Lately it has not been unusual to see good-sized audiences at shows featuring lokal bands.  I would go so far as to say that within the past couple of years that Augusta has stepped it up with great shows featuring solely CSRA acts.  Of course a lot of this success can be attributed to a return to the old tried and true use of heavy promotion.  Yep it would appear that simply tossing out a few bulletins on Myspace is slowly becoming a thing of the past.  Bands are not only blanketing the area scenery with amazing poster art but also attending other shows with mini flyers, selling tickets in advance, talking up shows…all this in addition to the online use of email, and community sites like MySpace and Facebook.  This has not gone unnoticed as even unexpected  sources such as the Metro Spirit (who along with long-time lokal music supporter Rock Bottom Music kicked off their Band Aide series in highly successful fashion this past Thursday at Coyote’s)  have now seen enough of the impact of Augusta music that it has decided to step it up and get in the mix.

While sitting inside waiting for the night to begin at Sky City last night I had the pleasure of listening to a reunited dieAgnostic soundcheck while watching in amazement as a line formed out side the front door.  Not just a small line but a line like you might expect if a national or major label act was playing that night.  By the time the night was over Sky City had been packed from 8:30 until closing from the front door to the stage in the back and there were no more printed tickets to be sold.  Why?  Well of course a large part of it was the significance of the event (a dieAgnostic reunion doesn’t just happen every day) but it has to be noted that band members continually put up one or both of two different designs of flyers/posters. sold advance tickets, posted endlessly about the show online and talked up the show every chance they were able.  Teamwork…it’s a concept that goes back in history a long way.  Over the years we as a music community have grown to be a team.  Not that it hasn’t existed with bands around here before but over the past decade we have begun to respect each other more for being neighbors and fellow musicians and less for being part of a similar style category.  Augusta music has seen walls and barriers of all sorts crumble and in it’s place a fortress erected where community thrives in unison.  Brian “Stak” Allen stated a few months back on an episode of CONfederation of LOUDness that show promotion had become a lost art form.  Well I for one do believe that someone has found it again.  Not just someone, but a whole lot of someones.

As I slowly made my way through Sky City over the course of last night’s Bloodfest I saw a lot of familiar faces as well as a lot of people I didn’t know.  Smiles on every one.  It was a joy to take in and at times a bit on the side of overwhelming.  I think a lot of you know how I feel about lokal music and shows like last night validate not just my beliefs, but the beliefs that many have had and have stuck with over the years that Augusta can have what other larger cities refer to as a music “scene.”  Well to tell you the truth, we have much more than just a music scene here in Augusta.  We have a music FAMILY.  And Lokal Loudness is proud to have been allowed the privilege of being a part of this growing family for around eighteen years now. 

I applaud all of you for keeping the faith, and helping us in doing the same. 

Your Brother-in-Arms,

Stoney