PREVIEW: Deep Shred Breaks the Internet

IMG_3570

“Fuckin’ tall boys / fuck these tall boys / fuckin’ tall boys,” is how Providence’s political rock group Downtown Boys explains one of the many gripes that come with experiencing live music. Concerns like physical safety, noise and harassment obviously threaten otherwise safe spaces, but they can also push out the purpose of those spaces altogether, blurring the connection between audience and musician, artist and listener. Stale beer, dark corners and the occasional mosh appear without a thumbs up, and visible gaps are hard to find as the surrounding basement fills. Shoulders grow closer. There’s all these tall boys in front. You stand on tippy toes, then on a chair as the following realization becomes more and more apparent: Your accessibility costs more than a $5 donation.

“Tall Boys.” Like the song, the beer size, and Nick Regan and Kyle Briody’s inspiration for creating Deep Shred: an all-inclusive online space for streaming local shows and avoiding what we sometimes hate about them. The website goes live Tuesday with a stacked bill featuring Nice Guys, St. Nothing, Puppy Problems and Lovesick (Providence).

“The name is kind of inspired by the phrase ‘deep web,'” says Regan, who brought up the idea to Briody midway through March. Conveniently, the two are co-workers at a secondhand electronics store. “I’m such a geek. I love the internet and think it’s the greatest tool to ever be invented, but there are hard-to-access points that are called ‘the deep web.’ I wanted to convey this underground, DIY aesthetic on the site so that’s where the name comes from.”

With the help of local artist Alex Judd, who Regan calls a “sound wizard,” Deep Shred shows will be accessible by phone, tablet and browser so attendees can comfortably listen whenever, wherever and with whomever they please.

Deciding “with whomever” is a big one for the team. Aside from issues of theft and police confrontation, a lot of the motivation behind this project is in reaction the to general anxiety that comes with entering a venue. Social stress objectively sucks, and that’s a fact hindering plenty of people from even walking through the door.

“I would love to go to Boston Calling, or crowded basement shows, but sometimes it just freaks me out,” says Regan. “The site is also for people who deal with issues like that much more severely than I do. I know a lot of people who would love to go to see a band in a crowded basement, but it’s too stressful or anxiety-causing for them to come out.”

Also, the empty venue will leave room for a greater focus on visuals than at your average Allston show. Projections and lighting will layer over artists, furthering the experiment of Deep Shred as a virtual space.

But despite the screen and mission behind it, Regan says the project is inspired by local music as it still is. The bills will feature artists we’re used to stepping into crowded homes, compromising our eardrums, and making bus trips for anyway. That said, these hurdles shouldn’t be necessary for full listening and, in fact, aren’t. Pushing them aside, Regan says, is a choice.

“When we lose the ‘tall boys,’ we lose everybody,” says Regan. “It’s kind of a pro and con because you’re losing the experience but you’re also losing the aggressive people and situation that can ruin your fun.”

Stream Deep Shred’s first show at www.deepshred.net at 8 p.m. next Tuesday.