Purple, red, blue and green spotlights shine on the stage, giving each member of the Kissers a different tint. Cloaked in red light, Kari Bethke, violinist and vocalist for the Kissers, holds her instrument vertically, its neck beckoning to the ceiling. As she dances across the stage, vocalists and guitarists Waylan Nate Palan and Ken Fitzsimmons scream into their microphones, nearly shaking the tables with their massive voices.

The fans’ screams drown out the music at times. Thirty minutes into the show, bar stools sit neglected in favor of the packed dance floor. Fans recognize each song, chanting and echoing the band.

Sadly, shows like this from Madison-based bands are getting progressively harder to find.

“I joined the Kissers ... in 2001,” Palan said. “At that time Madison was a really great town. There were a lot of good places to play.”

Many local artists agree that the music scene in Madison has changed dramatically over the past few years. Whether a result of clubs closing, fans finding alternatives to live music or new genres of music emerging, some believe the scene has begun to decline.

Cathy Dethmers opened High Noon Saloon, 701 E. Washington Ave., to replace her club O’Cayz Corral—a prominent Madison venue for independent artists—which burned down in 2001. According to Dethmers, Madison’s music scene has formed a cyclical pattern over the last decade.

“Every year there is so much fluctuation in Madison. A lot of the people who play music here are here transitionally and then move on,” Dethmers, who has been booking and running clubs since 1994, said.

Jesse Marsh, of local band the Hat Party, said he has seen a noticeable change in local music since his band formed in 2003.

“In 2002 there were plenty of good bands, bands just starting out, and the seeds were there. By 2004 and 2005, I really thought things were going strong,” Marsh said. “[But] clubs close, people move, bands break up. It happens.”

*Lack of local venues*
As clubs that supported smaller acts, such Luther’s Blues and Anchor Inn, close down, local bands are having a tougher time booking gigs.

“All of a sudden, getting a show is a lot harder when there’s no Slipper, no Corral, no Orpheum Stage Door,” Marsh said.

Other bands share Marsh’s sentiment.

“If there’s a way to cement the music scene, it certainly isn’t spurned on by clubs closing,” Guy Benny, manager of local rock band Locksley, said.

Although Locksley have not been affected as much as other Madison-based bands by the closings of several local venues, they recognize the trend as a problem for bands that often played at Luther’s Blues, Anchor Inn or O’Cayz Corral.

“O’Cayz Corral is actually where the Kissers had their first weekly gig,” Palan said. “That was always my favorite place to play. It was sort of the ground entry level for rock bands; it was a small club with lots of personality.”

Local bands especially miss the now closed Corral Room for what Marsh called good staff, good location and, arguably, lots of drink tickets. The Corral Room was one of the many closed clubs that catered specifically to smaller acts.

“Forty-five people in the Corral Room is a cozy, awesome show; 45 people at the High Noon sort of feels like not all that many people came out,” Marsh said.

As more local venues close, the majority of the remaining clubs are either 18-and-up or 21-and-up. As a band whose music is geared toward a younger audience, Locksley think clubs should get rid of age limits so bands can attract more fans to shows.

“The more clubs encourage music from a youth perspective, the stronger the scene will become,” Benny said.

Beth Kille, of local band Clear Blue Betty, agreed and said, even though Clear Blue Betty’s fans are older than Locksley’s, “it would restrict [the band] if their friends and fans were under 18.”

*Difficulty getting and keeping fans*
Elliott Kozel of local rock band Sleeping in the Aviary described Madison’s music scene as lacking in inspiration from fans.

“It’s just the nature of this city. People put a lot of energy into it and really get nothing back,” Kozel said, adding that bands will often leave Madison to find more receptive audiences.

“Usually bands find a home and stay until they outgrow it,” said Louka Patenaude, a member of the Optimistic.

In Madison, however, this dynamic if often reversed.

“Madison is tough because it is a college town with a lot of fan turnover when students finish school and move away,” Patenaude said.

The amount of direct support for local artists is tapering down partially because of increased computer use, according to Dethmers. With technology allowing fans to access new music from home, she believes that Madisonians go to live shows only to see bands that they already know, not to discover new talent.

“There was always that really great chance of catching something awesome by accident,” Dethmers said.

*The need for self promotion*
Bands also place blame on themselves for the declining music scene.

“It’s a two way thing: The bands should be doing all they can, and hopefully people will be voracious for local music or live music at all or somebody to get behind,” Kozel said.

Kille believes Madison’s music scene neither depends on the clubs nor the fans.

“I think a lot of the responsibility falls on the bands to be promoting themselves and helping these [venues] be successful,” Kille said.

Clear Blue Betty promoted their EP release show by posting flyers, sending out 400 invitations, filling three radio spots and a television promoting spot and sending out messages to their fan-based e-mail list.

But, despite a band’s best efforts, these methods aren’t always reliable.

“[Sometimes] you’d get 15 people there, and five of them are playing darts or something,” Marsh said.
According to Kozel, local bands often raise their publicity by bringing in out-of-town bands to play with them in Madison or by releasing an album.

“We’re on a local label called Science and Sound,” said Kozel, “They paid for us to go on tour [and] booked the shows for us.”

*The B-side of the argument*
Although there have been significant setbacks for local bands, not everyone sees the scene as worse than five years ago—just different.

“Since 2002 there have been a growing number of places to play, even with the closing of the aforementioned clubs,” Patenaude said.

Kozel described the current music scene as less than ideal, but slowly improving.

“I would say [the music scene] is less gravy now and more something that’s been dropped on the floor. ... Things that get dropped on the floor are still good in my opinion,” Kozel said.

“I don’t think the local music scene is dying, it’s just changing,” said local songwriter Len Mormino, adding that, as the number of rock and indie bands coming out of Madison dwindles, there is an emerging hip-hop scene.

“The only way for a new scene to form is commitment,” Kozel said on the popularity of new dominant music genres. “It’s hard for any band to make any money at all, no matter what city you live in.”

Still, just because hip-hop is beginning to take precedence does not mean the popularity of rock and indie bands could not be resurrected.

“[The music scene] has kind of died out in some respects, but it could come back strong depending on who moves into town and who wants to create new music,” Marsh said.