Thx Mgmt brought an all-star Florida rock n’ roll show to New World Brewery last Friday, June 5, featuring Tampa darlings The Beauvilles, Orlando-based Thomas Wynn & The Believers and Jacksonville’s Shawn Fisher & The Jukebox Gypsies. The master plan was a mini-weekend tour with stops at each of the bands’ hometowns while rotating the headliner spot and introducing the out-of-town bands to new audiences. A grand idea!
Posted by Meagan Bemis on May. 31, 2009, at 4:00 pm
I am dating a guitarist. Original, I know.
The point is, though, that I have a unique inside vision to the woes that local bands endure. Joel, my boyfriend, is in the band Dreadful Memories (who freakin’ rock by the way — check them out). They work so hard, I mean really. Whenever Joel and I both have a day off, it’s hardly spent together because he needs to get to practice. All the members of the band have at least one part time job, some of them have two and all of them struggle to make ends meet.
I have bought more than my fair share of tickets to their shows, just to make sure they sell enough to be able to play. They’ve dealt with producers and agencies that seem to care only about profit rather than actually helping local bands make it. They struggle to have enough time for the band and the rest of their lives. They deal with the struggles of everyday life while trying to win the right to their dreams day after day. It just seems like they can’t get a break.
Attitude is an important component to keep in check as your band starts to have some pull. Acting like a whiny diva is a surefire way to get yourself banned from venues, overlooked by promoters and despised by local media. If you are an unsigned or independent act, you have no place thinking that you are better than anyone else by making other’s lives annoying. Just because you have some catchy tunes and your friends like them doesn’t mean jack squat.
People in the music business have enough ego on their own and will not want to put up with yours, unless you truly are God’s gift to music and are selling lots and lots of records. If you are hassle to deal with or have too many demands, chances are they won’t want to work with you. The rule of thumb is: unless you have something that they need, don’t act like it. If your band brings 400 people to a show, then you have grounds to demand from the venue. If your band brings 10, you don’t. So don’t be a jerk about no sound check, bad on stage sound or crappy pay outs.
A Reason to Rock 2
A benefit concert for Parkinson’s reasearch
Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, FL
Saturday January 10, 2009
Bands: Chris McCarty Band, Radio Reset, Soulfound, The Prospect
All Ages | $20 at Door | Meet and greet at 6:00p | Doors at 7:00p
Once your band gets some songs written and well-rehearsed, it is recommended that you focus on creating a demo. A demo serves as both your product and your business card, so having a the highest quality demo possible makes sense. Fans form their opinions quickly after they hear the first note of your first song, so why not make it bad ass?
Song List and Pre-production
The first step is to decide what the final product will be. A 3 song EP? A double album? Whatever it is make sure you determine the song list before spending money. This helps keep the project on-budget and gives you a scope. After determining the songs, rehearse and pre-produce the crap out of them. This will save you time in the studio. For my old post on pre-production, click here.
Setting a Budget
You know what you want to record, now you need to get the cash to pay for it. Setting a recording budget can be a chore and may scare you a bit, but it takes money to make money. There are three parts to a solid recording budget:
Yes. Even though you can host your files on a free site like MySpace, I recommend you spend the $40 per year for a domain and hosting for your own dot com Website. Here’s why:
Do you remember a Website called MP3.com? Before MySpace and before Napster brought the industry to their knees, MP3.com was THE website to upload your songs to and many bands used it as a surrogate for a real Website. One day (and abruptly), MP3.com closed down their free service and all the bands were out of luck, many missing out on thousands of fans that they failed to point to their own Website. They have since resurfaced, but it was too late for thousands of bands and music lovers. You never know if MySpace will power down their servers in favor of something else. Be safe.
Here are the basics you need to know and some reasons why:
After getting your band together, coming up with a name and writing a few songs, the first thing you need to do is make sure everyone is on the same page by defining your goals as a band. There are two main types of goals: Overall Band Goals and Tactical Goals.
The Bombardier Manifesto is a blog for bands, clubs and related industries about music, marketing and technology. Learn how to use these tools to develop a healthy and profitable music scene.
