A bunch of us at the Daily Bruin recently received an e-mail from a publication looking to profile different college-town scenes around the country. The idea, ostensibly, was to have college students in each of the towns do the writing, keeping the coverage authentic and raw, or college-y, or something.
I like all e-mails phrased like opportunities, so this seemed exciting at first. That is, until I thought about to what the term “college-town music scene” would apply in Westwood.
Westwood is a useful destination for a great many things ““ I can make copies every weekday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., there are plenty of opportunities to get hit up for cash on the street, and shopping for groceries is a generally easy thing to do. But when it comes to the idea of a music scene, or a traditional “college town,” there’s nothing to be found.
It’s not all terrible ““ Westwood, as subdivisions of Los Angeles go, is hardly a cultural philistine. When you summarize the opportunities to see music within walking distance from the dorms or village apartments, it becomes clear that there exists ample opportunity for musical stimulation.
UCLA Live can be counted on for a concert every two weeks or so, with programming at a world-class level, and often offers student tickets. Fowler Out Loud does a great job turning a museum courtyard into a free-admission showcase of student talent. The music department has more personal recitals and concerts than can easily be listed. And in what is closest to the images evoked by the phrase college-town music scene, Campus Events turns Kerckhoff into a hipster mecca every month or so. Off campus, however, is largely empty, except for the occasional uninspired street performer.
I hate to be simplistic, but when I compare what is considered a real scene ““ like the venues on Sunset, from the El Rey to the Echo ““ there’s really one thing other than the consistency of the events that separates it from our non-scene, and that is booze.
It’s not that alcohol is necessary for the appreciation of music, or that people won’t show up to learn something from a concert if they can’t drink. Rather, the reason we don’t have a college scene is because we don’t have a way to incorporate low-cost musical experiences with a holistic perspective on nightlife.
When you go out to a show, the venue is a complete destination, not some brief and educational stop along the way. It provides all the elements necessary for a Thursday or a weekend ““ social opportunities, performances, dancing and, of course, booze.
I can only assume that rent costs in Westwood are too prohibitively high for students to establish any sort of venue in town. The campus administration, on the other hand, seems unwavering in its commitment to a sober and dry UCLA ““ I doubt we can expect a bar on campus any time soon, whatever the campaign promises.
But until one of these options comes to fruition ““ whether it be the establishment of a campus bar that can serve up nights of amateur college music, or the miraculous acquisition of a performance space somewhere in Westwood ““ our music scene is going to resemble something more like a museum than anything connoted by the word “college.”
If you think alcohol dilutes the musical experience, e-mail LaRue at alarue@media.ucla.edu.