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The right to rock out The Santa Maria music scene is growing but the number of venues isn't keeping up BY SHELLY CONE Date: 11/20/2007

In every town in every state in the U.S.A., there rings a statement so universal that, if it weren't for time zones, it could

Friendly inspiration: Vocalist Champion McConnell plays rhythm guitar and writes many of the songs for the Cottleston Pie. He said his friends often inspire him to write. He's even written a song specifically for each one of his friends. PHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLER

be heard in unison on Friday nights--"There's nothing to do here." Youth who play in bands or are fans of local bands have found a solution to the Friday night dilemma.

The scene is eclectic at Hunter's Landing in the Crossroads Shopping Center. Young people sit on the floor of the coffee shop or on bags of unground coffee beans. Young men and women dressed in sports coats and jeans sit and sip lattes. Glasses frame some slightly graying heads. Some giggling teenagers spill out the front door and gather in the parking lot. Groups of teens gather and wander over to other groups, mixing and mingling and forming new groups. Bands tune up and set up.

The scene is electric--and sometimes acoustic--exuberant, and caffeinated.

Introducing the growing and ever-evolving Santa Maria music scene.

It's a mix of young and old, acoustic and hard rock. The scene attracts more followers thanks to the Internet, but is limited by a lack of venues.

"It's the birth of a bigger scene, not like the dawn of a new era or something, but it's the start of something," said T.J. Ries, vocalist and synthesist of the Santa Maria band The Red Ants, whose members are all 18 and 19 years old.

Santa Maria finds its sound

Garage bands like The Red Ants have been an iconic part of adolescence over the decades, whether that band is playing the mellow grooves of the Beach Boys, the psychedelic sounds of The Doors, or the synthesized tunes of A Flock of Seagulls.

The sound of the future: Cottleston Pie mixes the wholesome rock n' roll of early Beatles with the more transcendent groove of alt groups like Bright Eyes. PHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLER

Ries describes his band as a "nerd rock" band. The band incorporates a vintage 1980s synthesizer and touts The Flaming Lips, Devo, and Led Zeppelin as major influences.

"We want to play very loud. Our thing is to be really gnarly and loud with experimental sounds, and maybe a little absurd. And we're OK with that," Ries said.

Ries said the band wants its stage show to be as unique as its music, by doing things like incorporating light-saber battles into its act.

But without a stage, the show only exists in the minds of The Red Ants, and their music is heard by a devoted few.

Ries said the music scene in Santa Maria and Lompoc has gotten bigger with more bands finding their sound and taking it to the masses, or at least the part of the masses that can fit into a local coffee shop.

Ries said most bands play in people's backyards or coffee shops.

Other bands agree.

Tucked in a cul-de-sac in Orcutt is the home of Cottleston Pie. Or to be more exact, the hangout and practice space for the band by that name, and the home of singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitar player Champion McConnell.

Crammed into a garage, the band practices, performs, and creates. Murals and pieces of art painted by McConnell and his father adorn the walls. An old sofa sits in the midst of amps, speakers, and various musical equipment.

Most members of the band, which includes the Santa Maria Sun's own calendar editor Joe Payne, have been playing music or been in a band for years. The group demonstrates a clear blend of breezy '60s sounds and folk tunes reminiscent of the The Beatles and Bob Dylan, which along with the modern sounds of Bright Eyes and Two Gallants make up the band's favorite influences. So much so that guitarist Christian Cortez even looks a lot like Bob Dylan, and McConnell's voice at times channels a little bit of John Lennon before his band's White Album years.

"I had a friend who came up to me after a show and said 'Wow, your music makes me happy,'" McConnell said. "And I can't think of any better reason to play the songs."

The members of Cottleston Pie sat around their garage practicing recently and reflecting on the Santa Maria music scene.

"A lot of kids complain that the music scene is dead now, but I think it's coming back," McConnell said.

"You can't make a scene. You have to let it happen," added Derek Woodruff, the band's drummer.

Rock 'n' Roll mentors

If the music scene is dead in Santa Maria, don't tell George Majoue, owner of family entertainment center MotionZ in the Town Center Mall. MotionZ is one of a handful of venues where youth bands play and the stage is already booked through January with more booking requests through March. Majoue said MotionZ hosts not only Central Coast bands but also touring bands from all over California, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada, and everything from junior high school bands to college bands.

The sound of the future: Cottleston Pie mixes the wholesome rock n' roll of early Beatles with the more transcendent groove of alt groups like Bright Eyes. PHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLER

Majoue spent 30 years as an educator, most recently as the principal of St. Joseph High School. When he opened MotionZ, which also features laser tag games, he knew he wanted it to be a place for families to be able to connect over something that crosses all boundaries--music.

"I think it's important to let kids know the gifts and talents they have are valuable and they should use them and use them to the best of their ability. And second, they should be firm in their convictions and respect what they stand for," Majoue said.

Majoue said he gives youth at his facility respect, and they return it. Yet he draws a firm line at disrespect and foul language, which he doesn't tolerate.

"Teens are teens no matter what shape they are or what clothes they wear. They all want to be listened to they all want to be heard," he said.

The respect Majoue tries to foster comes from his experience as an educator but also his own teenage experience.

"I never felt respected or recognized," Majoue said.

Majoue said some adults tend to shy away from teens in general because they may have negative perceptions of who teenagers are, but spending time with youth can change those views and help adults be more at ease with teens.

"I don't judge them by what they wear. Sometimes it's funny as heck, and I laugh at them," Majoue said. "If they stink, I say 'You stink.' If they look attractive, I say 'Man, you look sharp.' If their pants are hanging down and their underwear is showing, I'll say 'Nice underwear, but I don't want to see it anymore, pick up your pants.' I get with them where they are."

