Times are indeed strange in the ever changing world of the local music scene...... Cover bands still thrive in the great Garden State playing at Beach Bars, Dance Clubs and even Restaurants (poor Billy's anyone?).Meanwhile, the clubs that once supported the Underground are going Belly Up like the Melody and potentially the Court Tavern...

What does this reflect? Has Hot Topic really hornswoggled and Brainwashed our youth into stomping on the very music and people that helped spawn such overnight sucesses as Less Than Jake, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Blink 182? Have greedy promoters turned our once "Underground" Culture into a once a year Festival Free-for-All? Why is it that these bands can sell out The Birch Hill, yet when local bands play you are lucky to have fifty people in the building? Once again the american media and record industry have pissed on the perverbial fire......

Teenagers really don't give a damn about anyone but themselves! The only diffrence in 2001 is that the once "Normal" looking Jocks, Cheerleaders, and even Braniacs have all been replaced by hair dyed, Doc Marten outfitted clones.. Everything that got your ass kicked in High School in the 80's and even 90's is now the thing to wear....

These ingrates will never bother to show up at an All Ages local show because A) MTV didn't tell them to B) Hot Topic doesn't carry their T-Shirts and C) because there are not "Hotties" in the local bands for hormone crazed Teenagers to swoon over. I guess it is true....

The scene is dead....

But which scene are we talking about? Ska has managed to sink to an all time low due in part to all these Middle and Upper Class brats choosing to become "Goth" and complaining about how bad they have it while mommy takes them to school in the new BMW...Punk has gotten a major label facelift and Blink 182 appears half naked on those cheesy posters once reserved for "Hair Bands", "Boy Bands", and swimsuit models...Hardcore has gotten so political and segregated that it isn't fun anymore.....

So whats left? I joined the Brimstones and have found the Garage Rawk and PsychoBilly Scene to be a breath of fresh air in comparison to everything else that is out there... So does this mean that old farts like me should give up? Should I just sit around remembering the days of City Gardens, The Ritz, The Pipeline and all the other cool places that have gone away?

The answer is NO! I will haunt every all ages scenester like a plague for the rest of my life! Just when you think I have moved on, I will be there.....In one way or another, one band or another I will haunt you. I for one will not sit back and watch a scene that I helped to create wither away and die....

With that I end on this note.....

Old Farts of the Scene Unite!!! Take back what is rightfully yours and don't let a bunch of snot nosed little fools dictate what is "Fun" "Cool" or "Hip" You want Punk Rock so bad? We will crash down on you and bring the DIY spirit back where it belongs and you will have no choice but to bow down and give us the respect that we deserve.

After all, it was us who made it possible for you to have what you have today. It was us paying to see bands like the Circle Jerks, DOA, Dead Kennedys,Black Flag, etc....

while you were in your mothers belly or not even a thought yet that kept the clubs open and the bands coming. All the Manic Panic in the world won't help you now my Tender Lumplings......

Learn your history.

Lord Skoochie is Saxophonist for Inspecter 7. Contact him at Erik_Schroeder@shi.com.