Report: Wichita's Rock And Metal Scene Is Thriving

January 29, 2006

Jillian Cohan of The Wichita Eagle has issued the following report:

As the sun set outside the Cotillion Ballroom, Steven Gisich stamped his feet to stay warm, a prairie wind pushing back his long hair and sending the chill through his IRON MAIDEN T-shirt. He's the biggest metal fan among them, Gisich's friends said as they waited to see ANTHRAX perform Jan. 17. "There's not a flaw as far as I can see, except that it's a dying genre," Gisich said.

His observation set off a debate with a few of the other fans in line, mimicking a perennial music industry argument.

Critics have pronounced metal's demise time and again since the 1970s, when acts like LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH ruled arenas. In Wichita, though, heavier music is alive and well.

While the market for pop concerts seems DOA, hard rock and metal acts regularly schedule tours in the area, banking on a passionate fan base and a musical style that endures regardless of Top 40 trends.

"A lot of people are wanting to hear metal because (mainstream) radio can get mundane and repetitive," said Aaron Allen, a DJ who goes by the name Cooper on T-95 FM's weekend metal show.

In the past few months, top-selling artists like P.O.D. and MUDVAYNE have rocked the Cotillion. This weekend the sold-out Winterfresh Snocore tour came to town, featuring SEETHER, SHINEDOWN and a slew of other artists. In March, NINE INCH NAILS will take the stage at the Kansas Coliseum.

Read the rest of the article at this location.

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).