Adam Stiletto (center) with Melodic Hardcore act Lifelink
All photos by Sativa Evans
One of the many joys of this gig is getting to meet awesome people from all over the world who have a passion for this Scene as much as me. Not that I’m bursting at the seams with punk pride or anything, it’s just that I grew up in a small town where people weren’t like me. So, I always embrace the chance to meet like minded individuals. One such individual sent me an unsolicited Facebook friend request a year or two ago (see, some people actually find me charming). I passively watched my daily feed fill up with his posts about incredible shows he was putting on at his venue or promoting some band that no one had ever heard of with the fervor of a six year old on Christmas morning. I didn’t even realize for months that this guy was in Logan, Utah until we started interacting a little more. “How is there such an active scene in B.F.E, Utah?” I thought to myself. What is this kid? The Johnny Appleseed of punk, spreading seeds of the scene throughout the Cache Valley, nurturing them with all his might in hopes that they will one day bear fruit? Well, the short answer, surprisingly is yes! This Johnny AppleScene (no?) has been proving for years, that the DIY ethos that makes our community so great can get shit done against heavy odds and under unlikely circumstances. Now, it’s time for our community to show that the same self sufficient, “circle the wagons” attitude can keep this small but thriving scene in Northern Utah alive. If you are a punk at heart, you will really want to give this one a read. Check out more on this story and find out how you can help below!
Adam Stiletto is one of us. Actually, he’s probably a better person than most of us, but you know what I mean. He’s a hard nosed, blue collar, working class Scene Kid through and through. He’s been part-owner and operator of Whysound Live Music Venue and Recording Studio in Logan for about a year now but for eight years prior to that, he booked tons of local and mid-level acts there through his booking agency Stiletto Promotions. It was through these two mediums that he has managed to take an unbridled passion for the punk scene and channel it, building a veracious punk rock community in a geography where you wouldn’t expect to find much of one. That kind of devotion and willingness to get up every morning, put your nose to the grindstone and constantly hustle is what it takes to kindle a burgeoning scene like in Logan, to grow it into something bigger and better. Most people wouldn’t or couldn’t invest as much time or resources, but Adam isn’t ‘most people’. He has worked his ass off and sacrificed more than a lot of people will know for nothing more than just to share his intense love of of music with others and to give something back to his neighborhood. That fact, more than anything was the impetus behind this article. You see, the future of this vitally important venue is in the air because Adam’s business partner and majority share owner has suddenly decided to cash out of the business, leaving Mr. Stiletto unexpectedly holding the bag, without many, if any contingencies.
As I said, I grew up in a town that is actually smaller than Logan. I know what it’s like to have nothing to do for entertainment except illicit drugs. The nearest concert venue, or mall or even a real movie theater was a forty five minute drive to another state. I know the impact that having a local place like WhySound would’ve had on me as a kid. I guess that’s part of it too. I see a little bit of myself in the youth of this tiny town. When perusing the reviews section of both the WhySound as well as Stiletto Promotions pages, I see comment after comment like this one, from a local fan: “All Ages venue where there are no others. Great work guys, providing an important outlet for all.” WhySound is one of a very few all ages venues within a 90 mile radius. So while the town of Logan is pretty small itself, kids are drawn in from an entire region, coming to see not only punk or hardcore acts, but for hip-hop artists or EDM nights (am I using that term correctly?) or for open mic nights where they can display talents of their own. In addition to providing a safe, welcoming place for kids to be kids, the venue also has a positive influence on the community as a whole, as this fan illustrates so eloquently, “Stiletto is doing a beautiful thing for Logan. I only had the chance to make it to a couple of shows when I was out there, but those shows were seriously the best I’ve been to in 10 years. If you need someone who can consistently book a show with energy, personality, and local kitsch, this is the place to go. If you’re in Cache Valley and you haven’t been to a Stiletto show, you’re missing out on the greatest small town punk scene in the last 25 years.”
Fan support is one thing, they’ll say great things about any venue as long as it plays music they like or books acts that are popular, but what about the bands that play there? That’s the true measure of a venue or promoters worth. Bands and Promoters are life long, mortal enemies, engaging in a silent power struggle to get the better end of the deal throughout the booking negotiations. But,when motives aren’t predicated on financial gain, and instead geared more towards creating a flourishing local scene, it creates an environment where everybody has a chance to win. Adam doesn’t get hung up on the numbers, he concerns himself with the people behind the numbers. Perhaps that’s why there was such an outpouring of support from the music community, both domestically and internationally when I spoke to some of the 500+ bands that have made a stop at WhySound. When I reached out to them directly, every one of them jumped at the chance to tell me about their experiences, gushing about the treatment they received and how Adam and his team went above and beyond. This wasn’t true of just the smaller, local acts either. Nationally recognized acts and even a few international bands all had similar stories to tell. I’m not talented enough to be in a band, but I have loads of friends who are and I hear horror stories (one buddy just started off a tour with the door guy stealing the gate money about a week ago). When poor service and a diminishing culture are the norm, it behooves us to recognize those that do things the right way, putting them on a pedestal as an example for all to see. The bands themselves are a more credible source on the topic and can build the foundation of this pedestal better than I can, so I’ve included their quotes below. The reason I included so many is to show that the passion, las ganas, that this intrepid individual exudes isn’t reserved for a select few, favored acts. It’s a universally accepted fact that Adam is a top notch promoter and venue owner who goes the extra mile and has a genuine love for this scene. The below is a small sample size from the many bands that got back to me to tell their stories. There’s no way I could’ve included them all or this article would be a mile long.
