Just tell them to go to Long Island. They’ll never make it through the traffic.

just give them a copy of UFO ’strangers in the night’…

It would be safer to tell aliens than humans this secret, although, as a resident of the ruined city of Seattle, I wouldn’t mind knowing so I could help save another cool city from our yuppie wuss-rock fate

They should check out the current New England metal scene.

Ottawa, Canada. Best kept secret in North America

dayton, ohio

Portland, Or… check out who is from there and who now lives there

Portland! Oregon, that is. Nice Nice! 31 Knots! Norfolk & Western! Rollerball! Baaaadaaaasss!

Tell them it’s still Seattle.

Math & Physics Club, The Divorce, The Gossip, The Long Winters, Harvey Danger… so many others.

It’s definitely Portland Oregon.
Bands will be lured by the record
company geeks very soon to sign
their souls away….Decemberists

My house, or somewhere else innovative, wait thats basically no where. YOU LISTEN HERE YOU EMOS IVE HAD IT I FUCKING HATE IT. I’M GOING TO CUT YOU AND YOU WILL SCREAM IN HAPPINESS CAUSE IY WILL FEEL SO SMAN GOOD AND YOU WILL BE IN AWE AS THE LITTLE DROPLETS OF BLOOD FALL SO GLORIOUSLY IN THE GLISTENING SUNIGHT

i hate portnad.

This question is being misread i think. The article talks about the grunge scene, one that changed music forver. Nirvana came out and released a life-changing, life-affirming masterpiece that defined an era. Bloggers please stop rambling on about bands who may be good, but are nominally “cult” bands, with a very select fanbase. I want to hear what the next big thing is. Whats going to change the world.

There is no “epicenter”, every city has some good bands and some shitty bands. Actually, some cities probably only have shitty bands.

Chicago to Milwaukee

Probably just New York. That seems to be a hotspot for the scene-kids and hipsters these days.

Puh-leez, there’s only one correct answer…Madtown Wisconsin, baby! The Badger band, acapella groups, free concerts every weekend…what more could a little foreign green dude want than a pint from der Rathskeller while watching some of the most innovative bands in the country? Oh, and the girls are nice too.

Silver Lake District of California: Silversun Pickups, Midnight Movies etc.

fuck the scene kids and hipsters

I think that the Portland scene had its buzz chance a couple of years ago and didn’t gain any traction. It’s certainly an organic scene with some creative folks, but I certainly wouldn’t characterize it “burgeoning”. Frankly, I don’t think anyone is churning out any music right now that could potentially have the social impact of a Nirvana. It’s not the correct time in the popular music cycle for a revolution.

Madison Wisconsin

bilo wrote on 12/14/2006 @ 1:09 pm EST – “i hate portnad” (!? – [see blog entry below]) so i was wondering; just what exactly is ‘portnad?’…

probably something to do with gonads…

Denton Texas

There is no new rock scene. Rap and R&B killed rock and roll. The stupid emos helped, too

I tell them to pick up an issue of ‘Rolling Stone’ and, if it’s a good month and there’s any music coverage at all, avoid all the bands they may see articles about (saving them the curse of Hinder.) Then I teach them rudamentary music skills, basic English, and almost how to keep a beat. Their album then gets 3 stars in the next ‘Rolling Stone’ record review. Because every album gets 3 stars; you’ve gotta hedge your bets in case the band gets huge. This way you can say, “We’ve always supported them.” Then my alien band and I tour the world based and the NME goes batshit crazy about them. Look for us.

I don’t know about burgeoning but L.A. still has Beck and RHCP (even if they *have* both started to kinda suck)

Nashville, because that’s where I’m moving to next! To pervert country and make it into something dynamic and listenable that still speaks to the redneck in all of us. Oh, and bowl cuts are comning back, too!

And another thing: hopefully there WILL NOT be another Seattle. I can admit that Nirvana was at one point a great band, but because of how insanely overplayed they were and are, I have not sat(/sitted/sought) through a Nirvana song in approx. four years — how anyone could stand to ever hear another Nirvana song again is beyond me. I’m not at that point with Pearl Jam quite yet, but getting close.

Beck is still wonderfully great, but the Red Hot Chili Peppers have to get much, much better just to suck.

minneapolis…tapes n tapes, the hold steady….also one of the greatest rock venues in America: First Avenue

Silver Lake in LA is bubbling. The right kind of people are there to make it happen, now it just needs the talent.

Monsters are Waiting, Autolux, Silversun Pickups and the Vacation are a few of the many bands starting to make their mark.

Athens, GA
See: The Modern Skirts
The Whigs
Of Montreal

One day soon it will be the epicenter of good music again (with REM’s blessing, of course)!

