dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

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Clams
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dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by Clams »

Inspired by Rev Matt's thread about the club in New Jersey. One of my favorites from The Big To Do.


The graffiti on the back stage wall gets painted over in muted shade
The club becomes an Old Navy
After the scene dies

When the last six-string slinger has to bow down for health insurance
and accept the mundane
After the scene dies

When the last one leaves and the last note fades and the last dream's been put away
Shut the light off / Shut the light off

When the front man turns to Jesus and the drummer moves away
I'll still be doing what pleases me
After the scene dies

When the bartender passes and the owner cashes out
And they box up the glasses and take the sound system down
Guitars back in their cases
Don't forget my fries
After the scene dies
Last edited by Clams on Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by Iowan »

I love this song. I think it expemplifies the sound they were going for with that album better than anything else.

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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by Duke Silver »

The part where everything drops out before charging back for the big solo at the end (and that awesome "what you gonna do when the club shuts down" refrain) hits all my rock and roll pleasure centers. Makes me feel like a teenager again, and reminds me why I loved rock music in the first place. Great song.
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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by bovine knievel »

Duke Silver wrote:rock and roll pleasure centers
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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by GuitarManUpstairs »

I really thought this one had already had its week? It could have just been discussed in the TBTD thread when the album was released I guess, but i recall somebody commenting something to the effect of the song being incongruent by including both lines, I'll still be doing what pleases me and Don't forget my fries....After the scene dies.

At the time I dismissed this by countering that Patterson is implying the narrator would continue to play music even if it meant he had to work fast food since there was no scene left for him to make a living off of. Maybe that makes some sense, but I think i may have thought up one better.... I'm going to throw this out there, tell me what ya'll think:

The narration is not sung from the perspective of someone who is part of the cultural music scene, but rather from a mindless consumer not worried about its downfall. They're part of this mainstream pop-culture segment of society that would prefer to see an Old Navy and McD's on every other corner so they can buy the latest mass produced couture and yell at the former six-string slinger to not forget their fries. It's no sweat off their back if "they box up the glasses and take the sound system down" Taio Cruz never played that club anyway.
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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by Clams »

GuitarManUpstairs wrote:I really thought this one had already had its week? It could have just been discussed in the TBTD thread when the album was released I guess, but i recall somebody commenting something to the effect of the song being incongruent by including both lines, I'll still be doing what pleases me and Don't forget my fries....After the scene dies.

I remember that thread, it was probably around a year ago. I'm pretty sure it wasn't an "official" track of the week thread. :ugeek:
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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by RevMatt »

This song is a perfect example of the songs off of The Big To Do that were growers. The first time I heard it I didn't think it was anything special, just a song about a club closing down. It is something that happens everyday. But the more I listened to the song the more I realized how much of my own life is contained in the lyrics.

How does one become an "indie" musician. There are a few different paths. Some people learn their instruments, form a band and start writing songs while they are still in high school. Others attend college in a city with a music scene and, after hanging out for a while, decide that forming a band would be a cool thing to do, purchase a bass and amp and get the word out. Others are excellent players who become bored playing cover songs and make the switch to something more interesting. Either way, the rock scene requires two things: musicians willing to make their band their number one priority in life and venues where they can play. There is no money in it. And while somebody is chasing the dream -- playing shows in other cities and recording albums -- they exist on crappy jobs like waiting tables, painting houses, janitorial work, etc... It takes an extremely disciplined musician to pull off earning a bachelor's degree while playing in a band. Many say they are going to do both but the vast majority who attempt that never make it past their sophmore year of college. It is kind of hard to make an 8:15 class when you are up all night playing shows, attending shows or just plain partying, not to mention having to write a term paper. The venues? There generally are two types of venues in the music scene. The first is one that was always operated as a club. The owner is a music fan and is chasing his own dream of becoming another Hilly Kristal. The other is the accidental scene. This is usually a bar or restaurant that is failing bigtime. A band who has nowhere to play approaches the owner about letting his band play there on a Friday or Saturday night. The owner figures he has nothing to lose and if his five regulars complain he can always placate them with free drinks. The gig brings in about 30 or 40 people, the bar has its best night ever and the owner decides that booking bands might be the best way to stay one step ahead of the creditors.

