Concerts are fun, but paying to see big-name bands and artists can quickly bankrupt you. Fortunately, cities breed great local bands whose shows can be a new, fun concert experience.
Supporting a local band is great because many of their shows can reflect the unique character of the areas they come from. They are also very appreciative of the support they receive, as many of them have not yet enjoyed much commercial success.
There are many websites that cater to advertising cheap shows put on by local bands. In New York, websites such as ohmyrockness.com and myfreeconcert.com list concerts and dates. Most shows are under $15, and as the latter’s web address suggests, some are even free.
After arriving home in New York for spring break, I was itching to go to another concert, but short notice and lack of money severely limited my options. My best friend and I decided it would be fun to pick a random show on ohmyrockness.com, and so we found ourselves in a well-packed warehouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The bands playing that night were Small Black, Imperial Topaz and Heavenly Beat. We hadn’t heard of any of them, but figured it would be a good time regardless.
We arrived about an hour late and missed the first band, but were in time to see Heavenly Beat, who just released their first full length album “Talent” in July 2012. They had a unique upbeat indie pop sound that interestingly enough sampled steel drums. With their breathy vocals, the band was reminiscent of Empire of the Sun. The set lasted about 20 minutes with people dancing the entire time.
Heavenly Beat’s set was fun, but we got bored after the long break between sets and decided to leave early. By the time we left, the venue was sold out and people were waiting to get in. Despite the fact we only stayed for one band, it was worth the $12 we paid.
Although there isn’t a great local music scene in Norton, Boston and Providence offer numerous opportunities to attend shows. The Providence Journal has a web page, thingstodo.providencejournal.com, that lists events, including concerts. Of course, one of the easiest ways to find shows is by searching by location or type of music on Ticketmaster’s website.
With warm weather drawing nearer, many of us are excited to begin traveling off-campus again. It can be hard to find things to do without going bankrupt, but enjoying a local band can be a great, inexpensive way to welcome spring!