“Keep your ears open, and go to shows. No matter what.”
This is a crucial tidbit of information that senior John Fitzgerald is letting us in on, and one that all Free State students should know. Free State has a thriving and diverse music scene with something for everyone to like, and it’s only growing.
Free State has talent. But this talent is apparent in all aspects of students’ interests, not only in athletics and academics. It is especially true in Free State’s musical locale.
Musicians at Free State throw different genres into the local mix of groups, including hip-hop, dirty indie garage rock and alt-country.
Describing his hip-hop sound, junior Rich Brown says it’s like “Tupac with a dash of Lil B thrown into the whitest kid you can imagine dipped into swag.”
On the other hand, senior Alden Slote’s solo project, Some Kid, sounds like “a mix between the Andrew Jackson Jihad and the Violent Femmes.”
Despite being able to accurately describe their music’s sound as it relates to other musicians, both agree that they always try to sound like themselves first and foremost.
These musicians also provide a refreshing alternative to the belief that only adults can make it in the Lawrence music scene.
In fact, Slote, Brown and Fitzgerald all agree that Lawrence venues such as the Granada, the Jackpot and the Bottleneck are all “really supportive” in booking young bands. Fitzgerald has played 47 shows in Lawrence since he started in ninth grade.
“Culture Clash pulled in roughly 330 people to the Granada,” Brown said, speaking about August’s popular hip-hop event at one of Lawrence’s biggest venues.
Culture Clash featured mainly younger rap groups, such as C3 and Rich’s solo project.
All musicians are influenced and inspired by at least one person. For Slote and Fitzgerald, their inspiration stems from their fathers.
“My dad’s band is all I ever heard about growing up, and it influenced me to play music and be weird,” said Fitzgerald.
Slote responded similarly.
“My dad plays a lot of music. I just started playing in eighth grade, and I never stopped.”
However, Brown’s inspiration to make music–hip-hop especially–comes from tunes that he has been spinning since elementary school.
“I really got into Tupac in second grade,” Brown said. “Everyone who made hip hop music was a role model [to me]; Tupac and Dre, they were like firefighters.”
Each musician’s goal of getting shows gives them a common goal, one that promotes an aura of brotherhood and that Slote believes is prevalent in the gigging scene.
“There is a pretty tight group [of young musicians],” Slote said. “We work together to do shows. Without it, I wouldn’t know a lot of people I know. The music brings us together.”
Both Fitzgerald and Slote play in multiple bands, while all three double as concert promoters.
As accepting as Lawrence is towards younger musicians, there is still a DIY aspect to creating concerts. Local musicians such as Fitzgerald, Slote and Brown must start concerts from scratch, dealing with everything from booking acts to merchandise and ticket sales to anything that will make the concert run more smoothly.
Slote, Fitzgerald and Brown all put considerable amounts of effort into creating Lawrence’s own Punk Rock Formal and Culture Clash, the first two musicians creating the former.
Each of these incredibly talented, outstanding musicians challenge an ideal that only “grown-ups” can create invaluable pieces of art. Despite the cliche, these three individuals really are creating pieces of art via their music. They represent a dichotomy of utilizing a somewhat accepting local music scene yet still obtaining a “punk rock spirit” in all aspects of their music and promotion, acquiring an overwhelming passion towards the integrity of their work.
Not to sound preachy, but go out and listen to their music. It’s great, it’s original, it’s unique, and if anything, it’s something much better than the syrupy, overplayed-yet-kind-of-enjoyable-yet-terribly-formulated tunes heard on the radio.
Support local music. Go to shows. Buy awesome band tees and bumper stickers and realize that Lawrence and Free State have flourishing music scenes and unbelievable talent. Although only three musicians were profiled in this article, Free State is home to handfuls of noteworthy talent, waiting to be heard and buzzed about. Sometimes we overlook some of the best music, even though it is physically so close to us.
Rich Brown has released mixtapes and his music can be found at www.soundcloud/richbrownmusic
Alden Slote has released EP’s (“extended play”– like a short CD) across his bands that he plays in: Some Kid, Sleepy Hollow Points, and Broken Bones. His music can be found at www.myspace/sleepyhollowpointsband
Jon Fitzgerald has released an album and an EP across the bands he is in: Broken, Bones, Red House and Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers’ music can be found at www.myspace.com/babyboomersarelosers
