The University of Massachusetts is an institution that nurtures the minds of many, helping students reach their personal and academic goals. However, UMass is not just known for its academics.
The culture and community of Amherst is a great counterbalance to the stress of the academic world that all college students are inherently a part of, and it’s still growing. Downtown Amherst not only provides a place for students to relax and unwind, but also provides a space for students who want to pursue more than what’s going on inside the classroom. It gives them a space to thrive with the support of those around them.
Amherst’s unique environment is what helped musicians like Hooper James, Usually Underground, and the East Coast Oracles build their reputations, as it gave them a platform to test out their sound and in the process, receive a lot of feedback.
The town of Amherst, in conjunction with the University, has always preached the need to support local businesses, groups, and people. UMass culture is about uplifting and supporting the community around us in an ongoing cycle of giving and receiving. It isn’t all as easy and smooth-going as it sounds, However, in a conversation I had with Hooper James, a local rapper, he said that while he feels tremendous support from a majority of those in our community, there are people who shrug him off in doubt.
“People are going to hate and doubt, but that just reflects on themselves,” James says with a smile.
Despite some of this pushback, James confirms that these few naysayers are only a small percentage of the community and in fact, he has no trouble finding venues to perform at.
“People usually reach out to me and they’re like ‘hey we have an opportunity for you this day, would you like to do it?’ And I’m like yeah, every single time,” Hooper said.
The reciprocal nature of Amherst’s music scene is perfectly encapsulated by this. Students who need a break from the academic world give their time and money to see performers like Hooper, which gives them a platform to share their talent, while at the same time doing something they love and furthering their reputation. This transaction also gives local places, like the Drake, a chance to earn money and give back to the community.
Unfortunately, not everyone feels the same warm welcome from the community that Hooper described. Liam Stapleton and Gabriel Grimes, who are both members of the musical groups. East Coast Oracles and Usually Underground, painted a slightly different picture. The East Coast Oracles is a rap group that currently includes Gabriel Grimes, Liam Stapleton, Mosiayah Harvey Ahmai, Nehemiah Caradwyn and Sam Cove. Grimes explained that the original intent of the group was to build a hip-hop community as at the time they were starting, the music scene in Amherst almost exclusively consisted of bands. As time went on, Stapleton and Grimes both branched out, starting to doing their own sets DJing while still contributing to the East Coast Oracles.
“People really started latching on to the hip-hop underground scene and also the electronic music scene,” Grimes said.
A separate group, Usually Underground, was formed recently, with their first performance being at the annual Blarney Blowout in March. This group includes Karmen Schmidt, who goes by Karmen, Thomas Cossingham, who goes by number7sounds, Stapleton, who goes by Tech Node, and Grimes, who goes by The Finder. During this whole performing process both groups found that they were in conflict with what they wanted to play, and what they thought they should be playing in order to gain a following.
In terms of places to perform, Stapleton and Grimes both expressed how difficult it was at first to find people who were willing to let them perform. They experienced some pushback from locals who were hesitant to let them play because their music wasn’t ‘conventional.’
“Venues are pretty reluctant to do hip-hop events and house events because they don’t see the money-making side of it, ” Stapleton said.
The difference in how music artists are treated based on the genre of music they play showcases that even though the UMass community currently supports many local artists, the music scene here still really does need to expand. Not only allow more people a platform to make and perform their music, but also to allow concert goers the chance to experience the music they like live, no matter how obscure their tastes may be.
In the end, over the past few years, the music scene in Amherst has shown growth, but it’s obvious that it still has a long way to go and there’s so much potential for that to happen in a way that not only benefits local artists, but also local businesses, students, and even the University.
Katie Seda can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @KatieSeda_.
