Robin Montagne
One evening in 1997, I drove down Gratiot in my gun-metal gray Horizon to the Eastgate Shopping plaza. It looks like everyone in Michigan showed up because, the lot was so full, I drove around 20 minutes trying to find a space. Finally, I ended up at the far end of the shopping center nearest the 7-11 across the street.
Interestingly, those cars were not there to see bands like Motley Crüe, Judas Priest or Guns 'N' Roses. No, they came to see Distorted View, Devil's Night and HMR. And the club isn't Joe Louis Arena, Cobo Hall or the State Theater, it's The Ritz.
With tickets in hand, I open the door. An extraordinarily tall man, called, "Tiny", looked at my ID and tightly wrapped a red paper band around my wrist. Then, I stood in a line of people just to go through a second entrance leading to the main theater. As I look around, the place I recognize the regulars, a few folks off the beaten path and the rest are musicians. The amazing part, there were over 1,000 people in attendance and over half of them are in other bands.
As for me, I was new to the local music scene and didn't understand the culture. Yet, the interactions are friendly and humorous. I can tell the bands competed for popularity, however, they weren't malicious. Actually, they supported one another like family. Consequently, the bands that drew the biggest invited the lesser-knowns to play with them, to gain more exposure.
Nowadays, I don't see that type of camaraderie. Many of the bands are in a constant rivalry with everyone else. What happened? Is it because there is a different generation of musicians in Michigan, or is it when the owner destroyed The Ritz society disintegrated, too? A part of me thinks this is true, because I see the same people who frequented The Ritz that acquired a drum-solo perspective. Many of the musicians are now in other bands, but they no longer pick the newbies up when they falter.
In 2001, I became a manager and promoter. I experienced threats of physical harm by musicians whose egos overshadowed their band's popularity. Simply because I didn't give them the time-slot they wanted. Things like that didn't happen when the Detroit scene was synergistic. But, every time I booked a show, I worried which superficial jerk I ask to, "Step off!" And I wasn't the only one dealing with the nonsense, bar owners had to thwart the demanding ones, too.
Yet, as life would have it, most of the older musicians have grown wiser. Now they understand that it isn't about how you become successful but who you've treated with respect along the way. Many inexperienced musicians will learn that lesson each time they stretch their strings to the next chord. However, the veterans can become teachers and mentors to the young ones by showing them how to prevent swiftly reverting to the minor scale.
