Small Town, Big Music, The Outsized Influence of Kent, Ohio by Jason Prufer

 

After reading the book on Akron, Ohio, a little while ago, (a year ago? How is that possible?) this was a natural follow-up - in fact, I'm pretty sure it was recommended to me because I bought the other one. Due to the proximity, there is certainly some overlap in these tomes, but thought I'd see what this had to say about Kent in particular.

Of course, one of the biggest stars to come from Kent is Joe Walsh and he writes the forward to the book and he and his band, the Measles, is the subject of the first chapter. The story is told via interviews hence it is very conversational, almost too much so, as if some editing could have been helpful. But, it's a fun tale of the garage band scene in the 60's in the mid-west, so I can't complain too much!

From there, it seems that much of the book is comprised of articles Prufer has discovered, often from school newspapers, which gives the readings a bit of an amateurish flavor (not that I have any room to talk!), and the reviews are often of touring acts who simply happened to make a stop in this college town. I wanted to know more about the city itself and its local scene and while it's fairly amazing the level of talent that played in the area, there's nothing special about their stop in Kent in particular.

When the story leans more towards the local scene and talent, such as when Emmylou Harris sat in with a country-rock band at a bar after playing a concert in town, or when Bo Diddley was backed up by The Numbers Band, then the tale is a bit more compelling than a simple review of a concert. 

There is a funny bit about Bruce Springsteen opening for Black Oak Arkansas, of all bands! Of course, the reviewer loved Bruce and panned BOA, as they had to at the time. The articles continue through to the early '00's including my discovery that the Black Keys came from the area,  complete with photos from earlier combos, and it all culminates as it began, with Joe Walsh, as he received an honorary degree from Kent after leaving back in the 60's to start his music career.

So, this wasn't quite the story that I expected and while it has some pleasant points, it is not the tale of this city and its importance in rock'n'roll history - this is more or less simply a listing of gigs that just happened to happen in this area. I feel that the story of Kent itself still needs to be told.