A few shots from The Apple Miner Colony show at The Humble tonight.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Growing Pains
Sunday night saw the second High Mayhem sponsored show at Warehouse 21. Formerly housed in a rented out house High Mayhem doesn't fit within the graffitied, yet institutional walls of Warehouse 21. That's not to knock either organization. Each has its own place and agenda. It's great to see a little mixing here and there, the teenage scene coming to check out the older one and vice versa but having the two groups sit and stare at one another isn't doing much in the way of community building. Little cliques of teenagers and adults stood around in circles of no more than five, talking to each other and about the other groups. There is nowhere for the whole to gather, to be close enough to overhear each others conversations and easily join in.
The outside of the Warehouse building is linear. A small patio where people can sit lined up on a wall or standing in a small circle. Down the side of the building, to the back parking lot is another long wall and an outside hallway-like walkway.
Inside the situation is much the same. It's a boxy, contemporary building with a lot of open space and flow from one floor to the other, but when the top floor has been closed off it creates three rectangular rooms that are cut off by either doors or a large table, and again there's nowhere for a large group of people to sit.
The concert hall is quite large, great for a big packed house or a dance party, but for an intimate show it's too big and too dark. You can't see your friends when they wave at you and the invisible two feet barrier from the low stage kills the intimacy of a small show.
For a group such as High Mayhem, which is used to a community bonfire and a family feel, the institutionalized seafoam green exterior and concrete/neon paint of Warehouse 21 may bring some young music lovers to the audience, but at the cost of the underground, do it yourself, no rules atmosphere, it may not be worth it.
The outside of the Warehouse building is linear. A small patio where people can sit lined up on a wall or standing in a small circle. Down the side of the building, to the back parking lot is another long wall and an outside hallway-like walkway.
Inside the situation is much the same. It's a boxy, contemporary building with a lot of open space and flow from one floor to the other, but when the top floor has been closed off it creates three rectangular rooms that are cut off by either doors or a large table, and again there's nowhere for a large group of people to sit.
The concert hall is quite large, great for a big packed house or a dance party, but for an intimate show it's too big and too dark. You can't see your friends when they wave at you and the invisible two feet barrier from the low stage kills the intimacy of a small show.
For a group such as High Mayhem, which is used to a community bonfire and a family feel, the institutionalized seafoam green exterior and concrete/neon paint of Warehouse 21 may bring some young music lovers to the audience, but at the cost of the underground, do it yourself, no rules atmosphere, it may not be worth it.
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