Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Artist you believe in, or a Great Night of $

                                                                  Zoom. 
Booking
Meeting 
every Tuesday. The recurring question...


5 of us sit around and talk about who deserves to play Saint Rocke. Who's fresh, who's classic, who has a great voice, or great songwriting talent, who sucks, who's overrated, why that guy is playing those venues, etc. I used to read the LA Weekly and be amazed at the sheer numbers of bands playing every week, and the ads used to give me vertigo. Now I peruse them, and it's as if I'm using a cipher. I get it. The live music business. And so I seem to run into the same question weekly: What if I love a band, but I know they won't draw? I can name 20 (but I won't). And the inverse: I cannot stand this band, but I know they pack the house.  Who gets the Friday night?

Now lets be honest with ourselves people. The South Bay is not a hotbed of musical discovery.  That was supported by the fact that I had at least 5 different people tell me that "that hippie band" on the beach was no good the other week. Bullshit. Mother Hips fucking rocks. Don't care what anyone says. Good songwriting, pro players, great rhythmn. I just shook my head, and short of telling them that I'd put a Journey cover band on, I walked away with a low brow.

So how do I make the decision? The investors at Saint Rocke want ROI, the music crowd wants discovery and new music, and the bar patrons want a good time. I still haven't figured out the right cocktail mix of the three, and when you look at our booking calendar, you might find evidence of that. But I can tell you this - no team has worked harder to give the local community music like they've had here before, and we always appreciate your feedback. We all post on our facebook & twitter so when you have band suggestions, throw em our way!

I'll leave off with a poll question: does HelloGoodbye win over the beach crowd on Sunday?


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you found the right mix with Niko Vega. They're just underground enough to have a ton of credibility, but also just big enough to get asses in seats. Really enjoyed that show.

Next time they play you should have Imagine Dragons open for them though. That Christian rock band was a little (ok a lot) too mellow to get the crowd going.

Whitney Youngs said...

Jonah Smith Band
Ollabelle
Nicole Atkins
Bob Schneider
Si*Se
Maktub