Digital Grass Roots

A few analog boys are making waves in a digital world.

In lieu of plunking away countless coins at the local quick copy, plastering phone polls with flyers and lodging countless staples into area trees, local music fans and musicians have taken a more modern way of touting our music scene.

In a town that trumpets its music scene so loudly, it should come as no surprise that there are miles of HTML code written about area bands. Most are done by the artists in an attempt to reach their fans and make new ones. However, there are a few stops on the Internet that are devoted to promoting the musical scene as a whole.

In cyberspace, sites cover any and all genres of music, but, locally, more bandwidth is given to the rock, indie and punk rock scenes. For the musical underground, the reason for this is simple.

"There are so many sites about promoting (the) scene because that's the original idea behind the promotion of punk rock music," says Kris Clavier of local punk and ska band Odd Arnie. "There are radio punk bands like blink-182, New Found Glory, etc. There are a plethora of great punk bands that wouldn't be accepted on mainstream radio, so they depend on the strength of the underground scene to help other people find out about their band.

"These sites are important because they help people across the state, region, country or even the world help find out about bands in other areas. We use those Web sites as a tool to book shows with other bands we've found through scene-promoting sites. You find out about bands in your area by word of mouth and flyers on phone poles, but (you) find out about other smaller bands with the same musical tastes as you through these Web sites," continues Clavier.



lapunx

When the tag on lapunx says it is "Louisiana's Online Music Source," it's not exaggerating. If you have any doubts, the mass of bands listed on the site will surely sway you.

The site (www.lapunx.com) first went up as an Angelfire account opened by Ashley Tubbs in 1999. Tubbs would later hand it over to local musician and promoter Allen Clements. However, according to its current webmaster Robin Tenney, it received minimal visitors and even less updates. Clements admits that he was just trying to keep it alive until someone like Tenney came along. Tenney asked Clements if he could help with the site. Clements, however, offered it - down to the last HTML tag - over to him.

"At this point, I had just started a new job which allowed me the time, tools and hosting space for a Web site," says Tenney. A self-professed computer nerd, Tenney first picked up HTML and JavaScript after taking a desktop publishing class in technical school. As time went by, he learned more development languages and how to set up servers.

"I registered the lapunx.com domain, redesigned the site and started to promote and build features. I wanted it to be a vast resource of local music knowledge and have more of a community feel - to not just be a small niche on the Web where people sometimes sauntered through barely long enough to see what it was even all about," says Tenney.

It's pretty safe to say that the site has found its niche. Since its original launch, it has gone through six major growth spurts, each time adding new function and interaction. The current version was uploaded into cyberspace on Dec. 27, 2002, after a few months of hiatus thanks in part to a hosting issue. Local web guru Doug Menefee offered up a new server, and lapunx was back up and running.

At last count - about a year ago - the site received about 60,000 hits a month. Since then, the user count increased, and Tenney started his own radio show, Xposure - which allows him to plug the site - on KRXE X105.9 FM at 7 p.m. Sunday nights.

"That number grows daily. I've actually received e-mails from people as far away as South Africa asking about and commenting on the site and its features," he says.

One of the most impressive features about lapunx is its band profiles. The site allows anyone to become a member and, once they do, post a profile, discography, links to and picture of their band. Currently, there are more than 873 registered members and 407 band profiles listed.

This allows any band - from the club packers to the garage dwellers - to get the word out about them in their own words. Plus, the listings are idiot proof and require no Web knowledge. This has drawn in all types of bands from the indie rock of Lake Charles' Indecisive Squirrel to the punk of Opelousas' Jumpstart Relays, The Gung Ho Bullies of Lafayette and Baton Rouge's Abandoned Nutsack to The Goodboy Suit from Milwaukee. In addition to the profiles, the site features album reviews, an events calendar, a message board, lists of bands by genre and name, forums - one in which musicians can gather to form a new band - news and artist diaries that chronicle the exploits of area bands.

