Paul Campagna and Chris Haug grew up wanting to challenge people’s preconceptions about the dearth of culture in their small, drive through state. Now they’re building the Delaware Music History Archive (DMHA), using geography as a means of storytelling to document the rich musical legacy of a place where many assume “nothing happens.”
Over the last year or so, Paul and Chris have scoured messageboards and old newspapers, conducted dozens of interviews with musicians and historians, and contacted old high school buddies to ask if they have a flyer from that one punk show in the summer of 1997. After unearthing more than 3,320 newspaper clippings, 500 flyers, and 250 photos, they began compiling their data to build an interactive, living map that documents nearly 2,000 shows from 1940-present, covering most genres and touching every corner of the state.
Thanks to the technical expertise of Jeromy Carriere and countless contributions from members of the Delaware music community, Paul and Chris are thrilled to present the first look at the Delaware Music History Archive.
This work is powered by the complex interactions between coffee and curiosity, knowledge and passion, a touch of neurodiversity and zero academic background. As the project snowballed, Paul and Chris found themselves behind the 8 ball on attribution and credit, so if you find yourself uncredited, please be sure to let them know so they can correct it. Please tell them what they missed and where they got things wrong. Help them fill in the blanks by sharing what you have – photos, flyers, posters, recordings, keepsakes.
An important reminder that this is JUST a prototype. Paul and Chris need to raise some funds to build a fully functional map, but this is a look at what they’ve collected so far. The map should be viewed on a computer browser, not on mobile at this time.
Press:
Gable Music Ventures March 20, 2025
