On my search for a decent place to kick it I ventured to Washington Ave. tonight. I haven't really been up and down Wash. Ave for some time as I usually frequent bars near the South Grand area. Wow was I in for a shock!
Washington Ave has become so gentrified. I remember about 8 years ago when the yuppies began moving in and buying up lofts, seeing girls walking around in their black pants and fancy sequined tank tops but I never thought it would end up like this. I mean there are now over 10 bars on Wash Ave. and a sea of yuppies filling the streets. There is no more individuality in this club district. As you walk up and down the street your ears are flooded with top 40 music and 80's tunes. Is it awful.
I'm all for "revitalization" of areas of the city but in order to bring a neighborhood "up" is it really necessary to get rid of everything special that made that area cool to begin with? Is it really necessary to strip it down of all it's flavor and rawness?
I'm going to continue to scour the city. There has to be at least one good place to hang out here, right?
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
It does not belong to us
Some time long ago we had a scene that we were part of. A scene that provided love, joy, and surreal experiences. The scene was full of life and music. We could dance all night and feel ecstatic pulses of energy running through our bodies. The music was life.
Last night at the Upstairs Lounge I realized that there is nothing left of that scene. Although I've pretty much known this for some time I came to the frightening conclusion that there is no longer a place for "us." For about 8 years the Upstairs Lounge has been the refuge for the old raver. It is a small intimate bar which features local dj's playing an assortment of underground music. After the rave scene died and we slowly trickled into the club scene we became unsatisfied with this scene because of the plasticity of it. The Upstairs Lounge was the place that seemed to be for "us"- the real dance music enthusiast. Recently I've decided that I've had enough of the bar because the vibe over the last 2 years has been changing. Slowly "other" people have been stumbling into the venue and now realize that it is the "cool" spot. Now there have always been "other" people who have wandered into the bar but they usually pick up on the positive vibe and just move along with it. My problem is with the new crowd of random people that seem to come in, get wasted, and cause trouble. Their behavior takes away from the music and it has now stolen our last refuge.
Last night I witnessed a person start yelling that the DJ was a pussy regardless of the fact that I was hearing some of the dopest Dubstep I've ever heard. The crowd was dancing and enjoying themselves with the exception of some people who decided to stir up some shit. The surprising thing to me is how well they pull "us" into their little game. It is like two animals in the wild having a stand off. These idiots have encroached into our territory and now we are retaliating. We can no longer sit by and let these people ruin our nights, our club, our vibe. So what do we do? We lower ourselves and begin to act like them by shouting back or calling them names. This is not what our scene is about nor is it what we are about.
What we really need in St. Louis is a "real" club. By that I mean another small intimate club that is owned by someone who knows what good music is and actually values our scene for what it is instead of just seeing it as a money maker. I know this is a little idealistic but why can't this happen? So many people have gotten rich exploiting our scene so it has to be possible that someone who actually cares for the music should be able to run a decent club.
Last night at the Upstairs Lounge I realized that there is nothing left of that scene. Although I've pretty much known this for some time I came to the frightening conclusion that there is no longer a place for "us." For about 8 years the Upstairs Lounge has been the refuge for the old raver. It is a small intimate bar which features local dj's playing an assortment of underground music. After the rave scene died and we slowly trickled into the club scene we became unsatisfied with this scene because of the plasticity of it. The Upstairs Lounge was the place that seemed to be for "us"- the real dance music enthusiast. Recently I've decided that I've had enough of the bar because the vibe over the last 2 years has been changing. Slowly "other" people have been stumbling into the venue and now realize that it is the "cool" spot. Now there have always been "other" people who have wandered into the bar but they usually pick up on the positive vibe and just move along with it. My problem is with the new crowd of random people that seem to come in, get wasted, and cause trouble. Their behavior takes away from the music and it has now stolen our last refuge.
Last night I witnessed a person start yelling that the DJ was a pussy regardless of the fact that I was hearing some of the dopest Dubstep I've ever heard. The crowd was dancing and enjoying themselves with the exception of some people who decided to stir up some shit. The surprising thing to me is how well they pull "us" into their little game. It is like two animals in the wild having a stand off. These idiots have encroached into our territory and now we are retaliating. We can no longer sit by and let these people ruin our nights, our club, our vibe. So what do we do? We lower ourselves and begin to act like them by shouting back or calling them names. This is not what our scene is about nor is it what we are about.
