Locals Only

Locals only is a phrase that is often used to invoke a sense of belonging. It is associated with secret surf spots, hidden gems in the shape of restaurants, and private clubs built around closely held secrets. In today’s world, those things are a lot harder to keep under wraps. The internet has allowed us to discover things that would have once only been known to those who lived in the area. Wanna know the best local restaurant in the town your in? Google it. Wanna know where the sweetest skate spot is within ten miles? Transworld has probably written an article on it. Wanna go swim at a hidden waterfall? Someone has probably blogged about it at least once or twice. The truth is that there are few things left in our society that can be protected by the slogan of “Locals Only”. For a lot of people, particularly those associated with these “hidden gems”, this may be seen as a bad thing. But, in other ways it is a good thing. One of those ways is within the local music scene. Locals Only is a podcast built upon this idea. It exists in order to promote, support, and improve the local scene in any way possible. It looks to capitalize on the age of information by connecting fans to new music, even if that music exists thousands of miles away. Why shouldn’t an awesome band in Michigan be loved by kids in Georgia? Why shouldn’t touring bands play to people who have actually heard of them before, instead of silent crowds who don’t know the lyrics? With the amount of information that we have at our fingertips, we can be “locals” basically anywhere. Locals Only wants to take advantage of this. We want the local scene to reach much farther than one city, state, or region. Locals Only believes that every musician deserves a chance to be heard, that every fan deserves a chance to hear, and that every local scene should get the credit that it is due. We want to support the scene in every way possible whether that means interviewing artists, discussing issues within the culture, or providing support for venues near and far. The exclusionary history of the phrase “locals only” comes from he desire to keep the thing in question from being perverted, commercialized, or ruined by outsiders. It is this sort of commitment that has made local music scenes so great. Locals Only is committed to the local scene. Not OUR local scene, but ALL local scenes. We want to be a partner and a helping hand to fans, bands, and venues alike. However, we dont want to be the only ones. We would love for you to be a part of what we are doing. If you’re down with that then we’re down with you. Let’s grow the scene together.