The "scene" has several characteristics. First, while it is happening few realize that anything special is going on. Actually, most people bitch that the venue sucks, the talent is mediocre and the owner is an asshole. And that is just the musicians! "Two years ago when The ______ Club was open, now that was a scene! Not like this shithole with the watered down drinks and the crappy sound system." Of course, they were saying the same thing about The _______ Club before it closed. The second characteristic is that there is a hierarchy that is apparent to any observer. Those at the top of the heap are the ones in the bands who are actually making records and touring. They got their start in this scene but they are now too big to play the venue. Pictures of them from the days when they played the club hang on the wall but it is rare that a member of this band actually makes an appearance in the club. The next in the pecking order are the Friday and Saturday nighters. They have paid their dues and draw a big enough crowd to get the prime spots. They are often the openers when a national act from someplace else blows through town. Next in the pecking order are the up and comers. Generally, these bands haven't been aroung as long as the Friday and Saturday nighters but their talent and drive will usually give them a spot headlining Thursday nights or maybe second or third on the bill for the weekend. If you are new to the scene, these are the people you want to get in good with. They haven't been around long enough to become totally condescending towards any newcomer and they still trade in favors. Next in the pecking order are the people who aren't going anywhere but have been around forever. Nicest people in the world. Some don't have a whole lot of talent. Others have a sound so derivative they might as well be playing covers of their favorite artist. Others have a style so eclectic and weird that nobody knows what to make of it. Want to know a secret? These are the ones who make the scene what it is. They show up every night. They go to everyone else's gigs. They throw legendary parties. They do crazy shit onstage and get banned from the club until they go to the owner, hat in hand, and promise never to strip naked and stir a customer's martini with their genitalia again. In ten years, these are the guys you search for and friend on Facebook. The final spot in the pecking order are the open mike nighters. This is where we all begin. Show up at six o'clock on a Monday or Tuesday. Get your name on the list. Play three or four songs. Work your way up to opening for one of the "been around forevers" on a Wednesday night.

The scene is always under pressure. First, a musician's family is usually profoundly disappointed that he is "doing nothing with his life." Even if he meets a girlfriend at a gig the pressure begins from the moment he moves in with her to get a good paying job and just do music as a hobby. If she gets pregnant before he is able to make a living playing music? Game over unless he has a trust fund. Second, everyone who lives or owns a business in the neighborhood considers the club to be a total nusiance. Loud noise until 2 AM six nights a week. Drunks urinating in public. Pot smoking in the alley ways. Scary looking people loitering every night. Third, the clubs make hardly any money. This is because the people who make up the scene are broke ass musicians, college students and people who don't do more than the bare minimum to pay their rent. They usually will order they two drink minimum -- cheapest thing on the menu -- and nurse it all night. The alcoholics order cokes which they spike in the bathroom. And the ones who are flying high on drugs just drink bottled water that the replenish from the bathroom sink, something you have to be totally high on drugs to do given the unsanitary conditions in these bathrooms. How would anyone make a living with a clientele like this?

How does the scene die? One by one the "been there forevers" get married, get "real" jobs, make a serious effort to earn a college degree, join Alcoholics Anonymous, get religion or just disappear off the face of the earth. Of course there are those who take their place and try heroically to keep things going but the overall sense is that the scene has peaked. ("Things just haven't been the same around here since the transexual hip hop artist with the speech impediment stopped coming around. Whatever happened to her?" "I heard she joined the Jehovahs Witnesses." "Damn, she was brilliant. Remember the time she...") The newcomers might at first come out but there is always some new place for them to pursue their dreams. Who wants to try and prop up a scene whose best days have passed two years ago when you can pioneer the new someplace else? The owner is under pressure to cash out or do something else. If he owns the building there are always offers to sell. If not, the landlord is likely to be under serious pressure from the community not to renew the lease of the nuisance club. Second acts are very rare. It happened in CBGB's in 1983/84 when a new generation of NY punk bands like Sonic Youth, The Swans, Rat at Rat R and Live Skull revived what had become a stale scene whose best days had passed five years earlier. What is a sure fire sign that a venue is in trouble? The touring and recording bands that got their start at that club return for a "benefit" show with expensive tickets to help the struggling club out. Usually this is too little, too late. The legendary club shuts down. The bartender passes, the owner cashes out, they box up the glasses and they take the sound system down.

Here is a list of some of my favorite scenes in NJ:

Maxwells in Hoboken -- One of the rare clubs that has survived more than thirty years. It is important enough to be considered and institution.

