SXSWORLD

Brooklyn's Indie Bands Adapt to Growing Gentrifi cation by Linda Laban I from Manhattan rose as a rock & roll hotbed, spawning such bands as LCD Soundsystem and TV on the Radio as well as record labels like Trouble and DFA. Brooklyn, in particular the Williamsburg neighborhood, became not only the hippest rock spot in New York City, but just about anywhere else on the globe, too. But with massive new real estate development swapping out Williamsburg's old warehouse lofts and the beloved hipster hangout McCarren Park Pool for high-end condos and the luxury Hotel Williamsburg, can Brooklyn still maintain its status as the center of the indie rock universe? "Th ere was a moment from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s with all these great bands coming out of Brooklyn. Th ere was defi nitely something in the water," recalls New York City native Kevin Devine. "As a scene, as a brand, it reached critical mass a few years back. You'd be in Sydney, Berlin or Manchester, and someone's talking about Brooklyn. It almost became like a cartoon: the hipster Brooklyn band. But it's teetered off now." "It's still the best place for a band to play Kevin Devine shows and meet people, and get exposure," says Real Estate's Matt Mondanile. "I don't know how great a place it is to live cheaply and Mondanile and his band moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn only a year ago, but have thrived despite the high cost of living. Secret Music's Daniel Fry has a typical record cheaply any more though." Class Actress f there is one place that seems to provide more bands than any other on SXSW 2012's lineup, it is Brooklyn. During the last decade, the New York City borough just across the East River less violence and more places to eat. But there are a lot of people who can't aff ord to live there now," he says. Still, real estate development hasn't killed the scene: its clubs, centered mainly around Williamsburg, are as important for touring bands as playing Manhattan. "It's thriving," says Fry, who lives in Williamsburg. "If you have to strive through the hardships, it's going to make better art. It's hard to gripe about it. I'm cynical, but it's with a smile on my face. Really, we have everything here, everything's still happening here. Rents go up. I live really cheap in the heart of everything, but I'm one of the last of the few." Artists have indeed mostly left Williamsburg, fanning out to neighborhoods such as adjacent Greenpoint, where rent is cheaper and the ambiance still bohemian. "I live in Greenpoint now; when I'm in the Williamsburg central area I feel like I'm at the mall," says Los Angeles native Elizabeth Harper, who fronts chillwavers Class Actress and moved to Brooklyn fi ve years ago. "It's been gentrifi ed," she scoff s. "It's a lot of invest- ment bankers." For all the change, though, in general Brooklyn's music scene is unbowed. story of packing up his truck and heading to the city from central Florida three years ago. He settled in Brooklyn and formed Secret Music with cohort Chase Nicholl. "It's a lot diff erent even since I moved here," Fry says. "It's so hard to be a band in Brooklyn now and work day jobs, and get by." Devine, who spent 22 of his 32 years living in Brooklyn, recalls the area when it was far worse, before bands colonized it. "Williamsburg in the '70s and '80s was a war zone, it was very diff erent. Th e fi rst artist wave got in there in the late '80s, and it became what's there now gradually over time. I'm sure there are people who like that there's 42 Real Estate Secret Music SXSW ORLD / FEBRUAR Y 2012 it's a good thing to have that kind of competi- tion," says Fry. "Th ere's a lot of intermingling of bands with side projects. Th e competi- tion is good for people fi nding better sounds and making better music. You need the col- laboration and competition. It's what makes everybody better." Brooklyn rock's white heat may have cooled, but the scene is strong and healthy without the hype. "I don't think it's ever going away," says Devine of Brooklyn's musical infl uence. "It's never going to be a scene that's lacking for energy, quality or traction. Too many people keep coming to replenish the pool." ■ a place of good vibes and good music," says Harper. "Th ere are a lot of people with a lot of gumption. People move there to work at their music and get stuff done. Other musicians I meet here are busy people. Mondanile says being among so many ambitious bands all contending for the same gigs isn't as cutthroat as it might sound. "I don't think it's that competitive. Maybe there's been certain things, like, 'Oh, why did that band get that good gig,' " he mocks. "But no, it's pretty much friends hanging out." "Th ere's a lot of really good bands here and "It's still SCOTT MARCEAU SHAWN BRACKBILL VICTORIA JACOB NINELLE EFFREMOVA

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