By Mike Devine
Singer-songwriters Jenn Taranto and Jennifer Greer have a lot in common. Both are from New York. Both are trying to make it as independent artists in the music industry. And both share a vision of uniting indie musicians and their fans in the Boston music scene.
To bring this vision to life, Taranto and Greer started the Indie Music Collective (IMC), a series that will take place monthly at The Lily Pad in Cambridge.
Taranto said she and Greer wanted to create a monthly event that allowed local indie bands to support each other and expose their fans to other bands.
“There are lots of different genres and groups among indies in Boston and we wanted the IMC to be a focal point to bring all of them together,” she said. “We want to inspire people to support each other.”
Greer said after performing and being in the music scene for seven years, she was tired of seeing the “other side” of things.
“I was wishing for something with more of a sense of community,” she said. “I wanted to do something to try to unify indie musicians instead of having just a billion of them performing on their own.”
Greer said she wanted to help artists break out of the “lone wolf” cycle instead of trying to network on their own. She said the thing that sets the IMC apart from many other indie series is the bands that perform do so to support each other.
“It’s a collective, so different bands can expose the audience to different genres,” she said. “You’re not just there rooting for yourself, but for the series.”
The IMC features three bands per night, each with a 30-minute set. The Lily Pad, which seats about 50 people comfortably, 80 people packed, provides an intimate setting for bands to connect with the audience.
One of the different aspects of The Lily Pad is it does not serve alcohol, which Taranto said has helped attract a wider age range of audience members because of the lessened restrictions.
“It’s generally been people in their 20s, but we’ve had older people coming as well as kids from high school and middle school,” she said.
Taranto said the IMC’s launch in September was met by an excited, packed house. She said the second show in October also had a good turnout, but they had to compete with the Red Sox and World Series.
Greer said she could see the concert series moving to a larger venue in the future as it continues to grow, but she likes the intimate environment of The Lily Pad.
Annie Lynch, guitarist and lead singer of the pop-folk quartet Annie Lynch and the Beekeepers, said she and her band had a great experience when they performed as part of the IMC in September.
“Every artist involved was so genuine and talented,” she said. “A lot of other places in Boston are geared toward booze, and people want to listen to classic rock, so it was a nice change in environment.”
Taranto said she is pleased with the reaction to the IMC shows so far.
“Some bands are playing shows together after performing at the collective, and this is what we wanted to happen,” she said. “It has felt really good to see that this has a lot of potential.”
Past shows have featured local acts including Tom Thumb, This Car Up and Bridget and the Squares.
The $5 show admission goes toward covering the bands and rent for the room. The next show will be held Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. It will feature Miss Tess, Tim Miller and Mark Schwaber. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/ indiemusiccollectiveboston.
