flounder.online return home