  Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 13251 Registered: 12-2003 |
Do you think I know everything? My time in A2 was in the early days of my home entertainment electronics career, around 1981. The Tech Hifi I worked at occasionally (we swapped employees when necessary to cover vacations and other short-staffing) was only a few blocks away, but no, I've never known of the man or his shop until you mentioned it. You've given me reason to pop in, though, they've surely got my next Taylor on their rack right now! heh I don't do ambushes though...I try to avoid any bush that isn't at my favorite juncture. | ||
Ggores Member Username: Ggores Post Number: 158 Registered: 10-2007 |
Relating to any functioning band, I have to completely disagree with, and say sumpin’ about, the idea that the idea of playing sporadically – in order to ensure that a gig is always an event – makes sense, doesn’t make much . I mean, it’s ok if you only have certain goals in mind. If you can’t find it in yourself to be able to, and wanting to, play, or perform or whatever, in front of ZERO crowd, at 110% of your capability, at any time, or anywhere, and under any circumstance, well, then I guess your experience WILL be “all events, all the time”. Not trying to come off as trying to say one approach is better than the next, or doubting anybody’s capability or sincere desire to make something of what they like to do, and also admiring of anyone who chooses the more unforgiving routes in the first place, but this (what I have just blabbled) is a rather headstrong mindset held by many few, but I don’t think they’re around here, so I just sayin on they behalf. | ||
Larryinflorida Member Username: Larryinflorida Post Number: 1949 Registered: 02-2007 |
Gannon, when you build your DetroitYes Studios, remember that it is a Detroit Tradition to locate it next to a loud source of noise and vibration. Pampa Studios, where Bob Seger made so many enjoyable albums was firmly attached to Pampa Lanes, a bowling alley. GM Studios, home of "Rare Earth" and a few other luminaries, was solidly affixed to an adjacent collision shop. So to get that "Detroit Sound", you need some background noise, it seems.  Just an observation. | ||
Melody Member Username: Melody Post Number: 215 Registered: 11-2007 |
I'm not sure what you're saying, exactly. It depends entirely on the band, I think. If the Orbituns or the Howling Diablos play all the time in the same market, they pay their bills. It's the nature of those kinds of bands to have a "residency" of sorts. If a new up and coming independing rock group with original songs wants to do well, they are better off not playing every weekend in the same market once they are established to a point. The first few months you are out chances are you'll get offered a lot of shows because you are new (if you are any good). But after that, I don't see that playing every weekend is a good idea. I know one thing for sure, it will piss off alot of club owners. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 13253 Registered: 12-2003 |
Thanks for that input Ggores and Larry. Heh, one of my plans is to make a three-soundroom completely sound-PROOF studio, but for the evaluation of home electronics equipment...only AFTER I made the original plans did I realize the multitude of other uses for them, including recording studios and other requirements for peace and quiet in our noisy world. I was going to double one up as my bedroom, unless I can make that sensory deprivation chamber that I've been dreaming about! Fun idea and great perception, but if you've ever had that 'perfect take' ruined by errant noise, you'd reconsider! | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 7417 Registered: 10-2003 |
Errant noise is not always bad! Like in the Clash's "Armagideon Time" where the producer tries to tell them to wrap it up and Strummer yells "Okay, okay, don't push us when we're HOT!" All of which was left on the track. Love it! | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 13254 Registered: 12-2003 |
Melody, You are only saying that because of the relative lack of people coming down for shows. I'm considering, as part of this overall plan, on making this a tourist destination...not unlike Austin. Music City North. But we need a non-me-too name...something that fits OUR situation. We won't need to draw the talent, we've already GOT it. We need to draw the paying clientele! There is already considerable evidence that people will travel LONG distances to enjoy the vibe we've already established here...like those Motown fans in Liverpool, Manchester, and London...and the Europeans who come in for DEMF, let alone those who come in from all over the country. The internet will facilitate this, I met members of the band from Riverdance down at Bert's Marketplace on an Open Mic night...and they found out about it from a post I made right here. That was an amazing morning, I'm still in shock from it! We also truly need to improve the venues...acoustically, at the very least. The sound quality of MOST of our venues is enough to make ears bleed, most times. Surely it is appropriate with some music genres...like the Lager House, the Old Miami, and even the Belmont...but unless you give out ear protection to everyone who walks in the door...you are hurting your own clientele, your OWN FANS, in ways that are irreversible! | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 7418 Registered: 10-2003 |
Maybe you need a BUS OF ROCK that picks people up along Woodward and brings them down for the show, then drops them back off afterwards. Wouldn't that be something? It's like a reverse tour bus. Make it known to people that if they are at one of the predetermined stops on Woodward at 8:00 P.M. on a Saturday night, the BUS OF ROCK will be by to take them to a night of good local music. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 13256 Registered: 12-2003 |
