The hopes of Auburn's original music scene are summed up in the offices of the college radio station.
"[Auburn's music scene] can only get better in the next year," said Casey Morton, student director of Auburn's own WEGL 91.1 FM.
These hopes are not far from most students on campus who desire a more versatile music scene.
While bands all over the nation make college towns like Athens, Ga., Oxford, Miss., and Chapel Hill, N.C., a prime destination to perform, Auburn seems to be left out of the minds of most musicians on tour.
And despite its proximity to Atlanta and Birmingham, most touring acts passing through those cities don't realize how close they are to Auburn.
Yet Auburn is not all that different from those other college towns in the Southeast.
There's a large student population and plenty of people looking for things to do and to see.
So why is Auburn such a stranger to traveling musicians? The answer, it seems, is that a traveler needs a place to stay.
Enter Heath Truitt, owner of The Independent, a bar/restaurant/music venue occupying the space formerly known as Roosters.
"Our objective is pretty much stated in our name, we want to be home to Auburn's independent scene in any way we can," Truitt said.
In business since March 2009, The Independent is on the tongue of anyone who has seen an excellent "left of the dial" band in Auburn.
Modeled after The Bottletree in Birmingham, it's a prime destination for touring indie rock bands.
Truitt and his staff are working hard to rope in rising musicians from all over the nation.
Live shows are scheduled on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
An event from their calendar at myspace.com/theindependentauburn that stuck out is the show Saturday, Aug. 29, which will feature Daikaju, a band from Huntsville who were described by Truitt as "Japanese surf rock with dancing robots" and The Pinx, an indie rock band from Atlanta.
Also, on Friday, Sept. 4, The Independent is home to TKO!, a dance music coalition who looks to bring electronic hedonistic noise to Auburn.
Though their name suggests otherwise, The Independent is not completely alone in helping get Auburn on the cultural radar.
Heath explains that back in the '90s, Auburn was right up there with places like Athens, Ga., and Oxford, Miss., in being a destination for touring bands looking to play something a little more eccentric for an eager crowd.
Conversations around town mention there are a few brave souls hosting and presenting new music to the Auburn population.
A crowd of older Auburn-ites mentioned the whole (DIY music scene) has been part of the Auburn culture since the '90s, suggesting the music scene business is cyclical and Auburn is just making the rounds in a stock market like pattern.
Optimism can be found in those conversations where big ideas like having bands and musicians like No Age, Dan Deacon and Black Lips come and play a basement show for a crowd of maybe 25 to 30 sweaty kids are hatched.
It's nothing like Lollapalooza, but that's the best thing.
All it takes is a little legwork.
Where else can you dance to any music you choose?
"In the basement, down in the basement Oh, you got the comforts of home, a nightclub, too." --Etta James
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