The Black Keys are a long way from a Baton Rouge band like These Children or Smiley With A Knife.
 
But Stereo Gumbo, a music website dedicated to covering local music and delivering relevant music news, is attempting to bring those two worlds of music together.
 
Colin Ash, marketing senior, originally began the site in June as a personal music blog that friends would simply contribute to.
 
“I saw there was an interest out there for the music, and there wasn’t a publication for this kind of local and underground scene,” Ash said. “So I thought I could take it further.”
 
While local music is a vital part of Stereo Gumbo’s mission, Ash said he didn’t want to limit the site’s reach or coverage.
 
“I like to not have any boundaries on the site, whether it’s in what we cover, how we write, or the regional aspects of what we cover,” Ash said.
 
On any given day, Stereo Gumbo’s front page may feature a clip of Vampire Weekend covering a Bruce Springsteen track or a live review of a recent local show.
 
Ash noted that indie music is usually the most prominently covered music on the site.
 
“[Indie] is kind of an all-encompassing term — sometimes it doesn’t really mean anything — but the way people define it is an accurate description of the music we write about,” Ash said.
 
Ash said he is looking into expanding the site’s reach, including the possibility of hosting shows at local venues under the Stereo Gumbo name or organizing a compilation to give away to promote local bands.
 
“Most of these things are purely in the ideas phase right now, but I am definitely thinking of ways to branch out,” Ash said.
 
Cory Vogel, a 2010 University alumnus who is one of the site’s contributors and has experience in the promotion business for several local bands, said putting on a show would be a natural fit for Stereo Gumbo.
 
“With writing, especially about music, and promoting, there’s a lot of overlap there,” Vogel said. “So [hosting a show] would be a great way to fit our goal for the site, and that is to promote this local scene that we are all so passionate about.”
 
While Stereo Gumbo’s output has been prolific in its first three months, Ash said the writers “are like a revolving door at times.”
 
“It works out pretty well, though, because we don’t require any writing experience, and we are always looking for interested people or students to write for the site,” Ash said.
 
Ash also said several local bands, including Sun Hotel and He Bleeds Fireman, have reached out to the site for coverage or even to write stories about other aspects of the Baton Rouge music scene.
 
“I feel like we’re reaching this untapped entertainment source,” Ash said.
 
 
 
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Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]