When I was 17, I was told by a friend of mine to go to a metal show at this house venue called The Spice Rack. I had no idea what that was, or that people even did shows in basements, but I went, and it opened the door for me to join the most accepting community I have ever been a part of.

     Before I get too deep, let me clarify some things. I’m sure you’ve heard the term DIY (or “do-it-yourself”) used by people to refer to doing something like renovating their house, but it was adopted by the punk movement in the mid 1970s to demonstrate their politically charged message of independence and rebellion. Since then, the underground music scene has been collectively referred to as the DIY scene or the house scene since most shows take place in house basements. Like most places, State College has a house scene, but we also have a bar scene. Some DIY bands play at bars, but bar bands don’t play at house shows. Bands that perform at house shows tend to be grittier and heavier, and that isn’t the sound that bars want to attract because it’s ugly and heavy, and bar-goers are really just looking for something to vibe or dance to while they have a drink. Some bands, though, traverse the border between house and bar shows, such as the Sunday Love Club.

     On January 16th, I attended an indie show at The 8Ball, a local house venue. When you arrive at the 8Ball, you will see only a house, but upon going around to the back you will find a handful of people hanging out on the back porch chatting and laughing, and someone in a beat up old chair will ask for your money to get in. After handing over the fee, they will mark your hand with a sharpie to verify that you’ve paid (when I run the door I let people decide what I draw on their hand). Once you’ve paid, you will go inside to an in-between room connected to a coat closet on the left, and two bathrooms across from one another. Straight ahead of you from the door is a nice spacious kitchen with a door to the living room where you can find people taking a break from the noise and possibly playing on the old and out-of-tune piano. Now, if we go back to the door that leads you inside, and you look slightly to the left of the kitchen you will see a door leading to the basement, which has steep stairs that creep down to a plethora of rooms to choose from. One room is used to house music gear, another is for folks who sell clothes, the third room for food and socializing, and then the performance space, which features a small and cramped area for the band to perform, and a space to watch the performance that oddly has a raised platform in the back. The 8Ball is my favorite local venue because it feels like someone lives there (which people do), and there’s something really special about someone opening up their space to all of these people who just want to hang out and have fun.

     There were four bands playing at the 8Ball that night; Goose Wizard (indie rock) Pollen (alt/indie rock), Social Cig (midwest indie/skater rock) and the Sunday Love Club (indie/alt rock/shoegaze). All four were excellent but if there is one band that always astounds me, it’s the Sunday Love Club. After their electric set on Friday, I spoke to frontman, Youngjin Ryoo, and asked him about what bands influenced their sound. (scroll down).

“I listened to a lot of indie music growing up, so like The Backseat Lovers, Peach Pit, and a lot of Oasis and Radiohead. So the songs from the first album are coming from this time period where I was exclusively listening to Oasis, Radiohead, and this album called Exile on Main Street by the Rolling Stones, so that’s kinda the mush of the influence.”

This sound and style that they have cultivated is very emotional and powerful, and just heavy enough to still give their sound a punk edge, but not so heavy that you’re gonna be afraid to get your teeth knocked out. Every time I see them I feel inspired to become a better musician. After their set on Friday, everyone filed out of the room with a feeling of joy and belonging, which is exactly what the DIY scene is about. I spoke to probably 10 new people that night alone, and while I may be a more social person, I see people drag their more introverted friends to shows all the time, and they almost always leave with a new friend. When I asked Youngjin about if he thought the DIY scene was accepting he had this to say.

“Oh my god it is one of the most accepting communities. I grew up in this town, so people I knew from high school, whether you're the jockiest jock you’ve ever seen in your life, you're the nerdiest nerd you've ever seen in your life, random girl who doesn't say anything in the corner, like everybody is here and they talk to each other, and it's really the only place for people like us, our age, where people can come together, and it doesn't matter who you are, and you’re accepted, and you don't have to drink, and you’re not gonna get touched.”

     It’s very interesting to go to these shows as an audience member since I also perform at them. I see the same things when I’m onstage that I do when I’m in the audience; people dancing, moshing, talking, meeting new people, and embracing over their shared love of music. It’s just like Youngjin said “It doesn’t matter who you are.” I’ve seen people at shows that I haven’t seen or even talked to in 5+ years, and then we get to talking and it’s a lovely conversation that I keep thinking about for the next week. I’ve seen hardcore goths and frat guys at the same show, and I’ve seen them talk to one another. Everyone that comes to these shows are so different, and we all come together because we all share the love of music.

     When I know that there’s a show I’m going to, it’s at the front of my thoughts until I’m there, and then whenever I leave I can’t wait to go to the next one. My goal is for people to read my articles and feel inspired to come to these shows, to encourage and spark community growth/outreach through music, and to shed light on local bands like the Sunday Love Club who are putting a good name on the young musicians of this town and creating a safe space for young people to hang out and have fun. I’ll be attending more shows in the near future, and you’ll hear plenty about them very soon. Thank you all for reading, and keep rocking on🤘.