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During my mid to late teens this region of Victoria had so many bands coming through on tour that I actually had trouble finding the time and money to catch them all. The local University and concert hall were so busy that the tours flowed over into local pubs and bars; there were that many performances. Today this is become a trickle of shows, virtually none at the Uni, no one decent at the pubs and with only the faithful punters or those out to see the latest cool group attending the local gig spot. A former singer, who once played locally, that I watched as a teen, was working for Killing Heidi selling their merchandise. This is a guy who should have been on stage, but because of the decline in demand for bands, is stuck selling for other bands rather than his own. He was defiant about continuing to perform despite the downturn and it wasnt just a matter of not being able to do anything else, but he had to play music as if it was in his blood. He agreed that the old scene was a very privileged time to be a music lover, for those involved in putting together the events and those who attended. What caused the decline? It could have been any number of things, music piracy, less national support for the arts, the reduction in state grants for underage gigs, increases in costs and the moving away from live performances to TV and movie idols who have the power of big advertising machines on their side (Delta Goodrem is one performer who is way over exposed). The worst part about this decline is that the young people have nothing to do and in my own town they are even turning to Country and Western Music (sorry, I'm not a big fan). This change in musical emphasis has alienated the majority of locals and international uni students who spend time here. They feel they have to buy a big hat, a big dusty Ute and cowboy boots just to fit in. This has happened in a place that was once more interested in diversity than the status quo and has been virtually invaded by people from far off smaller towns. Heres hoping that the trends and conditions change again for the better. For more on the band visit: http://www.killingheidi.com.au For Violet Town info go to: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ncas/multimedia/gazetteer/list/violettown.html See Matts blog at: http://lightofthequasar.blogspot.com/ Copyright Matt Holt, 2004 AUTHOR: Matt Holt (UNV)  TAGS: Cheers time government Movie Music Film work tv musicians BOOKMARK: Digg it | Add to Del.ICIO | Add to FARK ACTIONS: Comment Save Print Register free acount 
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