Exposing the elements

One of the hardest parts of being in a local band is getting that all-important name recognition. As guitarist for the Secret Midnight Band, Glen Iris resident Daniel Hargett has experienced that for himself.

“I know what it’s like to be a musician and how hard it is to have the media to get your name out there. It’s not very easy, like a job in itself. I wanted to create something to help people do that,” Hargett said.

About a year ago, Hargett and his band’s keyboardist, Greg Henderson, came up with the idea of a web video series showcasing local and traveling acts. Hargett said music in Birmingham has transformed from being dominated by rock ’n’ roll or heavy metal to more jazz, hip hop, progressive rock and abstract artists. 

“I’ve been playing music in Birmingham for 13 years, and the Birmingham music scene has really transformed into something completely different from what it was 15 years ago,” Hargett said. “Through the years, there’ve been all these different elements come from all over the place that have created this really awesome music scene.”

That idea became Monotonia, which published its first episode in March. Monotonia now has a crew of six people, including Hargett, Henderson, Daniel Rhodes, David Maclay, David Allen and Beau Latham. The show is recorded out of Hargett’s basement.

“It’s kind of like ‘Wayne’s World,’” he said.

Each episode begins with a song by the featured artist, then a three-to-four minute interview and closing with a second song. Hargett said he’d like to eventually make the videos longer, but right now he wants to keep them short enough to hold viewers’ attentions.

“We try to keep it short. We haven’t done a good job of keeping it short so far, though,” Hargett said.

The first season of Monotonia, 10 episodes in total, wrapped up in late May. Many of the bands featured in the first season were friends Hargett had made while performing or attending shows, or they became friends by the time the video wrapped. A few of those acts included Alabama Rose, Steel City Jug Slammers, Nerves Baddington and Creature Camp — Hargett said he intentionally picked acts across several genres.

“I have a lot of friends now that I didn’t have before,” Hargett said.

Right now, Monotonia is on a break, and Hargett plans to play with the format of the web series before starting its second season. Though he’d like to eventually pick up sponsors, that’s not really what the project is about.

“This means the world to me,” Hargett said. “I’m doing this because I really care about Birmingham; I really care about my friends.”

He’s hopeful that as Monotonia picks up steam, it will not only give exposure to the artists but also create bonds within Birmingham’s music community.

“A certain sense of community has been built up because of it. If that’s what’s happening, I feel like I did a good job,” Hargett said.

The full first season of Monotonia is at welcometomonotonia.com.