A Little Local Recognition

Featured on an Entertainment Business Blog and re-posted on OrlandoBands.com:

Click above to read an interview with Central Florida's most dynamic Entertainment Attorney.

WWDMD? Or What We Can Learn from Orlando's Jam Band Scene

WHY ARE THEY STILL ON THE COUCH!!??  Music fans’ awareness of shows has never been higher – with social networking event posts, evites, and tour apps. And can you tell me why my Google calendar has imported every single event by every act I have ever liked and sends me constant push notifications?  Despite rising awareness of shows, it is still a challenge to get fans off their couches and into a venue on a consistent basis. Central Florida musician and scene veteran, Dave Mann reveals the wisdom he’s learned as both founder and organizer of the ever popular Jambando Concert series and band leader for the perennial purveyors of flavor rock, funkUs.

BIGGER MIGHT BE BETTER

Playing live is where it’s at! Everyone now has the opportunity to create super slick polished yet home studio produced album. Protools and its counter parts are like video games; spend enough time playing around and the player can become the conquering hero. But step into the real world and the princess they saved onscreen won’t talk to them, ‘cause their live game still sucks. 

It is during live shows that fans can see the talent and professionalism that separates real artists from studio content creators. But to get people through the door, rely on a basic principle of sales and make them want it. “If you want people to come, it has t be something special.” Said Mann. His band, funkUS, consciously decided to cut down on the number of shows they play. They also changed the types of shows they play, opting to focus more on festivals and large venue shows. When planning an event type show don’t just look at the band calendar. Know the target audience and plan an event at a time that doesn’t compete for their attention. Be the best source of fun for them on that day or evening.

GET A ROOM

Where can be as important as When, when it comes to throwing down. “It’s important to have a good working relationship with the venue.” When a good foundation has been laid with a venue, you can book and plan much farther in advance. More time to plan gives artists a greater likelihood that things will run smoother or they’ll have time to grease the inevitable squeaky wheels. There’s always one. “I like to plan shows 6 months in advance. But I start thinking about them a year in advance.”

When choosing the right venue there are several things to consider. Is the venue easy to get to? Does it show up in the average GPS device? Is there enough parking? Will fans have to pay to park? Every dollar they spend on parking is a dollar lost on merch and bar tabs, both of which can effect an artist’s bottom line. Pick an appropriately sized venue. Too small and fans experience a bad kind of crowd funk. Too big and any empty space can kill the excitement.

LOOSE LIPS ARE ONLY BAD FOR SHIPS

Making any show successful takes a TON of hard work. Best get organized. Dave Mann shares, “I do it in segments to make sure I have time for everything.”  Spend too much time promoting, inviting, reminding, tweeting, and instagramming pictures of how hard you’re working and that can leave little time for efforts that have a bigger payout. 

Dave Mann has made a name for himself in Central Florida.  He’s the kind of musician other musicians love to share the stage with.  Venues love the draw his band brings to their bars.  Fans love the festivals he puts on. He’s not just one part of the music scene, he ingrained himself in it. And his advice for any artists wanting to follow suit is, “Go out. Be a part of your scene. When you’re there, talk about your shows.” The power of a facebook event page is to be able to see the shows your friends recommend. A personal recommendation is still the best way to get fans off their couches. The online promotions should flow from that concept of personal recommendations. “Be your own press.  Word of mouth is the strongest social media.”

THE WHOLE AUDIENCE ISN’T LISTENING

“The first step in building a fan base is to recognize it.” Mann continues, “You can’t hope to appeal to everybody. Find that 1% that really digs your music and focus on them. [A fan base] spreads that way.” Unsigned acts fortunate enough to enjoy the longevity and dedication of its members have another consideration when it comes to getting fans’ attention – fans get old. 

For the aging fans, the passage of time somehow makes a midnight start time a nightmare. They don’t bounce back from the party as quick as they used to (So I’ve heard). Weeknight show attendance depends on if they have early morning meetings.  Babysitters must be gotten and returned unharmed back to their own homes at a decent hour. Fans get old. Their priorities change. “You gotta respect that.  It just means you gotta keep getting new fans.” If the music is good, people will share it. If they move away, they share it with their new neighbors. If they have kids, they pass the music along. Every fan won’t be at every show. “But with a little buzz, it’ll work out”

With show awareness so prevalent these days, bands need more than just infrequency to create demand. They need to keep it different. Variety keeps fans interested. funkUs shows happen at camping festivals, charity fundraisers, even cruise ships. Jambando does more than offer an extended line up of Central Florida’s best jam and funk artists. Fans just have to go to each Jambando because each one is different from the last and won’t be anything like the next show. 

