@Mrholthaus –
I spent my teenage years in Carlsbad, NM. That was not exactly a incubator for rock and roll groups. There wasn’t any place that up and coming bands could play. Bars tended to be more country and western. Plus, NM had a 21 yr old drinking age. Our local radio stations were either C&W or Easy Listening. In the evening, you could pick up a rock and roll station out of OKC on the “skip”.
I never did ask Robert where his group was going to play. He had asked me to audition, but didn’t like my voice.
And, I set my listening preferences during those years. By the time I got to college (where I might have listened to younger groups), I already had my baseline of groups that I listened to. I don’t really remember buying any new albums during those years. My budget was pretty slim, though. I can’t remember what group was playing in El Paso, but I do remember deciding that I could buy 2-3 albums for the price of the concert. I feel sure that there were probably venues where newer bands could play, but neither I nor my friends went there.