By Paul de Revere
July 9, 2010
It’s a strange thing growing up in Tallahassee and coming of age in its music scene, as I did. I’ve witnessed so much unique talent here, I’ve come to think there’s something very special, even eccentric, about this town. We don’t get a lot of outsiders defining us in any sort of context, so that eccentricity is both unexpressed and hard to express.
Maybe it’s the geographical isolation and the lack of a big city-type music scene, supported by an arts economy with lots of inspiring success stories, that makes our music scene turn inward, forcing us to build something ourselves.
Surely, it has something to do with the creative freedom that’s inherent in a college town like ours. Here, we’re closer to the idea that in life we never stop learning, never stop experimenting, and our music scene reflects that.
The reason I’m most tempted to give, however, is that the South just has a mojo to it that compares to no other place in the world, and Tallahassee is undeniably a part of that. There’s so much untapped talent lying in wait among the workplaces, churches, high schools, colleges and youth leagues in our area.
But when you think of where cultural hubs and artistic opportunities are in the United States, your default answer won’t be a college town our size. You may not even think of a Southern city at all. The most common, and obvious, answer is New York or Los Angeles. But for about two centuries before the New York-L.A. axis became a given, New Orleans was a giant cultural hub and America’s most diverse cultural center, making major contributions to two of the most profound musical genres any society has ever given humankind — blues and jazz.
Tallahassee exists in the wake of that primordial stew of Americana. I’m a fan of the Greil Marcus-coined term “Old, Weird America.” Its spirit definitely exists in NOLA’s blues and jazz, but it’s also present in a more modern form in Atlanta’s rap music, Nashville’s country and Memphis’s soul and rock ‘n’ roll. Those cities may get a lot more national attention than we do, but Tallahassee’s badges of honor are nothing to sneeze at. We’re the home of T-Pain, Dead Prez and the Adderley brothers. We have Florida A&M’s Marching 100 and are the namesake of Freddy Cannon’s “Tallahassee Lassie.”
It’s not super glamorous, but it’s ours. We have all kinds of music coursing through our streets and souls, and we’re blessed to be so close to such an original, primal source. Below you’ll find just some of what you can move to and be moved by on any given week in Tallahassee. Offerings include electronica, hard rock, heavy metal, synth pop, blues, indie rock, folk and way more. Some of these artists are sticking around, some just passing through. Either way, please show them your support and enjoy.
See the Limelight in Friday’s edition of the Tallahassee Democrat to get your weekly entertainment round-up.
