What is Indie rock

Hard to pinpoint, indie rock is a merchant of cool, symbolizing originality, forward-thinking and a hipper than thou attitude towards music and fashion. But more recently, indie rock bands might be categorized as confused, conflicted, and torn about what it means to be indie.

The bands who played at the first Bay Area Indie Music Festival in Martinez are a testament to this, since most of them find themselves on the hinges of independent self-management and major record label commodities. Saturday August 25 conflicted with the notion of what it means to be “indie.”

The struggle in choosing between being an indie band that manages itself and one who signs with a major record label is one that is on each member’s mind.

San Francisco-based band Scissors For Lefty (SFL), one of the festival’s headliners, were signed onto Rough Trade Records, a British record label. They felt good about their decision because of the clout Rough Trade has with other bands that are signed with them, such as Belle and Sebastian, The Smiths, and The Libertines.

After Scissors for Lefty finished recording their debut album Underhanded Romance, which came out on June 12 in the United States and Canada, bad news broke out to them from Rough Trade– their album had been shelved outside U.S. and Canada because Rough Trade Records went bankrupt last year, according to SFL’s lead singer, Bryan Garza. “They tanked,” he said “We actually cut this album, we toured all over Europe and then the album’s never had come out and probably will never come out over there.”

Garza says that the advantages of sticking with an indie record label such as the L.A. based Eeenie-Meenie Records which they are currently under for sales in the U.S. and Canada, is that they give bands more attention since they deal with fewer bands. “A lot of the big ones [record labels] have tanked also.” he said, “It’s usually the small nimble companies that stick with one band they believe in to really do well.”

Oakland-based band, Panda, who also scored a spot on the B.A. Indie Music Festival bill, was previously signed to San Francisco based Popsmear records. Lead singer and guitarist Petros Anastos-Prastacos said they are now working on a new EP that is coming out later this year and are recording it by themselves. He said they want to do fun things like mic the drums and put them through a guitar amp. “Ninety-nine percent of the time it sounds crappy but then there’s that one percent and it sounds sick dude.”

When an indie record label is involved, the creative control for the band can be lost. This goes against everything indie stands for. That is why San Francisco’s Overview, who’s lead vocialist, guitarist, and drummer have once attended SFSU, feel it is better for them to not worry about being signed to a record label at this time. “We’re not kind of shooting for that right now just because the scene has really changed in the past six years.”said Spencer Dräger, lead vocialist.

What has changed is the idea of what it means to be a rock star. There is a stereotype that rock stars don’t need to do anything for themselves because their managers, assistants and record labels are going to do everything for them. “The idea of a rockstar where you don’t have to do anything, you just drink and have a good time doesn’t succeed anymore.” said bassist of Scissors for Lefty, Stevie Garza. “We have to check our myspace? It’s a totally different world.”