The Dirt Club -- This club was located in Bloomfield, NJ. It's heyday was the 1980's. Closed around 1991. Just about every band in central and northern NJ played their first gigs at The Dirt. Johnny Dirt was a legend. An alcoholic former carnival barker and steeple jack who bought a club because he loved to rock. He passed away last fall.

The Court Tavern -- See my thread on the Other Bands board. New Brunswick New Jersey.

Other New Brunswick clubs from that scene's heyday: Patrix (located in the most dangerous neighborhood in the entire city), The Roxy and The Melody (where Matt Pinfield began his career as a d.j.)

McCarthers, Rahway, NJ -- John Gorka was the alpha dog in what was a thriving folk scene in the early to mid 1980's. That club closed around 1985 and the remnants of that scene moved to....

The Cove, Roselle, NJ -- The cove was a jazz club that began to go stale. When McCarthers closed John Callahan started booking at The Cove. Craziest bunch of wack jobs ever. No one got famous from this scene. For good reason.

The Crossroads, Garwood, NJ -- Not really a "scene" in the classic sense but a club where just about any band with a tape and a following can get a show.
Last edited by RevMatt on Mon Jan 23, 2012 6:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by Sterling Big Mouth »

Fantastic song. I love that gritty guitar intro; the cool imagery with the grafitti; Patterson's political dig with the insurance line; one of Shonna's best bass lines; the first of two full guitar solos; the perfect storyteller details in the bartender passes and sound system line; that saw sound Jay plays before the second solo; Brad's stairway-esque solid snare jump off into the second solo; and the fact that it kicks ass from start to finish.

And GMU, I could swear I either heard or read Patterson's take on the song and he said that it was from his perspective, and the reference to "don't forget my fries" is a line he says often (?), and that it was included to give the song another realistic detail. Until then, I had agreed with your initial take on the fries reference.
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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

Love the song. One of my very favorites especially considering that A) I used to be a working musician in what seems like a previous lifetime & B) Rock clubs, no matter how much of a dive, are some of my favorite places on planet earth. Patterson speaks directly to both of these in the song and it cuts to the core. Great song.

Oh and RevMatt? Damn man what are you giving us to read there, homework?? :lol:

j/k Matt, of course I will read it later
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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by RevMatt »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:Love the song. One of my very favorites especially considering that A) I used to be a working musician in what seems like a previous lifetime & B) Rock clubs, no matter how much of a dive, are some of my favorite places on planet earth. Patterson speaks directly to both of these in the song and it cuts to the core. Great song.

Oh and RevMatt? Damn man what are you giving us to read there, homework?? :lol:

j/k Matt, of course I will read it later

What can I say, I got on a roll. It has been a while since I've participated on a Song of the Week Thread. Making up for lost time I guess.
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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by beantownbubba »

Geez, Clams. Can u at least get the name of the song right? :D

Yeah, there was a big hullabaloo about the "fries" line when the album first came out but i think it was on the album thread not a SOTW. I wanna say it was laraelisabeth's last appearance in these parts, tho i can't be certain.
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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by Bill in CT »

beantownbubba wrote:Geez, Clams. Can u at least get the name of the song right? :D

Yeah, there was a big hullabaloo about the "fries" line when the album first came out but i think it was on the album thread not a SOTW. I wanna say it was laraelisabeth's last appearance in these parts, tho i can't be certain.


Bubba Hen...this is the thread you're speaking of I think.

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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by Clams »

beantownbubba wrote:Geez, Clams. Can u at least get the name of the song right? :D

My apologies, Bubba Hen. It's been corrected. :)
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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by GuitarManUpstairs »

Sterling Big Mouth wrote:And GMU, I could swear I either heard or read Patterson's take on the song and he said that it was from his perspective, and the reference to "don't forget my fries" is a line he says often (?), and that it was included to give the song another realistic detail. Until then, I had agreed with your initial take on the fries reference.


Ah good point....i remember what you are talking about but i don't remember if he necessarily says the song is from his perspective though. I know he did say he personally uses the phrase "Don't forget my fries" but I don't know if he really ever says in what context he uses it. I don't know...it was just the first time i'd read these lyrics in a while and it just struck me that it all works and seems to make more of a statement about a certain aspect of society if it wasn't being narrated from the first person. Besides, in the song the front man turns to Jesus...somehow i don't see Hood or Cooley's Plan B as being evangelism (in the traditional sense of the word anyway.) :D
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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by Sterling Big Mouth »

I hear where you're coming from, but I read it as Patterson seeing clubs and bands falling down around him. Like that frontman he knew who's now into religion. Fortunately, Patterson tells us he'll still be doing what pleases so we got nothing to worry about.
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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by GuitarManUpstairs »

Sterling Big Mouth wrote:I hear where you're coming from, but I read it as Patterson seeing clubs and bands falling down around him. Like that frontman he knew who's now into religion. Fortunately, Patterson tells us he'll still be doing what pleases so we got nothing to worry about.


