Alex Gilliam (Foolsmate)
SPB: What does the term “Midwest emo” mean to you?
Gilliam: After getting this question, I immediately asked the other guys in Foolsmate for their input. Though their answers varied drastically, they all touched upon inclusion. Midwest emo has always been about being vulnerable about yourself and experiences, and what makes the scene so special are the people who make it easy for you to show that side of yourself. Every band/fan/individual we have interacted with through our music have greeted us with the same open, understanding arms. No matter your background, race, sexual orientation, we’ve all experienced some form of heartbreak or regret, and through this scene I have been personally connected with countless people who relate to these experiences.
There has been a serious disconnect between the underground local emo scenes and the widespread online perception of what emo should look like. I’ve personally been very disappointed in the gatekeeping this genre has seen online in recent years. I have seen countless bands be disregarded because they don’t flawlessly wear their Cap’n Jazz influence on their sleeve. What these people don’t understand is that we have been watching a genre grow and change in real time from the late ‘80s to modern day, it will never be as stagnant as these gatekeepers want it to be. What makes something midwest emo will never be just one unmoving sound, it’s an amalgamation of influences being honed into one project where any artist/group of artists can air their life for anyone to see in the rawest and realest way imaginable. That’s what’s so great about those actually involved with the scene on the ground level. These people don’t care where you come from or what niche subgenre a shut-in online may try to fit you in. They take your songs and meet them with their own vulnerabilities, making one of the tightest knit communities I have ever been a part of.
I grew up in Appalachian Kentucky, far from the Illinois suburbs that many will cite as the beginning of our sound. But human experiences aren’t tied to geography. They are real, vulnerable, nasty, beautiful. That’s what makes us human, and at its core midwest emo connects people on this raw level of humanity in a way I have never personally experienced before.
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