L.A. Exists in a Constant State of Regeneration

I grew up outside Chicago and got practiced in the art of arriving at shows just as the headliners went on to avoid seeing shitty local opening bands. But I had to get out of that habit when I moved to L.A. in 2005, because the openers were often better than the bands I'd actually heard of and come out to see.

I started attending free residency shows at The Echo, Spaceland, and The Silver Lake Lounge and got increasingly more exposed to the local music scene. It was kind of a magical time as groups from The Ship Collective -- the loosely-assembled group of bands like Earlimart, Irving, and The Silversun Pickups who helped promote each other -- were still playing actively in the area, while bands from The Central Second Collective like The Happy Hollows, One Trick Pony, Death to Anders, and The Henry Clay People were starting to perform more and record.

Over time, more and more notable acts appeared, like Radars to the Sky, Thailand, Fol Chen, Castledoor, and Manhattan Murder Mystery, while others like local jaw-droppers The Movies came out of hiding.

Not only was there an enormous variety of musical styles in the bands playing, but bands would play for cheap or for free and show-goers often had multiple options each night of the week of great bands to go see. Venues ranged from mid-sized spots like Spaceland and The Echo to smaller DIY locations like Pehrspace, All-Star Lanes, and Mr T's Bowl, as well as frequent special events like Little Radio Summer Camp and FYF Fest.

Since then, some of the bands have broken up, others have moved away, and several of the venues no longer exist. Local pundits have been quick to cite it as the death of an era. But while it may have faded somewhat, all the conditions that caused it still exist. Great new bands have appeared to replace the ones who have gone away, there are still folks actively putting on special events to spotlight the best and brightest local voices, and there remain an incredible number of show options available to people who like seeing live music... if not every night of the week, then every other night now, at least.

If it seems like things have fallen off, just visit other major cities in the U.S. and you'll quickly see music scenes that aren't nearly as vibrant. (In some cases, you could compare such grousing to hearing someone complain about a foot cramp to a man with no legs.) L.A.'s is cyclical, sure, but even at its lowest points in the last eight to ten years, it's still complete fucking magic.