Yeah, like I said, that's essentially how i heard it too. i just found it interesting to consider an alternative perspective.
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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by OkieinTexas »

This was the first DBT song I heard live and one of my favorite DBT songs.
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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by beantownbubba »

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Bill.

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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by Howlinwolf »

One of my favourite DBT (Patterson) songs ever...
So glad it finally got its place on a record...Neff's solo is just mindblowing live...Kept screaming for them to play it (and lost my voice) at the Homecoming to no avail. Next time...

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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by Razorback »

One of my DBT fav's, as well. The intro is a thing of beauty. Patterson's LP Deluxe really shines on tracks like this one. Plus, it has a few of Cooley's best solo's.

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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by Cole Younger »

This is a song that I have never been sure how I really felt about it.

Honestly, it's not one of my favorites. Not that I don't like it, I do. But would I rather hear this or say, The Living Bubba, The Deeper In, Bulldozers and Dirt etc? Definitely the latter. ATSDs is a good song. Patterson just has a lot of songs that are better.

But there are lots of things that I do like about it. First, obviously the subject matter. I come from a really smal town. There is no "scene". Not even a bad one. But having Athens just a few hours drive north of me has always been great and was like having a scene right here. Because we could and still can leave the house at lunch and be in Athens well before supper time.

I've spent a lot of time there and it never ceases to amaze me how great the music scene is there and how many great bands have come out of that little town and how it continues to produce them. It's not something to be taken for granted and it's really a precious thing because really good music scenes are few and far between. Especially for us small town folks.

I read an interview with Patterson and he was answering questions about this song. He made a statement that is so true and that I will never forget. He said, "Music scenes like what we have in Athens are really fragile and can disappear at any time. And success can kill one about as quick as anything else." At the time of that interview, The Georgia Theatre had not been rebuilt and the prospects of that happening were not looking good. I remember Patterson saying that not long after he wrote this song, the Theatre burned down. I remember where I was the day I found out about the fire and I remember exactly how I felt. I honestly thought a place that I really love was gone and never coming back and that the Athens scene had just taken a crushing blow. The 40 Watt is great. But all of us who grew up going to Athens, went to school there etc, know that all the young band there feel like that if they can just play the Theatre, they've made it. It's really, really special to a lot of people.

In the Webisode that includes this song, those weird sounding opening chords (maybe my favorite part of the song) are accompanied by a shot taken from a moving car out on the Athens loop. It gives me a really cool feeling to see that shot because I've ridden right by that spot so many times.

I'm so glad the scene is doing well and that the Truckers are doing so many great things to help take care of it.

I like the image that Patterson paints. it captures the sadness that I felt the day the Geaorgia Theatre burned with the lines about the guitars going back in their cases and the bartender passing away. It really paints the picture of something you love being gone.

I have always interpreted the "don't forget my fries" line as being pretty obvious. The scene has died and the guy who used to be a part of it playing in a band has to resort to working in a fast food joint. If I'm not mistaken, Patterson said that was what it meant and that he periodically says that for the same reason people say "break a leg." They say it to keep that bad thing from happening. He's talked at length about all the crappy jobs he's had to work and the fact that he always feels like he's a step or two away from having to do that again.

I love Shonna's harmony vocals on this song. They convey that sense of desperation or hopelessness of a musician without any place to paly their music.

Patterson also said that he will always play music. Even if the Truckers were to come to an end. But he said he couldn't imagine not doing this with Cooley so hopefully, we will have our Truckers for a real long time.

I'm glad the scene in Athens is doing well, The Georgia Theatre is back! And the guys are still truckin.
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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

On the "fries" tip, when Ryan Adams played his last show in Raleigh at Meymandi Hall in 2005 he quipped about his days as a plumber and working at Sadlack's from the stage in the same sense, that he's always just a few steps away from being right back where he started. However, just like Patterson said about himself in The Secret To A Happy Ending, I don't think Ryan Adams could do anything else but be a singer and songwriter. He apparently sucked as a plumber and probably got fired from Sadlack's. I don't remember the details on that one but I do recall hearing the story of how someone stuffed him in a trash can out back one time. Back to the topic of scenes dying, it sounds like Sad's is going to meet the wrecking ball in early 2013. On the upside, they already have plans to relocate. It will never be the same in the new location but at least they're not going away for good. Same thing for Schoolkids Records (the last indie store in town), they're apparently going to move back to their original location on Hillsborough Street (underground, next to the bowling alley).

