It's not surprising that folks want to live among their peers, I suppose. Quality of life is high in certain places. I just wonder how long good art can be produced in a place overrun with artists.

What I mean is, when you move into an artistic paradise--which for musicians must be Portland right at the moment--do you become detached from the working masses about whom the greatest artistic statements have been made? I remember Tom Waits once said the reason he preferred to stay in cheap hotels when he was on tour wasn't just because he could save money; lower-class neighborhoods had more stories. Luxury was an obstacle to getting to the root of things.

There are stories everywhere of course, including among the musically hip. But when I moved from Austin to Houston four years ago, I felt the old urge to write coming back. Houston is a city of working people, unpretentious and completely oblivious to popular opinion; if you don't like Houston, you can take your opinion and shove it. No big deal.

Something about the rusting industrial wasteland of the Ship Channel and the bland lack of character of the strip-mall suburbs makes you look past the gloss, ignore appearances, and get to really know what's going on. I'm sure a great story is waiting in Portland. But there are great stories in Houston and Bakersfield and Mobile and Atlanta, too.

I've been here 15 years and watched the "scene" morph several times, along w/ the culture. To me, Portland's heyday was the early to mid '90s when housing WAS actually cheap, shows were cheaper, and the X-Ray Cafe cemented my love for my new hometown. (Well, along w/ the boffo coffee & beer--I came from the pre-Starbuck's midwest--and Powell's Books) Nowadays, it seems like a lot of the funky DIY ethic and good ol' fashioned spontaneous wackiness that knitted the music/art scene is absent, or maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places.

Same is true of Austin, of course. Back when it was just a small college town, the "weird" factor they are trying so hard to preserve now was genuine. But when you slap it on a bumper sticker and make it a civic mantra, any chance for real weirdness is pretty much tossed out the window. Now "weird" must mean high-dollar retro boutiques and whatnot. I still love Austin, I just see it for what it is: the end result of inevitable gentrification. Still lots of pretty girls and some pretty good bands over there, though.

I would suggest that if you're looking for an enduring "real deal", you might try New Orleans. Artists/musicians have always been able to thrive and grow from their proximity to each other, and the cost of living has been pretty low. Yet the local culture it too robust for them to dominate it; they're just an integral part of it. Maybe that's what makes all the difference, long term.

That's the whole point... Portland (like Austin) has always been more of a laid-back blue-collar/collegiate/hippie enclave, while neighboring cities (Seattle, Dallas) became and remained high-profile business capitals, with the occasional sporadic scene popping up (grunge, Deep Ellum) but never quite allowing for the specific infrastructure (cheap rents, progessive local government, an activism-minded population, ease of access/awesome public transpo, etc) that sustains a creative subculture (I'd even call it a meta-culture) over the course of not just months but years and even decades.

This is not scene-tourism, this is the funky place you call home when you actually make your living as a "indie" musician/writer/film-maker. It's a place that keeps you honest. It's a place that is cool with you as an "it kid" or a "has been" or a "never ran", as long as none of these have turned you into a sorry ass.

I was just about to make a comment about Houston. What you said is true indeed. If I might add... Houston has it's own unique vibe. Almost everyone I know who has ever visited here loves it; and almost everyone I've known who has ever moved away, has come back. I have been, and on occasion, continue to be a part of the Houston "scene," and am of the opinion that it is one of the most underrated and underappreciated. It is almost as if people have something against bands from Houston; and, it's like a pot boiling over in this town. The "rock" scene is virtually ignored in terms of national recognition; ZZ Top, Blue October was an anomoly. The hip-hop community exploded on the international "scene." But now they are saying hip-hop is dead... and even Beyoncé's Destiny's Child had to move to Atlanta to get their groove on. With the exception maybe of Jazz and th Blues, maybe; and I say maybe because regardless of the genre of music being played; recognition is attained on a more individual basis, apart from the city itself, if you know what I mean. Being from Houston is almost an afterthought. It makes for an atmosphere not necessarily unified; a sometimes every man (band) for himself. Which is why I believe, so many are content to simply play. But, I contradict myself -- while it may appear at times that there exists no sense of 'unity', there are core groups that tend to support each other while keeping an open mind. Houston is not Austin and it never will be; and that's a good thing, maybe it shouldn't. Houston is diverse -- on so many levels; it is affordable, and it is real; and as you know, if you're looking for that change of pace, Austin is but only 120 minutes away.

I should have quite while I was ahead. But if you live here, you'll know what I mean, yes?

PS:

Yes, I love semi-colons and --

Come to the Axiom's 20th Anniversary show; yes, at Fitzgeralds -- Friday, October 12th and Saturday, October 13th. The band I happen to be in plays Friday. I don't know who you are, but maybe you're playing somewhere too...

Oh look at me, I just had an epiphany -- What's so great about Houston, is that it is a "City of Contradictions!"

I live in the Heights anyway, so no excuse, right?

When I was in high school (early 90's), Houston's rock scene was fairly hoppin', if memory serves; at least they drew some pretty good bands. The Axiom was a great dive. I remember seeing deadhorse there back in the day.

Speaking of Deadhorse -- Michael Haaga (sp?) is playing with Academy Black on Saturday's line-up; and you are right... no excuse! But hey, who am I?