1/12/07, 5:45 pm EST

Assignment One Finalist: Christine DiPaolo on New York City

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Note: This is not an official Rolling Stone article. What follows is a submission to the “I’m From Rolling Stone” writing competition.

by Christine DiPaolo
Age: 22

My local music scene is legendary. After a lull between creative peaks, in which the do-it-yourself ethic, which made the East Coast punk movement great, nearly died, New York City is once again ripe with fresh musical talent.

The old guard is helping the new generation find their way. Brooklyn heroes TV On The Radio have been taken under the wing of not so native New Yorker David Bowie.

In small clubs like The Marquee Lounge, new acts are finding places to be discovered by their audience, just a few blocks from the recently silenced amps of CBGB’s.

A vibrant and new signer/songwriter tradition is emerging in any and every place a guy can play a guitar.

B.B. King’s Blues Club and Grill has become the new home of punk rock, an off shoot of the very cultural diversity that makes this city great.

New York City is not just a place to launch a career, it is a great place to stage a come back. Last year saw the glorious return of the New York Dolls, a beautiful, battered beast of a band, whom taught us all, even with Tower Records closing, that rock music is alive and well in New York City.

The harmonizing of old and new will ensure, that the legend of New York City rock music will continue, as long as there are musicians to play and fans to listen.