Becoming a rock star is an age-old dream, but today’s starving artists are just trying to get recognition and likes on Facebook.
“I’m Ross, this is Sam. We’re The States. We’re gonna play some new shit for you guys tonight.”
Ross Gerard looks behind him at his bandmate and roommate, Sam Zinski, and nods his head.
The crowd of about 30 people filling the basement of Be Here Now and the bar upstairs clap and holler. The heavy strums of Ross’s electric guitar and the pounding of Sam’s drum kit fill the small venue.
This basement is where local Muncie bands play for free beer and recognition. They play for the hope of creating a fan base, the hope of getting their music to the world, and the hope of making a living.
It’s in that basement that Ross and Sam played open mic nights, trying to get some sort of acknowledgement from the owner. It’s there that they chatted with other bands and other people in the Muncie music scene. It’s also where they’re now playing shows almost every other week.
This is their dream—to perform their music for people.
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Continue reading on The Atavist for the complete multimedia story.
