For generations mainstream bands have been dominating the music scene.

What many people do not know is that Brantford has a thriving underground
music scene.

“Nobody in the mainstream is bringing anything new to the table,” said Tyler Young, second year student at Laurier and lead singer of Beyond Decay, a reggae/punk band based out of Orangeville. “Music in itself has to be constantly created and innovated and that’s what’s happening in the underground. In a way, the underground is kind of holding it all together.”

Tyler Young formed his band in Grade 11 with three of his best friends. Filled with angst about how the world was being run, the boys decided why not make a band to get their opinions across? To this day, the world around them, people and life still inspire their music.

However, Tyler knows all too well the difficulties of being an underground band.
“There’s little recognition in Brantford,” he says, “so we rely on the internet and word of mouth to get more exposure.”

Nowadays, underground bands are relying more and more on their fan bases to spread the word about their music. Brantford has a solid music scene with great fans, they just need to take some time and inform others that this scene exists. The people that go to shows are usually connected to the people who are playing. If more people knew about what was happening in the Brantford music scene, it would be able to expand even further.

“Nothing’s really pushing it forward,” stated Tyler, “there are a lot of really great bands in the underground scene, but they’re being overshadowed by the mainstream.”

Tyler and his band are currently working on their new album, but they are aware that not as many people are coming out to shows.

“The summer was really slow,” Tyler declares. “We’ve only played about two shows in Brantford, but the crowds weren’t as big as they have been at previous shows.”

The newer your band, the harder it seems to be to get a show. Beyond Decay’s best show was at their first CD release about three years ago. The venue only fit 220 people, but by the end of the night, there were about 230. The image of this night always stayed with Tyler, because nowadays, it’s hard to pack a venue.
The bottom line is, underground music can be saved if people start going out to shows and help promote bands by informing others that they exist. As Bob Marley once sang, “get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight.”