Provo Music Scene (Part 1)

Overview of the Provo Music Scene:

When talking about the music coming out of Provo in recent years, the average person might recognize a few of the names, Neon Trees, Imagine Dragons, and possibly Fictionists. But what most people don't realize, even within Provo, is that there are a number of other bands beginning to rise, and that Provo has made a name for itself within the Music industry as a hub, almost a little phenomenon, of burgeoning bands.

So in order to understand why Provo is being taken seriously in some circles (certainly not all, as a Seattle, or New York would be, but that is starting to change as more local bands make an impact) we need to look at the first band that really broke out, Neon Trees. Neon Trees, it might be said, started the Provo revolution in terms of finding a very large audience outside of Provo. Before Neon Trees had hit song "Animal" playing all over the radio, there were a lot of other bands in provo, and a very healthy underground scene. But that is all it was, an underground scene. Neon Trees, somewhat unexpectedly, got invited to tour with mega-band The Killers, which really changed things for them. On a side note, The Killers have some interesting connections to Provo bands due to the fact that a number of the band members, including the lead singer, are Mormon. And Provo is predominantly Mormon, including many of the musicians in bands there. So you might say Neon Trees got its notoriety from one of the more traditional routes, touring with a well known band. But they needed something to pair with that tour, and they had a music video made by The occidental saloon that started getting tons of views.

The occidental saloon is a Provo filmmaking team that has partnered with a lot of provo bands to create live performances. Their website, and other videos can be viewed here. Some of the film makers involved (Matt Eastin, Corey Fox) are very important to the success of the Provo bands because it is undeniable that having a visual online presence is important for a band in the digital age, as youtube has developed into a sharing and commentating culture that allows for "viral" videos that can gain the attention of a broad range of viewers.

So there it is, Neon Trees were the forerunners to the Provo Music scene, they brought the eye of the national music industry to Provo, and they gave the other bands a sense of confidence in the ability to make a splash in bigger markets.