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Every now and then, I need a good dope slap upside the head. Today's cosmic dope slap was brought to me courtesy of every Middle Tennessee State University intern I've plumed from the school's Mass Communication and Music Industry programs for the past eight years, each of whom has practically begged me to pay attention to the vibrant scene located 20 miles south of Nashville in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
My "awakening" happened thanks to former MTSU intern Courtney White (and her steady stream of indie releases from bands she supported in the clubs around campus) and Georgetown Masters' John Baldwin, who also stopped me dead in my tracks with a "full-tilt studio monitors blasting" listening party celebrating all things Murfreesboro. Later, White organized a field trip, with her as my able guide. She also had me as a captive audience when she plopped CDs from one band after another into the car's player. So all the way to Murfreesboro and throughout the trip, I received a full baptism.
It is apparent that the spark of this scene is MTSU, which has turned out graduates who have gone on to production and engineering careers or who have been in bands that have emerged from a vibrant scene to land major- and indie-label deals....