Since I was 13 or so, I’ve done my best to be as involved as I could with music wherever I am. It started when my two friends and I were contacted via Myspace by a local guitarist’s girlfriend to see if we’d want to come see him play. We became good friends after that, and my friends and I sold his CDs at his gigs at the Daytona Beach Bandshell all summer. Through that, we met a lot of musicians and bands. We took every chance we got to see them play at the Bandshell, at the mall or any of the other venues my hometown had to offer to minors when its music scene was still thriving for the younger crowd. I lost connections with most of the musicians I met because I was so young when I started to get involved. But now that I’m a more appropriate age, I’m pretty immersed in the local music scenes of both Gainesville and the Daytona area, and I’ve never been happier.
There’s something awesome about being involved with your town’s music scene. Whether you’re attending shows or playing them, there’s a great sense of community about it. It’s pretty interesting to go see your friends and their bands play music, especially if you really like their music.
Sometimes, you can see them being entirely different people in the way they manage to influence a body of people with their words and music, as well as their stage presence — that aspect is especially amusing to me because I have no stage presence whatsoever. After a certain point, you’ll start to hear people sing along to songs your friends wrote, and that’s one of the coolest things ever.
Playing music in front of people is a completely different animal. I’ve played with jazz groups for eight years before I started playing with my rock band, and those two experiences are like apples and oranges. Playing pre-written jazz standards is one thing, but playing original music in front of people for the first time was absolutely bizarre. I was terrified, but then I realized no one would notice if I messed up because no one knew what our music was supposed to sound like. A few months ago we started playing more shows, but my terror has yet to subside whenever I stand in front of more than two people. However, seeing some people react positively to what we play eases my nerves just a bit. The first time I heard someone sing along with my band as we were playing a song, I was in shock. It was mind blowing to think someone actually liked what we had to offer enough to learn the words to one of our songs.
It doesn’t cost much to support new music. It’s completely free to spread the word about local artists through word of mouth or social media. If you want to go to a show, $5 is usually enough for a venue's cover. Maybe you can throw in another $5 or so to buy a band’s EP or $10 to buy a shirt. The money you spend to support these musicians will go toward recording, merchandise or tour costs. With that, I urge you to go to your friends’ shows and be supportive. Talk to the local and touring bands; they’re people, too. Additionally, don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and play your music out in public. Just go on and support local music; your favorite bands and musicians didn’t pop up out of thin air.
Alexa DeLoera is a UF political science senior. Her column appears on Fridays.
