Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Saturday Nov 05, 2005 |
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Welcome to Professor JP's Traveling Salvation Show,, thus titled because it is a combination review and sermon. Thanks for reading; let us pray...
I just had an absolutely cool Friday night of live music in the ‘Toona, and I wanted to share…
After finishing up day job duties and doing supper at Hong Kong Buffet, I ventured into new territory – at least for me. I set foot into Ajay’s Café for the first time ever. I had been beckoned by Esa “L’il Fighter” to come out to Ajay’s to join her in partaking in the festival of music and bacchanalia that is The Amplified Heet. First, it was nice to see that even in these combative times on Rockpage, there were several Rockpagers out and supporting the Heet – including Esa, DMFJ03, undercoverjoe, zappa, and a little later, 4:33 and his better half. And I didn’t have to follow fisticuffs to find the Rockpager contingent! The most “violent” thing we had to contend with was dodging cue sticks from shooters at the pool table situated directly behind where we were all sitting.
For the two sets I stuck around for, Jules “Little Midget Felix” Bianchini on the geetah and vocals, Andy Mathers on largemouth (bass) and drummer Bill Bonsell played lots of classics from such time-honored names as Cream, Guess Who, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Marshall Tucker and more. Deathmaster Funk Jae (off duty from Beyond Reason this night) strapped on the bass and jammed for a few songs, including Marshall Tucker’s “Can’t You See,” Social Distortion’s “Ball and Chain” (which he sang lead on, despite coming off a cold), Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and the Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues” (with Andy demonstrating bottleneck slide using a real beer bottle). The group also did their lone original, “Sweet Cheeba.” Abundant hooting and hollering was going on through the duration of the group’s sets, and fun was being had by all.
Jules “Little Midget Felix” Bianchini and Bill Bonsell of Amplified Heet, with “Zappa” helping with backing vocals.
Once again, Jules and Zappa.
Amplified Heet, with special guest Deathmaster Funk Jae on bass.
Battling a cold but tearing it up on bass, Deathmaster Funk Jae.
Jules Bianchini belts out the voice, while Andy Mathers does bottleneck slide on his acoustic with an actual beer bottle.
Andy Mathers supplying the bottom end for Amplified Heet.
Since my initial game plan was to catch another band playing later this night, I then headed over to City Limits to check in with Infused. This was the first I had seen of this band since they returned from their hiatus slimmed to a trio, and man was I impressed! Singer/bassist Shawn Huss, guitarist Rod Skelley and drummer Ed Longo were nails-on tight as they performed their set of original songs, current and classic hard-edged rock. Infused sounded tight and powerful, and showed more confidence and poise now than they did during their earlier stint. Rod’s guitar work was dead-on clean and precise, and Shawn’s vocals were incredible, he did a very convincing Roger Waters on Floyd’s “In The Flesh?,” and delivered full intensity on Filter’s “Hey Man Nice Shot.” Infused also did a number of their original songs; “Don’t Shoot Anymore,” “No One Knows,” and “The Feeling Inside Of Me” all were captivating and powerful, sold onstage with passionate, rock solid execution. For the duration of the show I got to witness, very impressive!
Infused, lighting it up at City Limits.
Rod Skelley of Infused.
Shawn Huss of Infused.
Once again, Infused.
Again, Rod Skelley of Infused.
Ed Longo of Infused.
Again, Shawn Huss of Infused.
Once again, Ed Longo of Infused.
One more time, Infused. Come support this band!
(Now is where the soapbox portion of my writ begins…)
But it was a Friday night, and Infused was playing City Limits for the first time on their own; thus very little crowd on hand to witness them, perhaps 15 people tops when I arrived. One audience member, a woman I constantly see taking in live bands each weekend, walked up to me and asked the obvious question: “How do we get more people to come out to see these guys?” (Or Amplified Heet for that matter? Ajay’s was a smaller venue than City Limits, and the small crowd there made it look busier; but more people still could have been there as well.)
Ultimately, I have to answer with the same mantras I’ve answered this question with before: educating the public that bands like Infused and Amplified Heet (and other local bands) exist, and letting them know that these are viable options they can be spending their Friday nights enjoying, instead of singing karaoke, riding mechanical bulls, sitting in front of the boob tube or dwelling in chat rooms.
