Music

Celebrating 10 years of local music:

Julie Seabaugh

Laurie Steele, creator and host of KOMP 92.3-FM’s Homegrown Show

The good: “Being recognized not just in Las Vegas for what I do, but being recognized from outside. There was a guy in Canada who interviewed me for a book, and I was the only radio person he talked to. Being included in BBC documentaries about The Killers and Panic at the Disco. Having A&R people call me up and want info on bands.”

The bad: “The rise and fall of clubs … They’re like mushrooms after a rain. Trying to make the bands understand what I’m trying to do. If I tell them they’re not good enough for airplay, some of them take it in the spirit it’s intended, and they continue working, improve what they’re doing and resubmit. But some bands are of the impression that if you’re doing a local-music show, you should play all of the local bands regardless of how good or bad they may be. If you didn’t have to work to get on the show, it wouldn’t mean anything to be on it.”

The trendy: “There’s been a lot of changes in the local scene. Over 10 years you see cycles come and go. You can see it with bigger trends in music from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s. Screamo was big for a while, and it’s starting to fade out. I don’t know what the next phase is going to be. It seems there’s more of a return to straight-ahead rock ’n’ roll right now. Even if there’s a heavier edge there are clean vocals; you can actually hear what they are saying. Guitar solos are starting to return to music after a long absence.”

The achievement: “It’s the longest-running show of its type. There are some other programs that feature local music, but they either haven’t been around as long or they’ve had different hosts over the years. The bands that have been around for a while and remember what it was like when there wasn’t support have stuck by the show, just like I’ve stuck by them.”

10-Year Anniversary concert and compilation CD-release show with Happy Campers, Corner Stone, Ill Figures and Slow Children. February 16, 9 p.m., free (21+). Sunset Station’s Club Madrid, 547-7777.

  • Get More Stories from Thu, Feb 14, 2008
Top of Story