The Roswell Music Scene. Or, why I still have faith in fans.
I want to say how surprised I am by the local music scene. I moved here from Albuquerque and to there from Dallas. I was very much immersed in what both of those areas had to offer musically and when I relocated my family to Roswell I had no idea where to go to find the musical pulse of the city. I had a small taste of it prior to moving when my Albuquerque band had a chance to play here (Rick Calvert Benefit Concert at NMMI amphitheater & a show at a VFW, or was it a legion hall?) and while I thoroughly enjoyed how receptive and involved the fans seemed to be, I still really had no idea if a local music scene thrived here. In the cities I was exposed to, every bar and club made "live music nights" a staple of their weekly lineups and, let's be honest, there was A LOT of bars and clubs. Something Roswell seems to lack in comparison. So, I had all but come to the conclusion that perhaps the music scene here was forced to be more "underground", or maybe the powers that be had forced it to find a home elsewhere by a lack of venues. I am so glad to see I was wrong. There is indeed a scene here; and it is first class. I am more than impressed with what I am just now discovering to be true. I have shared a stage, and stood elbow to elbow amongst fans with more than I can remember and never in all that experience have I seen a music scene so sincerely invested and wholly committed to the advancement and success of its players. I've finished sets and walked off stages before just to watch my own fans depart the club as the next act began, leaving them to fend for themselves, and then watched the cycle repeat time and time again. Here, I played an open mic night and was amazed to see people who had no idea who I was not only stay and actually pay attention, but keep what little conversation they had to a low murmur so as not to disturb the performer. Almost as if having a performer bare their soul through their music wasn't seen as a nuisance, but rather a treat. Maybe I've only witnessed so little that I've only seen its best foot forward. Maybe then I am being a little naive or premature in my assessment. Whatever the case, for what I've seen now, I applaud you Roswell music scene. For those of you who maybe have not performed much far out of these city limits, you may not know how much of a rarity it is for me to be able to say this; you are not just a "scene", you are a true music community. You should be proud. Keep rocking and God bless. I can't wait to see how much more is realized.
