Photo credit: Michael Nagle for The New York Times
WHEN Douglas Martin first saw the video for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as a teenager in High Point, N.C., “it blew my mind,” he said. Like many young people who soothe their angst with the balm of alternative rock, Mr. Martin was happy to discover music he enjoyed and a subculture where he belonged.
Except, as it turned out, he didn’t really belong, because he is black.
“For a long time I was laughed at by both black and white people about being the only black person in my school that liked Nirvana and bands like that,” said Mr. Martin, now 23, who lives in Seattle, where he is recording a folk-rock album.
But 40 years after black musicians laid down the foundations of rock, then largely left the genre to white artists and fans, some blacks are again looking to reconnect with the rock music scene.
The Internet has made it easier for black fans to find one another, some are adopting rock clothing styles, and a handful of bands with black members have growing followings in colleges and on the alternative or indie radio station circuit. It is not the first time there has been a black presence in modern rock. But some fans and musicians say they feel that a multiethnic rock scene is gathering momentum.
“There’s a level of progress in New York in particular,” said Daphne Brooks, an associate professor of African-American studies at Princeton. She was heartened last summer by the number of children of color in a class she taught at the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, where kids learn to play punk-rock standards.
There is even a new word for black fans of indie rock: “blipster,” which was added to UrbanDictionary .com last summer, defined as “a person who is black and also can be stereotyped by appearance, musical taste, and/or social scene as a hipster.”
Bahr Brown, an East Harlem resident whose Converse sneakers could be considered blipster attire, opened a skateboard and clothing boutique, Everything Must Go, in the neighborhood in October, to cater to consumers who, like himself, want to dress with the accouterments of indie rock: “young people who wear tight jeans and Vans and skateboard through the projects,” he said.
“And all the kids listen to indie rock,” he said. “If you ask them what’s on their iPod, its Death Cab for Cutie, the Killers.”
Read the full story here.
Featured Artist: Manic
Suretone Records this week released a new EP from Manic titled "Floor Boards." The EP, which features Sparta's Tony Hajar on drums, is a fresh sound from an otherwise overproduced Los Angeles music scene. "Chemicals for Criminals" is especially tantalizing in its varied, anthemic rock roots.
Manic’s music has a throbbing pulse, and a sharp current of energy runs through it. But the music is as hooky as it is angular and smart. Their songs are expansive, with lots of textures and layers.
On the album, Sparta drummer Tony Hajar, who lives two blocks away from Smythe, performed the drum tracks, since Green was sidelined with a brief stint in jail. Manic decided to go ahead and record with Hajar in order to keep active and stave off stagnancy while Green served his time. “We didn’t want to do nothing,” Smythe reveals about the band’s decision to move forward while their drummer took care of his business. “We recorded with Tony, because we were ready, and we’re friends with him, so it’s not a stretch.”
Musically, Manic admit they are not here to cater or to kowtow to radio. They just want to write songs with plenty of depth, breadth and scope, songs that they can replicate live. “We are a fairly tech-heavy band,” says Zane Smythe (guitar), shedding light on his band’s sound. “We use a lot of gear. Our bassist has a keyboard. Our drummer has a keyboard next to him. I have a keyboard. We have a laptop, guitar, and vocal effects, etc, so the music is on the technical side. We’re big fans of stuff that’s sparse but not thin. When we record, we throw everything into the pot and start reducing, and what’s left is what we play live. We’re fans of music that is thick. We’re not pretentious, but we think we do a really good job at representing ourselves and our songs when we play them live.”
Manic - "Chemicals for Criminals"
Manic - "Cafe Barcelona"
Manic @ Myspace
Bonus MP3
The Shins - "Australia"