In Wes Marvin's eyes, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Spokane's music community had a vital urgency that he imagines was similar to Seattle when grunge was on the rise.
"I was feeling like Spokane had something that felt unique and that was going to be part of something bigger to grow," says Marvin, the drummer for local hardcore bands Spøøky and Blacktracks.
Once the pandemic came along, that unique something felt like it was stifled by stay-at-home orders and social distancing.
The pandemic was a period of ebb and flow. We lost bands, as members could no longer practice together, and venues, like The Pin. But we also gained new musicians, who picked up instruments that had previously been gathering dust, and opened "new" venues, like The Chameleon, which took over the former Lucky You Lounge.
Five years after the pandemic began, there's a sense of normalcy once again when it comes to live music. We dance and drink together at shows, event calendars are once again full of things to do, and passenger vans and tour buses are again common fixtures near venues.
But how is Spokane's music scene really doing?
Marvin is encouraged by the uptick in younger bands featuring musicians who came of age during the pandemic and have since exploded onto the scene.
"There was a lull there for a second where a lot of the same old bands were filling the gaps and a lot of bands broke up," he says. "But then all of a sudden, little baby bands — that's what we call them — of young kids playing some heavy shit all just started popping up one at a time."
With the rise in younger bands, Ryan Levey, who took over as the owner and talent booker at the Big Dipper two years ago, has also noticed an increase in younger fans at shows. Five to 10 years ago, he says, it would be tough to find younger people at concerts, but after the pandemic, "it has been way the hell better."
"There's a lot more bands, there's a huge younger generation that are into music these days," says Leavey, who has been booking shows around town since 2008. "I think there's been a big shift in pop culture and what kids are into these days, and they're coming back to shows, and it's awesome. It's great to see kids wanting to get out of the house and go experience arts and culture."
Kent Shelton, general manager of the Knitting Factory since 2021, has also seen an increased interest in local acts. About three years ago, he and his team converted the District Bar into a 250-capacity venue after it'd previously just been a place concertgoers could eat and drink before or after shows at the Knit.
With a smaller stage, Shelton says he has more opportunities to reach out to local bands to either open for a touring artist or perform at a showcase of local acts. He can also build relationships with bands from out of town who aren't yet able to sell 1,500 tickets and introduce them to local audiences.
"It's went from being a place where we were doing a couple shows a month to having a calendar probably just as busy as the big room," he says.
While celebrating the good, Levey and Shelton acknowledge there's always room for improvement.
Levey wants to see a mainstay music festival in Spokane and more local artists play the Pavilion. He would also like the city to do away with the admissions tax they collect from each venue. Instead, fans could use that money to support bands by buying merch or venues by buying food and drinks.
Levey and Shelton are both quick to say that, gripes aside, they're proud to be part of Spokane's music scene. They're proud of the musicians who dare to share their work onstage and proud of concertgoers who support the musicians night after night.
At the end of the day, when the house lights go down and the stage lights go up, the electricity in the air is the result of performers, venues and the audience working together to keep the city's music scene as vibrant as possible.
In short, they celebrate the work those on both sides of the stage have done to breathe new life into the scene after the pandemic.
"The young kids that are starting the new bands and keeping the scene going are pulling their weight as much as we are," Marvin says. "That's super encouraging. I think it still has a lot of recovery to do, but I think our scene is thriving." ♦
