Don't look now, but sometime in the last 10 years the Valley seems to have grown a whole new music scene; one at least as vibrant and populated with excitable young talent as the one geezers like me have been part of since the mid-'90s. And now it's time for them to face the fickle and fearsome scrutiny of their predecessors: the Happy Valley Showdown, brainchild of tireless local booker/promoter Mark Sheehan, pits more than 20 new-ish Valley acts against each other in a friendly-format battle of the bands taking place over several Sundays at The Basement, judged by luminaries of the more established generation of local music heroes/heroines.
The whippersnappers must face the intimidating whims of notorious members of the music snobberati such as Phillip Price, Peyton Pinkerton and Eric Gaffney, to name a few, with each fledgling group allowed three original tunes and one cover song (is this starting to feel like a reality show?). Those who emerge victorious win prizes including a professional photo shoot with Gray World Photography, a double-billed show at the Iron Horse, gift certificates to Pinch and tickets to an Iron Horse Entertainment Group show.
As of this writing, we have yet to witness the outcome of the second round of the Thunderdome ("Five band enter, one band leave!"), though by press time, only one of these acts will be left standing: Futurepunk!, The Cheater's Club, Problem With Dragons, The John Bobbit Experience, or Apocalipstick. Already lining the dome's sandy floor from the first week are the smoking carcasses of Count Westwest, Curious Buddies, Electrogasm and The Trials and Tribulations, all master-blasted by the dark horse Springfield band Flock and Field. Still in the running for the upcoming initial rounds are Ella Longpre, The Thungs, The Steamrollers, Party Wolf, Bunnies, Swill Merchants, Prescription America, Spot On, Running with Karma, Rabbit Rabbit, Matt Silberstein, Los Hijos Unicos, Opel, The Novels and Space Captain.
On the final Sunday, the winners of the initial rounds will duke it out for the grand prize, a full day of laying down tracks at Justin Pizzoferrato's Bank Row Recordings in Greenfield. Emceeing the events is Amanda Freeman of Cloud 9 Productions, who's been kind enough to sacrifice a few paid karaoke gigs to help support local live music, and additional necessary equipment is being provided by Mike Stitsinger and Falcetti Music.
Sheehan's been doing a lot to keep live music alive in the Valley, booking and promoting shows at The Basement and the Sierra Grille and managing a few local acts. He says of this latest effort, "I created this Showdown because I like bringing the older local bands together with the up and coming [ones], and promoting a community of local musicians, because if we fill the rooms with the guys and gals from all the bands in town, the bands will always have an audience and support from each other. Indie rock is fun and this Showdown is meant to be funny… it's like a battle from Bugs Bunny or something."
In light of the legendary former hub of pre-1993 Northampton music (the venerable Sheehan's Cafe, R.I.P.), it would be an odd time-warp if Mark ever opened a club using his surname as the venue's moniker. In the meantime, keep an eye on his dabblings; he seems to have at least a toe on the pulse of Northampton's music scene.?
Check out the remaining rounds of the Showdown on Jan. 20 and 27, and the final battle royale on Feb. 17 at 9 p.m. at The Basement, 21 Center St., Northampton, (413) 586-8686, or check out www.myspace.com/indybattle.
