San Antonio Metal

Being in a metal band myself, i thought i would take it upon myself to bring to attention the fact that metal is very well still alive. I will try to the best of my abilities to try to bring you into the side of San Antonio you may have not thought existed. First lets start with someone who knows a little bit about the San Antonio metal scene.
Located on 512 Roosevelt Ave. is the club where many up and coming bands get their first taste of playing live, my band even had our first gig there. The Underground is an all ages live music venue and club that started in 2004 to and promote local artists, musicians and bands. A place where people in the scene could hang out, party, perform and network with others of the like. i recently talked to Kasper, the owner of the underground, about how he felt about the metal scene and the impression he gets from listening to San Antonio and surrounding area metal bands. He stated that we [the underground] are dedicated to the local bands and most new bands the underground was their first gig to getting out there in the music world. For other bands, they have called this place home because its is just that, its like being at home, with a very comfortable laid back atmosphere. He said its really amazing how diverse all the bands that come from San Antonio are. The Underground truly is San Antonio metal. Next lets try to see things from a fans point of view.
If there was ever a person who personifies the word "fan" it is John Tremillio. He quite literally knows almost every large band in San Antonio, on and off the stage. I recently met up with him, quite incidentally, right before he was to leave to a show at downtown's The White Rabbit. I asked what he thought about the local music scene and his opinions on how it has changed San Antonio. He told me that the metal scene has just exploded out of nowhere, which can be seen as a good or bad thing. He said ,quite bluntly, out of the hundreds of bands that start each month in San Antonio, only a handful actually go somewhere with it. He has known bands from beginnings and to ends. He said the music scene here is in such competition with Austin, but that San Antonio definitely has the better metal. From the beginning of metal music, in the late 70's or early 80's, San Antonio has been known to really make a band famous. From early bands like Legs Diamond or even more recent bands like Mudvayne, San Antonio literally jump started the careers of both these bands. He said music is such a big deal here that there are more bars with live bands and more venues to showcase bands and musicians. He also stated just before he left that the metal scene has no signs of slowing down and is most likely snowballing into something huge. Of all the people i interviewed none was more personal than talking to San Antonio metal band Goliath.
I recently talked to drummer, Fred Espinoza about what its like to play here in San Antonio and what he thinks of the scene. Fred is from Waco and just recently moved down to San Antonio and he said the scene here is at least a hundred times bigger that at Waco. He said that the club owners here are so eager to let you play and don't really hassle you at all. But of all the things San Antonio has to offer, it definitely has to be the loyalty of our fans. He told me of instances where people would recognize him on the streets and would be totally psyched to see him. He said its a good feeling to know your music is appreciated even if it is just by a small number of people.
I would have to agree with all the people i met and say that San Antonio is definitely the biggest metal city in Texas. Its good to know that my city has such a love for music and such devotion to local music. Maybe you will be inspired to catch a few shows yourself, and to that, i hope i see you there.