6/23 @Dumb - Modern Drugs / Robber Baron / Kate / Derrick
May 9, 2023 10:40:34 GMT -6
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Post by jeffradon2000 on May 9, 2023 10:40:34 GMT -6
My next show at Dumb Records!
Ok I'm going to be real with the forum for a minute and hopefully not come off too whiny.
We get tons of booking requests at Dumb. There are a lot of mass emails from agencies, but there are also legitimate requests from touring bands from far away trying to get a route together. Those bands might be cool but now I'm at the point where I don't even click on their socials or listen to their tracks like I used to, as it's all just too much. I'm only sifting through to see if there is anyone local popping up as that's probably all we can handle at this point and even then I'm booking my shows so far in advance that it's going to be months before a new band will get a chance to play. With my life I can only handle booking a show of my own once a month and that's not enough to build a scene.
This show is kind of a hodge-podge of bands that have been asking to book a show for a while. I agree with Brian that we want to make sure there is a space for all to play, not just one particular crowd and one particular genre. Of course we can't just book dud shows all the time as it takes a lot of our time and energy to do each show.
I can also say we're getting particularly frustrated with a crowd for a particular genre as it just seems they are becoming more exclusive all the time. The hoodies saying all other music is bad isn't funny. What's really grinding my gears is they're always saying everyone should start a band. So some kids, who go to shows here, started a band. They've released a CD that's selling like hot cakes in our store as many of their friends are excited about it. However, they won't get booked for any shows because their band "sucks". So if a new band, which isn't part of the friend group and doesn't fit the exact measurement of genre is going to play here, I guess it's gonna be up to me book them, months from now after the excitement has worn off a bit.
I don't want to completely demonize this certain group however as they've been the most successful at booking and promoting shows perhaps in the history of Springfield DIY. I'm glad to see hundreds of high school kids coming out and having a good time at their shows. Most importantly kids are finding hope and meaning in something in this economy. This has really been my goal all along and what's been driving me all this time to make stages and things as I want there to be a place for an all ages DIY music community. I didn't envision it happening this way but I'm glad that something is happening.
I'm starting to feel that I'm getting too old for this poop. Someone who is closer to the music and the ages of those making it really should be booking the shows. My last show seemed to have a solid lineup but only had about 35 people show up. But, if we want to see any diversity in the scene then I'll have to keep booking. Also our hip-hop shows aren't faring well either as the last one had probably less than 20 in attendance. I'm glad Ken keeps trying or else we wouldn't have any hip-hop happening around here.
Of course I need to keep reminding myself this is an all ages space. People my age don't usually want to hang out where they can't at least drink and socialize as we're all drowning in our responsibilities and usually can't prioritize our time just to watch bands for an evening.
One idea Brian mentioned the other day which I think is a good one is if someday in a new space, where we don't have to move a bunch of stuff around each time, we could have a resident show coordinator to handle booking and promoting every week, and we can have more of a revolving door for everyone who wants to play. Think Empire Records open late every weekend with a stage inside and more space to hang out.
Another positive is Ricki contacted us about booking a Pride Variety show later this month on May 20th. It won't just be bands but other performances as well. I hope that goes well for her as she may be up for doing more stuff in the future.
