On: December 11 at 03:11 PM
Above and at front, bands at fans at the Dec. 8 concert at Eureka Coffee in Lathrop. Photos by Victor J. Blue / 209Vibe. Additional photos of the Dec. 10 concert at Modesto Virtual by Michael McCollum / 209Vibe.
It's easy to get at least 600 fans to attend an arena concert headlined by AC/DC.
Getting 600 people at a local show featuring independent, largely unknown bands – now that's a much bigger accomplishment.
But it's just what screamo did in 2008. Bands that play the blend of aggressive rock and lovelorn lyrics used the Internet to introduce themselves to new fans, who then packed venues like the Stockton Empire Theatre for shows this year.
Now, as 2008 comes to a close, screamo artists and fans – as well as those of screamo's parent genre, hardcore – are looking ahead. Several screamo and hardcore shows are set to be held in Stockton and Modesto this month, including a New Year's Eve concert at the Stockton Civic Auditorium.
Some in the scene expect the genres to continue to grow in popularity in 2009.
Fans "love the intensity (of the music). It makes you feel like you have a connection to the band. It makes you feel like you have a swell of emotion," said Josh Stoner, 19, lead vocalist and guitarist for Stockton screamo act We Set Fire. Denis Crutchfield, 23, singer for the Stockton hardcore band Highmoor, added that more nationally-known hardcore and screamo groups are coming to the area and performing with local artists, which brings more attention to the genre.
Others are wondering if screamo's 15 minutes of fame are almost over. They're also frustrated by hardcore's failure to find a venue it can call home.
"My band, we're like, 'wow, we're kind of last year," said Alex Casillas, 20, guitarist for the Stockton/Oakley screamo act We're Not Friends Anymore. Casillas, as well as some others, expect the next big thing to be an as-yet unnamed genre that blends elements of screamo with pop and electronic dance music.
Locally, that genre is led by Watchout! Theres Ghosts, a Galt duo who recently signed a contract with the Oregon label Rise Records.
"Watchout! Theres Ghosts, I can see them playing with (nationally-known band) Taking Back Sunday in a couple years, or a couple months," said Tim Werner, 26, singer for Lodi hardcore band Your Own Destroyer.
But WOTG is not the only local act with a record deal. The area's biggest underground draw in 2008 was A Skylit Drive, a Lodi/Galt screamo band that toured nationally and is signed to North Carolina's Tragic Hero Records. Stockton screamo act La Circa, meanwhile, has a deal with the Brooklyn, NY label Negative Progression. Screamo's ability to draw that sort of attention ensures its future success, said Tracy promoter Manuel Zapata, 21.
"It's going to always get new bands and there's always a market for it, because it's so inclusive," Zapata said, noting that screamo brings together fans of hardcore and more emotionally expressive pop music.
"And I have respect for (screamo bands), because they're serious. They take the time to take good photos and to have a good MySpace page. I think that really counts," he said.
Local bands use MySpace and other social networking sites to expose their music to thousands of potential fans, which has been vital to the success of acts like A Skylit Drive.
It's also been an important promotion tool for bands that don't get to perform often because of a lack of live music venues in the area. In 2008 three Modesto venues that hosted screamo and hardcore shut down: The Underground, The Rock and Sidelines.
That leaves Modesto Virtual, a small club, as the venue where you're likely to find live hardcore and screamo. It recently began hosting several shows weekly.
Eureka Coffee in Lathrop also hosts shows nearly every week, while the Stockton Empire Theatre featured screamo about once a month in 2008.
Hardcore musicians said part of their struggle to establish a venue stems from the violence some see at their shows. Fans dance and express emotion by shoving each other and throwing elbows, which can get out of hand and cause fights.
"We have a hard time playing places because of our lyrics and the crowd we bring," Werner said. "It's just very, very aggressive."
Eureka Coffee co-owner Tara Bristow, 28, said she's found that it's important to work with reputable promoters who know how to organize a show that won't get out of hand. She also emphasized that she believes hardcore's violent reputation is unfair.
"When you walk in (to a show) you see these kids throwing their arms around, and they're huge and they have tattoos. But they're really good kids, and they look out for each other," she said.
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Screamo is just one of those genres of music that are getting cashed in on and just about every band sounds the same. La Circa is just one them. Screamo used to be good back in the 90s when no one knew about it. but now its just anorexic looking boys who use high pitched screaming voices and high pitched whining voices. Just about all of them do that. Next thing you know, people will move on from this crap and do something new. While screamo does technically have its roots in hardcore. For them to say that they are hardcore is a poser move. They sound nothing like Minor Threat, Bad Brains, or Black Flag. I don't even see a slight hint of it in their music.
I think screamo will continue in one way or another, but here in South Jersey, the "scene" has kind of dwindled since back in 2004 when it was really big here. The members of the biggest screamo bands in this area have been picking up laptops, keyboards, and drum machines. However, their genre labels now read Screamo/Electronica instead of Screamo/Hardcore, no big deal. Also, the fans are the same people from 4 years ago and they still listen to what they always have and I dont think that will change, except for the younger kids possibly. I picked up on the fact that screamo was going to explode back in 2002 when I was 16, so I started taking my band in that direction. 2 years later, all my favorite bands had gone from the cafe to the arena, from winnebagos to tour buses. Thats the point where screamo bands started coming from every town in the U.S. and I thought maybe the scene was too saturated and might go out of style. But, 2 years from that point I'm still listening and I dont think I'll stop even though my tastes are branching out to the electronica influenced stuff as well. I figure I just picked up the taste for it at an age where I was who was already. So, the whole fashioncore thing, the fad idea, is more of a younger generation thing. So, with screamo reaching people from so many different genres, and with timeless bands like Thursday and Underoath sticking around, staying on top, not selling out, and not changing for anyone, screamo will always have the little niche its carved out for itself even though it may not be as big as some of us would like it to be.