Our friend Chris Caplan has been getting us into the DIY music scene lately, and I've got to say it's been a real treat. Do-it-yourself anything is usually far superior to the store bought alternative, and I gotta say that goes for music (and homebrew - thanks, Theater of Work) too. So Demonora's Mike Wetzel has just launched this totally homemade 80's retro 'zine with music, rants, poetry, activism, vegan lifestyle tips and pretty much anything else he and his friends care to write, and he's got a music showcase goin' on at the Steel Pit in Tujunga on the third Thursday of every month.
Do I wholeheartedly agree with all that appears on the pages of Levels Below? Hell, no (and I doubt even Mike does) but free expression is just that, and I'm pleased as punch that someone's out there doing it. So good for you, Mike. Someone needs to have the vision to take a middle-aged guy who plays Secret Agent Man on the ukele and give him a place to shine - and that's DIY music night at the Steel Pit. (Along with a lot of other new musicians who need to stretch their stage legs a little) Beats the crap out of the Jonas Brothers and all that over-produced boy band stuff.
My only beef (or tofu) with Levels Below is the paper format. It's time to join the 21st century and get a good website going. You'll reach a broader audience, save some trees, and get music samples right there on the pages. And, needless to say, you get the Raven Jake endorsement for contributions to the independent, non-commercial music scene. Good luck, D-Eye-Why and Levels Below!
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