Palpitated with the porous release of a packed audience of fanatical metal heads, there was gravity in the air at the Fox Theater in Pomona, CA on the evening of March 5, as death metal juggernauts Morbid Angel took the stage.
The lead to “Rapture” began and the crowd combusted in equal parts with an air of satiated anticipation and total satisfaction; after all, nobody in their beer-fogged dreams anticipated Scion to foot the bill of a full capacity crowd of metal heads to a Morbid Angel show.
Scion, Toyota’s North American brand of vehicles, marketed towards a younger demographic, born out of their Project Genesis plan, has been instrumental in organizing and fostering some of extreme music’s most decorated and revered groups in the form of bi-monthly concerts, record production and punctuated with their annual “Rock Fest,” a free event hosted in a large forum somewhere in the United States with “Rock Fest” alumnus ranging from death metal legends Cannibal Corpse to spaced-out riffers Mastodon.
These efforts all stem from Scion Audio Visual, a promotional initiative conceived in 2005, that acts as an in-house record label, event organizer and concert promoter.
Not limited to its involvement in the extreme metal and hardcore scenes, Scion A/V has extended its influence and participation in a diverse spectrum of genres and artistic mediums; from dance to hip-hop to garage rock.
Scion has used its resources to leave an impression on a large demographic. Jeri Yoshizu, manager of sales and promotion for Scion has seen a varied but strong reaction from the artists and the people they are trying to reach.
“Each scene is different,” said Yoshizu. “The hip-hop scene was very receptive due to the entrepreneurial aspects of hip-hop culture… garage and metal did not have a lot of experience with corporations, so it took a bit of time to figure out how those scenes work.”
There has been a mixed reaction from artists in the communities that Scion is involving itself with, including some insightful criticisms from Agoraphobic Nosebleed’s Jay Randall and the Austerity Program’s Justin Foley; but, it seems the reactions from the fans, the participants of these events, is resoundingly positive.
“Honestly I don’t care who is giving me free tickets every month to go see bands I wouldn’t normally get the chance to see,” said Anthony Ardulle, a 20-year-old musician in attendance at the Rock Fest. “I come here because I love what these bands do, I don’t worry about what corporate agenda I’m ‘playing into.'”
What’s clear is that there is an enormous response being generated in communities that go largely unnoticed in the “big picture” that successful businesses and corporations use as a measuring stick for their initiatives.
While we have seen records released, concerts organized and online radio stations assumed, there remains the question of what are we to expect from the future of Scion A/V?
“More of this,” said Yoshizu, “and more video products.”