Georgia

I would say BROOKLYN, NEW YORK..
I know we had Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on The Radio, BLAH BLAH BLAH! What about bands like Wolves of Flatbush or GAS? It’s Coney Island STreet Beat they should be lookin for! Let’s go Jimmy Iovine.. Get your ass out to Southpaw or Freddy’s Backroom.. Enuf of this Williamsburg bullshit!

Milwaukee – very cool hip hop and indie rocker scenes cross over each other. There are also an abundance of cool, chill DJs

Tampa fl,
Trip2go definately !
Female lead singer that can kick your ass and music that was written with intelligence ! Too bad Sony thought that a female lead was not sellable (HELLO: No Doubt, Cardigans, Cranberries…)
I would treat the aliens to our YBOR City (E-BOR) for a show and some King Carona cubans and a cigar.

Austin, Texas!

and why is seattle bad?

Dover, New Jersey.

Without a doubt Palo Alto, CA

Louisville, Ky or Montreal, Canada.

Except two of you…Madison, WI without a doubt rocks the lights out of your city, and rocks the smog out of itself. Consider yourself warned.

The Boston Music Scene is about to explode thanks to one man’s efforts. If you want the next big thing check out Robby Roadsteamer. He is on iTunes and has his own site at Roadsteamer.com

Vancouver, B.C.

Nicklecrap
Theory of a Dumbband
Douchfault

Oh ya don’t forget Bif Naked…………Who?! you ask, nevermind, were still just trying to make her go away.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH GET ME OUTTA HERE!!! So close to Seattle but yet SOOOOOO far away.

eeeeewwwwwww I do feel sorry for you warhand.

the triangle area of NC. we’ve got arena rock and metal in raleigh, punk and hardcore in durham, indie rock in chapel hill. merge records is based here.

Well, if you mean where is hte next city that fresh innovative music is being played/produced in abundance it is Portland.

The only issue is that calling Portland the next Seattle is a horrific insult to the Rose City. I guarantee that Portlander’s are scared to death to have their music “Starbuckified”. Good God, hen Grunge is being purchased with a Latte…brother, you lost all cred.

portland or.

Montreal!!!

Arcade Fire
Wolf Parade
Of Montreal
The Dears
The Stills

without a question it’s Montreal, these are the future bands of rock and roll.

Seattle still has great bands. Everyone should check out Slender means.

albuquerque or cruses

Victor, MT! Home of savagely awesome punk band Alfred & The Other Guys. Witness our greatness world and become converts!

His Grace,

Alfred

Portland is the new hotbed:
The Shins, The Decemberists, M. Ward,
The Thermals, The Gossip, Stars of Track & Field, The Prids, Vive Voce,
Wet Confetti, Swan Island, Green Circles and many more.

grunge is the ugly step child of morrison

canada. c’mon its their turn…right?

fashion emos

rock and roll blues its all inside

London, England. GREATEST FUCKING BANDS ON EARTH. Bloc party, paddingtons, kano, the go! team. You get the point…

nah guys send them down under, Oz is still the best breeding ground left.

i’m with Danny, send them down here to Australia…we’re doing quite well at the moment

Vancouver has far more bands that aren’t Nickelback. Besides, they’re from Alberta. Anyway: The New Pornographers, Black Mountain, Ladyhawk, The Doers, Destroyer, Pointed Sticks, The Evaporators, jump+dash, Huge Manatease…the list goes on.

looks like jack and loretta were onto something nobody else knew a couple of years ago…

Man if you have not been here you have been missing out .
The music scene in Almonte is outrages.
On the banks of the Mississippi river lies the best music capital west of Appleton.

Cleveland is where it’s at. we have…we have… oh wait we have noone.

philadelphia, dan malloy, american altitude, jack rose, and many others

South Western Ontario….Toronto, Hamilton, London……….

Ill Scarlett
K-os
Broken social scene

all from torontoish……

There is no new Seattle. If there was, then everybody would have known about it by now, and the dinosaurs of the record companies would be running there to sign any new band. I’d say the closest thing is, LA, with the Chili Peppers and Beck.. but thats about it..=/

nah son, new york city is still kickin it easy with the strokes commin out not a few years back, ratatat is from BK, regina spektor is from BK, the yeah yeah yeahs, papoose is from uptown, and we dont stop

Detroit

If Canada was a city, it would be the epicentre. Montreal, Toronto & Vancouver are currently producing more relevant bands than anywhere else. Even Winnipeg is getting up there, I mean last time I checked Neil Young is still one of the most important songwriters alive.

detroit or omaha-detroit has the stripes and eminem and omaha has the whole indie thing going with sadle creek records and bright eyes