The Indie Scene

Performing at music festival, Coachella, Patrick Carney blows the crowd away with his skillful drumming. Indie rock band, The Black Keys once again show through their music what it means to be an Indie individual.

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Performing at music festival, Coachella, Patrick Carney blows the crowd away with his skillful drumming. Indie rock band, The Black Keys once again show through their music what it means to be an Indie individual.

Juliana Martinez, Writer

By definition, the expression Indie means an independently or privately owned business, especially a film or music company that is not affiliated with a larger or commercial company. Indie music is becoming popular within the upcoming generations! No one wants to be a part of the mainstream crowd anymore, I guess. Originating in the early 1980’s, the term Indie came from different parts of the United Kingdom and United States. It ranges from pop, rock, hip hop, and even folk music! Indie has little to do with what kind of style of music you prefer. It is just short for Independent. Therefore, many favored bands including Arctic Monkeys, Mumford and Sons, and Foster The People are considered Indie. Arctic Monkeys have been around since 2002. Their biggest hit single on their AM album “ Do I Wanna Know?” took notice by millions of teens and young adults as alternative and cool. Now, they are more popular than ever. Bands from the early 2000’s are becoming quite popular due to simply one play on the radio or even hearing it play in the background of a favorite store.

Some instruments associated with most Indie bands are guitar, bass, drums, drum machines, keyboard, and vocals. Most pop, hip hop, and rap musicians auto tune their voices. Indie artists, on the other hand, do not. The instruments used in Indie bands are basically the same as any other rock band would use. In addition, Indie bands are known to use keyboards.

What exactly is The Indie Scene? According to most people, anyone who claims to be Indie is the kind of person who would listen to music that is not listened to by other people, or even wear clothing that is not mainstream.  The stereotypical Indie person may attend music festivals and smoke whatever it is that is illegal these days. They may even shop at Urban Outfitters and spend 50 bucks on a pair of high-waisted shorts and a lacy crop top that probably no one will ever see but themselves. They may be found reading books by unknown authors and drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattes while listening to The Black Keys in the backseat of a vintage convertible car.

A key component to the Indie Scene is record players. Record Players have begun to show up in the rooms of many teens because of the media endorsing them now. Vinyls and record players may be found in bookstores across the country due to the booming Indie concept. According to Billboard.com, vinyl album sales hit historic high just in 2014.  Over 9.2 million albums have been sold in the last year. Now how is that for hipster?  Indie culture can only grow from here.