What do Fleetwood Mac, Earth, Wind & Fire, Lionel Richie, Janet Jackson and Billy Joel all have in common? They're just some of the iconic artists who have performed at UNC-Chapel Hill over the years. Many of these artists were brought to campus by Jubilee, the annual spring music festival that began in 1963.
Chapel Hill has long been a hotspot for creatives of all kinds, and the college town’s flourishing music scene is no exception. From rising stars like MJ Lenderman (whose performance at Cat’s Cradle was recently profiled in GQ), to the Americana string quartet Mipso, to the electropop two-piece Sylvan Esso, countless bands have gotten their start in Chapel Hill’s artistic milieu.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. Formed in Chapel Hill in 1989, the punk rock band Superchunk was one of the most beloved groups to come out of the explosion of the underground punk movement. Their success eventually allowed them to create Merge Records, an independent label which now represents more than 60 artists, including Neutral Milk Hotel and Waxahatchee.
This musical culture encourages creativity among UNC students, manifested in the countless student bands one can watch perform on any given weekend night. From the folk-rock, alt-country fiddling of the Davie Circle Band to the melodic septet Braless, it’s hard to avoid hearing great music drifting through the air of Chapel Hill. Many of these groups get their start as cover bands at fraternity parties, house shows or bars, but eventually start creating their own original music — both Davie Circle and Braless have original singles or EPs. They fold into a long-standing Chapel Hill tradition of independent music’s excellence alongside Dillon Fence and Watchhouse.
In recent years, though, it seems that the music climate is not as robust as it once was, despite having tons of student bands deserving of the explosive support campus musicians have historically received. Limitations on the music scene keep much of the student body ignorant to the vibrant world of student artists.
The issue certainly isn’t with the initiative or the musical resources — it’s more to do with the pipeline of such skill into inaccessible venues, preventing casual enjoyers from embracing their college music scene in all its glory. Barred by noise restrictions in neighboring areas and a lack of public venues, most bands and performers resort to playing at semi-crowded frat parties or bars along Franklin Street.
In these types of venues, music is most often not the focus of the event. The skill of the performer, however notable, will undoubtedly be overshadowed by the lack of accessibility, the pain of acquiring pre-purchased e-tickets and a tipsy crowd that favors recognizability over talent ("play 'Free Bird'!"). These are not the places that sustain budding bands brimming with ideas. In short, they’re killing the music scene across Chapel Hill.
These infrastructural issues hinder the cohesion of the music scene and, with it, what should be a key part of our college's culture. When bands have the ability to perform in more democratized spaces, like a free-entry house show, they are able to reach a broader audience and solidify a sense of community centered around creativity and expression. A strong musical community gives students an outlet for relaxation and expression while also giving them an artist to collectively rally around and support; similar to the way we cheer on UNC student-athletes on game days.
Just look to other schools like Appalachian State University and N.C. State University. The former is known for its vibrant music scene and plethora of indie bands, and the latter for an alumni act, Weston Estate, proudly supported by its student base. The culture that local music contributes to helps generate a great sense of school pride, bolstering the student experience. We know that student bands can blossom here — even with infrastructural and other community barriers, it’s time for UNC students to foster a space where our music culture can regenerate.
