Has Orlando Lost Its Edge?

March 2, 1997

Alternative...what is alternative anymore????? I've got it."Young Polka!" I know what you're saying, but hear me out. It's the wave of the future. We're talkin' roots tunage for today's troubled teenagers. Give it six months, and legendary Orlando DJ "Dave Cannalte" will be pioneering it. But where will he play?

With clubs opening and closing on a daily basis, gone are the days of the predictable line up. Where once degenerates of society like myself had a place to call home, we now frequently find ourselves homeless alongside our favorite DJ's with the onslaught of club format acrobatics. Don't get me wrong; we must evolve, and change is good, but what does this say about the state of Orlando night life? I think I have an answer.

Alternative music used to be fairly eclectic, with a smaller, definable, mainly underground following. Its only outlets were college radio and the clubs with an "edge." Now the opposite has occurred. The music has evolved, commercial radio stations are embracing it, and clubs are riding the wave. Within the past year, we have lost two and gained three. Confused?

Relax, we're just in a state of transition. This is going to be a good thing. Give it a year or so, and the dust will begin to settle. Let me rewind for a second.

In the late eighties we had adventurous clubs like Electric Avenue, Visage, and Faith In Physics. In the early nineties, we moved on to the Beecham, and the Edge. Now we have a whole new wave of places to choose from. With that, though, comes the traveling DJ. More clubs, more places to play. My advice for those having difficulty embracing this new trend: simply find your favorite establishment and patronize it. This will ensure their continued existence, and the DJ's will want to be there as well.

Alternative may have lost some of its attitude because of its success, but there will always be something or someone just a little more alternative out there. Maybe even "Young Polka."

Erik Dennison
Age: 26, Height: 5'8" And Shrinking With Age, Weight: 140, Eyes: Screwed Up, Hair: Shlong (Not Short, But Not Long) Body: Mostly Clean, Arm Length: Ape Like Legs: Chicken Like, Favorite Food: Anything that doesn't make me puke, Favorite Place To Hang Out: Public Rest Rooms, Favorite Brand Of Chicken Wing Sauce: Texas Pete's, Things I Find Confusing But Like Anyway: Motor Vehicles, Women, Chinese Food Buffets, Hitting My Head Against The Wall.