Where Do Boston Indie Rock Stars Go?
Boston was a different place in 1985. Musically, this was an interesting time to be living here, where groups were starting to form, and some informal relationships between musicians were just starting to take hold. That was certainly the case for Big Dipper , who came into the scene as fragments of previous bands, looking to create something new. That was one of the more exciting things about the scene, because everyone wanted to hear, and play, something different.
It was still close enough to the tail end of disco to understand that some of the mistakes of history should not be repeated, and the first wave of punk was already too far past. Youth is as youth does, and there were enough young artists here who were frustrated enough to make something different.
The indie music scene’s origins can’t be attributed to Boston, but it certainly was a big thing here, and perhaps The Next Big Thing. It’s a difficult position to be in, however, because the indie sense is against fame before it happens. Sometimes, the best that these groups can hope for is a chance to strut their stuff in a reunion, which The Big Dippers had in 2008 .
Locals and visitors staying in Boston’s hotels can find traces of the band in the new indie music, which has a growing momentum, that suggests that history does indeed repeat itself. And the aging musicians now have families and jobs in other fields, but are still close by, enjoying the city, and wondering how to make something different.