13 Responses

1. brightlight
   August 27th, 2007 at 8:56 am

   Damn. So much for all that mad Reax ad revenue we were getting.

2. Autopsy IV
   August 27th, 2007 at 11:19 am

   1) AES is classic for overbooking shows. It is really irritating when you wanna see a show on a work night.
   2) Every single show @ New World starts waaaayyyyy too late. Again, really irritating when you wanna see a show on a work night.
   3) Seriously, A!A!! sucks.

3. Joran Slane
   August 27th, 2007 at 12:27 pm

   Have there been any GOOD shows that you’ve seen? Well-produced with good bands? I’d be more interested in hearing about that. Complaining just gives more people a reason to stay home at a time when it’s hardest to get them off their couch.

   Check out our Web site: http://www.smaflorida.com for some options.

4. Autopsy IV
   August 27th, 2007 at 2:31 pm

   Skippers Smokehouse does a phenomenal job of keeping shows manageable and getting things going on time.

5. Casey
   August 27th, 2007 at 2:43 pm

   Joran, I will gladly agree with you that it sucks to complain without talking about good experiences. Unfortunately, however, it seems that nearly every time I go to a show this same amateur hour shit happens. The only reason I think it worth bitching about is because I have such high hopes for this area. I feel like we are constantly poised to be a great city with a great art and great music scene but stuff like this keeps killing it. I don’t know whose fault it is, but it is high time people stopped taking it and made promoters, or bands, or venues or whomever accountable.

   Now then, I did leave out one thing that was a very pleasant surprise on Saturday: History. I can’t find a damn link for them right now, but apparently they are out of Orlando and they not only started at a reasonable hour, they also sounded mighty fine. They get a thumbs up for sure, and that’s one of the best things about getting out to shows, there’s a good chance you’ll hear something new.

   Again, though, the only way to improve the scene is if people start getting honest about this stuff and calling bullshit.

6. brightlight
   August 27th, 2007 at 2:55 pm

   I’ve actually seen a few really good shows in the not so distant past. I think that a lot of times, a shitty club experience can mess with one’s ability to be objective about a band. Personally, I like A!A!! a lot, and being a mopey post-rock dude, I have been down with Unwed Sailor for years. I guess it’s no surprise that I like Red Room Cinema as much as I do. Of course, Holiday is probably the best thing that St. Pete has going. I also like The Dark Romantics more than my esteemed colleague, but that stuff all comes down to matters of taste, really.

   I think the main point still stands, and that is simply that there seems to be this problem with rewarding mediocrity simply because there’s nothing else going on, and, if you’re Reax, beyond rewarding it, you tend toward making it sound like some local band with three songs and a decent wardrobe of track suits and skinny ties is poised to be the next big indie cred checking whatever.

7. Autopsy IV
   August 27th, 2007 at 3:40 pm

   yeah, FTR: I am rather keen on The Dark Romantics myself….but the thought of seeing them in an acoustic setting is rather dreadful.

8. re-run
   August 28th, 2007 at 1:57 pm

   so are you same “fuckstick” that put your shitty blog stickers all over NWB?
   like it or not A!AA! have a draw, which to some people means something, perhaps if you called ahead to NWB you would have known the lineup.

   yeah, the orpheum is a much better solution!!!…. you ever been in that fuckin dump???

   solution = you start booking shows

9. Casey
   August 28th, 2007 at 3:03 pm

   Re-run! I don’t know about any stickers, but thanks for the shout out.

   I’m a little confused, I like A!A!! and know that they have a draw, I’ve seen them lots. In fact, I’ve seen them at said NWB. I didn’t need to call ahead, I called A!A!! directly and they told me the order of the bands. So, where did I go wrong there? The order shifted at the show, after it started. Am I missing something?

   I should totally book shows, you’re right. Although, scratch that, I’d only want to book late 90s Pantera, Sepultura and White Zombie.

10. Rabi
    August 29th, 2007 at 5:11 pm

    I love you, Casey. At least you spelled my name right. ;-)

    And, its Fossil not Urban Outfitters. You think I can afford that shit w/ what REAX pays me?

    Now, as for New World, I couldn’t agree more. I seem to remember they pulled the same shit with the Sugar Oaks a few months back. NW made them go AFTER the main act. While I understand it was a scheduling conflict I am sure everyone stuck around to see the opener perform after the headliner. If we are continue a heatlhy music scene then everyone, from promoters to artists to resident fuckstick music writers, need to get on the same page and act professional.

    But, using this as evidence that the ENTIRE scene dost sucketh? Hard? Like your Faith No More Jim Martin era goatee, that’s a bit of a stretch, Casey. Lots of bands are coming here (within the next 90 days) that are nationally reknown: Tegan and Sara, Cat Power, Rilo Kiley, Kings of Leon, Spoon, Apples In Stereo, Minus the Bear and yes, even Sea Wolf. (Sorry if I am joining the bandwagon this late. There is still room, right Casey?)

    About 6,347 times a year I read or hear this same message: “Our scene sucks! No one comes here!” My only answer is: if that’s the case then how am I able to secure a job writing for local music magazine that prints 72 pages of local music upcoming features and reviews each month? I know its not my writing.

    The bay area music scene is here and happening right now. You just have to look past the “injustice” of $5 PBR cans and scheduling mistakes.

    Keep up the blog, Casey.

    Namaste,

    Mike Rabinowitz
    miker@reaxmusic.com

11. George B.
    August 29th, 2007 at 6:23 pm

    There are a few issues with the above irreverent bitching.