What we really need in St. Louis is a "real" club. By that I mean another small intimate club that is owned by someone who knows what good music is and actually values our scene for what it is instead of just seeing it as a money maker. I know this is a little idealistic but why can't this happen? So many people have gotten rich exploiting our scene so it has to be possible that someone who actually cares for the music should be able to run a decent club.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Losing Focus
What is the highest form of living? What is the most fulfilled life that one can lead? These are the thoughts I was left thinking after watching "Malcolm X."
Although this movie was released in 1992 I had never seen it. I was never interested in watching the movie or learning about Malcolm because I'd heard so many negative things about him. The most troubling thing I'd heard was that he was a racist and promoted hate in his speeches. Well I should have known better than to listen to the opinion of those who have never been oppressed.
Malcolm X originally looked to free his people from affliction through creating unity within his race and faith community. While his stance seems logical the one thing he failed to realize is that to gain equality you must believe that ALL people are EQUAL- and by equal I mean no better than others and no worse than others. After his trip to Mecca he realized this but unfortunately for his movement this revelation came too near the end of his life.
This movie compounds upon the awareness that I've been gaining in learning about the social movements of the 1960's and 1970's. During this time period there was a real spark that was ignited in the United State. This spark became a flame. A flame that challenged people to shine brighter and smoldered the temper of others. Numerous flames banned together to form an impenetrable fuse that spread throughout college campuses, inner cities, and even farming communities. During this time people stood up to become great leaders. Some of these leaders were Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Harvey Milk, The Weather Underground, The Black Panthers, and The American Indian Movement. These people and organizations took a stand for the injustices and inequalities that existed in the United States. These people stopped living their comfortable lives and sacrificed everything to spread awareness of the importance of equality in our country. Why was this time period so full of activism? What kind of spark made these people so passionate?
I often wonder if this spark will ever happen again. So many things began in the 1960's but were extinguished before they had the chance to make a lasting change. I look around and think:
How much more will people take?
How can we just accept the world the way it is?
What will it take to get the spark going again?
I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and because of that belief I have a great source of confusion with this question:
Why were these movements sabotaged before our society was able to benefit from them? I can't come to any conclusion on this because it is hard for me to believe that these movements were meant to come to an end when they could have had such a positive effect on our society.
Although this movie was released in 1992 I had never seen it. I was never interested in watching the movie or learning about Malcolm because I'd heard so many negative things about him. The most troubling thing I'd heard was that he was a racist and promoted hate in his speeches. Well I should have known better than to listen to the opinion of those who have never been oppressed.
Malcolm X originally looked to free his people from affliction through creating unity within his race and faith community. While his stance seems logical the one thing he failed to realize is that to gain equality you must believe that ALL people are EQUAL- and by equal I mean no better than others and no worse than others. After his trip to Mecca he realized this but unfortunately for his movement this revelation came too near the end of his life.
This movie compounds upon the awareness that I've been gaining in learning about the social movements of the 1960's and 1970's. During this time period there was a real spark that was ignited in the United State. This spark became a flame. A flame that challenged people to shine brighter and smoldered the temper of others. Numerous flames banned together to form an impenetrable fuse that spread throughout college campuses, inner cities, and even farming communities. During this time people stood up to become great leaders. Some of these leaders were Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Harvey Milk, The Weather Underground, The Black Panthers, and The American Indian Movement. These people and organizations took a stand for the injustices and inequalities that existed in the United States. These people stopped living their comfortable lives and sacrificed everything to spread awareness of the importance of equality in our country. Why was this time period so full of activism? What kind of spark made these people so passionate?
I often wonder if this spark will ever happen again. So many things began in the 1960's but were extinguished before they had the chance to make a lasting change. I look around and think:
How much more will people take?
How can we just accept the world the way it is?
What will it take to get the spark going again?
I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and because of that belief I have a great source of confusion with this question:
Why were these movements sabotaged before our society was able to benefit from them? I can't come to any conclusion on this because it is hard for me to believe that these movements were meant to come to an end when they could have had such a positive effect on our society.
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