This wonderful article comes from a San Diego college newspaper.
'Indie' more than just music
Subculture in San Diego helps boost small businesses, local bands and garners strong support for independent hair stylists
By Jennifer Kordela, Senior Staff Writer
An increasingly popular subculture evident in San Diego is making an impact on the local scene.
The subculture is affiliated with the scene, or Indie rock, and has created a local fan base loyal to its favorite music and fashion created through thrift shops, kiosks and independent hair stylists.
Pre-communication junior Ryan Cruz helps define the "scene."
"It starts with the music," Cruz said. "Independent, smaller bands appeal to scene."
The scene helps launch a lot of bands, he said. Those affiliated with scene are attracted to new, local and smaller bands. Its fan base further expands, by creating a loyal audience for the bands and through word of mouth.
Cruz said a few places to watch the bands play are SOMA, located by the sports arena, the Epicentre in Mira Mesa and Che Café on the UCSD campus.
Shows at places such as Che Café are inexpensive to attend. Through small settings like this, and because of the scene, bands; get exposure and are able to get their name out there.
"Bands play here because they want to play here," Andrew Caddick, who helps book shows at Che Café, said. "We definitely do provide a venue for local bands to get started.
"We also have open mic nights on Mondays."
Che Café attracts this group for several reasons.
"Che Café appeals to those affiliated with scene because it's all ages," Caddick said. "The kids who aren't 21 yet have a place to go."
Cruz also points out the preferred environment for this local subculture. He said smaller venues appeal more to the culture. Che Café is really dark, really Indie (Independent), he said. It provides a DIY (do it yourself) atmosphere, he said.
The fashion aspect of the scene is making waves as well.
"It's an attitude," Cruz said. "'Scene' is a fashion now."
The fashion has more of an impact on thrift stores and independent kiosks because scene attempts to steer clear of the mainstream.
Kinesiology junior Daniel Ebejer points out smaller businesses that incorporate scene style.
Ebejer said there are a bunch of kiosk booths he likes, such as Until Industries. He also said hair is another important aspect of scene culture.
"Some hairstylists mainly specialize in 'scene' haircuts," he said.
Many involved with this group have an independent hairstylist whose entire clientele is created through word of mouth, he said. By cutting hair for bands, the stylist becomes popular and others will go to him or her because they like what they see, he said.
Cruz said some popular hairstyles are the faux hawk and the fashion hawk with random bleach spots of different colors.
"It's pretty trendy now, but the whole idea is to stay away from the mainstream," Cruz said.
He said the trend is not new, but has evolved from the gutter-punk 80s with NOFX and Bad Religion.
KKSM disc jockey Chris Apple comments on the historical significance of the trend.
"It reminds me a lot of the Grunge Era with Nirvana and Pearl Jam," Apple said. "No one saw it coming and it wasn't just the music.
"Soon they had people walking down catwalks with grunge clothing."
The clothing aspect is really big, especially the hair, he said.
"It's opened a lot of doors for a lot of bands that would have never, ever had a chance," Apple said. "Death Cab For Cutie or The Postal Service would have never made it."
A band that probably started with "scene" culture was The Strokes, he said.
"They became good because of fan loyalty," he said.
That's when the scene type, or Indie Rock, became relevant, he said.
Now, bands that are on MTV such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs would've never been big if it weren't for this subculture, he said.
"It's kind of hypocritical," Apple noted. "The scene was really cool when it was underground, and now that it's becoming more mainstream, it could kill itself out."
Despite that, Apple said he really likes the music that came out of it.
