If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you got this paper either at or after Bamboozle. Ostensibly, this will be the biggest issue of The Aquarian’s year—it always is—and it’ll be seen by a whole bunch of eyes who won’t see the paper again until the next one.
So, hi again, and thanks.
You’re probably unaware of the extensive amount of market research and demographic study that’s gone into the festival around you. Honestly, I don’t even know how far it goes, but I know that, if you’re at Bamboozle, you’re probably younger than me, hipper than me, better at social networking and more likely to be the kind of person whose opinions spread to those around them. It’s a fair bet, anyway, and even if you’re seeing this and you’re not at Bamboozle, I’m pretty comfortable applying it across the board.
At a shade under 30, I’m already old in this game, and if I’m honest, Bamboozle is about as far away from “my kind of scene” as it gets. But there is something you and I have in common despite the many differences between us in age, taste and the rest. We share a central passion within us for music that those who don’t have it will simply never understand.
And so, with the opportunity to speak to a group of people who probably know better than to give a royal shit about anything I have to say, all I have to say is this: We are lucky to have underneath our feet one of the most vital and rich undergrounds in the whole of the country. I’m not even talking about New York. I mean in Jersey. When it comes to television, all they show are the fake-tan, orange jerkoffs, but the fact is this state is beautiful and rife with creative minds unlike those anywhere else. Think about your friends, or maybe even yourself, and the creativity going on around you. It’s been years since I met someone not in a band at one point or another.
If you’re reading this at Bamboozle, you’re in for an insane weekend featuring some of the biggest names in music—and that’s awesome, and I hope it’s a blast—but you need to remember that all of these bands, the headliners, the openers, the Break bands, they all had to come from somewhere to get where they are, and it’s that underground scene that’s where the vital artistry is taking place. If you’ve never done so, it’s worth investigating. It’s worth your time. I promise you won’t come away disappointed, and if you do, I give you complete permission to email me and tell me to fuck off. Please do, in fact.
Because huge sellers and big names are great, but it’s your local scene that can really change your life—that can become your family. It doesn’t matter what kind of music you’re into, the point is if you’re going to be into it, be into it. Dig into it. Passion undeveloped isn’t passion at all.
Support your local everything.
On behalf of The Aquarian Weekly, welcome to Bamboozle 2011.
Sincerely,
JJ Koczan
jj@theaquarian.com
This issue would not have been possible without the ridiculously hard work of The Aquarian staff. Special thanks to Angela Teixeira, Deb Kerrigan, Andrew Magnotta, Roz Smith, Alicia Fiorletta, Brian Schantz, Alison Kopki, Dani Tauber and Tim Louie.
