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In the early 2000s, northern Michigan’s music scene was small, loud, and very DIY.
Teens found whatever spaces they could — Legion halls, driveways, open fields — and turned them into venues.
"There was kind of whole hall rental scene happening," said Will Thomas. He was one of the many teenagers playing in bands in the area. "[It] was kind of run by kids older than us. Every couple years, the torch would kind of get passed."
Teenagers in the scene were booking the halls, putting up money venues, arranging miniature festivals bands. They were designing flyers and schlepping them around town.
Thomas said he can't remember how they got it all done.
"It was thrilling in that way," said Thomas, "in the freedom and the independence of it all — in that kids were putting on shows and organizing all the logistics."
Thomas kept photos from those years — photos of bands, crowds, handmade flyers — about 300 in all. A little more than decade ago, he put them on tumblr and called it TC Rock City.
The archive captures a moment when the scene was dominated by metal and hardcore before becoming more varied and eclectic — with touring bands discovering a devoted audience of northern Michigan teenagers.
See more than 300 photos on Thomas's tumblr TC Rock City.
Will eventually joined the scene himself, drumming in the band Tanooki Suit and playing regular shows at Jacob’s Well, an all-ages venue attached to a church.
Their sound leaned more toward midwest emo — a contrast to the heavy music surrounding them.
"We used to call it emergency rock," said Thomas.
Along with the local bands and those which came from around the state, Traverse City started to attract national acts. Thomas remembers a Brooklyn band, The Forms, came through touring on their first album and played at the local VFW Hall.
Thomas said it was a good show.
"I remember those guys... were blown away to play up here and have 100 kids right up next to them — just loving every moment of their set," said Thomas. "They were almost like, 'Where are we? What is this show?'
"This was like my personal little time capsule. I just got so much respect for the kids that made these shows happen... In a way, it feels like a lifetime ago, but it was just freedom, you know, for kids to kind of learn independence and learn how to do things."