JL, You will be credited with that idea, but we cannot limit it to ONE genre so we need a more fully-encompassing name. Brilliant, and not unlike something I had been thinking about to help actually fix the drunk-driving problem...heh. I was also considering some sort of shared-revenue banding, so you could have the night's armband and gain access to more than one venue if the one you came down for wasn't what you were expecting. Shared-risk for the venue-owners, too. Shared-cost for the shuttle buses...and they will run on recycled vegetable oil from the restaurants, believe it! We're avoiding petrol and other potential problems. We might have to make a city-wide Intranet as well...link these places up via high-speed, but more on that after I get a few of my inventions working and the names secured legally! | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 7419 Registered: 10-2003 |
Different name huh... Well back to the drawing board.  | ||
Perfectgentleman Member Username: Perfectgentleman Post Number: 7441 Registered: 03-2006 |
So when are you guys going to open up your free studio and work at it for nothing? I know a lot of musicians that are looking for that kind of service. I am sure the quality coming out of a place like that would be amazing. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 7420 Registered: 10-2003 |
PG, have you read the posts above? There is no free studio. | ||
Melody Member Username: Melody Post Number: 216 Registered: 11-2007 |
So you want a Hamtramck Blowout, but city-wide and all-year round? "We also truly need to improve the venues..." We? How about the bar owners? If a place has bad sound, don't play there or invite your friends there. That's what I've learned to do. For what it's worth...the new owners of Alvin's put in a killer, KILLER sound system...but the bathrooms and backstage still sucks. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 7421 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: The same bands at the Blowout are already pretty much playing city-wide and all-year round anyway. It may not be a bad idea, selling yearly passes that get you into shows throughout the city. Might get people to go to shows more often than they usually would. | ||
Detroitderek Member Username: Detroitderek Post Number: 41 Registered: 09-2007 |
The list of problems with our scene ( or to put it another way, why isn't it like the late 80's when I first got into playing the Detroit area )is a long one. The bands can't control the sound at places, even places with a good P.A. can sound bad on any given night. And having a good sound system doesn't guarantee a place will be packed ( just look at the BuzzBar for example ). Nobody likes to work for free. But the bands AND the venues have to do a lot better at promoting the shows and getting the paying audience to come out. Even the Metro Times band listing is a sliver of what it once was. I have to disagree with you though Melody. As a musician in the Detroit area since 1988, I think it's more important to play as often as possible to get your name out there than to try and have a once a month showcase for a band most people are not familiar with. Kid Rock, who opened for 2 of my former bands "back in the day", got his name out there by playing every gig he could, even coming up to the Ritz when he wasn't booked to play a few songs before we would go on. Vinnie from Sponge ( and the orbitsuns, and Crud, etc ) has kept his career going by constantly playing out and staying fresh, and putting in a lot of hard work at the same time, not waiting for a once a month blowout. | ||
Larryinflorida Member Username: Larryinflorida Post Number: 1952 Registered: 02-2007 |
 "Hello, world, hear the song that we're singin' C'mon get happy! A whole lot of lovin' is what we'll be bringin' We'll make you happy! We had a dream, we'd go travelin' together, We'd spread a little lovin' then we'd keep movin' on. Somethin' always happens whenever we're together We get a happy feelin' when we're singing a song.?" | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 2614 Registered: 07-2004 |
More music, less awards ceremonies. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 13259 Registered: 12-2003 |
Chris showed me the system he designed and installed at Alvins, that is one of the most forward-thinking live sound rigs in the city BY FAR. He's probably done similar at St. Andrews, but I will not step foot in there as long as the corporate blood-suckers control it. Surround-sound, killer gear. Fucking amazing rig, he let me mix for a CD release party for the band Lisboa a few years back. He insists he still has all his hearing, too. heh I think he's one of the top sound guys I've ever met, ego and all! He has earned it, easily. Nice feedback, that is also something noted for the future...need proper green rooms AND blue rooms, heh. (got that term blue room from Mikey, hope I didn't misunderstand him saying Blew Room, heh, I'd never heard a bathroom called that before...) You are right, but most bar owners don't yet understand the beauty of proper acoustics...I'm hoping to convince Jerry at the Park to calm his down some...you get that place loaded with just PEOPLE talking and it is nearly unbearable. I will NOT stop supporting him because of a lack of investment in this particular issue or his place on the acoustics learning curve! But I DID stop going into the Well for a similar reason, I guess I've got to give them another try...but some are more open to my suggestions than others, it really helps if they know who the feck I am first...without that introduction I am merely another complaining client who doesn't like the music...and that ain't it. I was crushed when I went to the Park to see Matt's student video with Dtales in the sexy starring role of the Magician's Troubled Wife, and you couldn't understand a single word from the video. It was NOT his production, as far as I could tell, it was the sound system echoing WAY too much in that live space. It hurt. I did not enjoy it, most people around me were asking each other what the actors were saying...but I'm sure Matt didn't put in any close-captioning for this impairment. I've been in there for his Open Mic...same thing...the volume is overwhelming, making the experience painful instead of enjoyable. The immediate reply I always hear when mentioning the extreme sound levels is that some bar and restaurant owners are going for atmosphere...but lemmee tell you that not unlike second-hand smoke left lingering in the air, excessive volume chases away WAY more people than they can afford to lose every night. (I am NOT an advocate for non-smoking venues btw, I think that is too dramatic a solution for a simple problem. Air systems can be designed to give everyone the fresh air they need to breathe and STILL allow smokers to sit right next to those who fear second-hand smoke with NO harm at all...but I digress!) | ||
