A dying music scene in the Central Valley has been a topic of concern among musicians over the last few years. With venues being shut down left and right, to promoters no longer putting on shows in the area, local musicians are looking for their next opportunity to be a part of the once-thriving music scene.
March 18 was the second Open Mic Night at Cafe La Mo on Main Street in Turlock hosted by KCSS. KCSS puts on Open Mic Night on the third Wednesday of every month with hopes to bring local musicians together to share their talents and collaborate with the support of the college radio station. Once again, Cafe La Mo saw a great turnout of musicians and audience members and looks forward to the future of these monthly Open Mic Nights.
KCSS Station Manager Angelina Moles has been a part of promoting local shows through KCSS for two years and hopes to see the scene improve and grow in the future.
“The future of the music scene in this area is dependent on us,” Moles said. “We will have to work together and remember the importance of sharing local music and support each other to create a healthy music scene again.”
The community is in desperate need of all-ages venues and Cafe La Mo has opened their arms to the music community and shares in local musicians passion to be a part of something.
Local musician and promoter Eric Green expressed his love for the local music scene and the importance of being a part of it.
“Being a part of the local music scene means putting a lot of effort into promotion, especially when booking shows at a venue no one has heard in a town no one goes to” Green said.
Green puts on shows at a residence in Oakdale called The Bat Cave. Over the last few months, they have housed many shows where local musicians have been able to share their talent and as an attendee of the Cafe La Mo open mic nights, Green is appreciative of the new growth in the community.
“I think the best part of what I help do at the Bat Cave is give a lot of local bands who are running out of venues to have a place to play and drawing attention to our scene and helping to build a connection with musicians all over,” Green said.
Local musicians can look to these Open Mic Nights as a platform for the rebuilding of the music scene in the Central Valley. As for growing the music scene, the future relies on the community.