What ever happened to creativity? What ever happened to all-ages shows? What ever happened to having a do-it-yourself mentality? What happened to saying no? For musicians, these questions are all over Fairfax. Why does Fairfax have to stay a corporate town instead of a thriving musical scene? Sure, there’s venues like Mobius Records, Clubs and Bars in Old Town Fairfax, Music and Arts, and even friends houses to play music in, but in the end, there really isn’t anywhere to go if you want to pursue a musical path. 

It’s about time Fairfax has a change. More and more local bands are springing up around the county and more people are learning about this uprising. Fairfax lacks any emotional integrity or community for musicians, even though music can bring freedom to anyone who listens. People used to create new noises, new sounds, and help their communities by spreading their own thoughts of problems across town through their art and music. There used to be love for one another and a shared community in-between musicians, and we’ve reverted to minding our own business and following the traditional, corporate path.

New bands emerging from Fairfax only get their shot to preform at school pep rallies or, due to a lack of in-person opportunities, posting popular videos on social media. There isn’t anything wrong about posting on social media, but the repetition of similar videos ruins any new ideas bands may have. New bands are forced to stick to popular ideas and trends around social media such as guess the drummer, guitarist or bassist, without any creativity or ingenuity. At first, these videos are all innocent fun, but until they start to gain popularity and traction, they stick to the same ideas. Social media is ruining creativity from bands afraid of losing the algorithm’s attention. Without the fear of social media popularity, bands would start to come up with new ideas for songs and areas to gig since they don’t have to try and impress anyone. Music is all about personal freedom, learning to accept yourself, and creating your own noise. Fairfax needs a change in the music industry, so we can unite and express gratitude towards one another. If you are in a band and interested in gigging, go to local parks, record stores, restaurants, woods, house parties – whatever! Try and keep the spirit of freedom, punk, and music alive, because without music, Fairfax would just turn into another suburbia in America.