I woke up on Tuesday, Aug. 24 and my phone had been ringing so much it had fallen off the mantle—and I don’t sleep late. The text messages and the phone calls all referred me to Morgan Dowdy’s column in the Crimson White. So, as a fan of his work, I picked up a copy to check it out. After reading the column, I felt compelled to respond.

The subject of the piece was The Dexateens, a great band from Tuscaloosa. However, the statements I am referring to in this letter were the ones Dowdy felt compelled to make regarding the current state of local music and arts in our community.

After remarking that the ‘Teens may be the “last great Tuscaloosa band for a long time,” he added that our local culture was lacking “individualism and eccentricity”—qualities he attributed to the aforementioned band, as well as The Chukker, a venue that closed it’s doors for good in 2003.

While I understand the point he was trying to make, I have to vehemently disagree. First of all, I’d be curious to know where Dowdy gained this knowledge, considering he was barely a teenager when The Chukker closed.

Basic logic withstanding, I’m also baffled by the idea that a creative community revolves around a specific building. Do I wish we still had a place like The Chukker? Of course! Do I realize that the vast majority of students at the University don’t even know (or care) what The Chukker is? I do.

Regionally and locally, the arts that surround us are strong. Some would say they are stronger than ever. After speaking to numerous musicians that spent time in the Chukker, I found that most agreed—while all agreed that the notion that we are struggling without the venue is ridiculous.

Personally, I have a lot invested in this debate. I founded Hackberry Records in 2006 to help further and spread the wonderful music this community has created, as well as continue a legacy that outdates The Chukker by a long shot. I spend every single day working towards that goal. I’ve always noticed, with great wonder, that Tuscaloosa artists go on tour and draw enthusiastic and interested crowds. When they return to Tuscaloosa, they tend to be met with deaf ears and skepticism.

So why is that? Is it because of the exceptionally high standards of the community? I think we can all agree that’s not the answer. There are a number of reasons we’ve failed to reach “critical mass” in our area, and I reserve a special level of vitriol for one of them—our local media.

While standards have been raised in this area due to incessant lobbying and the introduction of music-minded writers into the mix, this community still suffers from some of the laziest arts coverage I’ve seen in a town of this size.

Is this personal? Absolutely not! I’ve voiced my concerns with a variety of journalists in our area on this matter—conversations which have led to some really great steps in the right direction, all while maintaining positive working and personal relationships with them. With all that warm and fuzzy stuff out of the way, I must admit that I’m beginning to lose my patience with The Crimson White.

Year after year, incoming UA students are met with substandard music coverage—whether it’s band profiles that read like a press release or music columns that praise something while degrading the rest of us. Why is it that our local press can’t seem to get behind a band or an artist until they are clearly a popular and well-known act? Is it just easier to do what everyone else does?

No wonder we can’t get the scene here to hit critical mass—every new student is told at one time or another to not even bother. I hope they’re reading this letter, because I want to invite them to bypass the press and go straight to the source.

Hackberry Records is having our Fall Showcase this Friday night at Mellow Mushroom. It’s free, and it’s an opportunity to see every act on our label and make up your own mind. It may be easier to lament the past and reminisce about the way things used to be—but it’s a lot more fun to find something new to love.

You can trust the media, who will always talk about the past, and how nothing now is as good as it used to be—or you can come make up your own mind and engage in a vibrant community of artists that’s gaining fans all over the world.

Mark my words; this paper will jump on the bandwagon in a big way in the next couple of years. In the meantime, there’s some amazing stuff happening in Tuscaloosa. It’s a shame that the media won’t let you see it now!

Reed Watson is an alumnus of The University of Alabama.