Opinion: Logan’s music scene is dead

My roommate and I were sitting in an empty parking lot. We had attempted to go to the USU vs. BYU hockey game but did not anticipate the sheer amount of Aggies who would be willing to freeze themselves solid as they cheered their team to victory. 

In short, the already-filled parking spots extended so far out from the parking lot we had no choice but to seek weekend entertainment elsewhere. We didn’t feel like ax throwing and we didn’t want food, so we checked to see if there were any live music events and there weren’t. Here’s the thing. In Logan, have there been live, indie concerts … ever? 

For any vocalists or other trained instrumentalists on campus, I don’t mean to insult you. I’m not suggesting campus events or local musicians and performers are underachieving. In fact, your backs must be very sore from constantly carrying music culture in Cache Valley because there’s not really anywhere else to engage with music.  

While sitting in the car on a frigid weekend evening in Logan, I didn’t know where to go. I couldn’t think of any indie music rooms or downtown basements or theaters turned rock halls. To put it plainly, I’ve lived in this town for two years, but the only music events I’ve attended in Cache Valley have been in either a church or in the Ellen Eccles Theatre, featuring a decent performance of the “Little Shop of Horrors.” And while I’m both religious and a fan of Broadway, those venues just don’t quite scratch the itch of standing in an actual crowd, banging my head up and down, and stretching my hand out towards a band on stage. 

However, I can’t stretch my hand out towards anyone if there’s nowhere for them to actually play. The music scene in Logan is absolutely dead. Its last escaping breath must have been “student discount” as it tried to funnel a new generation towards campus events, but students need somewhere outside the towering, overwhelming walls of their studies to relax. We need venues. We need something new and exciting. 

Upon some initial research, I discovered a local recording studio and music venue called WhySound. I wanted to interview them for this article, in fact, but they didn’t have an email and the number I tried to call took me to someone’s personal phone. I left a message, but they never called back. And perhaps, as we’re on the trail of trying to find music’s killer in Logan, Utah, this interaction brought us a step closer to catching our culprit. 

William Bultez

It’s not that music isn’t happening at all here in Logan, it’s just hard to know if and when it’s happening.  

No business phone number. No website. No location. Many supposed performances are sabotaged by a lack of marketing and accessibility. For example, I didn’t know what WhySound was until I started writing this and had to be told by someone else. Now you, reader, know about it too, but only because you randomly decided to read your university newspaper. 

In an age of digital communication, Logan is experiencing a sad silence which is affecting our ability to hear up-and-coming talents in our own neighborhood. 

I think there’s potential for change though. We need more grassroots concerts and more passionate people showing up and being willing to support fundraising and local musicians. We need more effort from venues to make themselves known and to spread the word about what they can offer students and music enthusiasts alike. 

Don’t let the music scene stay dead.  

Why so surprised? Surely you’ve figured out by now we’re responsible for its death. We killed the mood. Whether a musician, a fan in the crowd, or a venue owner, each of us needs to make an effort to cultivate music in our community. So, let’s go check out WhySound one of these weekends. Throw the living room concert you’ve been thinking about. The music scene can only feel alive if we’re willing to be alive in the scene ourselves. 

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Natalie Hawes was born in Eugene, OR and found her way through the mountains to attend USU. She’s a liberal arts senior and hopes to become a published poet and film critic someday.
— A02365302@usu.edu