As for the area of the state I grew up in, Eastern NC, we had Roadies in Goldsboro, the Attic in Greenville, the Mad Monk in Wilmington and several clubs on the Circle in Atlantic Beach. All of those are long gone now but the live music scene in Wilmington seems to be on the upswing as of late. I'm not sure about Greenville but like Wilmington, it's a college town so certainly there must be some sort of live music scene there that's supported by the students. I would love to see the Circle at Atlantic Beach make a comeback but it seems the city fathers are always waiting in the wings to shut down any new live music clubs before they can even open. Unfortunately that sort of mentality is still alive and well in Eastern NC, a huge reason why I moved to Raleigh in 2008. Everyone here is tremendously supportive of live music. That goes not just for Raleigh but for Chapel Hill and Durham as well.

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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by Cole Younger »

Kudzu Guillotine wrote:On the "fries" tip, when Ryan Adams played his last show in Raleigh at Meymandi Hall in 2005 he quipped about his days as a plumber and working at Sadlack's from the stage in the same sense, that he's always just a few steps away from being right back where he started. However, just like Patterson said about himself in The Secret To A Happy Ending, I don't think Ryan Adams could do anything else but be a singer and songwriter. He apparently sucked as a plumber and probably got fired from Sadlack's. I don't remember the details on that one but I do recall hearing the story of how someone stuffed him in a trash can out back one time. Back to the topic of scenes dying, it sounds like Sad's is going to meet the wrecking ball in early 2013. On the upside, they already have plans to relocate. It will never be the same in the new location but at least they're not going away for good. Same thing for Schoolkids Records (the last indie store in town), they're apparently going to move back to their original location on Hillsborough Street (underground, next to the bowling alley).

As for the area of the state I grew up in, Eastern NC, we had Roadies in Goldsboro, the Attic in Greenville, the Mad Monk in Wilmington and several clubs on the Circle in Atlantic Beach. All of those are long gone now but the live music scene in Wilmington seems to be on the upswing as of late. I'm not sure about Greenville but like Wilmington, it's a college town so certainly there must be some sort of live music scene there that's supported by the students. I would love to see the Circle at Atlantic Beach make a comeback but it seems the city fathers are always waiting in the wings to shut down any new live music clubs before they can even open. Unfortunately that sort of mentality is still alive and well in Eastern NC, a huge reason why I moved to Raleigh in 2008. Everyone here is tremendously supportive of live music. That goes not just for Raleigh but for Chapel Hill and Durham as well.


SchoolKid's closing in Athens was a bad surprise for me the other weekend. Friday, we got up, went and ate at Little Italy, and I told my wife i was going to be down at Skoolkid's while she shopped. Except I got down there and there was no more Skoolkid's. I loved that place. And I've never been much on Wuxtry even though it is a landmark.

As for Wilmington, NC, when I was living in Jacksonville, I used to like going down there. This would have been 2000-2004. There was a good music scene there even then. And you have to remember what bad shape music was in at that time. Wilmington always reminded me of Athens in a lot of ways. The downtown areas are real similar. I just hated the presence of so many Marines. And I was a Marine too. I went to try and get a break from all that but I guess a lot of other people had the same idea.
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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by Penny Lane »

RevMatt wrote:Here is a list of some of my favorite scenes in NJ:

Maxwells in Hoboken -- One of the rare clubs that has survived more than thirty years. It is important enough to be considered and institution.

The Dirt Club -- This club was located in Bloomfield, NJ. It's heyday was the 1980's. Closed around 1991. Just about every band in central and northern NJ played their first gigs at The Dirt. Johnny Dirt was a legend. An alcoholic former carnival barker and steeple jack who bought a club because he loved to rock. He passed away last fall.

The Court Tavern -- See my thread on the Other Bands board. New Brunswick New Jersey.

Other New Brunswick clubs from that scene's heyday: Patrix (located in the most dangerous neighborhood in the entire city), The Roxy and The Melody (where Matt Pinfield began his career as a d.j.)

