Last Month's Poll Results & This Month's New Poll!!

It's time to go over the results of last month's poll and debut this month's new poll on The Sault Metal Scene, and our new poll is quite timely! First though, let's outline how you guys voted last month, and thanks to the 18 of you who voted! Less than some months, but enough to get an idea of what you guys thought. As you may remember, last month's question was What would you like to see to help increase support in the local metal scene? So, what'd you guys think would be the best option? Here are the final results!

More booking opportunities (4 votes, 22%)
Better/larger concerts (3 votes, 17%)
Higher concert attendances (3 votes, 17%)
More concerts in general (2 votes, 11%)
More local press/coverage (2 votes, 11%)
Better concert advertising (1 vote, 5.5%)
Higher band awareness (1 vote, 5.5%)
We have enough support already (1 vote, 5.5%)
Other (1 vote, 5.5%)
More CDs/merchandising (0 votes, 0%)

Going in ascending order, I am surprised that no one picked wanting more CDs or merchandise from local bands, yet two people picked either an unlisted option or the belief that the scene has enough support. We could always stand more, in my opinion, and merchandise and material is great to get bands' word out, but hey, it all depends who votes! The other one vote choices seemed a bit lower in support than I imagined, as you'd assume a better awareness of bands and concerts would be a benefit. Tied in 4th place with 2 votes each were a desire for more concerts and more press coverage, both higher in rank where I figured, as both could stand be to be ratcheted up a bit! A second place tie with 3 votes each went to bigger/better concerts and higher attended concerts, and I can see why both would be higher! It'd be nice to get Napalm Death-level stuff more often, then both of those would be addressed, so we'll have to see! But the winning choice with 4 votes, 22%, was more booking opportunities, and I'm slightly surprised this was the top voted option, as we have a lot of venues in town that book shows. Looks like most of you who voted did want more opportunities for bands to get local bookings, and hopefully this area can be improved in the near future!

Thanks to everyone for voting! As for this month, we're tackling a timely issue in the local music scene, and if you've followed the whole Feedback/Foggy Notions/City Council noise complaint issue, you'll probably have an idea of what the question will center around. As you may remember, City Council brought concerns about the Queen Street bar's history of noise complaints from area residents to light just as new ownership of the former Foggy's became public, leading to mass support in the local scene towards Feedback, the new owners, and local music and concerts in general. Though Feedback opened as scheduled this past weekend, and the staff are making steps to appease neighbours and the city, it's still a present thought, so it's the focus of this month's poll! So I'll pose this question to you guys: "What's your opinion on noise complaints for local concert venues?" There's 10 options to choose from this month, so let's take a look!

Loud music rules!: Metalheads tend to like louder music, and concerts are (more often than not) usually pretty loud, but is that the only way you'll take your music? Do the complaints of others fail to faze you? Pick here if you think so, and want all concerts to be loud, regardless of what anyone thinks.

If they're not breaking a law, don't complain: You know if you're a Foggy's concert frequenter that occasionally, someone calls the police on the bands due to the noise. When it's happened at shows I was at, no one was arrested, the audi was just turned down. Some people are more sensitive to noise, or don't appreciate the sound, so they might complain even if nothing was violated. Are you of the opinion that noise complaints should only be made on local concert venues if an actual law is broken?

Don't live near concert venues if you don't like the noise: In the case of what's now Feedback and some other venues, they're situated near homes or apartments, so area residents may be liable to be against louder music from said venue. I'm sure in many cases, a person moved there when concerts were already going on, and everyone's different to begin with in terms of noise tolerance. If I was voting, I'd pick this option, but do you feel that people shouldn't live near bars and concert spots if they don't want to deal with the noise?

It depends on the band/genre: Metal or not, bands often play at different volumes, and certain genres are sure to be less acceptable to picky ears than others. That said, if The Bottoms Up Lounge can get concerts shut down over noise despite having primarily acoustic bands, then who knows what people will be able to handle. Would you base your noise preferences on how loud a band or or what they play before taking action?

It depends on the venue/location: Some concert spots are in good locations for business, attendance, and convenience, while others may be in bad spots or prone to complaints from area residents. Others may just deal with structural or soundproofing differences that would make their concert audio levels differ from otherwise similar venues. Is the soundproofing issue on the venue itself moreso than the bands or the people who complain?

We need clear definitions on what is "too loud": Though I'm not in a position to know what city bylaws say, I'm of the understanding that the city's noise bylaws are vague and outdated, and were written before heavier bands became more common at local concert venues. Should a clear bylaw or description of what is "too loud" for local concerts be drafted before you make a more definite opinion?

Venues should control/lower all concert audio levels: Are you someone who believes that local bands, venues, and sound companies should abide to the city's wishes, lower the general volume, and avoid angering anyone? Maybe you are someone who dislikes or has complained about concert volume levels in your area? This would be the choice for you!

Other: Did I miss an opinion or option? Pick this option if I did!

VOTE TODAY!! You have until November 18th to cast your votes, and I'm interested to see the results! I have a feeling of what choices will win, but we'll have to see. Keep those votes coming! That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews, more Napalm Death videos, our next YouTube Channel Profile, and more! Thanks everyone!