I’ve spent years of my life watching music everywhere, from clubs to living rooms.

In the last few months, however, I’ve watched the small do-it-yourself (DIY) show space in my town turn into a battleground for “gangs.” Not gangs in the traditional sense, but identical-minded kids from centralized local hardcore punk scenes. These kids come into town in their nice cars and trash my beloved show space. They rip down ceiling panels, they knock over amplifiers and they fight.

The fight seems to be the most integral part of the concert-going experience for these kids. Watching them punch and kick and play just made me feel like I was watching some sort of primal dance; a birthright born in the suburbs across America, where (predominantly) white kids praise the DIY mentality and do everything they can to destroy it.

My experience with DIY kids is almost across the board identical to what I see every time one of those shows happens. Also, as someone in a band, I have tried to book my own tours, put out our music and make connections with DIY bands, venues and labels across the country. However, roughly a handful of the people I know or have contacted were motivated, hard-working individuals. Most of the other people who try to associate with that aesthetic are lazy and just want an excuse to play their awful music to other people like them.

Watching these people ruin independent music is tragic, but I can’t stop it. However, an influx of new people can. People that don’t subscribe to the dogma of a “scene.” Like what you like in music. Not what other people say. If people took my advice, the whole world would just be listening to stupid ‘80s punk rock, and even that would get old. If I have to hear my editor talk about how excited he is about Henry Rollins one more time I might pull my hair out, you know? It’s okay to like showtunes and play in a punk rock band.

You don’t have to be a liberal arts major to belong to a music scene. How cool would it be if we had business majors making record labels, marketing majors getting bands signed or labels more prosperous or nutrition majors teaching touring bands how to eat cheaply and healthy on the road? I just want people who have any sort of interest in music to create a more diverse local scene.

DeKalb is luckily one of the places where there aren’t any gangs or idiots in thinly-veiled bondage pants.

Do you want to help end the separation between local bands and you? Let me know; we’d love to have you.