Listening Party: Help Wanted

One of the very first regular features I started writing for the Spark was Listening Party. This shouldn’t be terribly surprising, as Spartanburg has massive, largely undocumented local music scene just begging to be examined. And, since I’ve spent much of my professional career writing about music, it seemed only fitting that I make regular music reviews part of the site.

But, as often happens when you write about two bands a week for 40 or so weeks straight, eventually you start to feel a little fatigued. That’s a bad thing: You can start repeating yourself, you can get lazy, and you can certainly become a little resentful of the obligation to fairly criticize a variety of music. Don’t worry, I’m not there yet, but last week I was called out on what was an admittedly sloppy and half-hearted review of local Christian rock outfit Half Mile Marathon.

Thankfully, this was pointed out to me in short order, and I managed to actually address the problem I’d created in the comments, but was something of a wake-up call. I’m starting to play fast and loose with these reviews, and that’s not fair to the bands or to the readers of the Spark.

Which means I need to find a local writer — or a group of them — that would actually enjoy writing about the local music scene on a regular basis. That means people who are willing to listen to bands they don’t particularly like, in genres they might not care very much about (or even loathe) with a critical eye. It’s not enough to say whether or not they like a band or performer; they have to explain why they feel they way they do about the music and the band, and in terms we can all understand.

It’s tougher than it sounds, actually.

So, today, I’m issuing a challenge for anyone based in Spartanburg County. Listening Party needs more voices, and more views. It needs people who can improve on the existing foundations I’ve built. It requires a basic aptitude for the written word, a critical eye, and — this is important — a belief that the music being made in Spartanburg today is as capable of important and relevant as anything being made anywhere in the world.

How do you apply? That’s the tricky part.

You have to write a complete review of a local (based in Spartanburg) band, linked to a MySpace or other similar site where we can all hear the same music you’re writing about. Once you’ve written it, paste it for all to see in the comments below.

You can write about a band I’ve already covered (just click the “Listening Party” tag at the end of this post for the archive), or, for extra credit, you can write about one I haven’t. That’s all there is to it.

For extra-extra credit, listen to a genre of local music you’d never listen to on your own. In fact, something you suspect you’ll hate. And then try critically examine not only what the music is, and why it doesn’t appeal to you, but where you think the music succeeds on its own terms.

I’m not looking for a literary genius with an encyclopedic knowledge of musical theory and pop music history. I’m looking for someone who can honestly talk about what they’re hearing, and perhaps give us a little insight on it.

Anyone out there willing to take up this challenge?