Music is an integral part of culture, in many cases even helping people define who they are, who they interact with and how they see themselves. Finding someone who has similar tastes in music, artists and bands always opens conversations about favourite songs and albums, if they have seen them live before or how long they have been listening to them. It’s a fast way to make friends and widen the growing cultural scene surrounding genres and bands. For many, the goal would be to see their favourite artists and bands live on a big stage just once. The songs sound louder than life — bright lights set a stage for the performance of a lifetime.
In some cases, however, it seems like those favourite bands and artists skip cities on tours. It’s happened plenty of times to me, making me resort to travelling or just hoping I can catch them next time and having to miss out on part of a tour. Some people’s favourite bands have even broken up or stated they aren’t going to tour anymore, leaving a desire to see a much-anticipated concert sadly unfulfilled.
That doesn’t mean it is the end of that adventure to hear your favourite songs being played live. Every big city will have the people’s favourite strip of bars and venues, setting up a vibrant nightlife almost always accompanied by live bands playing from these hot spots. Local bands and artists flock to local venues to play songs, whether they are cover bands of popular music or artists trying to carve their own original music into the scene, providing a backing soundtrack for the night. These gigs bring people to experience a lively time, sometimes bringing fans of these local bands with them or fans of the genre looking for their next favourite song. These smaller venues allow for like-minded people to mingle and meet, and if it’s a cover band, talk about why they like the songs being covered so much.
Some places will even hold small festivals like the Real Love Summer Fest or Manitoba Metalfest, giving people a chance to see artists that they might never have seen or even heard of before. I have been to both festivals, and the greatest part about them for me is the artists you may never see again — those from out of town or even out of the country on their own tour, stopping by in Winnipeg to perform for people they may never meet again. A literal blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. Some of the artists I have seen I still listen to but haven’t seen live since. Some bands may even break up before you even get a chance to see them a second time, making that one moment that you did entirely unique — an important moment for your own music culture, an impact on the genre itself or a moment that changes the culture of the festival itself.
Many times, these bands that play are made up of people who have full-time jobs and are using music and the music scene to show who they truly are and showcase their creativity to people who appreciate the genre of music.
It’s a break from day-to-day life and a time to let loose and use creativity that’s been bottled up. These bands even inspire others to take that leap and join the local scene, to make their own mark and expand on an ever-changing culture. The importance of local bands and music scenes isn’t just about getting people in seats and buying drinks — it’s about leaving a mark and bringing that feeling of a big stage concert to a more personal level, leaving you wanting more.
