"You don't know what you got till it's gone"

It feels weird to be starting off a blog highlighting the local music scene when Crowbar, one of the only places to see some good acts, has shut down. What's worse, the sting was worsened by the abrupt nature of its departure. No warning, no farewell show. Not even a plausible reason.

The venue's Web site listed "other, larger venues within Crowbar’s market area" as a reason for their closure. I've been racking my brains since I heard this over the summer, and I've yet to think of a venue bigger than Crowbar aside from the Bryce Jordan Center. As much as I love hitting Dragon Chaser's or the Tall Shiva hookah lounge for a local show, I doubt they were dipping into the profits of a band that had boys in girl's jeans lined up around the block for Hawthorne Heights.

But as much as I wanted to blame Crowbar for incompetent management (and believe me, I do,) I think a bigger problem is the apathy of students to the local music scene. All the good shows in the world mean nothing if people don't seek them out. So, if I can do anything with this blog, I can steer a few people in the right direction.

No, State College isn't the biggest place the world, but there is a lot more to offer than pop stars at the BJC and the slew of cover bands that play at weekly bar slots. (Note: I'll be 21 at the end of the month. I might sing a different tune after one too many Jack and Cokes leads me to desperately beg for "Don't Stop Believin'.")

Even with the hole left by Crowbar, there are plenty of opportunities for those willing to seek them out.

My favorite memory of last year was a show run by the Asylum, a group who runs a lot of hardcore, punk, and emo shows out of Pollock— not normally my thing.

But in April, they brought Jonah Matranga, who releases albums as Onelinedrawing, to the HUB. I hadn't heard his music before, but I was wowed by his genuine appreciation of his fans and joy for music. When his time was up and the doors to the auditorium were locked, Jonah had the remaining kids circle chairs in the lobby of the HUB, grabbed an acoustic guitar and portable amp and played more songs while we crowded around. He stayed around long to enough to say hello to every fan. He granted a request for one last song, unamplified, to a dozen or so fans crowding around to hear him softly playing and singing.

That's the kind of musical experience you can't get while barely paying attention to a bar band sloshing through a Bon Jovi song, or hundreds of feet away from the BJC stage. But the opportunity is there for that kind of experience in State College. As shown by the Crowbar's troubles, if people don't take advantage, the opportunities dry up. Take a chance, just one or twice, to check out a local show and see what the scene has to offer. If you won't, don't be surprised when your choices disappear.