"According to him, an underground war is raging between the veterans of jazz and blues and a new-wave transplant of high-ticket electronic music. 'You can charge more at the door to these EDM-loving crowds, which is good for a broke artist,' Kempf says. 'But these are still the same guys jacking up rent and gentrifying the place.'"
"'Man, the rent here is no joke,' he says. 'I'll need some coffee-squirting day job and at least three roommates to ever hope to strum my guitar out here professionally.'"
"'They have some of the best music and art venues I've ever seen,' he said. And with space to plug in and play, of course, comes opportunity and pay."
As UC Berkeley graduates prepare to enter the workforce, many artists are torn between pursuing lucrative tech opportunities and staying in the East Bay's creative environment. The region's cultural legacy is threatened by rising costs and gentrification, leading to uncertainty about its viability as a launchpad for artistic careers. Senior student Elliot Kempf highlights the conflict between traditional music scenes and new electronic genres, expressing concerns about affordability and the need for multiple income sources to sustain a creative life in the area.
Read at East Bay Express | Oakland, Berkeley & Alameda
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