Column: Local music needs your help
Logan has something really special going for it when it comes to local music. WhySound has been giving musicians from Cache Valley and beyond an opportunity to come together and network with other musicians, while also providing a venue to share their music with live audiences large and small.
WhySound and the newer venue The Cache, have a common goal: To provide Cache Valley citizens with places where local music can be heard. But local music will cease to exist if students and the rest of the community don’t come to shows and contribute to this scene.
Logan has been the birthplace of and has helped launch groups such as Panthermilk, Fairpark Twins, Little Barefoot, Shua Taylor, Mojave Nomads, Dr. Barber, Ugly Boys and others — the list goes on.
As WhySound also doubles as a recording studio, many of these groups have been able to use the space to record albums and EPs in order to further disseminate their music to the fans they collect in Logan and elsewhere.
This unique and vibrant music scene has fluctuated throughout the years. Sometimes, the venues are bursting to capacity. Other years, they struggle to attract any concert-goers.
WhySound and The Cache need Utah State students to keep their venues alive and thriving. Should the sad day ever come that either of these venues have to close their doors, Cache Valley would lose one of the things that makes it a special place to be.
University-sponsored music events, like the Big Agg Show and Logan City Limits are wonderful and usually free opportunities for students to experience local music, and their value should not be underestimated. But those events don’t give students a chance to experience all the local music that the valley has to offer. These bigger events use the same local musicians that rely on the existence of local venues like The Cache and WhySound. One could argue that the Big Agg Show and Logan City Limits would not be possible without these venues.
Students, I know money is sometimes difficult to come by. Trust me, I get it. But if you can find it, spending some of your hard-earned dollars on local music is a worthy use of your money. Whether it be at The Cache, WhySound or in buying music from local musicians, local music keeps the artistic heartbeat of Logan alive. We can’t let local music be something that takes a backseat in this town.
There are shows happening at each venue nearly every weekend and even on some weekdays. So, if you are looking for something new, something different, or maybe even something familiar, grab your friends, lovers, roommates and anyone else. Take them to a show. You will be contributing to something special that helps local business. You’ll be helping hard-working musicians that come through Logan grow as artists.
If you are looking for a good introduction to local music, you can catch Salt Lake City group Ritt Momney at WhySound on Jan. 26.
Local music doesn’t have to be something for niche groups and “artsy kids.” There is really something for everyone. So give it a try and help keep the scene alive.
Allison Allred is a senior studying Journalism. Since coming to Utah State in 2016 she has been involved in a variety of things, but her favorite has definitely been working with Student Media–writing and learning about local music. You can catch her at concerts nearly every weekend or find her in the Aggie Radio studio for her show, the Flower Power Music Hour.