It's pretty easy to get a gig. If you live here, there are hundreds of coffeeshops, open mics, art galleries, restaurants and other venues that will let you work your craft in front of an audience, without expecting you to pack the place. You might be competing with an espresso machine and people might have their noses in their MacBooks and regular books, but if you're content to be background music while you work up your chops, you won't be lacking opportunities to play.
The locals are still proud of the grunge thing. When I moved here I was hesitant to even mention "grunge" to anyone, figuring most locals would be sooo over it. I'm happy to say that's not the case at all. Those who grew up here in the 90s remember how exciting those days were, when the city was the heart of a new musical groundswell. I haven't met any locals embarrassed to still be Pearl Jam or Soundgarden fans.
It's more tribes-y than clique-y. Every scene has its inner circle, but I don't think you can buy your way in with expensive equipment and stage clothes. Despite Seattle's reputation for being chilly, its musicians are some of the warmest, friendliest people I've met (that goes double for the native sons and daughters), and they tend to form tribes and small communities which are not impenetrable to anyone who puts in a good faith effort to know them. (Best way to do that? Join a band.)
It's isolated. It's three hours to Portland OR, four hours to Spokane and forever to anywhere beyond that. Unlike anywhere east of the Ohio River, where an hour or two in any direction gets to you to a considerably populated metropolis. This leads to a kind of self-containment, where a band from Portland might have a hard time finding a gig in Seattle because there's no shortage of local acts to choose from. This also works in reverse for Seattle acts trying to land gigs outside of Seattle. A challenge all around.
It's not all indie folk. There are thriving hip-hop and metal scenes, a resurgence of indie funk and soul, and we even have an upstart rock orchestra. KEXP might be our most famous FM station, but we've also got major triple-A in KMTT, hard rock and metal in KISW, and more than a few country, pop and dance stations. We're home several independent electronica festivals, and the annual Folklife festival draws thousands of spectators every year. (And yes, we do have quite a bit of folky stuff at the moment, thank you. Guilty as charged.) Whatever you're into, there's a niche for you here somewhere.
Despite entering my eighth dark, miserably rain-soaked Seattle winter, this place still tops my list of favorite places I've lived.