by Christopher Matlack

The often angsty, angry and anarchical archetypes of Richmond’s punk/metal music scene have become singled out and displaced. Yet many members of the local music community remain hopeful and are attracted by the opportunities a college campus atmosphere offers, especially since the town’s primary locales for live performances have disappeared.

The second floor art gallery space of Charlie’s Coffee Bar had a peaceful vibe when vacant, but turned to a vociferous venue for slam-dancing youth several nights a week. However, the replacement of Charlie’s with the restaurant Ghyslain in the Louis Dow building of the Depot District has greatly handicapped hardcore night life. The once thriving bands and their followings have lost their main mosh pit place and stomping ground.

Many of the bands from the Charlie’s days are now disbanded, though the essential core of group members and groupies remains mostly the same. Old faces have given up old favorites such as the hardcore group Coraline in favor of collaborations like the newer hardcore/punk Carrion Vael. Both groups sound alike and have similar lineups, including Richmond’s music scene veteran Charles Angel. 

Other popular groups in this vein include Spunk Ugly and Brooklyn Vampire, which also have similar sounds and often share musicians, some of whom attend Earlham.

Spunk Ugly, formed in early 2007, has cycled through a handful of members over the years. Sophomore Chaney Howe had a stint with this group that ended last year, during which time many of the group’s most successful shows were played at Peace House and Comstock. 

Craig Isaacs, 25, Richmond resident and current guitarist for Spunk Ugly feels the Richmond music scene has changed for the worse and wishes it could be redirected. 

“It is shrinking intellectually, as the new wave of terrible music is expanding at the Outlet … I’d say the scene is devolving.” 

In fact, these bands have begun to leave their Richmond roots and are playing in larger cities like Dayton and Indianapolis, looking for a deeper-minded fan base as well as larger-scale success. Essentially, the only venues in Richmond are residencies (like basement shows) or the aforementioned “Outlet,” which is actually The First Assembly of God church near campus that is known to lend itself for band performances.

Many local punk rockers are clambering for more contact with potential fans from the Earlham community. The thinking seems to be that perhaps an older, more intellectually inclined audience would satisfy the craving for a more evolved crowd. 

“Other than Brooklyn Vampire’s Nate Young, I have little contact with the Earlham community, which is something I’d like to change,” Isaacs said. “Most of our fans [in Richmond] are teenage boys. It’s all 16-year-olds that are trendy sheep. It’s not like it used to be. I think there should be a new Richmond scene based out of Earlham.” 

Indeed, band members who have played on Earlham’s campus report that these shows often have larger and more appreciative crowds. Nate Young, junior at Earlham and guitarist for Brooklyn Vampire, utilizes his position as dual member of the Richmond and Earlham communities in order to unite them.

“Being a member of the Earlham community has actually been a big help so far as playing in the band is concerned,” Young said. “We played a couple of shows at Peace House last year and got really great draws; one time we packed the house. We also played Battle of the Bands last year and were received pretty positively. We actually ended up winning, much to our surprise. We have been fortunate enough, though, that some students come to our out-of-town shows. We had about five come to a show we played in Indianapolis once, and we’re hoping to draw a few more this year.” 

Howe sees positive outcomes for both Earlham and Richmond if the musical gap is bridged in future. 

“There’s plenty of ‘audiophiles’ on campus who are always looking for new bands and sounds, and who can spread the word about local bands, either with the Internet, or by playing their music on WECI, or simply by word of mouth.” 

Howe also added, “I think all Earlham students can really benefit from taking part in something that gets them off campus and interacting with the town and the people who live here.”