From Myspace to Metronome: Inside Salem Oregon's Live Music Culture

Welcome to this week's episode of What's Happening Salem!

In this episode, your hosts sit down at Metronome for a wide-ranging conversation about Salem's live music scene — past, present, and future. From flyering telephone poles in the Myspace era to navigating today's social media landscape, the conversation covers what it really takes to keep local music alive and thriving.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Salem's live music history and the creative venues that made it happen
• How promotion has shifted from handbills and posters to digital — and why both still matter
• The state of Salem's music scene today, and why it's better than people give it credit for
• The challenge of building lasting, consistent music venues in Salem
• Big upcoming shows at the Salem Riverfront Amphitheater (Ice Cube & Slightly Stoopid!)
• A first-time return to the stage after a decade away — and performing Oregon Homeboy live with a full band
• Salem's collaborative vs. competitive music culture, then and now
• Being pro-Salem, pro-development, and what it means to champion your local community
• This week's sponsor: Discover Newport — a perfect 90-minute getaway for a date night on the Oregon Coast

Timestamps:

00:00 – Teasing the April 24th show at The Grand

04:03 – Getting into Salem's music scene

04:38 – Flyering, handbills, and old-school show promotion

05:43 – Legendary Salem venues: The HyperX, The Wasteland, Triangle, and more

08:54 – The challenge of all-ages shows in Salem

11:43 – How Salem's music scene compares to Portland and Eugene

19:13 – Collaboration vs. competition in local music

20:32 – Why Salem's scene gets dogged harder than it deserves

21:53 – What Salem is missing: consistent, long-standing venues

25:10 – Shoutout to Bennett Ave and local music listings

28:27 – Favorite shows performed and attended in Salem

29:06 – Opening for Blue Scholars at Willamette University

31:20 – The Grand taking risks on emerging artists

33:13 – Big acts coming to the Riverfront Amphitheater

34:37 – Sponsor break: Discover Newport

35:53 – 75 Hard update and home workout hacks

37:52 – Returning to the stage and performing with a live band

40:22 – The origin story of Oregon Homeboy going viral on Myspace

42:13 – Writing about Salem's mayoral race and navigating community opinions

43:12 – Being unapologetically pro-Salem and pro-development

44:42 – Cutting through political tribalism and focusing on your local community

46:41 – Wrap-up and sign-off from Metronome