Hello World! Welcome to the first entry of the Bombardier Manifesto. Having spent the last 10 years trying to build my music cred and professional arsenal, I realized that my attempts have not failed, but have been victims of bad timing, lack of knowledge and downright stupidity. I had to figure things out the hard way and that takes a toll after a while. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes.
That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to be able to share with you some of the very useful tools available to bands and businesses everywhere who want to increase the visibility of and awareness for their wares…Read the rest of this entry »
Joe Popp, acclaimed Tampa rocker/actor (American Stage’s MacBeth, Jobsite’s Maxwell), returns from his current digs in New York City for a concert Friday (May 16) at New World Brewery, Ybor City. Popp’s fronting a power trio called The Hornrims, which have just finished recording an ace new record titled Holland. The disc is a smart, gruff, catchy collection of timeless, Replacements-style rock featuring memorable numbers like “Last Mistake,” the title-track and “Billion Stars,” which all can be heard here. The Hornrims plan to have the album available for sale at New World.
Singer/guitarist Popp is joined in The Hornrims by former Tampanian Brian McCabe (bass) and NYC drummer Tylor Durand. Local music trivia: Popp and McCabe ’s old band Dogs on Ice opened Green Day’s famed Brass Mug gig in ‘91. Show info:
The Hornrims w/Nessie/Deadly Fists of Kung Fu, 9 p.m. Fri., May 16, New World Brewery, Ybor City, $6.
Note: The Hornrims play first, hitting the stage at 10 p.m.
WMNF and BAAMO have assembled another killer tribute show — this time in honor of political-punk titans The Clash — featuring an eclectic lineup of local talent. The 17-act fest will be again held at Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa, 5 p.m., Sat., May 31, $10 (advance), $15 (at the door). Here’s the roster for “This is Radio Clash: A Tribute to The Clash.” Set times will be posted prior to the show.
Tribal Style – Reggae/World
Beauvilles – Rock/Alternative
Blind Buddy Moody – Blues
Christie Lenee & Funk Grass Grove – Funk/Nu-Jazz/Folk-Rock
Gumbo Boogie – Cajun/ Zydeco
Hat Trick Heroes – Rock/Psychedelic/Alternative
Have Gun Will Travel – Americana
Johnny Zoom Cheerlead Squad – Reved-up Garage Rock
Katherine Kelly – Electroacoustic/Folk Rock/Indie
Male Order Brides – Rock/Blues
Next Exit – Folk
Midnight Bowlers League – Rock-a-billy
Parson Brown- Eclectic
The Pants – Ska
Bunko Squad – Folk/Rock
Scone Train – Folk Rock/Acoustic/Indie
Super Secret Best Friends – Rock/Pop
Urbane Cowboys – Americana
I wrote a Music Week Brief titled “Ultimate Showcase at Skipper’s” to advance tbt*’s The Ultimate Local Music Showcase, which took place Saturday, May 10 at Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa. The only info posted at the Skipper’s Smokehouse’s website 10 days ago, when I was on deadline, linked to tbt*, where I found this (see pic). Skipper’s would later note:
MAY 10 SATURDAY
Ultimate Music Showcase Presented by Wide Eye Caffeinated Spirits
Sponsored by tbt* Tampa Bay Times
6 Local Bands from tbt* local music guide.
Blind Buddy Moody 6-6:45 p.m.
November Foxtrot Whiskey 7-7:45 p.m.
Rebekah Pulley & The Reluctant Prophets 8-8:45 p.m.
Win Win Winter 9-9:45 p.m.
Aych 10-10:45 p.m.
Bird Street Players 11-11:45 p.m.
SHOW 5PM-12AM $5 ADV $10 DOORBuy Tickets
tbt* never changed the page on its website, which promises readers appearances by Red Room Cinema, Zillionaire, Psuedo Heroes and Tres Bien. Here’s the link. In a comment posted May 9 on my piece advancing the May 10 show, New Granada notes:
NOTE/CORRECTION: Tres Bien, Zillionaire, Red Room Cinema and Pseudo Heroes are NOT scheduled to perform at Skipper’s tomorrow night.
Personal scheduling conflicts kept all of these bands from the roster, so basically none of them were on the bill from the beginning.
Sorry for the confusion, and on that note, you should still go check out/support the show (especially our friends Win Win Winter).
