DRUMMER CAFE

1st - there are always good and bad and inbetween people in every job.

Last night I played what was to be the last live band show at a venue.  They're going to a DJ format.   This was in a town with a varied and lively history of live music, with more than enough support for it as proven by other venues.   So what happened here?   The booker.   He had done such a mediocre job at handling and organizing that it made live shows there a pain and burdon for the rest of the employees there and the artists that played.  

This was not the first example of a booker with no follow through etc that we'd run into.   It was actually one of the few who actually took the time to put together a show (so many just wait for you to call them with a bill).

So with the booker not putting the effort to put together good bills, or do the necessary work to get people in the door, it doesn't benefit the venue.  And as we all know, if it doesn't benefit the venue, the venue won't bother.  

Its easy to blame the public, the radio, the dj's, and even the bands, its not that simple.   It takes help from everyone to kill a community.  

So while this may be a bit of a rant, its a cry for help as well.   ENCOURAGE good behavior in all the parties involved in producing live music.   We've talked plenty about about being nice to your soundman (lest he use the dreaded "suck" filter).   But it goes beyond the guy making you louder that night.    Encourage good behavior with your booker, ask them for details, thank them kindly for them, pay attention to what they ask in return.    Same goes for the door person, they have rules laid out to them by the venue, if its a 2 person guest list limit, don't kvetch about it, thank them for that much (the more that pay, the better you all do).  And the barkeep even, most of us get there early, don't push them to serve you if they aren't setup yet, don't get greedy for freebies, tip, even if you have a freebie, a barkeep in a good mood means patrons in a good mood.  

I could go on about all the promoters in LA who are merely head-counters. They don't actually PROMOTE anything. They are lazy has-beens who want to make the kids believe they are a connection.

But I'll rant about this guy who is booking at a venue in Westwood called The Westwood Brewery Company.

He's a new booker. We've played there for years, but he still demanded a CD and promo pack. Fine, I deliver that. He seemed to have it together when he called to confirm the show.

I get to the venue early, since I work close by. I call him to ask about the lineup.

"Oh, well there's an acoustic act that plays before you, so go ahead and set up. The other two bands after you canceled, tho."

OK. Fine.

When the bartender shows up, I go to her and try to get the microphones. For the past five years, I'd give her a credit card and I'd get the microphones and cables.

She says, "Oh, the old promoter took those with him. We don't have any."

Great.

It's too late to call people, so we figure we'll make do with what we can find. The singer has a mic and cable, but no stand. I give him my stand, and figure out a way to get my mic available.

I tie it to a projector screen that is hanging from the back of the stage.



After I got set up, I got the manager and told him about this problem. He says this is the TENTH time a band has gotten there and didn't have any microphones.

He asks me if I want to call the guy and chew him out. I call the guy and he apologizes through some stoned haze he's living in. I hang up and turn to the manager, and inform him that we won't be playing the venue anymore. He is aware of our history there, but he also knows that lots of other bands will take the spot, get burned, and just bring their own mics next time.

Maybe I was out of line for putting it that way, but there are also hundreds of other venues where I can perform. At least the head-counter isn't too wasted to count.

I don't fault them for focusing on the cash instead of the music, we all have our jobs, thats theirs.   But you're right, the better the music (not in the subjective sense), the better the income, and that's the key.   And what ends up happening is that bands with draw don't find it worth their while to play venues like that (I.e. Drumwilds story), and venues lose their income, usually blaming bands, without acknowledging thier role in the failure.