Website of the Week: Do DIY
Say hello to your new friend: DoDIY.org.
I was happy to totally randomly come across this very modest, yet enormously useful resource while searching for who-knows-what the other day. It’s basically a listing of DIY venues in the US and Canada, but unlike other sites that try/have tried to do this sort of thing, Do DIY succeeds by keeping its focus realistic, and actually keeping its listings up-to-date and free of fake indie bullshit.
Neil Campau of the band WORLD HISTORY maintains the site pretty much all on his own out of his home in Seattle, or wherever he happens to be on tour. I wondered how he managed to keep the listings current, as DIY venues tend to come and go pretty frequently. Neil says:
“It’s all kinds of work, but I get a lot of nice messages from people letting me know that venues are defunct or contacts have changed. I also spend lots of time booking shows myself, so that helps me keep in the know. And I try go through all of the links on the site once a year.”
As for the criteria for what the site will and will not list, he says that the venues “have to be open to everyone (i.e., all ages),” and, “No sexist, racist, homophobic, ageist, ableist, etc.-kinda-bullshit allowed in their listings.”
It’s heartening to see that ideals like this still matter to a lot of people, and it exemplifies what impresses me so much about this basic, no-frills website. Each venue (or house in many cases) gives a short description of itself, and just skimming through the listings (a seemingly boring endeavor, kinda like reading the phone book) really makes you realize how awesome this DIY thing is, that we have all created and have a hand in keeping alive.
Neil says his plans for the future of include expanding the resources section, and starting to include listings of venues outside of the US. We hope see the site continue its mission for good while. Viva DIY!
