The Music Scene in Oxford

It's been difficult to get gigs in Oxford as of late. Our band, Faulkner Alley, is an alternative rock band that plays in a town of folk and indie singers. Okay, that's not completely true. There are a few post-punk/punk/metal groups in the area. They are mostly located in Tupelo, but The Cooters and Kill the Ego are here in Oxford. When we were first starting out, we played at a Battle of the Bands at Sterling Apts in town, and we won! Even playing against bands like Jay Lang's band, and the Reviews, and Silas Reed, we won outright. Now, though, those bands are all fairly established bands in Oxford, and we're still struggling to get gigs. Here's a list of venues in Oxford:

1. Proud Larry's. I don't know anyone who has played here, but it seems they bring in talented bands all the time. It's almost a badge of honor to play at PLs, but we'll need a demo or we'll need to open for an established band. I should talk to Beau Bourgeois...

2. The Lyric. Big stage, big venue for this town. We would have to be playing with a special event or become famous. I've already looked into playing at Oxford Music Fest in the fall. That's about the only special event I know that is there.

3. Parrish's. I've talked to him about playing there, but he needs a demo. That place used to be Jubilee, and people would just show up and play sometimes back then. Gotta finish the demo...

4. Taylor's. I haven't looked into this place, as it is cramped and the patrons seem kinda hick-y.

5. Irie. We actually have played here, March 20, 2010. The crowd wasn't there for us, but it was the Saturday during Spring Break (the one before students came back to town). We had some fun, but the owner and the guy who is currently booking didn't hear us play and don't really like our style of music. To play here again, we would have to convince one of them that we bring about 40+ people to our shows.

6. Two Stick. Need a demo, and they don't usually have our kind of band. It's more laid back, singer-songwriter stuff.

7. Rooster's. They are a blues venue, and we don't do blues (we're all too content with life, I suppose.) Kyle works here, so maybe I can get in on the Blues Apparatus...

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8. Red House. Trying to play here, but again they need a demo. I know one of the bartenders, but he doesn't have any sway over the guy who books bands here.

I think that's about it. There are other bars like The Library, The Levee, Funky's, Illusions, and The Blind Pig, but I don't know how to crack those places. We have played at The Lanes before on 3 occasions, but that crowd isn't interested in our style of music. I'm pretty sure that if we are to break out and play in Tupelo and other towns, we'll need to put together a press kit. I've worked on that, but I'm waiting on the demo being finished before paying someone to put that together. I ordered a usb connector for the condenser microphone, and it should be here this week. When it gets here, I'll record vocals for Belief, Homesick, and Danger.

The only other thing about the band is that Matt is sick with Mono. I think that he'll be alright for the show we're doing in Jackson this Friday, but his absence from practices have been felt. I gotta lose some weight. On that note, I go run.