As my last column of the semester, I would love to give credit to a certain genre of music that I feel and acknowledge as the gateway for anyone wanting to get into rock music. Grunge and underground garage bands have long been a gateway genre of music that can take the ethnic minority and have them loving rock music.
When it comes to garage bands, you can appreciate the band and their music more. The reason for this is because the band members are usually your friends and/or family. So the acceptance of their music comes from the acceptance of them as people. Grunge music has always shown an acceptance of the non-normal and misunderstood adolescent.
Most of the time there is a misconception on what type of people would listen to Grunge rock music. Usually the image is of a poor hygiene, pierced and tattooed individual who drinks, smokes and has angry parent issues. If you actually were to see the majority of audience that embraced grunge music and garage bands, you would see that it was the middle-class people, and who are the middle class people? Those of ethnicity were the majority of middle class especially in the ’90’s when Grunge music was at its peak.
Grunge music focused on self-expression. Whether the message was sad, mad, angry, depressed, or an act of self-discovery, Grunge made it possible to express yourself without feeling judged or misunderstood. Because of this, the middle class had no problem soaking up the new music with the new style. Grunge made you feel like you could be comfortable to be yourself and not have to follow a trend of music just because others of your race were dressing and listening to a certain fad of music themselves.
Bakersfield has a variety of underground bands and musical artists who will play at almost any local venue. Some of these places are BRyders, Jerry’s Pizza, Vinny’s bar, Rockstars bar, and The Mint bar all of which span from South Union and Pacheco to White Lane, to downtown Bakersfield and onto the northwest off Olive Drive.
Most of the band members aren’t looking for money or a huge fan base (not at first), but to just be able to have the opportunity to express themselves in their music and to have anyone listen is always appreciated.
The love that is given to these garage bands is amazing especially when you witness how much support the fans do have and give at every show.
No matter if it is a rock show, rap show, or just another cover band showing support, it helps bring in media, money, and revenue to the city and venues that showcase these bands and their talents for the public to attend. Fans of garage bands can’t help but be the loudest people at the bar or venue. So support your local underground music scene because you never know who will make it and who just needs the support.
Grunge music inspired artistically, expressed depressively, was poor fashion with a huge statement, and emotionally diverse for all to appreciate and had to begin somewhere and that was in a neighborhood garage by a group of friends.
