A few weeks ago, the driver of a backhoe ran a red light, hit a van and crashed the heavy machine into the side of a Madison landmark — Smart Studios (1254 E. Washington Ave.). Some remodeling will need to be done, but nothing major, and luckily no one was injured. But this incident serves as a metaphor for a larger phenomenon happening in the Madison music scene.

Let’s go back to the 1980s. Remember that mecca of alternative/indie music, O’Cayz Corral? The tiny venue was host to hundreds of acts over its 20-odd years in the Madison area, many of which went on to become big stars (Nirvana, Soundgarden), and many we never heard from again. When O’Cayz burned down on New Year’s Day, 2001, a piece of Madison’s music history was lost forever.

O’Cayz owner Cathy Dethmers has been trying to find a new building and the funding to open it ever since that fateful night — to no avail. Each bid she puts in is turned down, overridden by someone with more money, or it just plain falls through. What is it with Madison and its failure to realize its own thriving local scene?

This is not to take away from the unique variety of welcoming downtown venues, most of which recognize the need for local bands to start somewhere. Luther’s Blues, The Annex and, on the outskirts, The Barrymore all take advantage of bigger bands’ opening slots by offering them to up-and-comers, and the Union still has one of most alive-and-kicking, supportive atmospheres for smaller bands in the nation. However, I’d be willing to bet that if any of these venues faced the same disaster O’Cayz did, there would be no room or success in rebuilding.

The problem is, Madison lacks a homey, mid-size venue to host the mid-range, nationally touring bands that currently pass us up to hit venues in Milwaukee and Chicago. Where’s Madison’s equivalent of Milwaukee’s The Rave? Or the Metro in Chicago? It’s simply not here anymore, and we miss out on lots of great acts because of it.

Unfortunately, this phenomenon seems to be spreading. Last April, the Globe East in Milwaukee announced it would no longer serve as a music venue. This came as a tremendous loss to the Milwaukee community, as the small bar was notorious for hosting bands that wouldn’t play anywhere else.

Shows there were like no other — the venue consisted of literally just a small bar with a stage shoved in the front and a tiny upper level, and there was a real opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with the bands you loved. There are countless stories of fans meeting their favorite groups face-to-face, as many musicians sold their own merchandise on the upper level after their sets.

It would be easy to brush all this off as just another one biting the dust, but it’s really so much more than that. For the bands that once occupied these stages, a choice had to be made: skip over the area entirely on their next tour, or find a decent-sized basement to play in. Not much of a choice, is it? Thus, we’re losing out on a plethora of interesting and obscure music.

To be fair, more and more “homemade” venues are springing up, housed in the residences of fans that don’t want their favorite local bands to fade into oblivion. But what’s the potential for success in this area, with the latest police declaration of a “crack down” on house parties? Even if most fans are of-age and bring their own alcohol, a few under-agers are bound to be there. Though the risk of a fine may be minimal, it’s there nonetheless.

Even some local bands are showing signs of moving on. First was student-favorite Five Dollar Foundation, which played a farewell show to an audience of hundreds last summer on the Memorial Union Terrace. More recently, The Junkers and Phat Phunktion have both had members move out of town, making their futures questionable. Where is the music going?

Back to the incident at Smart Studios. Well-known for its association with some of the best albums of the ’90s (Nirvana’s Nevermind and Garbage’s self-titled album were both recorded there), it’s almost painfully metaphorical when it gets smashed into as a result of carelessness. Likewise, O’Cayz disappeared after an accident, perhaps never to return. It seems that Madison’s musical icons are being slowly, albeit accidentally, demolished.

So, what can be done to support smaller venues? Well, first of all we have to recognize the important role these places play in making Madison one of the country’s best musical cities (as Rolling Stone proclaimed in winter 2003). Second, we have to look at which bands we’re attracting as well as which ones that are passing us by in favor of Milwaukee or Chicago.

But most importantly, we have to keep an eye out for opportunities to support our local venues wherever and however possible. Show people like Cathy Dethmers that we want to give her all the help we can in re-opening an O’Cayz-esque venue. The downtown venues are doing an admirable job in supporting local acts, but we can do better. Remember, the fans are the most important part of any city’s music — show Madison that we love and support our local scene.