TIGER TV ONLINE REPORTER
Grunge rock, funky beats and indie tunes are just some of the genres popular to local music fans.
Thankfully, groupies don’t have to look much further than Baton Rouge, and with New Orleans only about an hour away, south Louisiana’s music scene is booming.
Baton Rouge hosts numerous musicians like Chairlift, Better than Ezra and Death Cab for Cutie while New Orleans is the home of Voodoo Fest and Jazz Fest, notorious music festivals that attract names like Dave Matthews Band and Kings of Leon.
Unlike New Orleans, Baton Rouge’s music scene doesn’t involve music festivals that draw revelers from around the country.
Baton Rouge talents rely heavily on venues like local restaurants and bars.
“We’ve played the most at Northgate Tavern,” said John Stephens, an English senior and guitarist and keyboardist for the bands Sky Chief and Rushin Snail. “We’ve played two or three times at Chelsea’s.”
Sky Chief has also played at The Varsity and block parties on State Street, he said.
Stephens said he hopes to eventually play at Spanish Moon, a bar on Highland Road where popular alternative indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie played a gig before their rise in the music industry.
But The Varsity stands out for Marc Badon, business management senior and a Sky Chief bassist.
“I still can’t believe we actually played there,” he said. “Tool played there in ’95 and my dad saw The Rolling Stones there.”
Chris Lundgren, the talent buyer and marketing director for The Varsity, said the venue aims to have live music at least twice a week.
“In the spring and in the fall semesters, the number increases generally,” he said.
From local favorites like The Molly Ringwalds to European bands like Flogging Molly and the Kooks, booking musicians depends more on finances and the capacity of the room, Lundgren said.
Other requirements include the ability “to bring at least a few hundred people here” as well as “previous history, radio play and popularity,” he said.
Local musicians occasionally open for bigger names, but not on a regular basis, Lundgren said.
The University also acts as venue for musical talents.
Annual events like spring’s Groovin on the Grounds bring musicians like Akon, Corey Smith, Wyclef Jean, Chamillionaire and Chevelle. 2008’s Gold Fest featured Sean Kingston and Gavin Degraw.
Students on Target, Student Government and the annual Homecoming Committee sponsor these events.
But the University’s Student Activities Board began a new committee called the Music Committee.
“We’re trying to provide entertainment to students on campus,” said Jared Avery, the assistant director of Campus Life and advisor to the Music Committee. “It’s to create awareness of music and try to offer students a variety of music while they’re right here on campus.”
Thus far the Music Committee booked Space Capone in August 2009 and Javier Colon in September 2009.
“We’re trying to get it so that [musicians] are appearing regularly so right now it looks like something each month,” Avery said.
The money to book non-student musicians comes from students’ fee bills.
Booking popular and well-known musicians becomes an issue because of the budget, Avery said, but he said the Music Committee, which chooses which musicians to book, is always looking for more members or input to help select bands.
“S.A.B. is run for students by students,” he said.
Stephens said Baton Rouge as a music scene is improving.
“We have 91.1 [KLSU] that can actually play local bands and good music on a national scale,” Badon said.
Also, Stephens said Baton Rouge audiences tend to get excited about live music.
“You have to give it to them,” he said. “To see a band [like Sky Chief] without any words, we have a pretty solid following. It’s the same people in the front every time.”
