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How much does location matter?


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And I live in NYC, in Queens. It is the place to go if you're serious about breaking into the arts. Everything is here, which can be daunting but gives you more chances than anywhere else I can think of to make your own luck.

 

 

Researching Queen's, it's a place where a minority of households speak English. I already live in a city like this so know what to expect if I was to live there. I would never, ever chose to live there regardless of the opportunity.

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I live right in the heart of Williamsburg. Been here 3 years, work a day job, front an original rock band.


There are countless bands here. But, the bands which gain a following are the ones who gain a "weirdness" following. People want to say, "Oh, I'm really into (insert trendy {censored}ty band)," so that way they feel superior.


It's a culture of "bad is good." Mediocrity is genius, atonal is beautiful, etc. Songwriting and musicianship is NOT welcome here. In fact, that's a surefire way to be hated and rejected in Williamsburg. But the artsy girl with a Nintendo Gameboy on stage with the angry skinny kid with a beard and a Telecaster playing noise into a crappy fuzz? That's pure trendsetting.


Sadly, I'm not exaggerating. If you want to play into the "weirdness for the sake of weird" schtick, then Williamsburg is good. You'll develop a fleeting little fanbase, and they'll abandon you when the next flavor of the week comes along.


In my 3 years of living here, I have never ONCE been impressed by a local band. I'd stare and wonder, "WTF is the big deal?" And it was painfully obvious that no one else in the crowd was REALLY enjoying the music; rather, they were enjoying the fact that "Ohhh! Look! I'm doing something that Pitchfork would approve of! Am I cool yet?! Please tell me I'm cool!"

 

 

 

 

I can't agree more! EVERY one of those trendy Brooklyn bands I have ever heard fits your description to a T!

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Researching Queen's, it's a place where a minority of households speak English. I already live in a city like this so know what to expect if I was to live there. I would never, ever chose to live there regardless of the opportunity.

 

 

All I have to say to that is this:

 

...........................................

 

Those little are me censoring my nasty, searing retort to this... it's best not to imply to the chip-on-the-shoulder-carrying, grudge-holding-resident sof Queens that we don't live in the best neighborhood in the city, if not the entire effing U.S.A.

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well...where I grew up in Queens...we had a very 'multicultural' neighborhood, because a large contingent of the UN attaches lived there...so yeah, maybe English was not the first language in every household...but there was a reason. Also, NYC has always been the great 'melting pot' of the world, followed by Los Angeles.

 

Micro-rant: (in 1972 when I first voted here in California, the book was in English...now it is offered in 19 languages! For VOTING, people..aren't we supposed to be citizens...and therefor English speaking? :rolleyes: )

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I agree about L.A. not always being the best place for music that isn't as superficial. Kate Perry, Lady GaGa, if that's your thing go to L.A. Look at Metallica, they had to get out of L.A. and move to SF to make things happen. On the other hand, I don't think its bad to be a musician in L.A. either. It's the entertainment capitol in the world. But, I can think of one band in L.A. right now that seems really talented to me, but doesn't seem like they are going anywhere. In the end I think you just got to know your culture. If you got some kind of hippy influenced band, go to the northwest and you'll do better than L.A.

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I can't work in Los Angeles when I am in Munich, nor be in Hamburg while shopping in Zürich with my wife, actually I could, but my wife needs a strong guy to carry the bags. But this will have an end soon, my mistress told me that she has seen me on the street in Shanghai but I didn't recognize her, possibly a counterfeit fake of me.

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