We all know that Fridays have slowed way down in this town for crowds coming out to see live music, and even some Saturdays and Sundays are slow as well. Money is tighter, and people generally are more selective about how they spend their entertainment dollars – and I think for many, they’d rather use those entertainment dollars on bands or options they already know something about, rather than risk their money on bands they know nothing about. You’re also battling other factors such as the ever-present DUI checkpoint threat, higher gas prices (when prices of necessities go up, people have to cut back somewhere, and entertainment budgets are often the victim); and in Altoona, the UVA shootings have likely scared some folks from venturing out on a Friday or Saturday night – even though the UVA was an isolated incident, the perception is that Altoona is a more dangerous place at night, and at least some borderline music fans are afraid to venture out. Bottom line: You have to work harder to get people out to your shows!
People need to know that you and your bands are out there! Face it, the days of booking a gig, and then just showing up the night of the gig and expecting a packed house to be there are long over! Folks aren’t obligated to come see your band simply because you exist! And club owners are responsible for advertising their venue, but they aren’t responsible for making your band happen! (At City Limits, Claudio did his part, he ran his November schedule in Pennsylvania Musician and bought radio time on the Q94 Nightspot Report to plug his weekend entertainment.) Bands, you have to advertise yourselves and market what you’re doing! Take responsibility for your own promotion!
Plugging your shows on Rockpage is a good first step, but realize that you’re “preaching to the choir” – many folks who visit this site are musicians themselves, and are probably gigging the night of your show. Hopefully fans and off-duty musicians on this site will visit your shows, but you need to get the word out beyond this website! Posters and flyers before the gig. Schedules and ads in Pennsylvania Musician, or on the radio if you can afford it. Think outside the box too – think of other opportunities outside of the music world to get your word out – community websites with message boards such as Altoona.com, etc.
Hand out flyers at public events. How many people here have thought about handing out flyers at Altoona High football games (too late now, their last game of the season was this Friday night)? At festivals? Benefit concerts? Logan Valley Mall? (They might have rules against handing out stuff at the Mall, but you could probably discreetly hit a place like FYE to put up or hand out flyers?)
Recently on Rockpage, somebody mentioned how Penn State Altoona isn’t being involved in the local music scene. Look in the mirror, folks. I deliver Pennsylvania Musician magazines to the Penn State Altoona Slep Center every month, and I always glance at the bulletin boards there to see what’s happening. With few exceptions, I almost NEVER see any local band posters or flyers, or venues advertising upcoming shows – except for a few punk shows and the one venue that does draw a Penn State Altoona crowd – Aldo’s. There are bulletin boards at the Slep Center, and there is an outdoor bulletin board on the sidewalk between Eiche Library and the Community Arts Center. People walk past these bulletin boards every day. Put those boards to use if you want a Penn State Altoona crowd. And furthermore, how many bands reading this have ever tried to contact Penn State Altoona about doing gigs there? Have you contacted the Student Activities Board or student organizations with your information; perhaps they have events coming up where a band might be needed. Usually a few music acts perform at Slep Center throughout the school year; how many local bands have actually explored this possibility? And Penn State Altoona has its own student-run newspaper, The Altoona Collegiate Review – has anybody ever explored the possibility of running ads in there?
Bottom line of my rant: If you want a crowd to come see you in Altoona (or anyplace else), you have to earn it – both on and OFF the stage. Only YOU can make your band happen, it’s not up to everybody else to just magically show up or roll the red carpet out for you. If people aren’t open-minded to your music, work harder to open their minds. EDUCATE THEM. Stick with it, bust tail, PROMOTE YOURSELVES! D.I.Y. – Do It Yourself!
And promote the music scene! Continue to support each other’s shows – set the example for your fans that they need to support the music scene by supporting it yourself. Recognize other musicians in the audience and call attention to their bands, encourage the audience to support them as well. We need to continue to promote the Altoona music COMMUNITY, and work harder at involving more fans in it. Continue to establish multi-band events, particularly for newer and original bands trying to build that initial fan base. The Underground TV showcases, the “One Voice Musical Showcase,” and various benefit events are all steps in the right direction to building both a fan base for local music, and the local music community as a whole.
And not to sound like shameless plugs, but promote Q94’s “Backyard Rocker” and Pennsylvania Musician – both are ambassadors for the local music scene that get the word out on area bands as well. Encourage fans to pick up the magazine or listen to the show, so they continue to become educated with the wealth of musical talent we have in this neck of the woods. (Thanks to the bands who already do this.)
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for enduring my rant. I get frustrated seeing exciting area bands like Infused playing to four walls. But if we want crowds in rooms on Friday nights to support area bands and the music scene, we ALL have to work at it. Every day. Stop complaining and whining. Channel that energy into action instead. Do it!
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