"Nonetheless, there is something afoot here--a rock revival to be sure, and one that I welcome. But let's not kid ourselves. The reason that all these New York bands are so hyped is not solely because they are good, but because the country is at the peak of a love affair with New York City that has coincided with a) the Clinton administration-led economic growth, b) the stock market bubble, c) the Guiliani administration "clean up" of New York, d) the WTC attack, and e) Hollywood's love for New York in the last decade. Beginning with Seinfeld and Mad About You, inflecting upward with Friends and NYPD Blue, and represented most purely by shows like Felicity, New York has become, in the media, just the coolest fucking place to be. You can track the effects in the number of applications to Columbia and NYU, the rent explosion in Williamsburg, and the hip bars on every corner of the Lower East Side. The "Felicity-Effect" has meant that young would-be creative and hipster types have come to NY in even greater numbers than years past--and that means more bands and more buzz. When you consider the fact that these Felicity-affected kids are now the ones writing all the "What's hot/What's not" music journalism, it is no surprise that New York rock would be placed at the fore in this particular historical moment.

There are always new rock bands in New York. What distinguishes today's cohort from 1994/5's crop of "hot" bands like Jonathon Fire Eater, Pony/Speed King and Vitapup? If you ask me it's the Felicity-effect and the demographic tide, which brought an increased audience of 17-23 year-olds today, that provides most of the explanation for the current NYC vogue. "

To read more, buy issue one.