Here’s something that I often see a lot of people dropping the ball on – respecting your scene elders. They’re the people you see at shows in 2019 who have literally been going to shows since the 70s. It’s still relatively easy to meet people who saw The Ramones back in the day. There are a ton of living people out there who saw all your favorite hardcore bands, back in their heyday. Hell, an even greater number have probably seen the full range of predecessors to today’s modern metal bands. Yet, so often I see people ignore them or try to mine them for personal gain. Here’s the thing though – paying attention to scene elders, giving them their due respect and coordinating with them over the long term is not only going to teach you about our community and lead to rewarding friendships, it will also help grow your own projects. In this article, I want to shine a spotlight on the importance of scene elders and share some insights they’ve taught me over the years.Continue reading →