If you ever think of starting a Dead Cover band withing 100 miles of Boston... You MAY want to reconsider...
It's harder to find a Dunkin' Donuts than it is to find a Dead Show!
If you have ever lived here or visited, you may appreciate the absurdity of that statement. There is a Dunk's on nearly every street corner, sometime two. And you rarely have to drive for more than a 1/4 mile before you find another one.
Here a recap of this weekend:
June 13th...
Playing Dead @ Harper's Ferry- Allston, Ma
Fennario @ The Skellig - Waltham, Ma
August West @ Spanky's - Fitchburg, Ma
June 14th...
Playing Dead @ Harper's Ferry- Allston, Ma
and now the icing on the proverbial cake...
June 12th
DSO @ Hampton Beach
June 13th
DSO @ Hampton Beach
June 14th
DSO @ Cape Cod Melody Tent
Now I know that there a lot of factors at play here... and the distance may not seem that great. But ultimately, I think to ONLY winners here will be DSO. Every other band playing WILL see a drop in attendance, either because of DSO or because of another one of the Dead bands. Some folks will be forced to make a choice between PD and Fennario... Or Fennario and August West... or DSO and any of the above!
Some people might say that this is a GOOD thing, having this much music from all these great musicians in such a short space of time. But it doesn't go over well with the club owners, they DO NOT like to book a band and not turn a profit! That has a ripple effect because they see booking ANY Dead band as a losing proposition and that makes it difficult for everyone in the future.
I know that gigs are booked far in advance and not everyone is on the same page, and some just plain don't care to be on the same page. But how could any one of these bands have missed the 3 nights that DSO was rolling through, or thought that booking a gig opposite was anywhere close to being a good idea. And this is NOT the first time this has happened. There have been instances where competing bands have booked the same night only miles from each other.
To those of you in any of the bands mentioned that perceive this as a PERSONAL attack, it's anything BUT that. I have been nothing but civil and diplomatic in my dealings with ALL of you. If you believe that this was an attack motivated in part by my association with Big Rhythm Wine, think again. My role in "The Organization" extends beyond BRW and I do not want for work as a result of that. And I certainly do NOT derive any benefit from going off and slagging you guys for what I perceive as a series of exceptionally poor BUSINESS decisions. But I cannot sit by, watch a clusterfuck of monumental proportions take place and just shut my mouth and let the moment pass without saying SOMETHING. This has ramifications that may not be immediately apparent for everyone that's involved in the local music scene.
DISCLAIMER: This is purely MY OPINION on the subject, feel free to discuss it and perhaps shed some light on YOUR position regarding the subject.
Now I'm off to the Vet to put one of my cats to sleep...
It's harder to find a Dunkin' Donuts than it is to find a Dead Show!
If you have ever lived here or visited, you may appreciate the absurdity of that statement. There is a Dunk's on nearly every street corner, sometime two. And you rarely have to drive for more than a 1/4 mile before you find another one.
Here a recap of this weekend:
June 13th...
Playing Dead @ Harper's Ferry- Allston, Ma
Fennario @ The Skellig - Waltham, Ma
August West @ Spanky's - Fitchburg, Ma
June 14th...
Playing Dead @ Harper's Ferry- Allston, Ma
and now the icing on the proverbial cake...
June 12th
DSO @ Hampton Beach
June 13th
DSO @ Hampton Beach
June 14th
DSO @ Cape Cod Melody Tent
Now I know that there a lot of factors at play here... and the distance may not seem that great. But ultimately, I think to ONLY winners here will be DSO. Every other band playing WILL see a drop in attendance, either because of DSO or because of another one of the Dead bands. Some folks will be forced to make a choice between PD and Fennario... Or Fennario and August West... or DSO and any of the above!
Some people might say that this is a GOOD thing, having this much music from all these great musicians in such a short space of time. But it doesn't go over well with the club owners, they DO NOT like to book a band and not turn a profit! That has a ripple effect because they see booking ANY Dead band as a losing proposition and that makes it difficult for everyone in the future.
I know that gigs are booked far in advance and not everyone is on the same page, and some just plain don't care to be on the same page. But how could any one of these bands have missed the 3 nights that DSO was rolling through, or thought that booking a gig opposite was anywhere close to being a good idea. And this is NOT the first time this has happened. There have been instances where competing bands have booked the same night only miles from each other.
To those of you in any of the bands mentioned that perceive this as a PERSONAL attack, it's anything BUT that. I have been nothing but civil and diplomatic in my dealings with ALL of you. If you believe that this was an attack motivated in part by my association with Big Rhythm Wine, think again. My role in "The Organization" extends beyond BRW and I do not want for work as a result of that. And I certainly do NOT derive any benefit from going off and slagging you guys for what I perceive as a series of exceptionally poor BUSINESS decisions. But I cannot sit by, watch a clusterfuck of monumental proportions take place and just shut my mouth and let the moment pass without saying SOMETHING. This has ramifications that may not be immediately apparent for everyone that's involved in the local music scene.
DISCLAIMER: This is purely MY OPINION on the subject, feel free to discuss it and perhaps shed some light on YOUR position regarding the subject.
Now I'm off to the Vet to put one of my cats to sleep...
Last edited by RiverRat on Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:34 am, edited 1 time in total.