McCarthers, Rahway, NJ -- John Gorka was the alpha dog in what was a thriving folk scene in the early to mid 1980's. That club closed around 1985 and the remnants of that scene moved to....

The Cove, Roselle, NJ -- The cove was a jazz club that began to go stale. When McCarthers closed John Callahan started booking at The Cove. Craziest bunch of wack jobs ever. No one got famous from this scene. For good reason.

The Crossroads, Garwood, NJ -- Not really a "scene" in the classic sense but a club where just about any band with a tape and a following can get a show.


thanks, Rev--i've never been to any of these places (or the Stone Pony)...I've heard of John Gorka--did he own/manage McCarthers?



loved this song from the start..
for the first month after TBTD came out, i'd get a daily text message from my friend Chris in Alabama "Don't forget my friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiies"....
In my blood, there's gasoline..

Zip City
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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by Zip City »

DBT channels Crazy Horse

One of my all time favs
And I knew when I woke up Rock N Roll would be here forever

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Cole Younger wrote:
Kudzu Guillotine wrote:On the "fries" tip, when Ryan Adams played his last show in Raleigh at Meymandi Hall in 2005 he quipped about his days as a plumber and working at Sadlack's from the stage in the same sense, that he's always just a few steps away from being right back where he started. However, just like Patterson said about himself in The Secret To A Happy Ending, I don't think Ryan Adams could do anything else but be a singer and songwriter. He apparently sucked as a plumber and probably got fired from Sadlack's. I don't remember the details on that one but I do recall hearing the story of how someone stuffed him in a trash can out back one time. Back to the topic of scenes dying, it sounds like Sad's is going to meet the wrecking ball in early 2013. On the upside, they already have plans to relocate. It will never be the same in the new location but at least they're not going away for good. Same thing for Schoolkids Records (the last indie store in town), they're apparently going to move back to their original location on Hillsborough Street (underground, next to the bowling alley).

As for the area of the state I grew up in, Eastern NC, we had Roadies in Goldsboro, the Attic in Greenville, the Mad Monk in Wilmington and several clubs on the Circle in Atlantic Beach. All of those are long gone now but the live music scene in Wilmington seems to be on the upswing as of late. I'm not sure about Greenville but like Wilmington, it's a college town so certainly there must be some sort of live music scene there that's supported by the students. I would love to see the Circle at Atlantic Beach make a comeback but it seems the city fathers are always waiting in the wings to shut down any new live music clubs before they can even open. Unfortunately that sort of mentality is still alive and well in Eastern NC, a huge reason why I moved to Raleigh in 2008. Everyone here is tremendously supportive of live music. That goes not just for Raleigh but for Chapel Hill and Durham as well.


SchoolKid's closing in Athens was a bad surprise for me the other weekend. Friday, we got up, went and ate at Little Italy, and I told my wife i was going to be down at Skoolkid's while she shopped. Except I got down there and there was no more Skoolkid's. I loved that place. And I've never been much on Wuxtry even though it is a landmark.

As for Wilmington, NC, when I was living in Jacksonville, I used to like going down there. This would have been 2000-2004. There was a good music scene there even then. And you have to remember what bad shape music was in at that time. Wilmington always reminded me of Athens in a lot of ways. The downtown areas are real similar. I just hated the presence of so many Marines. And I was a Marine too. I went to try and get a break from all that but I guess a lot of other people had the same idea.


The Schoolkids in Raleigh is the last one from the chain still standing. One of the other Raleigh locations closed around 3-4 years ago followed by one of the stores in Chapel Hill. Then, of course the one in Athens closed in August of last year. I like Wuxtry too but Schoolkids made a nice alternative to it during my visits to Athens.

As for the Marines, I think that may have been a huge reason why the night life scene in Atlantic Beach ended up going into the shitter in the late 80s. That place used to be really hoppin', with music (live and otherwise) coming out of nearly every club during the summer months but during one of my last weekends there during that time period a Marine pulled a gun out right there on the street. There were lots of fights and troublemaking, not always the fault of the Marines but it was a part of the landscape, no doubt. Then, like I said, you had the city fathers trying to find any excuse to shut the clubs down. Some of those efforts found the club owners turning against each other. It got really ugly there towards the end. When Ziggy's By the Sea (started up by the same folks that run the Ziggy's in Winston-Salem) opened in the late 90s, the local government tried to pass an ordinance for a curfew that wouldn't allow live music after midnight. The Lincoln Theatre (based in Raleigh) even tried to open a club there but it was shut down on opening night because the club didn't meet the electrical code. The Circle was always considered an entertainment district by the way, during the 50s and 60s it was the hotbed of the local Beach music scene. There's been some major renovations there in recent years but a lot of that has pretty much fallen through. Now, other than a few businesses (only a couple of which are bars), it's a virtual wasteland. They even did away with all of the carnival rides that were open there during the summer. None of that has stopped the tourists from visiting the Circle though. During the summer the beach is just as crowded as it ever was (if not more so).

