some thoughts on a music scene rebirth.

i read this blog entry from my friend John. started to leave this as a comment and decided it was probably a good entry for here too. anyway, here are a few thoughts that came to mind after reading his post!

i like lists.

- thinking of and promoting shows as a whole event is crucial. you want to engage an audience have some cohesion on the bill so that they will stay for the duration - not run out the door to the regular haunt or home. people will have better feeling if they spent a night seeing a good show then feeling obligated to see their friends 45 minute set at 'such and such' venue before rushing out to get back to their own lives. imaging that - show-goers that leave the gig amped up for the next show!?!?

- there are too many venues and not enough people in the audience! it's one thing to have musicians in the audience when they are not out gigging. however, it's much more beneficial for a "scene" to have new people brought into it consistently. if you are going to a show - especially for a band you like and believe in - bring some friends - preferably some friends who might have never seen said band! gigs in our area provide a great night of entertainment and fun for a fraction of going to see a national touring act! we should stand by that and be using it to attract an audience.

- bands need to support one another when on a bill together. appreciate the differences and keep from being a tool and trashing or leaving the venue on another act that you are sharing a stage with. if you're invested in the event as a whole - you will see the benefits of building a scene and not just a following of your closest friends. trust me, that might be "AWESOME" right now - but in a year they will disappear on you.

- a successful gig is a well planned gig. promoters sometimes mail it in when booking bands for a show. regardless if your in a band on the bill or a promoter for the show - booking the first bands that have a slot open on the calendar is not really putting an event together. put bands together that compliment each others sound (within reason), can play nice and work well to draw an audience and are invested in more than the length of the set time they are given. 

there's lots of other little things i could put in here and probably will in the future. feel free to add your two cents - i'd love to hear from anyone with insight on making the music scene stronger than ever!