But don't let its name fool you: lapunx - named for the genre and area it originally exclusively covered - is not just about the punk, indie and heavy music scene that has swollen up in Louisiana. All forms of music are welcome on the site, as evidenced by the entries for The Bluerunners, Aaron Neville and Wayne Toups & ZydeCajun. However, the site has yet to sign a band for its country or jazz section.

However, "lapunx.com does not discriminate," Tenney says. "There is a spot on the list for every imaginable genre from punk to orchestra to techno to Zydeco ... We promote everything." If it's not on list, Tenney vows he will add it.

Tenney - who says he prefers local bands like Odd Arnie, Liberated Minds, What's Buggin' Bill and Down in the Park but doesn't mind the sounds of Neil Young and Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs - says that sites like these are important in providing a window to sometimes untapped talent.

"I think that in every community, there is a local underground music scene. It's a part of the community that not many people see and hear about, but it's very important to the expansion and growth of music. Independently run sites like lapunx.com give exposure to the bands that work the hardest and struggle the most," he says. "It lets the fans know what's going on and gives them a way to communicate with each other and find out more about the bands. Everyone helps each other. Sites like lapunx.com provide an integral place for that to happen."

However, not everyone was happy with his decision to incorporate all styles of music on the site.

"When I first made the transition to allow all genres a spot on lapunx.com, I received an e-mail or two with some less-than-desirable comments," Tenney says. "The term 'sell-out' came up, I believe. Selling out is more a matter of doing something you wouldn't normally do, just for profit or personal gain. It's selling out your beliefs and ideals for some ulterior motive. My motives have always been to expose new music, regardless of genre."



Sauteed Entertainment

What started out as a Xeroxed and stapled magazine handed out at punk rock shows in Lake Charles grew into a digest that spans the music scene from New Orleans to Lake Charles. The evolution of Sauteed Entertainment (www.sauteed.implode.com) followed the exploits of one Jody Taylor. He started using the name Sauteed - derived from an inside joke between him and a friend - in 1997.

"My friends and I just wrote dumb, teen-aged articles about issues we thought were important," says Taylor. "The local punk scene almost totally died around that time. There were no promoters, hardly any bands and nowhere to play, so I started getting everything together and doing it myself, mainly to have something to do.

"When I started getting involved in the music scene, I was only interested in punk, because I was a snot-nosed brat, but as I've gotten older, I've realized that there is so much more out there," Taylor says. "I don't like to criticize anyone for their tastes these days, because it's all about how the music makes you feel, and who I am to question that? I try not to exclude anyone."

After taking on the task of promoting local gigs and ceasing the magazine at the sixth issue, he took a job as the arts and entertainment editor for The Contraband, McNeese State University's newspaper, in order to help spread the word of his shows.

The original site, one he describes as a wreck because of his lack of page-building skills, followed his writings and promotions. It has improved throughout the years as he picked up HTML skills through trial and error. The only thing that has remained constant, however, was the calendar of events. Currently, it is quite the useful block of code; it not only lists events from New Orleans to Houston but also provides links to the bands involved.

"It's a hell of a lot better than going to each separate venue's Web site to see who's playing tonight," he says. "We just do all of that for you."

But his purpose is not limited to telling the young music fan where to spend a few dollars on a Friday night.

"Everything I do with Sauteed these days is geared toward creating more awareness about some of the great musical talents from our region," says Taylor. "I don't believe anyone in the big-time record industry pays enough attention to us, and the main reason for this is that there is nothing to connect all of it. My goal is to create a publication that will not only tie all of the bands, promoters, venues and, most importantly, all the people who love music together, but it will also get us some attention from the big boys."

When it came to finding a staff, he rounded up people who were motivated and excited about what he wanted to do. Mike Chavez from Fuzz Munky was an obvious choice because he is in a few bands and adamant about punk rock. Taylor pegged writer Lauren Nunez to reviews films and music because she went to all the same shows as Taylor. The next staff member, Colin Allured, stumbled upon the site and enjoyed it so much he asked if he could submit a few poems. Instead, Taylor granted him his own poetry section. There will also be a fiction section online soon to spotlight local writers.