In regards to Wilmington, because of UNC-W I'm sure there's always been some sort of live music scene there but it definitely went on the wane for a few years. There was also a certain mentality there amongst the students that discouraged some artists. I know Tift Merritt has said she had to end up getting out of there if she wanted to get anywhere with her music. She'd be trying to play original music in the clubs but was oftentimes met with endless requests for Jimmy Buffett. I love Buffett music as much as the next person but that had to be frustrating for someone like Merritt who was trying to forge her craft. I'm also sure the loss of the Mad Monk (it burned to the ground sometime in the 90s) was a huge blow to the area. Bands on their from Atlanta to D.C. would stop there as well as in Goldsboro and Greenville. With the Mad Monk, Roadies and the Attic gone those bands no longer had clubs of that size to play in. Thankfully, the Truckers have made Wilmington a pretty regular stop on their tours. That's because in recent years there's been some new developments such as the construction of Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre and the Brooklyn Arts Center. Before that they played a place called Firebelly's but not on every tour. Someone that was new to the area filed a petition against them so they couldn't have live music anymore and she had her way. By the way, Firebelly's is right there on Front Street, an area that's full of clubs that have live music. Why someone would move to that part of town only to complain about the noise is beyond me.

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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by Cole Younger »

Yeah I am very proud of my time in the Marine Corps but there is definitely a problem with Camp Lejeune's location.

You have a very rural/small town area there in eastern NC. Even Wilmington is not a big town by any means. And you have all these thousands of guys who are from all over the country. They're bored, a lot of them are away from home for the first time, and some of them are really homesick and lonely. They do a lot of stuff to try and have fun or at least forget what is a desperate situation for a lot fo them for a little while.

And the end result is often trouble. Think about a tiny town like Swansboro being swarmed with drunk, bored Marines.
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RevMatt
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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by RevMatt »

Cole Younger wrote:Yeah I am very proud of my time in the Marine Corps but there is definitely a problem with Camp Lejeune's location.

You have a very rural/small town area there in eastern NC. Even Wilmington is not a big town by any means. And you have all these thousands of guys who are from all over the country. They're bored, a lot of them are away from home for the first time, and some of them are really homesick and lonely. They do a lot of stuff to try and have fun or at least forget what is a desperate situation for a lot fo them for a little while.

And the end result is often trouble. Think about a tiny town like Swansboro being swarmed with drunk, bored Marines.

My parents are in Cape Carteret. I love that area but there isn't a whole lot to do, especially for the younger Marines away from home for the first time. Fortunately, there is the beach and it is a great area for motorcycling. But no nightlife or places to meet girls.
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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: dbt tracks 86 AFTER the Scene Dies

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Cole Younger wrote:Think about a tiny town like Swansboro being swarmed with drunk, bored Marines.


