Building Community Through Melodies
Everybody spends their entire lives searching for a place to feel like they belong. Whether that's extracurricular activities, making new friends, a new workplace, college choices, or learning how to express yourself to others with music in hopes of learning to understand one another. For most people, attending music events in our area is a way for them to build new relationships or strengthen the ones they already have. Venues like the ones you might see in Yakima, such as Chainsaw Cat and The Bearded Monkey host all sorts of artists that bring people together. Occasionally there is even a house show somewhere around the town. Small gatherings like this create a strong community for those who love enjoying music to their fullest capacity.
Music is something that always creates a beautiful experience which carries someone through sadness, happiness, anger, or any other emotion you can imagine. Music can create and expand beautiful friendships within people. There are many opportunities to experience this in person and around Yakima; maybe you’ll get to make some of those new friendships. Bands like Reve Rouge, Soma, Milk or Murder, Tethered, Hazcard, Flinn’s Tones, Bad Habit, Invictamized, Anavanum, Phlox, and Mollywog all hold the ability to bring people together. Bonding with others over music is something that comes easily when you go to shows where you’ll meet people with the same or similar music taste as you. Having a place like this you can turn to and feel like you fit in can be important; otherwise you might feel like a bug that somehow ended up inside instead of out.
On top of this, supporting these local musicians means a lot to them; seeing people show up repeatedly carries the weight of an anchor. Seeing that there are people within your community whether strangers or family and friends that showed up for you only furthers the band members' ability to keep doing what they’re doing. One way to know what these bands are currently planning for would be to find them on social media. Ask a band member if you know one, or ask around for any outings that may be coming up.
In an interview with the drummer from Soma, Nico Gambito, he said that when people show up at gigs for his band, “It helps a lot, it makes the experience more fun and enjoyable, I play better and it brings better energy which creates a better show. We’re grateful that people show up and love for as many people to come.” He expressed that being in a band has helped him form good bonds with people through the community in general as well as making friends. Nico said, “It gives a sense of community and belonging that comes with meaning as well as friendship.” The people in these bands love to see you show up, including him. So if you’re searching for that sense of belonging, this is the place for you.