Local hardcore act, Militant – “The owners work extremely hard to showcase so much talent through Cache Valley, from every different genre you could imagine. The place is very well kept, and gives an atmosphere you won’t find anywhere else in Logan. With the amount of things going on there constantly, there is always sure to be something for everyone.”
Local punk act, Hi Fi Murder – “Adam is the man. Plain and simple. He communicates with everyone, does everything for the music scene and works his ass off for his bands to get them the best he possibly can.”
Sundressed, Arizona– “Adam puts on killer shows! Logan is a must stop for touring bands!”
The Home Team, Washington– “Adam has booked us on three tours now and every time, the show was great. Everyone at the venue, Adam included, was easy to work with and professional. Guarantees were handed to us, and any catering was delivered on time. I route my tours around Logan so that we can continue to work with Adam.”
Merit, Arizona – “Adam has meant a lot to us since we met him about two years ago. Before he owned the Why Sound, I remember playing a few shows there and there was never any pay out. Knowing we were touring and how much we needed gas money, he went around to everyone in the crowd and persuaded them to buy merch. We sold so much that night, it more than made up for a few crappy other dates we had that tour. He has always let us sleep at his place whenever we’re in town and is literally the most genuine person we have met on tour. Every time we play Logan now, we always have one of the most enthusiastic/fun crowds of the tour and it’s all because of the hard work Adam has put into building a music scene in Logan.”
Wolves & Wolves & Wolves & Wolves, North Carolina– “If you’ve ever booked a DIY tour, you know that there are days and areas that you dread booking because you know it’s going to be a task. For us, that was a mid-week date that we were trying to fill in Utah. When shows in SLC and Provo seemed impossible, we were informed of WhySound in Logan, Utah (yeah, we’d never heard of it either). We decided to do the show, simply to fill the date. But what we encountered there was unexpected. We met Adam (who couldn’t have been any cooler, and who has a passion for building something in that community) and were shown the venue. After load in, we were surprised to see that kids were showing up. What we got that night was one of the best shows of tour…mid-week…in Logan fucking Utah. Plain and simple, WhySound offers an amazing atmosphere in the most unlikely of places and we can’t wait to get back there”
An Atomic Whirl, Japan – “When we pulled into Logan in August of 2015, it was the final week of our eight-week tour of the US. We’d never heard of the town and thus, were a bit skeptical of what this small northern Utah town could have to offer. Fast forward one year, and the Logan area is one of our favorites in the country and a must-stop for us, which is largely because of the impact of Adam at Whysound. Adam put noticeable attention into booking our show there, and it went over well. He was very enthusiastic about our performance in Logan, and he took the initiative to organize a group of people to drive to our house show in Salt Lake City the following day. The SLC show was particularly rowdy, and after the show Adam wrangled a group of friends to begin driving to Colorado Springs for our show the following day. That’s like a ten-hour drive. But Adam jumped on it without a second thought. Even though their van eventually broke down and they couldn’t make it to Colorado, we were deeply impressed with his commitment, his passion, and his mania about the whole situation. We only spent a few hours at Whysound, but it was clear that Adam’s passion for the scene was the driving force behind the place. One of the most inspiring things we get to see when touring the country is how one or two dedicated people can put a town on the map and, with a lot of hard work and perseverance, turn it into a coveted stop for touring bands of all stripes. That’s what Adam has done at Whysound, and it has definitely put Logan on the map for touring bands such as ours. Oh, and he was a helluva lotta fun to hang out with. Ha.”
Sadly, when you’re a person who isn’t motivated by profits, by proxy it also usually means that you don’t have loads of money laying around. This is the yin and yang of DIY punk living. This is where you come in and why I felt compelled to write this piece. Adam is a proud man and a fighter (just ask the dude that broke into his recording studio…wonder if he’s still sporting that dope shoe print on his face?), not the kind of person that will come right out and ask for help. Hell, he won’t even start a GoFundMe to help keep his place open, choosing instead to try and figure something out himself. It’s time that we as a community put our stake in the ground, dig our feet in and fight along side him. Look, there’s always going to be robust punk communities in large cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and NYC, but to get a real gauge on the health of our scene, you have to turn your sights to non-traditional, smaller markets like Logan. They say our scene is dying and it most certainly will unless we make concerted efforts to keep scenes like the one in this sleepy northern Utah town. So instead of “Boycotting Gilman” or decrying the closure of C.B.G.B’s, why not get behind something that could actually use your support, a place that is already doing great things in a neighborhood that sorely needs it. Punk is in Adam’s blood. He needs this venue as much as his community needs it to be there. I implore you to email, call, write, go past the venue, bug the hell out of him, beg him to take your money. Please give wherever or whatever you can to help this thriving, but endangered punk community. If we don’t work together to try and keep this venue open for our brothers and sisters in arms there in Logan, who knows, maybe your local scene is next.
30 Federal Ave, Logan, UT 84321
Adamstiletto@gmail.com
http://www.whysound.com/