He and the staff accomplish Taylor's goal through posting various news and articles on the site, be it interviews or a casting call for a Misfits tribute band.

However, you won't see any unmotivated bands on Sauteed. If a band doesn't care about getting their name out, Taylor doesn't either. However, he will go extra mile for those who show initiative.

"Bobby (Nixon) and Trista (Reon) from Ballistic Missile, an incredible noise-core band from Lafayette, had decided very early on to have me involved in their project," he says. "I like their band so much that I do their site for them. Oh, and when they take over the world, I'll be their right-hand man."

In fact, he is willing to go quite a few extra miles for the promotion of South Louisiana's music scene when he moves to Baton Rouge in the coming year.

"The main reason I want to move to Baton Rouge is to get everything going," says Taylor. "There is a bigger pool of interested people to work with and cater to in a real college city like Baton Rouge. I like Lake Charles, and my family is all here, but there is so much more happening in the eastern section of Louisiana. I still plan on covering Lake Charles like I always have, but I'll save on gas money this way."



Lafayette Music Group

When it comes to promoting the local music scene, Jason Leonard's Lafayette Music Group (groups.yahoo.com/group/LafayetteMusic/) is the new kid on the block. The site, because it is located on Yahoo, has scores of features and functions, such as a place to post video and song files. However, it is easily the most underutilized. And that is something the guitarist for The Ron Jeremy Trio is hell-bent on fixing.

The site and e-mail list, started April 9, 2002, has suffered because Leonard spent most of the last year living in Baton Rouge teaching sixth grade. Since his return, he has tried to snap it back into action by sending out an e-mail call to action. The site is currently used less than the mailing list, which allows fans and bands to communicate directly with each other. Currently, 51 members subscribe to the site. Thirty-five of those are bands that use it to promote gigs.

"Sometimes clubs do not announce or list shows. This way, the bands can try to get some last minute people to a show or event," says Leonard. "It gives bands a way to send more info out to people who really want to know what is going on.

The site "provides a free, grassroots way to get information out. It also helps local bands and bands from surrounding areas to know each other," says Leonard.

According to Leonard, among the site's strong points is that it is open and not moderated. Any member is allowed to post, and everything is free. Also, because it is on Yahoo, members can have the mailing list sent directly to their e-mail box or view it online, saving account space. With the mailing list, bands can be certain that their fans don't miss those gigs booked at the last minute.

But, the important thing, he says, is, "Just for bands of all kinds to spread their word and maybe gain a few fans. I would also like to see some clubs get in there and post some news. Most clubs do not take advantage of free listings. It does not make sense. Even with The Times, I cannot tell you how many bands I miss because a club does not list their shows for the week. They are being handed free advertising and yet they ignore it. Most clubs do not have Web pages. It costs fractions of what traditional advertising costs, and you control what goes out, when you want it, how you want it, yet it is being ignored."

One local rock band that isn't ignoring the Web is Santeria.

"When doing the promo for an upcoming gig, I'll always shoot a quick invitation to the Yahoo group. It's also a great way to promote our new CD, House Of The Dying Sun," says Troy Primeaux, aka Primo, guitarist for the Southern psychedelic rock band. "I've sent press clippings, links and reviews from all over the world. Bringing it on home ...

"Being an unsigned band without 'Clear Channel corporate radio support' you have to reach as many people, in as many ways, and within your budget. Flyers used to be the surefire way for a strugglin' artist to advertise - and are still very important - but UL ... they just seem to amaze me these days. Rather than promoting culture and the arts, they would rather tear 'em right down. Campus beautification bulls--t."

He is referring to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette prohibition of flyers promoting any non-campus event that does not benefit an on-campus organization. According to Associate Dean of Student Affairs Pat Cottonham, the ordinance has been on the books for 30 years and has not been enforced any differently in recent months. She says that off-campus events cannot be posted in the campus' great outdoors, but posting is allowed - with permission - in the Student Union or the dorms.

"We have that and the evangelists working against us. Anyway, this has forced Santeria to rely on new means of advertisement and promotion. Thus Lafayette Music," Primo concludes.