by Seth Bartholdi
There was a time when Bennington had a healthy music scene. Bands played in bars like Ryan’s, Madison’s or the more recent Doug’s to make a little money, both Bennington College and SVC had music programs that were very active, and Mount Anthony Union High school was producing concerts to showcase its talented, more musically inclined students. However, in the past three or four years, that scene has slowly been dying. Little by little, places to play for bands and DJs have started to disappear and so music has as well.
The lack of music in the town of Bennington has resulted in a very stagnant main street for young people. When someone says “there’s nothing to do in this town,” they’re not exaggerating. Just five years ago, there was a full-time venue in Bennington called “Knapp’s Underground,” which booked rock and alternative bands a few times a month. It was all ages and did rather well on attendance at first. For the older crowd, JC’s, Ryan’s and Madison’s booked live music regularly as well, keeping main street thriving, as well as frequent outdoor events showing local talent like Mayfest, Bennington Battle Day and “Music in the park,” However as the town has changed, it has lost much of these events and venues due to various disturbances and problems which has resulted in the stale nightlife the town has now.
The beginning of the problem was the struggling bar scene. The relationship between bar owners and performers is a delicate one; If one feels that the other has slighted them, typically that working relationship ends. Many bands and DJs came to have problems with particular bars which meant less places to play. Another piece is the shift in dynamic. Some places, such as Madison’s shifted focus away from live music to help bolster the
restaurant end of their business. JC’s developed “a reputation for fights,” according
to a former patron resulting in slower business. Ryan’s just recently closed its doors
due to an assault as well. The venue Knapp’s Underground gained a reputation for
“Not paying it’s bands” according to a former patron, resulting in its closing four or
five years ago. While another venue, The Nest, did open up in 2010, it was shut down
in 2013 due to “financial and legal issues,” according to the owner. All of this left the town almost devoid of live music options.
The Colleges, being SVC and Bennington College have an active, localized scene. Both schools have open mic events for their students and hire out for a live band. These events have higher attendance compared to the few open mics that happen at cafes in town. This is due to the events being “….Poorly promoted. I don’t think the school does a very good job connecting to entertainment in the town,” according to an SVC student. The colleges seldom advertise events the town is putting on, resulting in low student involvement in Bennington, which was the common belief held by students the Paper interviewed. This is not the end of the issue either, as the student continued“…. The town doesn’t show much interest in promoting the local talent. I’m sure lots of local bands would love to do shows
at the colleges…. The town seems very hush hush about it” This creates a sort of rift in between the struggling scene of the town and the localized talent at both colleges, with no one reaching out to the other successfully.
All that’s really left for the town in the forms of live music are South Street Café and Madison’s (who recently began booking acoustic acts again). For a scene to flourish again, it would take “a full collaboration from all parties. The town, the colleges, the local businesses; everyone would have to have a hand in it,” said a Bennington College student. The problems that exist can be remedied if everyone cooperates and advertises for each other. One idea would be to collaborate on a network with Cat TV (the local television network) and local radio. Not only would this bolster a music industry here, but it
could create a stronger bond between SVC, Bennington College, and the town itself.