Been there and done that. I lived in Swansboro from '92 until 2005 when we ended up having to sell our cottage (which had been in my family since the early 70s) after being relentlessly battered by hurricanes, starting with the double whammy of Bertha and Fran in '96. As for there being nothing to do or no nightlife, there are actually a few clubs in the area (Emerald Isle, Morehead City, Jacksonville and Swansboro itself) but it's nothing like you're going to find in Wilmington or the Triangle and most likely never will be. That said, one of my favorite dive bars is the Yacht Club in Swansboro, or at least it was when I was living there. Now, it's still a fun place to visit but the live music is at a minimum since they hired a DJ that works there nearly every weekend. Since they hired him it's become more like a singles club. When I first started going there they had live bands on Fridays and Saturdays and it was a very fun place to hang out (not to mention being within stumbling distance from my house). That's all changed now but I still like to stop in for an occasional beer. It's hard to beat the view overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. Yes, I moved to Raleigh mainly because of the vibrant music scene in this area but I still enjoy visiting Swansboro. It's not like I live in NYC or anything but the slower pace of life along the NC coast is a very refreshing change that I look forward to when visiting the area. I love getting out on the ocean, popping a cold one and fishing for King Mackerel, Dolphin, etc. That slower pace of life is the main reason my Dad built there back in the 70s. As much as I complained about the lack of decent live music, I hope that certain aspects of Swansboro never change. When I lived there, there was a place called The Dive (now closed) in Cape Carteret that booked several bands I recommended to them, including Patty Hurst Shifter and the Olympic Ass Kickin' Team. Despite the name it was actually a pretty decent club and the largest in the area. Try as I might, it was next to impossible to get any of my friends out to the shows. One night, when PHS was playing, someone walked up and asked for "some Duane Allman". Their guitarist politely said, "we don't really do any covers, it's mostly all originals except for maybe one or two thrown in during the encores for fun". Unfortunately, that sort of mentality to want to hear nothing but Buffett, Skynyrd, Metallica and cover material is an escapable part of the landscape in that part of the state. Things may have changed since I last lived there but despite the fact that Ryan Adams was originally from Jacksonville, virtually no one from that area had even heard of him. On the very rare occasion when I met someone that was familiar with Ryan, it was usually someone that used to be in a band with him back when he was a teenager. Then again, he moved to Raleigh when he was 17, probably a huge reason why so many were unfamiliar with him in and around Jacksonville, even after he'd been nominated for a Grammy around the time of Gold (I think the Grammy nomination was actually for his contribution to Timeless, the Hank Willilams, Sr. tribute record).

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Re: dbt tracks 86 When the Scene Dies

Post by RevMatt »

Penny Lane wrote:
RevMatt wrote:Here is a list of some of my favorite scenes in NJ:

Maxwells in Hoboken -- One of the rare clubs that has survived more than thirty years. It is important enough to be considered and institution.

The Dirt Club -- This club was located in Bloomfield, NJ. It's heyday was the 1980's. Closed around 1991. Just about every band in central and northern NJ played their first gigs at The Dirt. Johnny Dirt was a legend. An alcoholic former carnival barker and steeple jack who bought a club because he loved to rock. He passed away last fall.

The Court Tavern -- See my thread on the Other Bands board. New Brunswick New Jersey.

Other New Brunswick clubs from that scene's heyday: Patrix (located in the most dangerous neighborhood in the entire city), The Roxy and The Melody (where Matt Pinfield began his career as a d.j.)

McCarthers, Rahway, NJ -- John Gorka was the alpha dog in what was a thriving folk scene in the early to mid 1980's. That club closed around 1985 and the remnants of that scene moved to....

The Cove, Roselle, NJ -- The cove was a jazz club that began to go stale. When McCarthers closed John Callahan started booking at The Cove. Craziest bunch of wack jobs ever. No one got famous from this scene. For good reason.

The Crossroads, Garwood, NJ -- Not really a "scene" in the classic sense but a club where just about any band with a tape and a following can get a show.


thanks, Rev--i've never been to any of these places (or the Stone Pony)...I've heard of John Gorka--did he own/manage McCarthers?



loved this song from the start..
for the first month after TBTD came out, i'd get a daily text message from my friend Chris in Alabama "Don't forget my friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiies"....

Honestly, I don't remember much about McCarthers. Actually, I was living in Rahway during its heyday but didn't get involved with the singer/songwriter scene until after it moved to The Cove. By then Gorka was recording and touring and would play The Cove once a year but tickets were steep, like $20. McCarthers was bought by a guy who turned it into a sports bar and that sports bar became my regular watering hole right up until the night I joined AA. (I spent my last $20 at the sports bar and drank until last call. Woke up the next day, went to work, cashed my paycheck and went to my first meeting. Fourth night of my drinking.) It wouldn't surprise me if John Callahan was booking McCarthers or had something to do with it but I've never asked him. Our paths cross pretty often, so next time I see John I'll get some more of the history of the central NJ eighties folk rock scene. After that scene moved to The Cove it took a really interesting twist. More and more punk rockers started showing up and playing these punked out folk sets. At first the traditionalists were aghast and didn't know what to make of guys like Joe Canzano, Keith Beck or me. But within a few months it turned into this giant party where people stopped giving a shit about labels. We even had this guy called Snackman (he had a potato chip route) who was not all that talented but wanted to be a performer. He'd go onstage with a guitar in open tuning, a harmonica straped around his neck, and just breath in and out on the harmonica while he played random bar chords. Classic!
Last edited by RevMatt on Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I have nowhere else to go. There is no demand in the priesthood for elderly drug addicts

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