In December, Jambando presented ‘What Woodstock Jambando ‘79’ where fans can to discover what would happen if Woodstock had been in 1979. Local acts put on shows paying tribute to the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Black Sabbath.  Fans enjoyed the added elements of food trucks, glass blowers, and local vendors.  The effort raised what could have been an average local music show to a head turning event. 

HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR SCENE?

Success is magnified when it’s shared with others. With the death of A&R departments and the expense of management companies still out of reach for many emerging artists, a music scene itself has an obligation to develop its own. That means artists need to help each other out. When bands get better, the scene gets better, the fans have more fun, and they get off their couches.

“We showcase a lot of up and coming bands.” Said Mann. Getting on a Jambando bill is a big deal in the scene. Even with a guaranteed audience, the hardest work isn’t done.  Playing bigger events can mean big opportunities. “It is up to [the bands] to make the most of those opportunities.”

Before anyone spends the next 5 days getting the mix just right on their latest single, consider recorded music’s place in history. Recorded music has not been around too long in the grand scheme of musical history. When labels and ‘industry insiders’ point to low album sales and declare that music has no value anymore they discount centuries of the thriving success of music scenes everywhere. Music is a part of our lives not because we can buy singles from the dashboard of our cars but because it connects us with community. 

Live music is where it’s at. Always has been. Always will be.

NEVER A NIGHT OFF

I’ve always loved going to see independent music shows. I get to hang with friends, meet new people, and hear some good tunes.  But all too often regular indie concert goers are made up of only music fans and not other musicians. Sure some musicians make the effort to at least pretend to care about their fellow bands in the scene but too many are only seen at their own shows or maybe only to promote their own shows.  

A recent conversation with Jonzey, bad ass fem fatale bass player for Sarasota, FL’s hard rock four piece, The D.O.O.D. (The Distinguished Order of Disobedience) demonstrated the huge value in going out when you’re not playing.

Q: How often do u go out to other band's shows? 

[Guitarist] Ray and I go to shows just about every weekend as fundage will allow. We focus on shows that are featuring  bands or venues that have supported us. We commonly drive out of town to support our local friends because we know how much it means to look out into the crowd and see family and friends. We also hold a local jam night on Fridays at our warehouse and many musicians gather and jam out cover tunes and all are welcome. 

Q:  Do you have set goals when you go out?

All we really do at the shows is mingle and meet people. It is a chance for us to get to know the people who are willing already to go out to shows. If we have a big show coming up we may pass out flyers or talk it up, but for the most part it just about making friends and having a good time.

Q:  What's something you've learned from seeing others perform?

I have learned a lot from others, but most importantly is passion. I have seen bands that can make you "feel" their song and I have seen others that just seem to be going through the motions. Another thing that is important is to be well rehearsed and know your parts.

Q: Any tips on selling more merch at shows?

I find that I make more sales walking around and asking others if they would like to buy something when I get off stage and initiating conversations than I do just anchored down to a table waiting for someone to stroll by.

Q: What’s a big DON’T when going out to others’ indie shows?

I think that the biggest faux pas would be talking shit about other bands and/or musicians. We should be there to support others and too often people are competing. We should be building each other up, not tearing each other down. I can always find something that a band does well. One of my favorite parts about being in the scene is watching bands and musicians grow with time.

Q:  I know “fundage” is scares for many. Is it tacky to ask to be on another band’s guest list?

I have been on lots of guests lists in my time but it is not from asking the bands. Many times bands aren't even given this perk now days. However owners and promoters who see us at every show often just waive us in or ask us if we’re coming so they can put us on the list.

Q:  What's a benefit The D.O.O.D has received from all this effort?

The benefits to supporting the scene are endless. You make friends and fans; you see what works and what people want to hear; your stage show improves; you are offered more shows, etc. If we want there to be a scene then it is our responsibility to create it.

Q:  Why go out of you don’t know any bands on the bill?

We have to show venues that we support them when they support local original music. You can be the best and in the world but if there is no place to play......

SHOWING OFF BY FITTING IN

SHOWING OFF BY FITTING IN

 

A confetti cannon to the face can sure ruin a good night of local music. Live shows are a chance for a band to give their fans an experience. It should be more than a chance to hear the band’s CD played live. But developing and pulling off a great stage show takes time, practice, and thought. 

A stage show can be as simple as being consciously spaced out to fill any sized stage or include choreographed waives goodbye and t-shirt cannons filled with jell-o. Emerging acts often face the tough task of playing on the floor of a neighborhood bar one night and trying not to get swallowed up on a 50’x30’ stage at the House of Blues the next. A band could, and should, put as much thought into their stage show as they do mixing their songs. Nothing kills months of laboring over the music faster than a poorly executed performance.  Ever see a band who thinks they’re in Las Vegas putting on the rock equivalent of Zoomanity but they’re really just four overweight shirtless dudes? Avert your eyes! Face the bar and order some rum!

