Oh Emo, I Love You So Much That It's Killing Us Both

Q and Not U announced that they were breaking up late last week. This comes just a few weeks after Engine Down announced that they are calling it quits as well. I've gotten used to this happening lately, as nearly every band I've loved in the last ten years has broken up in the last five. I understand that this is, of course, part of the natural aging process. The members of these bands are (mostly) about my age, and my priorities have shifted and theirs have as well. I can respect that. I also understand that what made a lot of sense musically at 20 just doesn't hold the same urgency at 30. Many of these guys have expressed an interest in working on other musical projects, and it's safe to assume that what they're trying to say is, "I'm tired of shouting on stage all night for gas money, I need to work on my rock opera."

But I'm beginning to wonder if this break up phenomenon isn't part of something larger, some fundamental change in music. Independent rock and roll music in the DC area has been primarily defined by a specific sound- an angry, loud, aggressive style with an eye on rhythym and structure that could turn even the most noisy song into a catchy tune. I don't have the talent or the background to describe the history of the DC music scene with any accuracy, and that has already been done terrifically anyway, but I do feel like a brief description is necessary. Rock and roll in DC, specifically punk, hardcore, and indie rock, is about emotion and musical sensibility. It's about making you think and moving your ass at the same time.

Or should I say, it was about those things. We've lost nearly every band that embraced those ideals.

And I can't help but notice that as the genuine articles are packing it in and taking day jobs, the airwaves are choked with so-called 'emo' bands that sure sound a hell of a lot like my music. Now granted, the production is ten times better and the boys in the band are a lot cuter, but if you can't hear DC in this major label crap then you're either in denial or you're not paying attention. These kids grew up on Fugazi and Jawbox, and they've melded it with Green Day and Nirvana. They've glossed over and perfected a style that was deliciously imperfect and edgy when it was being played here. It's like someone recorded the sounds of the Wilson Center, Fort Reno, and the Black Cat, put it into a computer and polished it up, and out came Now That's What I Call Emo Volume 19.

I wonder if this trend in popular music has had any influence on the break-up decisions of so many of my bands. I wonder if J. Robbins ever catches MTV and wants to strangle these handsome little bastards who have made DC rock and roll mainstream. Maybe he is actually happy. Maybe I should be as well. Our music won. It's not the same, it's lost its edge and a lot of its relevance. But it's a hell of a lot better than the rest of the pop music wasteland. Maybe it's a logical progression from underground to mainstream. And maybe it's my cue to start acting like a grownup and let the kids have their rock.

But goddamn it, I still want to rock. I still think heaven is a sweaty rock and roll club, a Budweiser, and a bummed cigarette. And what the hell am I supposed to do with all these Chuck Taylor's, black nerd glasses, and band t-shirts?