In that respect times may have changed. Crystal Payne, manager of Moody Brews and our calendar editor's sister, said she's seen a turn in how adults view teenage bands. The coffee shop hosts occasional concerts.

"I've seen a lot of adults walk up to the store and see a band playing then turn and leave. Now they're more accepting," she said.

Local bands have benefited from support and acceptance in the venues where they do play.

Majoue said the concerts at MotionZ have been doing well. Sometimes they will draw an audience of as little as 25 people and sometimes as many as 250 people. MotionZ charges a $6 cover charge. Two dollars goes into a separate pot, which the bands split at the end of the night. Majoue said the money doesn't amount to much, but it's something that can help bands with equipment repairs or gas money.

Moody Brews also offers bands a little help. They offer 15 percent of the sales during the period the band plays. Payne said it's just a little incentive to encourage the band to keep doing what they're doing.

The Internet has enabled bands to create a presence and connect to each other. MySpace pages help fans learn about other bands that might be similar to the bands they like. Even Moody Brews and MotionZ have MySpace pages, which has enabled many out-of-town bands to find them and request a booking.

The Internet presence has added to the influx of new bands and new fans. Great news for music fans, yet it's a Catch-22.

A place to play

Even as some businesses have been supportive of the growing music scene among area youth, there continues to be a shortage of venues.

"There's coffee shops, people's backyards, and MotionZ, that's

What's rock and roll and red all over? The Red Ants, that's who. From left to right, bassist Paul Weihert drummer Daniel Kelly lead singer, guitarist, and keyboard player T.J. Ries and lead guitarist Jon Allee keep things funky and their audiences entertained. PHOTO COURTESY RED ANTS

about it," said Joe Payne, of Cottleston Pie and Santa Maria Sun fame.

Sean Johnson, vocalist for the band Golden Delicious, echoed Payne's comments.

"There's just not enough places to play," Johnson said.

That's part of the reason the group plans to move to Los Angeles in the next few months. "That way we can play more."

Ries, of The Red Ants, said his band gets more stage time by playing venues both in Santa Maria and Lompoc. Ries said there seems to be more action in Lompoc, but that Santa Maria is growing.

"Santa Maria just needs support and maybe better venues. The coffee shops are great, but there's not going to be a lot of people," Ries said.

Randall Sena, owner of Certain Sparks, an affordable recording studio in Lompoc, said Lompoc has embraced local bands. "I've lived here a long time and I've never seen this kind of support before," he said. Sena also works at Southside Coffee Co., in Lompoc, which hosts weekly entertainment. He said he's seen an increase in not only the number of bands that perform but also in the number of people who attend the shows.

Most bands play at Hunter's Landing, Moody Brews, and MotionZ in Santa Maria. In Lompoc, Sugar Magnolia's, Southside Coffee Co., Alberto's Pizza, and the Lompoc Public Library host small concerts.

More ideal locations--either because of atmosphere or space--often charge a fee for bands to play there and for a struggling young band, even a modest fee to play is prohibitive.

Other ideal venues cater to a different crowd.

Cottleston Pie's McConnell counts the Loading Dock in Old Orcutt as the perfect venue but said it's hard to get booked there.

Loading Dock president and co-owner Clay Frick said they don't often book younger bands. "Younger bands tend to play loud," Frick said. He added that the Loading Dock's lighting and stage set up seem to encourage a certain "rock star" attitude in young bands--and that means increased volume near a residential area.

Frick, who took over the Loading Dock in October, said he hopes to eventually have a full stage and lighted dance floor.

"It's something you learn as you get older, that you don't have to play loud to be good," Frick said. "Most of the time [young bands] play, they sound good, but they really like their volume."

Michael Shelton, a longtime Central Coast musician and the former operator of the Acoustic Lounge in the Santa Maria Town Center Mall, said he understands the frustration of some of the younger bands.

"You feel beaten down. You can only play so many coffee shops before you want another place to play," he said.

Until July of this year, the Acoustic Lounge offered a venue to all types of musicians and acts from all over the world. A lack of attendance finally caused the location to close. He said the problem was not a lack of bands--they got about 300 band requests each month. But Shelton said there was a core group of 25 to 30 people that would attend shows whether they were familiar with the band or not.

Other venues have faced the same dilemma. Shelton said that from a business perspective, if the people don't come it's hard to continue to support the business as well as the bands. Although it wasn't a business, a lot of people put in a lot of time and tremendous effort to make the Acoustic Lounge work, only to be disappointed by a lack of audience.

"For some reason in this area, it's hard to get people to get their

PHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLER

minds around the fact there's culture in Santa Maria," Shelton said.

Surprising for Shelton is the number of people who showed enthusiasm for the concerts when he was promoting the Acoustic Lounge.

"It's discouraging as an artist. The funny thing is seeing the number of people who will drive one to two hours to go to a bubblegum rock concert in Santa Barbara.

"I think what it would take is an overall change in perspective of what Santa Maria is. People look at it as an affordable place to live on the Central Coast, they don't look at it as home," he said. "We need people to realize we can turn Santa Maria into something incredible."

INFOBOX: The when, the where, the who

Check out concerts at MotionZ from 5 to 9 p.m. most Sunday nights in the Santa Maria Town Center Mall. Call 922-6922 for more information. Moody Brews hosts concerts at 7 p.m. most Fridays and Saturdays at 2125 S. Broadway No. 102 in Santa Maria. They can be reached at 922-9022. Southside Coffee Co., hosts regular shows at 105 South H St., in Lompoc. Call 737-3730 for information.

Many bands connect with each other and their fans through MySpace pages on the Internet. The Santa Maria Sun also offers a sight for musicians to post their work online at www.santamariasun.com.

Contact arts editor Shelly Cone at scone@santamariasun.com.

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