RVIVR at 242 Main in 2014. (Photo by James Lockridge of Big Heavy World)
Maybe it's the harsh, unforgiving winters that inspire the communal warmth in the Northeastern independent music landscape. Probably not, but it's a pleasant thought, no? If you're plotting a tour that rolls through New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and the rest of the region, don't neglect these nearby smaller cities. They're all home to viable independent scenes, several of them with loads of history to boot.
Check out the five we've picked below, and let us know of any other lesser known cities with booming DIY and indie scenes we're missing in the comments section.
1. New Brunswick, NJ
About an hour south of New York City in New Brunswick, there's Court Tavern, where Pavement played their first-ever show. Was Matt Pinfield, former host of beloved long-gone MTV show 120 Minutes, in the audience? Possibly – he was majorly involved in the local scene back then and even hosted his own radio show on Rutgers University's student-run station. Court Tavern can also claim a crucial notch in the ladder for the Butthole Surfers, Mudhoney, the Bouncing Souls, and Thursday. Despite several near-shutdowns, Court Tavern has prevailed, which stands not only as testament to the strength of the New Brunswick scene, but also those who've helped it grow and continue to support it. A benefit featuring hometown heroes the Smithereens plus Patti Smith as headliners served to raise funds for unpaid loans in 2012. Fortunately, things seem to have been running relatively smoothly since then.
There are several other great small-to-mid-sized venues, but we'd be remiss not to emphasize the city's underground basement scene. We're talking literal basements of houses rented by students from the various New Brunswick college campuses. And while the Gaslight Anthem is known for having honed its chops in that sector of the independent world, the basement scene champions all sorts of styles of DIY bands and artists.
2. Allentown/Bethlehem, PA
They're less than 20 minutes from each other, so we've decided to combine the two smaller scenes of Allentown and Bethlehem into one greater music landscape. In Allentown, there's the Alternative Gallery, a multi-use nonprofit space, and Good Weeknd, a DIY warehouse and practice space. As for Bethlehem, smaller shows at Shankara, a vegan restaurant, are organized on occasion, as well as at a "private club" called St. Bernard's, Home of the Good Samaritan. House shows are also pretty popular; we were told about one in particular – Moon Saloon, located in nearby Walnutport. That same source did emphasize, however, that the Alternative Gallery is the area's most reliable go-to for all things independent and underground.
3. Western Massachusetts
Image via Carpark Records
Pitchfork summed it up pretty well early last year with Eric R. Danton's feature on the Western Massachusetts scene. In that article, you'll find names like Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth (Kim and Thurston lived there for a period), and Speedy Ortiz deservingly dropped, but also an avalanche of up-and-coming acts ushering in the area's latest wave of indie sounds.
The venues that support all that, however, weren't noted. We did a little digging and found the low-key Ashfield Lake House, a restaurant with lakefront view that hosts shows most Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. At the Basement in Northhampton, there's a no-cover-ever rule, a policy that likely bodes well for a new band growing its fanbase. Later, that new band might be hoping to eventually perform at one of several other larger venues under the same Iron Horse Entertainment Group umbrella. Bishop Lounge and Parlor Room are also ideal spots for bands on the come up. Sonelab Recording in Easthampton is a full-service studio that opened in 2012 and often hosts shows. And because Western Massachusetts is home to several colleges, lots of bands perform on campuses (Smith College, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and others) and at nontraditional venues around them.
4. Pawtucket, RI
Household names like the Dave Matthews Band, Oasis, and the Black Eyed Peas made their Rhode Island debuts at The Met, a Rhode Island institution that's been reinvented more than once but has remained a stronghold since first opening in 1975. It originally opened in Providence and is the sister club of Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, which opened in the same year and remains in Providence. It boasts a long history of hosting rock and blues icons like Bo Diddley, James Brown, Roy Orbison, and Iggy Pop in their early heydays.
But let's get back to Pawtucket – specifically, Machines with Magnets. It's a multipurpose space, and one of those uses is recording the likes of Battles, Lightning Bolt, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Daughters, and a slew of other stellar indie acts. It's also a gallery and a music venue, and the whole thing's kinda fancy looking – but don't let that fool you. The independent and underground sector is the linchpin of its programming, and the venue is very pro-DIY. Another important contributor to the Pawtucket scene is Stone Soup Coffeehouse, the centerpiece of the folk and singer-songwriter scene for more than 30 years. It's helmed now by the Stone Soup Folk Arts Foundation, a volunteer-run nonprofit.
5. Burlington, VT
Burlington is certainly not the most obscure city on this list. In fact, it's more populous than Vermont's capital only 40 minutes away. (That'd be Montpelier, and we bet you're more familiar with Burlington.) It's widely known as the birthplace of Phish, Ben & Jerry's, and where Bernie Sanders served as mayor from '81 to '89, during which he aided the founding and growth of a now-historic DIY venue. Wherever you stand on the semi-controversial three (okay, ice cream isn't so divisive), there's no arguing about the greatness of Burlington. And the local music scene totally underscores that fact.
Burlington-bred Grace Potter has long understood just how vibrant the city's scene is; that's why she created Grand Point North, an annual festival with a heavy emphasis on local talent, in 2011. Naturally, there's plenty independent community pillars supporting area music all year long. The aforementioned Sanders-approved spot, 242 Main, is actually the oldest all-ages venue in the entire country and is a staple centerpiece of the area's storied punk scene. Another landmark opened even earlier: Nectar's, a 240-capacity spot that's been operating for more than 40 years. Upstairs in the same building is Club Metronome, its slightly smaller (220 capacity) sister venue. Additionally, there's Radio Bean, which celebrated its 15th anniversary last fall with a day-long fest featuring more than 70 bands and artists. There's also its sister spot two buildings over, the Light Club Lamp Shop, where singer-songwriters and other chill music seem to be the focus. Red Square is a general, anything-goes kind of spot open to various styles; it can fit about 200 during winter and 100 or so more during summer when the front patio is put to use.
NNA Tapes, an acclaimed cassette and vinyl imprint for experimental electronica established in 2008, also calls Burlington home. It doesn't only release local music, of course, but it definitely makes up a significant portion of its roster. Another more recent mainstay opened a year earlier: Speaking Volumes, the city's top-notch record shop (and coffeehouse and art gallery), which hosts in-stores on occasion.
James Lockridge of Big Heavy World, an amalgam of reinforcement for the Burlington scene through a blog, record label, radio hour, public listening library, van rentals, and more, provided a few more helpful tips. He pointed out the local side of Higher Ground – there's a ballroom for national acts, but Burlington-based and smaller bands touring through take to its separate showcase lounge regularly. Though "technically in South Burlington," he told us, "anything in Burlington/South Burlington/Winooski is considered 'Burlington.'"
He also touted Monkey House (in Winooski) and in Burlington proper, Arts Riot, which boasts "ultra-eclectic, very savvy programmers," as principal supporters of the independent scene. New City Galerie, he added, runs a Sunday Folk Series and isn't "afraid of challenging genres – they're very inclusive."
If your tour takes you through the Midwest, don't overlook these smaller cities!
Jhoni Jackson is an Atlanta-bred music journalist currently based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she juggles owning a venue called Club 77, freelance writing and, of course, going to the beach as often as possible.
