San Francisco music community, I love you but some times you bring me down… (ala James Murphy)
When I was going to SHOWS back in lil ol’ Wyoming, it was a given that a SHOW meant going to see EVERYBODY playing that evening. Its basic D.I.Y etiquette really; that all bands playing on a bill promote EVERYONE else’s band too. The community knew if the SHOW was at 8, you’d better be there no later then 8:15 or you’d miss the beginning of the first band. (and that would be rude!).
There was a basic understanding that when you said you were going to a SHOW (even if you were going just to see your friends band) that you would at least give the other acts a chance because you never knew the great things that could be around that you’d never seen before…
That’s why sometimes SF can get me down, and frankly, a big reason (I believe) that people have claimed our “scene is dead”. We all love to preach the camaraderie of a DIY scene while acting in a DIFY manner. (DIFY is Do it FOR YOURSELF)
I don’t think bands have bad intentions in promoting this way. (it is after all how the “industry/business” is set up currently)
And residents in SF/the BAY have so much to do these days that our time is the most valuable thing we have. What, between working to pay rent that is insanely high, social networking to touch base with friends and colleagues, waiting in line for an hour to say you had some hot new pop-up food truck’s delicacy, AND ON TOP OF It ALL… making sure to revisit season 65 of your favorite nostalgic 90s/80s TV show on yr streaming content device of choice, that we just don’t have the time to give something unknown a chance….and to be honest I understand all of that.
Not to mention the fact that the bands you hear about from “sponsored posts” (not directly from your friends actually having been to a show to see how good a band is themselves) are bought and paid for (and we all know how trustworthy advertising is these days… statistics say only 14% of people trust ads) begs the question…WHY WOULD I TAKE A CHANCE TO VENTURE OUTSIDE MY COMFORT ZONE?
Why should I pay $12 to support a friends band, have to buy a $6 drink/leave a tip, pay for a Muni or BART or a taxi home, AND give up my time???
For the better part of 2 years, I did the same thing a lot of our community has done…stayed at home and spent 3 hours watching 6 episodes of TV shows because well, its easier and I thought, worth more of my time.
However, after hearing rumors being spread about our scene, that the “scene” had died, I got pissed off.
(rumors based on a few bands leaving our city, coupled with the fact that it IS hard work to be a musician in the bay, and this idea that somehow “the city” has failed musicians,)
So pissed off that I was determined to prove portly figures at weekly SF publications wrong. To learn for myself, (and hopefully spread the word to others) that OUR MUSIC SCENE IS INDEED ALIVE AND WELL.
It’s why “A Performance Review” was born. By taking a chance on SHOWS, (ones that I’ve gone to for a friends band, but arrived on time for the opener, and stayed after my friends have played), I found out that there are a plethora of bands our or community that are worth spending the money and time to see. Performers like:
The Down & Outlaws, Battlehooch, Steep Ravine, Bear Lincoln, WAG, KiWi TiMe, DangerMaker, Kendra McKinley, The Family Crest, Hazel’s Wart, The Y-Axes, Bonnie & The Bang Bang, Cannons and Clouds, Travis Hayes, Before the Brave, The Sam Chase, and thats just naming the first few that come to mind! (sorry if I forgot your band it was stream of consciousness thinking there)
But again I know talk is cheap and actions speak louder then words. This is why I’m trying something “new”. I have an idea of what a SHOW is, and how SHOWS can be promoted in this city that reenforce our community and scene. One that doesn’t divided us but rather takes us from DIFY to DIT…Doing It TOGETHER!!!
THS WEDNESDAY the 23rd, if you are willing to give a SHOW a chance, to take a risk, and most importantly, give a SHOW your TIME, I’d like to show you personally my idea in action. My performance band Friends w/o Benefits is fortunate enough to share Brick & Mortar Music Hall‘s stage with KnightressM1 and Rabbit Quinn to make my dream of a SHOW a reality. (Guess what, Ive not seen these other bands play before either, but Im taking a chance myself because if I ask you to Believe in a SHOW, then so should I!)
It is our goal to entertain you, to make you feel like we haven’t wasted your time and in fact, we gave you an EXPERIENCE that is worth your time!
I believe in this idea so strongly that I’m going against the advice of my peers, friends, and Music Industry professionals and am going to PERSONALLY TREAT YOU TO OUR SHOW. I don’t have sponsors, there is no corporate funding, and there is no management team that bought tickets to give away to people.
I’ve worked my ass off in a coffee shop for 2+ years saving tip money to invest in my future and my future is interconnected and intertwined with the strength of OUR music community and scene.
What I’m saying is I’m investing in YOU, not PR or branding. (Well, I guess I believe in the brand that is our Sf Music Scene) I believe the music scene and community want a change, and I want to WORK for that change. A change that is needed to resurrect our “dead scene”. (Sometimes, drastic, “desperate measures” must be taken during “desperate times”.)
I want to get to know you. I want to establish a connection with our scene and I’m going to do it by meeting YOU. Yes, that’s right, I’m going to meet our community and I invite you to do the same. Starting at 8pm this Wednesday and ending at 9pm, I will be outside Brick& Mortar. Come up to me and introduce yourself. Tell me about who you are, what you do, and what makes you tick. (and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to others as well you know to love thy neighbor and all that jazz)
And know that as long as you:
- Arrive on time (BEFORE 9pm) and introduce yourself (twitter nerds#EdacExperience to @CadetEdac
- Have a friendly positive attitude about going to a SHOW … and
- PROMISE YOU’LL STAY FOR ALL THE BANDS….. I’ll get you in the show for FREE.
No strings attached. If you have questions, please ask, I love questions because it means people are thinking about things. If I can’t come up with an answer I’ll try to figure one out.
I know this is crazy/nuts/weird/over the top/different but its how I roll. (I think this city has a lot of nuts/weirdos/over the top characters left in it too so maybe its how you roll too).
Or maybe I’m wrong and the scene is doomed and I’m trying in vain to revive something that people have deemed not worth our time anymore. Maybe experience IS dead, maybe our scene DID die, but I’m willing to fight to prove that idea is wrong!
April 23rd Brick & Mortar Music Hall
Meet your community from 8-9pm, enjoy a Show at 9:15
KnightressM1 Friends w/o Benefits Rabbit Quinn YOU
facebook.com/events/448576195274223