If “basically none of [the bands] were on the bill from the beginning” why didn’t tbt* make it more clear online that not all 10 bands would be performing? Probably an oversight. These things happen, I know, but it’s likely I wasn’t the only person who felt misled.
Left to right: Me (seated) watching Nate Oliver and Matt Burke of Have Gun, Will Travel. Photos by Tesha Sulli.
Bradenton alt-country ensemble Have Gun, Will Travel made the most of its CD release party this weekend, turning in a jubilant, loose, crowd-pleasing performance that displayed the band’s brilliance and versatility. HGWT didn’t take the stage at Crowbar, Ybor City, until 1:30 a.m. Sunday. The advertised starting time for the show was 9 .m., which usually means 10 p.m., but the first supporting act, Baron Von Bear, didn’t start until about 10:30 p.m. HGWT leader Matt Burke voiced concern that the late hour might affect their performance when I spoke to him around 10:15 — sitting around and drinking for four hours isn’t the best way to prep for most anything — but the musicians pulled it off much to the delight of the dozens of people crowded at the lip of the stage, singing along to both the songs from HGWT’s excellent self-titled, 2006 EP and the new, equally gripping and more dynamic full-length, Casting Shadows Tall As Giants.
Whereas the HGWT’s rock side is slightly downplayed on the freshly minted CD — which emphasizes the outfits’ rich, acoustic-guitar-based melodies marked by banjo, fiddle, and harmonica; and Matt’s intimate vocals and evocative lyrics — on stage, early Sunday morning, the band offered a boisterous set that bordered on cow punk at certain moments. Thanks to the addition of a second lap steel player for the performance (I failed to catch his name), multi-purpose guitarist/backup vocalist Nate Oliver was able to wield his electric ax stage-front next to Matt, ox-solid bassist/backup vocalist/Matt’s younger brother Danny Burke and dexterous viola-player Josh Hernandez, who made the show despite his car breaking down on his way from Tallahassee. Propelling HGWT with machine-like precision throughout the night was drummer JP Beaubien, perhaps the man most responsible for the band’s ability to effortlessly alternate from breezy, Byrds-y tempos to more driving rock forays.
Left to right: Josh Hernandez and Matt Burke.
For a couple numbers, Matt brought the room to a whisper with just his voice, acoustic guitar and harmonica — or with Hernandez accompanying him on viola while Nate and Danny set down their instruments to deliver close-knit vocal harmonies. For the finale, fellow local alt-country luminary Will Quinlan joined HGWT to recreate the emotive spoken-word piece he did with the band for “Pins & Needles,” from Casting Shadows tall As Giants. By this point in the night it’s pretty fair to say everyone in the room — musicians, promoter, attendees, me, Quinlan — had a good buzz going and after Quinlan gave his speech, which the audience loved, HGWT went into rock mode, prompting Quinlan to jump along with the musicians, which led to him falling down. But he leaped right back up and grabbed the mic to sing along with the band for another chorus. It was a rock ‘n’ roll moment and a great way to wrap an exceptional showcase of local music that also featured performances by Baron Von Bear (of Orlando), Nessie and Quinlan, who sent chills up my spine with his poignant, whiskey-breathed rendition of the ancient bootlegger’s lament “Moonshiner” (aka “Kentucky Moonshiner”).
Bruce Springsteen gets Boss-y at the Forum. Another show I can’t miss. Look for a review of it by Senior Editor Eric Snider or me — or both of us — posted here on Tuesday; we’ll be attending the concert together.
Review of New CDs from R.E.M., The Raconteurs (by ES) and Robert Walter (ES). We debated on giving R.E.M.’s latest 4 1/2 (out of 5) stars but I wussed out at the last minute and stuck with 4. It’s a great disc and maybe deserved the higher rating. Then again, I don’t think I’ve given 4 1/2 stars to a new release in the past year. Thoughts?
Avril Lavigne, Car Bomb Driver and more in Music Week. I got a bit wordy on the Lavigne entry but thought her pilfering ways needed to be revealed.
From left to right: Me, Nate Oliver, Danny Burke, Matt Burke, JP Beaubien. Photo by Camille Pyatte.
