Together in Sweaty Communion
Crammed together in a small attic with the only light source being a strand of thrifted Christmas lights. The room is quickly being filled with all sorts of people ranging different ages and styles, with one thing in common: a desire to listen to something fresh.
It is something that we all look forward to every month, another show and another band playing in that small attic on Murray Avenue. We all know each others faces and welcome the new ones with open arms.
House shows and those alike are not new concepts. They are a way to show an artists work without the hassle of booking a venue and worrying about an audience who only wants to listen to covers. They are a way to share their music to their own community and bring a divided city into one room.
Everyone has to start somewhere; the artists you see playing at amphitheaters once played to smaller crowds in bars and coffee shops. They promoted themselves by placing their stickers around the city in hopes of catching a bystander’s eye.
Why are these places so important? Why do they matter so much? As an avid listener of music, just simply listening and supporting those who have big budgets and big followings is just not enough. When we are passionate about something such as the consummation of music, we must step out of the comfort zones that are given to us and explore what the people who are living next to us have to offer. House shows are simply just one way to do that.
We all danced together in sweaty communion that night, making the floorboards of the attic shake.We didn’t care about how little the space was or how small the bands following are. It is something to simple that is taken for granted, being the place where it all begins. A place where a new artist can finally emerge into their own.
Support your local artists and consume more, always consume more.
