What’s it like being part of an evolving local music scene? Have things actually changed all that much in the past few decades? Has new technology really made things any different for up-and-coming bands? Laurie Fuhr of The Pine Tarts and now-defunct The Lonely Hunters doesn’t even own an iPod. Laura Lief of The Consonant C, Secret Brothers and the Summerwood Warren Collective may actually pick a fight if you say she’s part of a “scene,” and Chris Millar of The Lions doesn’t really care if things have changed all that much — he’d really just like shows to start at a decent hour.

Talking with these and other Calgary musicians, three things become apparent: a) it’s not a scene; b) if it is, it’s fragmented; and c) being part of a scene sometimes isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

In fact, little has changed for any band that isn’t a buzz band. The select few artists who have drawn attention from the international music community are certainly part of Calgary’s music scene, but they don’t define it. There are still innumerable local bands slogging it out at venues around town who haven’t yet experienced the sweetness of success, however you define it, and focused media attention ultimately has no effect on what most bands do in their practice spaces. Perhaps most tellingly, regardless of who you talk to and what era they’re from, you can’t get any Calgary musician to admit they’re a part of any scene.

“I like to think of the particular group I find myself a part of as a community rather than a scene,” says Fuhr. “That implies that there’s more than just a surface to the crowd. There’s a depth to it, too, where people act genuinely and it’s not all just about style. So if we refer to it as a community, I’m hoping more and more it’ll be treated that way.”

Leif agrees. Her work in the Summerwood Warren Collective has created a real sense of musical community outside of the regular venue circuit. Both her bands and the collective are prime examples of groups just getting out and playing their music, rather than relying on someone else to hand them a gig. Not surprisingly, Leif echoes Fuhr’s sentiments when it comes to the distinction between a scene and a community.

“A ‘scene’ has a lot of connotations with being hip or cool,” she explains, “which turns into being pretty lame and cheesy. But sometimes I think that’s the natural progression, to be more worried about being cool rather than being part of a community.”

Leif feels very lucky to be part of the Calgary music community, but does admit she sees the scenester phenomenon happening, with some groups becoming less inclusive and more trend-conscious. Still, she doesn’t worry about the direction musicians should be taking to keep up with its evolution. As the more established artists pointed out last week, it’s all a cycle.

“I haven’t figured out where our community is going yet,” admits Leif, “but I have felt for a long time that it wasn’t about being cool, that people loved each other and genuinely loved what [everyone] was doing. There was an honesty there. But things are constantly changing, and I think that if there’s anything that’s a challenge, it’s that there is that fragmentation. People don’t know what’s happening outside of their own little group, and I think it’s an easy thing to think that what’s happening in your own little group is the only thing happening.”

Having a strong sense of community among musicians can also have its detriments, especially if you’re not really a part of that community. Another group struggling to find gigs outside of the normal means, The Lions have been slugging it out at the city’s outlying establishments, and it has sometimes been difficult.

“There were places we’d try and set something up and the bar would say ‘We didn’t even know Calgary had a music scene,’” Millar recalls. “So, sure, there are venues that are really supportive and want to promote and have live music at their establishments, and there are ones that don’t know what’s going on. And then there are the venues that everyone tries to play at, which can make it difficult getting a show. You really have to take things into your own hands and make it happen yourself.”

It’s all well and good, then, that Calgary is once again catching the broader music community’s eye. When it comes to the day-to-day existence of local bands, though, the same struggles that existed a decade ago are still around. The more things change….