Music in Redding California

by

Albert Raken

Growth of the Redding Music Scene

I was probably about fourteen when I first started going to shows in Redding. It was exciting. We would go to shows at the Plumber s Hall with bands such as A Case for Radio and EjLife. It was really a diverse music scene back then with everything from acoustic to rock to rap and industrial and punk. All sorts of bands would play at shows together.

As a result the Redding shows would get bigger and then eventually get shut down. The scene moved from venue to venue looking for a place to stay. It passes through the Lyons Hall, Boy Scout clubs and whatever hall they could rent just to have some bands play for no money.

Another big growth for the Redding music scene was the Millville Grange. Shows there would average 150 people. The venue was large so it didn t look that full, but it was. As with many venues the building was shut down due to fighting and underage drinking. So Redding music was off to find a new home.

Even though the venues were shutting down the Redding music scene itself was growing and scenes were starting to split off. Punk became a huge movement in Redding music at that point with bands like 3 out of 4 and the Rowdies. Musically it was a very exciting time, but the activities with 15-20 year olds playing punk shut down even more venues and the Redding music scene was reduced to house parties, garages, and generators in fields.

Punk dominated the scene for a few years and then kids started to have enough of their shows being shut down and hardcore straight edge moved in. The kids thought they were making a huge difference, but the violence that came out of that pyridine shift in the Redding music scene was even more detrimental to the venues and there we even a few law suits.

That s not to say that no great bands came from that era in Redding s music life. NCS and Set it Straight had huge followings. The Straight Edge Hardcore scene was not all that different from the punk scene. Bands singing about working together to make a change and fans doing the exact opposite. Little, if any, of the violence or other drug issues were actually caused by the bands themselves.

Redding bands finally found a home at the Red White and Brew, but it was too little too late. The world had shifted. Scenes were no longer homes for lost people to find refuge. Scenes had become hairstyles. Disposable music had hit Redding in a big way and Redding music was going to suffer for it.

Just as business started to boom and more and more bars and venues opened up looking for music people started to care a little less about what that music was. It seems that music is no longer something that the youth use to define themselves. People no longer seem to band together just to bring music to the Redding area.

I still have hope. Hope that music in Redding will find a sound and influence the world in a positive artistic way. With the amalgamation of the world s arts via the internet we are probably not in for a future where each location will have its own sound and flavor, but I would like to see that for Redding. Redding music has a sound. It just needs to be remembered and polished and delivered.

Music in Redding California

has been a passion of mine from day one. I have promoted shows and

events in Redding

since high school and will continue for quite some time.

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