    First, plenty of great bands come down here. That saying “no good bands ever come to Florida” is sooooo 1998, and makes me guess that you are a 30 something from St.P that doesn’t get out much or take the effort to find out about quality music on your own. If AES presents hadn’t started booking fringe acts in the 90’s the current scene as we know it would not exist. It takes a lot for me to admit that because I haven’t always dug that scene (or AES), but it’s true. The effect of their consistency is obvious, and certain venues probably would not have live music in the way they have it now if it weren’t for consistent promoters. The current diversity and variety that is available each month is quality between both sides of the bay.

    Second, plenty of regional and local acts in Florida are amazing and worth a measly $8 admission. I can’t believe that it’s 2007 and people are whining about spending $8 to get in to see 4 bands or whatever. What the hell is wrong with you people. Move to LA and see a bunch of shitty bands for $25 that you have never heard of, and get to pay $15 for each martini, $1400 a month rent for a 8×10 apartment and $4.50 per gallon of gas, that will straighten you right out. You spend $8 eating at a fast food restaurant… give me a friggin break. How about this. I think that bands should charge $15 for a show no matter what. Then maybe they will have enough money occasionally to make good merch, better records, and pay for them to be mastered so you can listen to them on your computer and not have to turn the volume all the way up.

    Third, the reason why the local act headlines after the headliner is to prevent half informed bloggers from leaving after seeing their buddy’s band and not giving the headliner a shot. The local act sometimes does this voluntarily because maybe they plan on touring in the national act’s town and hopes that the national act will return the favor. Therefore they both have a reason to tour to other places. Which in a way would solve the “…no bands ever come to the bay area…” problem as well. I can’t count the amount of shows that I have been to in the last 10 years where there are brilliant acts on the roads and here for only $8 and the place is almost empty because no one has heard of the band. At least with Reax magazine people can be educated on what is coming here, and find a band to go see that they might like. And when I say “people” I don’t mean elitist pundits either, because elitists don’t like paying to get into shows typically, and they bitch when they have to watch other bands aside from their buddy’s band.

    There’s a few. Good luck with the blog.

12. Casey
    August 29th, 2007 at 7:26 pm

    I’m loving the fact that there’s so much feedback… must remember this formula in the future “act like an asshole” + “choose topic that is mildly controversial” = “lots of people thinkin’ and feedbackin’ and gettin’ their pissy on.”

    Mike, you get points for playing it cool. Also, I wish I were Sir Jim Martin.

    George B, points for an excellent comment. I won’t do the boring ass point-by-point retort, but I will say just a couple of things:

    1. I do get out to as many shows as I can, and put lots of shows on my calendar from aes (although my lazy ass doesn’t always get across the bridge for every one). Admittedly this point is ALL about taste, maybe I just don’t like most of the stuff that’s big right now and that would mean we’d never agree.

    2. Ironically I moved here from LA, born and raised (full disclosure: the last town I lived in was actually San Dimas - 28 mi east of LA). I know that $8 is a reasonable amount of money to pay for a show. However, when I pay like $9 for Battles and then $8 for a smaller show at the NWB, I bitch.

    3. I have no problem with the headliner actually playing earlier in the evening, that would be particularly awesome at shows where I go to see the headliner and don’t have to wait until 2 am. The complaint was with the shifting of the order of bands after the show started.

    Shit, was that point-by-point? Anyway, your input is appreciated, you obviously care. Hopefully people like you, and me, and Reax can either improve (as I think is necessary) or continue improving (as George and Mike think is already happening) the scene.

13. brightlight
    August 29th, 2007 at 9:02 pm

    Funny thing, that LA connection. I too did a tour of duty in Los Angeles, and some of the stuff that Casey is bitching about - with varying degrees of accuracy - is itself another component to why the LA scene can suck really hard sometimes. In short, it’s this general attitude that the bands and the people who go to see them should be on their knees thanking the club for the privilege of getting dicked around for five hours and then at the end of it all, the band’s still having to haggle with the club over what they’re getting paid. You know, because the 300% markup on drinks isn’t quite enough to keep up with the manager’s raging coke habit, so, sorry kids, we’re gonna need 60% of the door tonight, too.

    Being on the end of stuff down here that resembles that just makes me worry is all. I agree that a lot of good bands make it down here, and I want to believe that the club machinery will continue to work well enough that bands will keep coming. The fact that a band like Riddle of Steel comes here - a band I used to see in Chicago - like, makes my month every time it happens.

    George is correct when he mentions how set order plays a role in kind of forcing people to stick around for other bands, but dude, it’s just a rock show, which, contrary to popular belief, isn’t rocket science. There’s this time-honored tradition of putting the headliner on when the most people are in the room. If someone doesn’t know the logistics of their own space and the bands they’ve booked enough to kind of know when that time is well in advance, then well, that’s a little weak. That doesn’t even go into how lame it is when you’re switching shit up so last minute that the bands themselves are confused. That in itself is a form of irreverence, and best it’s just amateurish.

    I’m not ready to call all this shit an epidemic at this point, but it’s something that’s been observed on multiple occasions by - *gasp* - people who do go to shows. Maybe it’s just a phase. Maybe it will fix itself and everything will continue to be peachy. I want Reax and AES to continue to kick as much ass as possible, which is why I see nothing wrong with bitching about shit when it arises that may have an impact on the amount of ass they are kicking.

    And, by the way, no one is doing anyone any favors by charging $8 for a show at a place the size of NWB. I mean, yeah, sometimes that’s kind of generous, but most times it goes something like this. Charge $8 to maximize the draw, overbook the fuck out of the show to maximize the draw, sell a fuck ton of drinks, profit. The bands still get screwed based on their draw percentage relative to the actual number of people there. You know whose model that is? The Whisky A-Go-Go’s. If you want a model for what happens when a club loses respect for the people that go there, spend some time in there.