I spent Tuesday night in downtown Bradenton conducting an interview at the rehearsal studio of Have Gun, Will Travel, one of the top alt-country acts in the region. What started as singer-songwriter and former Chase Theory frontman Matt Burke’s acoustic-based solo project has evolved into a full band effort on Have Gun, Will Travel’s excellent full-length debut, Casting Shadows Tall as Giants. The disc will be unveiled to the public at the Have Gun, Will Travel CD release party, Fri., April 18, Crowbar, Ybor City.
My Have Gun, Will Travel feature story will run on the cover of Creative Loafing’s Sarasota edition April 10 and in Tampa April 17. Here’s an excerpt:
On grimy walls plastered with fliers from past shows and a stop sign that hopefully wasn’t swiped from a busy intersection, a Radiohead poster hangs near one of a smiling Hank Williams Sr. The contemporary art-rock royals and the king of honky tonk make for an odd pairing, suggesting, perhaps, the ironic gesture of a country-hating hipster. But here at Have Gun, Will Travel’s rehearsal space in downtown Bradenton, the two posters underpin the musicians’ eclectic taste and are a telling reminder of the band’s finely executed makeover. Singer and chief songwriter Matt Burke’s appreciation for both Radiohead and Williams are as sincere as the stylistic shift he embarked on more than two years ago that transformed venerable indie rock trio the Chase Theory into Have Gun, Will Travel — the most important new alt-country ensemble in Tampa Bay.
HGWT’s freshly minted full-length debut, Casting Shadows Tall as Giants, ranks with anything on the national Americana charts. Its gorgeous acoustic guitar-based melodies are fleshed out with back porch banjo, lap steel, viola, piano and harmonica. A taut rhythm section that occasionally operates in subdued rock mode propels the songs. The mostly traditional instrumentation, arrangements and production provide a supreme backdrop for Matt Burke’s reedy, intimate singing about timeless subject matter like charlatan preachers, maturing and finding solace in a lover’s arms. The 32-year-old surveys these topics with a deft touch resulting in fresh meditations on even the most ancient dilemmas.
“The band came together as the songs were written, with everyone putting something into it,†Matt says on a recent Tuesday night. We’re in a gussied up storage facility packed with instruments, amps and recording equipment — beer cans and cigarette butts litter the concrete floor. HGWT calls the place headquarters and practices here twice a week. The pool table, stereo, TV, fridge and posters of Radiohead and Williams are in a clubhouse-like loft above the warehouse space where a truly brilliant album took shape. “To hear all the parts I had previously only heard in my head actually brought to fruition was like hearing them in all their glory, it made me feel like I was 15 again, in our first band playing rock songs,†Matt says.
Seated next to him and nodding in agreement are his younger brother, bassist Danny Burke, and drummer JP Beaubien; the two men who made the transition with Matt from Chase Theory to HGWT. The new band also includes lap steel guitarist/backup vocalist Nate Oliver, former frontman for now defunct Bradenton rockers Farewell Verona, which used to gig locally with the Chase Theory. In addition, HGWT features viola player Josh Hernandez, when he’s not attending classes at Florida State, the case today.
Matt, Danny, JP and Nate each has on a pair of faded black, low-top Chuck Taylor sneakers. They all drink the same cheap beer, share cigs and routinely greet each other with warm bear hugs. Matt’s current day job is graphic design but he’s previously done construction work, the occupation of everyone else in the room. “Between the four of us we can almost build a house,†Danny cracks.
“We could do it,†Nate says.
JP jokingly tells me I can’t smoke in the rehearsal space even though everyone else does. He’s the loudest of the bunch and the quickest to bust your balls. Danny unleashes the occasional zinger, as well. JP suggests stabbing and molesting me when I accompany the quartet on a photo shoot down by the Manatee River. Matt and Nate, the youngest member by five years, laugh at their bandmate’s antics but rarely instigate the playful banter. The band’s overall relationship is indicative of a group of men who have been making music together from an early age.
Tracks from HGWT’s soon-to-be-released album Casting Shadows Tall as Giants posted here.
Attitude is an important component to keep in check as your band starts to have some pull. Acting like a whiny diva is a surefire way to get yourself banned from venues, overlooked by promoters and despised by local media. If you are an unsigned or independent act, you have no place thinking that you are better than anyone else by making other’s lives annoying. Just because you have some catchy tunes and your friends like them doesn’t mean jack squat.
