Korey Pedersen and his friends didn’t necessarily have a problem with the live music in Aggieville, they just wanted to see more shows in more places on their own terms.
“We wanted a more intimate environment to see shows,” Pedersen, a Manhattan resident, said.
The busy concert atmosphere in bars led several people in the Manhattan area to create a group of like-minded music connoisseurs to create places in the community to participate in music on their own terms. They called their group “Little League.”
The group books bands to play at venues around town, as well as several houses around the city of Manhattan.
Pedersen said the main focus from the start has been making the concerts more about the music. Often when bands are booked to play in bars, the music played is more difficult to listen to and people are less focused on the band or the music being played.
“All the ‘Little League’ shows are really, really mellow events,” said Elijah Nelson, Manhattan resident. “People actually sit and listen to the music.”
Nelson and Pedersen both described the shows they book as “quieter” than those at bars or other venues.
“A lot of times we don’t need any amplification for the music,” Nelson said. “We want to relax and be friends and watch bands we want to see in a setting we want to see them in.”
Both Pedersen and Nelson were quick to deny rumors that the reason for the new venues was due to an altercation with any bar owners in Aggieville.
“A lot of the bands still play at the bars,” Pedersen said.
Though there is no shortage of bands willing to play, the group still runs into problems.
Pedersen said they like to keep the guest lists small and the dates for the shows spaced out because the activity the shows generate usually takes quite a toll on the host houses. But though most groups that introduce new venues into an area are trying to make money, that is not the case with “Little League.”
“We are all about creating a community,” Pedersen said.
Pedersen also said while donations are accepted at the door, most of the money goes to the artists themselves. The only money held back goes to repairing any damage or wear on the houses.