GIVE THEM A REASON

Central Florida calypso, punk, reggae group, Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso (JC) knows how to balance the idea of a stage show with the reality of performance constraints. They have 10 band members but that can vary by show.  Their goal is to bring the party to any sized venue. But it takes some thought to pull it off. Ostrich (vocals and steel pan) said, “We can play with members [off-stage] on the floor. But it’s more important to make sure the P.A. system can handle that many [members].”

 

A Johnny Cakes show can get quite elaborate under the right conditions. They’ve been known to have jelly fish dancers, cartoon pre shows, and other elements. They want people to think their show is worth leaving a warm and comfy couch for. No one wants to hear a CD they already have, played by drunk musicians.  And very few will come out just to support.  Tough times. We would all like someone to support us. It’s not a reason to spend money on a local music show. Give the people a reason. 

IT’S TIME

Before a band breaks out the welders and starts to create their own A-Team style grand finale or rents out the Haus of Gaga, there are a few details to consider. How long is the set time? When is load in? Is there a backline? How much time between bands? “If there are a lot of bands, we scale it back. We don’t want to interfere with another band’s time slot.”  If a band has extra materials onstage Ostrich suggests they ask friends to help them with the load in/unload process, and practice ahead of time so everyone knows what they’re supposed to be doing. “Our goal is to give people something interesting without causing problems for others.”

A band that’s been together for a while will naturally incorporate more and more elements into their show, whether that’s dance moves, projectors, audience participation segments, a blood volcano, or a chain saw (keep reading).  What works on one stage is not guaranteed to look good on another. Just simple even spacing may look professional at a coffee shop stage but it can look bare bones and downright sad at the Hard Rock. What killed with an audience of 800 can look a hot jumbled mess at the 250 occupancy local dive bar. “We can be too big for some venues but it can also be exciting to watch us try to pull it off.” Bands should consider the performance space ahead of time, if need be, practice in a similar sized space, and visit the venue before hand to be sure of the parking, door sizes, and to confirm any technical needs.

BIG STAGE - BIG PROBLEMS?

A big stage can make it harder for 4-5 band members to make exciting. “A good light system can make a real big difference, especially for instrumental bands.” But lighting systems can be expensive and a band must always check to see if it’s compatible with the venue’s system. 

At the local/touring level, a stage show can and should change with each new venue. While that may seem daunting, it’s a good thing. Really! It’s a reason for people to come out and pay to see you again and again. Fans might have seen a show 2 weeks ago but they will pay again if they know all 10 members will be playing on the drum riser…

GET IN THE GAME

“People can expect a wild, high energy show. There is not a typical Night for Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso.” Being conscious of having a stage show can start with what each member of the band intends to wear. Do you have a color scheme? Is it ok for a member to wear whatever they wore to their day job?  When it comes to dress, the style of dress must fit the style of music and the personality of the band. T-shirts mat look out of place in a jazz trio and a suit may look odd on a metal front-man. Johnny Cakes do not dictate what each member wears but they do often have themed shows.  At a benefit to raise money to help a local animal shelter, the band dressed in animal costumes. “Once, the entire band dressed as batman, except for the bass player. He was Robin.”

Benefits, charity shows, and holiday shows are great excuses to try out new elements of a stage show. If it works, great! Then incorporate it into other shows. If it fails, never speak of it again…unless interviewed by Quinton J Sheer, Esq.

IT WON’T WORK ALL THE TIME

Not every ‘Best Idea Ever’ will seem so once the rum has worn off. “We have a song [Super Black Death Cloud] about zombies. Our sax player took an actual chain saw and fired it up. The chain was removed but no one, not even the band, knew he was going to do it. I could see fear in some people’s eyes. A few ran out the back door.” 

Clear any out of the box ideas with the rest of the band and especially the venue.  Having to retool the show to accommodate the venue’s rules is better than being blacklisted from that venue and others. Elaborate stage shows can be very entertaining but are not always necessary. Just be conscious of putting on a good show for the people who come and the venues who allow it all to happen. Be exciting and easy to work with and there will be more shows and more chances to try something new. That way, the grand finale doesn’t end with giving the 50 people in the audience paper cuts in their eyes from an overzealous confetti cannon.

** Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso can be found at www.GutterCalypso.com.  Join the adventure and be their friend at http://www.facebook.com/guttercalypso.

Oops, We’re in Jail: The Dangers of Touring Abroad and Why We Shouldn’t Feel Sorry for Pussy Riot.

