We have a pretty good local scene in the western part of Pennsylvania, around Pittsburgh and Johnstown areas. We've had tons of touring bands from across the country to play in the small town venues. Some of the top of my head include: Remembering Never, Spitalfield, Mae, The beltones, Alexisonfire, Whatever it takes, The Spotlight Syndicate, The A.K.A's....etc. However, there are a couple venues that have shut down over the past couple of years. In the smaller towns it was the noise complaints, in and around the larger cities such as pittsburgh it was the finances.
We are currently trying to open our own venue in this area, eventhough it's one of the smaller towns. We have the floor plans down, and contractors talking with some of the older people of the local scene. We're holding a couple benifit shows to help fund for this new venue. If you have the right people and a hard working local scene, you can do alot.
So...If you are struggling to find a venue, ask around in your area, get some people together and talk about possible venues, or take the puddle dive and start your own. It helps if you have a pretty decent size local scene with older adults for legal reasons. If you put the time and effort into it, its worth it. And of course it will grow over time.
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