Lenny Kravitz has too much going on. The 47-year-old multiplatinum rocker is hitting the road to promote his ninth album, “Black and White America,” which was released last year.A few years ago, Greg Locke made a pilgrimage to his own personal mecca.
The longtime pop-culture specialist for Whatzup magazine decided to move with his wife to the music hub that is Seattle. He got a job as a manager at a downtown Seattle record store.
“Sounds great, right? Ehh,” he writes in an e-mail. “It wasn’t. There’s loads of music culture there, but it’s different. People there are either fans in the crowd or minor celebrities on the stage. In Fort Wayne, it’s like we’re all in it together. People are forever working together on things, helping each other. Growing together.
“I never felt that in Seattle. I spent much of my time in Seattle talking to music people about the Fort Wayne scene, and why, as far as local music goes, Fort Wayne is a more interesting place to live right now than Seattle.”
Locke and his wife made their way back to Fort Wayne for various reasons, and now Locke has decided to make a documentary about the Fort Wayne music scene. He’ll have a fundraiser tonight at the Brass Rail, with entertainment provided by Thundolah, Lee Miles & the Philistines, Streetlamps for Spotlights, and Castles.
Locke says local bookers like Nate Utesch, Kevin Hambrick, John Commorato Jr., R. Mike Horan, C. Ray Harvey and Matt Kelley have brought a college-town feel to the Fort Wayne music scene.
“These guys are making us look like a real college town on the Pollstar and Ticketmaster concert listing pages,” he writes. “I never thought that would happen in Fort Wayne. I remember Clem Snide coming in 2001 in support of Ben Folds; I thought that would be the only truly cool show I ever saw here.
“But now Clem Snide loves Fort Wayne,” Locke writes. “I got an e-mail a few weeks ago from Clem’s frontman, Eef Barzelay, telling me that he hopes to kick off all his tours here. He jokes about moving here. Unthinkable just two years ago, really.”
Locke intends to use the Fort Wayne music scene, with its mix of hot touring acts and gifted locals, as a prism through which to explore what is happening on the national scene.
“We’re in the middle of the most transformative era for recorded music since the invention of the phonograph,” he writes. “None of us know for sure where things will end up, but it’s fun to think about.”
Locke says Chuck Surack and Christopher Guerin of Sweetwater Sound are helping him with fundraising ideas.
You can follow Locke’s progress and help him achieve his goals at www.fortwaynerockdoc.com.