Punk music isn’t dead. It’s just imprisoned in Russia. The punk music genre is pretty much dead here in the USA.  The messages got lost in the lifestyle and it merged and morphed into other music genres. But in other parts of the world it’s alive and needed. Enter Pussy Riot, a Russian punk band founded in 2011, known for staging impromptu public performances based on Russian political life. 

This past February, the female group did one of their ‘performances’ in a Moscow cathedral in order to protest the close relationship of the Orthodox Church and the current government. The low budget guerilla performance did come with the price tag of 2 years in prison when they were convicted of Hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. It’s our version of really disturbing the peace and a hate crime. 

After their conviction this week, the world and its celebrities, are clamoring for their release. FREE PUSSY RIOT! Both fun and shocking to say. Freedom of speech is a right held dear to westerners (unless that speech is not agreed with; which is why dissenters at U.S. political rallies are rounded up and forcibly removed). But why are we surprised the Russian government acted like they did in response to this band’s publicity stunt? Like smokers who are surprised they got lung cancer because cigarettes are bad, this band should have known the potential cost of their actions and be willing to pay the price so that others do not have to. Hundreds of 80’s movies taught us Russia was the bad guy. They hate our freedom. They hate Rocky and Rambo. Their invasion of Afghanistan caused us to protest their hosting the Olympics and our athletes didn’t compete and millions of endorsement dollars were lost. (Now that we own Afghanistan, that won’t be a problem for the next winter Olympics.) 

Better said, if a shark bites a surfer, we don’t blame the shark. 

The public outcry has almost been Kony level. And like Kony2012, many who are posting on social networking and blogs have not bothered to get any information on the incident other than it’s a harsh punishment for something that would not have been as big a deal in other places. While their performance might not rise to the level of religious hatred, they certainly didn’t show the church any respect. Watch the video HERE.  Now imagine if the Occupy movement did this in a Baptist church.  Are we still chanting for their freedom?

Pussy Riot aren’t heroes. Their performance was not the best way to create the needed change in their country. True, they did spark a global conversation on free speech and political activism but now it will be much harder for other activists to protest. And if their actions do change things, and Russia follows the U.S. and only regulates the time, place, and manner, of speech – it’s unlikely a punk band would apply for a permit. And a church performance would be off limits. It’s not a stretch to say they would have done it anyways. And instead of being political activists would have been seen as disrespectful lawbreakers looking to promote their band.

When we visit another’s home, we take care to be respectful of the home owner’s rules. We might be asked to remove our shoes or avoid sitting in the host’s favorite lazy boy chair. Traveling and touring in another country is no different. There are rules.  It’s their home. And we have to respect that.

In a trip to China in 1998, I struck up a conversation with a Chinese teacher. For almost an hour we talked about a number of things from education to food and then I asked him about the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident. The conversation went silent. “I want to be here tomorrow to teach my students. I should not talk.” It sickens me that a government could control how, when, and the subject matter of its citizens’ conversations. But I knew the dangers of certain conversations in China, just as I knew not to litter in Singapore. I was there to learn and share ideas within the boundaries of each host country and its people. 

We do not carry our rights with us where ever we go. Laws vary state to state and country to country. We may want to buy beer on Sunday morning but if we’re in Mississippi that’s not gonna happen. Our rights are not as inalienable as we’d like to believe. Even in the U.S., land of freedom, we try change our Constitutions every election to reflect the current political climate. 

When a band tours, it is important to know the laws of the host city. From speed limits and parking ordinances, to drug laws, and what songs can be performed. If the singer is caught with an eighth of weed will he just get a ticket or will he be taken to jail and the tour canceled? 

Free speech isn’t free. There is a cost to affect change. Many have been fined, beaten, hosed, and imprisoned for the right to speak their mind. Protesting has always had an element of danger to it. Protesters must weigh the consequences of their actions with the possible gain for themselves and others. Some students in my middle school were suspended for participating in a walk-out. They wanted longer lunch periods. They also thought they should not be punished because theirs was a just cause. No country on earth has a law that gives its citizens the freedom to simply do what they want, when they want. That's anarchy. And almost every nation has opposed that movement. Even this one:  WATCH.

Pussy Riot knew what the consequences would be for their actions. To think we can break rules, avoid negative consequences, and become famous is the epitome of the current air of arrogance and entitlement. Like the middle school protest, the band’s stunt was not the best way to get the change they say they want. It might have been the loudest, but to save face, Russia can’t give in and free them. 

If they were really trying to change their country, they might have picked another way. But if they were trying to get more attention for a video in an antiquated music genre – then they succeeded. And won’t they happy with all the ‘LIKES’ they get, which they will see when they’re released in 2014. Who knows, maybe punk will be in fashion then.