Melody Member Username: Melody Post Number: 217 Registered: 11-2007 |
I still stay once you are established, don't play all the time. If it's your first six months as a band, sure go ahead. Or if you do want to play all the time, don't expect all your fans/friends to show up at all of your five shows for that week, and don't expect the club owners to be happy about you playing two times in the same area code with in four days. I mentioned Vinnie's band earlier as one of the bands that can be successful by playing out all the time. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 13260 Registered: 12-2003 |
D'Derek, Welcome to the discussion...thank you for that input. I agree. I remember my old manager at the Gramophone pouring over the listings in the MetroTimes every week...it got infectious, I started doing it too. Somewhere along the line it got lame...can we peg the time it happened? It could've been a change of personnel at the paper. Great discussion, all, this is what I was seeking. Thank you, sincerely. This is NOT falling on deaf ears or launching into the ether, it will be distilled and brought forward to our committee. OR they will be brought here...heh. | ||
Detroitderek Member Username: Detroitderek Post Number: 42 Registered: 09-2007 |
Melody, one of my former bands ( I've been in and out of it so many times I have lost track ) Rev. Right Time has played almost every weekend since we formed in 1991. The idea is not to play the same basic area over and over and saturate it. Playing clubs downtown/midtown for a few weekends in a row is definetly career suicide. So yes, I agree that will tick off the bar owners ( especially the Magic ...uh... never mind ). There are tons of ways to build a following. I checked out your band site/record label site and it looks great. I played with a band called STASH and we tried the whole once a month or once in 6 weeks blowout approach. It worked the first 2 times but after that less and less people came out. We had better success by playing on a regular basis all over the state ( or other states ) , playing each weekend. | ||
Detroitderek Member Username: Detroitderek Post Number: 43 Registered: 09-2007 |
But I do believe the approach is a little different for an Original band than with bands who primarily play cover songs. But Original Bands tend to play less by default , as there are less places to play only Originals in. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 7425 Registered: 10-2003 |
It sounds to me like we all mostly agree. Playing regular basis all over the state or other states = good. Playing weekly or more in Detroit, maybe not so good. Unless of course you are a band like the Gypsy Strings, and have regular house gigs at Cliff Bell's and Gracie's, but that's a little different I'd say. | ||
Detroitderek Member Username: Detroitderek Post Number: 44 Registered: 09-2007 |
I've had house gigs before, and when they are good they are like a dream to both the bar and band. When they are not..... And yeah John, sounds like we all agree. Now we just have to all agree on how to get the audience out to the gigs. | ||
Larryinflorida Member Username: Larryinflorida Post Number: 1956 Registered: 02-2007 |
 Direct Promotion | ||
Rockcity2windycity Member Username: Rockcity2windycity Post Number: 309 Registered: 11-2005 |
I didn't read every comment so someone may have already mentioned this. The local stations need to support local artists more. Most other areas i've lived in or visited, especially the south, support their local artists. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 7427 Registered: 10-2003 |
94.7 had a local rock show going for a bit. Not sure if it is still on or not. | ||
Pffft Member Username: Pffft Post Number: 1557 Registered: 12-2003 |
I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for that to happen ... | ||
Detroitderek Member Username: Detroitderek Post Number: 45 Registered: 09-2007 |
The support used to be a lot better on the Radio. When I was in The Providers had shows aired on 96.3 , among others ( again, back in the mid 90's ). I remember a "Homeboy Show" and a few others that featured local artists but I couldn't tell you one in Detroit now as frankly I don't listen to the radio much anymore. they don't play what I want to hear. There are a few further out in the state ( Saginaw, etc )but not much in the Motown area. Love the pic Larry! | ||
Melody Member Username: Melody Post Number: 218 Registered: 11-2007 |
101.1 WRIF has two hours of local music every Sunday. It's is mostly hard rock, though. WDET spotlights a lot of local artists as well. The station I work for Riff2, WRIF's HD side channel, plays local music mixed in with national music all day long, and every Tuesday from 10 p.m.-midnight is my show Detroit Local 101, which is two hours of local music. Listen tonight at www.riff2.com or on a HD radio at 101.1 HD2. Our only reasons for NOT featuring a local band is that they send us songs that don't have track listings, are not FCC compatable, are of too low of quality, or they don't send us anything at all. It takes two to tango...same with press. You can't complain about not getting airplay or press until you've tried to get it. |
