The HYPE.

A sense of place
By: Beau Bisson
The place I chose is the hype on Queen Street. The hype was an old rundown bar that put on all ages shows, and provided a venue for local bands to debut their music. Another reason why the hype was famous in Brampton is because it gave teens a place to get drunk and high…..Kids were so in the mix when hype was putting on shows. I think it was Brampton’s pulse in the music scene. The building itself wasn’t much to look at and was often raided by police cause of all the rowdy teens and underage drinking. There were two main groups at hype the metal heads and the scene kids both argued and fought constantly. The least noticed group was the small clan of hippy kids wandering round in grateful dead tie dye shirts. Security was tough but cool because they were friendly and interesting to talk about also they kicked out a lot of drug dealers and people who were starting shit. The parking lot was a gong show with all the high/drunk teens. There was nothing like it every band who came from far away was shocked to see every kid in the audience was completely fucked out of there mind. To sum it up the hype was a riot when it was in its prime, Brampton had a music scene, and teenagers had a place to chill and listen to music on a Saturday night. I met a ton of cool people and love them all like family.
The hype was the highlight of everyone’s week for 3 years and now it’s gone but we went out with a bang. If I feel lost and sad I look back on what I was apart of and see how much I learned and where I first fell in love. I don’t regret anything I just wouldn’t have learned with out doing it myself, because I’m young and dumb and looking for fun. And someone to join me on my adventures. Some of the places I remember at hype were the grassy knoll, the stupid tree, the forest of no return, and the V.I.P section which fittingly stands for the very intoxicated person section. I love my past and want to always remember who I was and what I still am today.
The hype was an alternate reality for us B-town kids. It was the most unreal thing because we were so young and innocent but at the same time we were seeing life as a party and we were always invited. It was always cool to see my friends play a show or have my band headlining a show. At one point I was actually employed as a photographer and camera man for a production company called panda city. My job consisted of me filming shows and taking pictures for the website and magazine. Even though the hype is now closed and abandoned it will always be loved by those who hung out there and made friends.
I think Brampton should open up a venue for shows. Our music scene has died here in the city but with some work and funding we can revive it back to what it was in the beginning, after the hype closed many bands just left Brampton or just quit all together leaving us without a soundtrack to the weekend. Without music life is not worth living music can make emotions seem so powerful and make you feel things that you just cant without it. R.I.P hype, B-town music scene, local bands, and a creative out let. I will make it known that our city is in need of a place where teens our accepted and safe to chill.