|
about zagdog.com
Everyone has to start somewhere. Even the Beatles had to play the pokey Cavern Club to test their mettle, and look what happened to them. That idea has always driven me to cover "regional" or "local" acts, from my days freelancing for Cleveland Scene to my time editing Scene's calendar section. One thing I could never understand is how quick people are to dismiss a band or artist because they aren't "national" acts. Local. Regional. National. What do these words really mean? Was Sponge really so much better than Cleveland's Hilo just because Sponge toured nationally? Hardly. But there are many who would believe exactly that. Distance earns cred, apparently. Then on a trip to England I was watching the local TV coverage of UK bands at festivals in the UK, and it really put a fine point on it: "National" is entirely relative. There are plenty of bands in England that make a good living touring almost exclusively in England, with short jaunts now and again to the continent. So what stops us from living like that here? Nothing but language and connotations. Living in Ohio, I realize that, musically, my "nation" is Ohio. My "national" acts are the ones that live, breath, and work in Ohio. And those acts could, in theory, make a good living touring almost exclusively in Ohio. All that stands in the way is the fact that most Ohio media outlets are completely uninterested in "local" or "regional" acts. So I started zagdog.com to give "national" coverage to Ohio. This is where we start. Let's see what happens. David Powers |
|||||||
|
recently featured Brothers of InventionCasey Cooper of the Receiver explains how the Columbus duo crafts complex music that's also infectiously listenable. Friday, December 18, 2009 Bright Lights, Little City Why This Site Stinks
|
|||||||
