I may be missing some. Not sure? I have seen so many local shows, I don’t know if I ever actually played some oft-frequented venues. It’s amazing how many places I have played that are gone.
I know I am missing a bar in Kitanning, and the names of a few places. Maybe even a private show or two? If you know of some, help me out!
I’ve posted advice for existing and aspiring bands before, and I thought this email from a pro would be useful. It was sparked when I saw his Facebook status the other day: “Great way to start the day: my favorite venue in the country complimented my email skills in contacting them to booking a date. It’s the highest praise I could hope for.”
The status went on to some comments & basically the author said he’d share the knowledge with those who cared to learn. I asked if I could post it in a blog, and here we have it. If you’re in a band on any level, pay heed to the advice below.
As far as background on Bengt, he’s in a band (& been in many), he records bands, he’s booked bands, and he’s generally been in every part of the scene. He knows what he’s talking about.
Action Camp
On to the advice & the guest part of this guest post:
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Alright, so here is what we usually send like 99% of the time. There always a bit of customization but this is the basic format:
1. Greeting, name the booker if you know it (usually listed on indieonthemove.com or their website)
2. Band name (with a link to the website), genre, location.
3. Date(s) requested in bold. They love that, it makes it easier read. If you can swing 3-5 dates that’s best, it gives them room. Do them a favor and check the website for those dates first, they appreciate that a ton. Also make sure to follow their booking procedure to the T. A lot of places have a specific way they like to work (Facebook message, Sonicbids, email format, etc). If you do it right it shows you listened so you’re already at the top of the pile.
Also, if another band that’s played there before suggested it, tell them so. It’s like introducing yourself to anyone else and starting with saying you have a mutual friend. It’s a job reference.
4. Links to music, video, press – let them decide if they want to book you. The more you talk about how awesome you are and why you should be booked, the more they think you probably suck and are trying to gloss over it. It’s like handing someone your demo and saying it’s not your best work.
5. If you played there or in the city before tell them. If you know what you drew and stuff be honest, they love that.
6. Offer to help build the bill, and specifically name bands you know or have contacted already.
7. Thanks in advance, Thanks for your time, etc.
8. ALL of your contact info including phone numbers. It shows you are easy to reach and you have your shit together.
One final thing: DON’T say someone famous produced your record, quote random blog reviews, list facebook or twitter numbers, anything like that. No one cares about that if they know what their doing in the working touring circuit. Steve Albini producing your record won’t make 100 people come out in Dayton on a Monday night, and facebook and twitter followers are ostensibly your imaginary friends that only you can see. Plus, even you have 4,000 people odds are only 10 of them are near the venue you are trying to book.
We are Action Camp, an art rock duo from Pittsburgh, PA.
We’re looking to see if you have Friday February 15th or Saturday the 16th available to book in the Revival Room – both look open on your calendar but I wasn’t sure if you would do a full house those nights. Our music is pretty different from what’s going on those nights so I’m not concerned about audience bleed over. This would be our 4th time to Southgate, 7th time in 3 years in the Cininnati/Newport scene. We know plenty of bands so we’d throw a bill together with 2 or 3 locals to help support.
If these are unavailable I’d love to work something out in the future. Southgate was/is by far our favorite venue on tour, I can only assume the new house is great. Sincerely, I (Bengt) booked a venue in Pittsburgh, and based many of my practices on the way SGH was run by Rick and his crew.
Previous dates:
Parlour 10/1/2010 (Gallery Opening, free show, 100+ attending)
Parlour 1/2/2010 (w/ Duppy a Jamba, 97 paid)
Parlour Summer 2009 (Flux Capacitors last show, well attended, don’t have stats)
Our most recent dates in the area were both in Cincinnati:
12/8/2012 The Comet Cincinnati, OH (100+, free show)
7/5/2012 Sitwells Coffeehouse Cincinnati, OH (smaller acoustic show, last minute add on tour)
Thanks in advance, can’t wait to see the new place,
So that’s it, pretty simple. Just be honest and to the point. I also should point out that this was 1 of 10 venues we emailed on Christmas, and he got back just a day later with this response:
“Thanks for writing. Those dates aren’t announced yet, but they are spoken for. How about Wed Feb 13, or Sun Feb 17?
“PS – very well done email, especially listing previous show turnouts. You’re way ahead of the curve on that one, and it did persuade me to jump on this, and get you in!”
I always email every venue that would work for us in a city, it’s better to have choices than no show at all.
So, there you have it. Got it? Good. Doing research in advance before you ask for dates seems like a no-brainer, but apparently it needs to be said. I guess some bands naturally put more thought into stuff.
I’m not sure how you’d approach this if you had no previous gigs in an area… perhaps we can get Bengt to comment further for new bands, first time tours, etc.?
So, I’ve been to many types of shows at many types of venues. From stadiums to bars and from backyards to amphitheaters. I’ve seen rock shows, rap shows, country shows, and even Weird Al. Most of the shows I’ve attended fall in the punk or metal categories. The crowds can get rowdy. It’s expected, perhaps even demanded. I’ve pogoed in a circle when commanded to by Joey Ramone, sat nearly motionless in a sea of silver hair at a Willie Nelson show, and lost my shoe once in a pit at a Misfits show (only monetarily, and it was the first & last pair of Airwalks I’ve ever owned). I’ve been rubbed up against the sweaty shirtless guy, been flogged by the windmill hardcore kid, and burned buy the a-hole with a lit cigarette in the pit. I chalk it all up to part of the experience. Hell, I even had my nose broken in a stage diving incident. I’m no stranger to the pit.
The people are revolting, pushing the sweaty shirtless smelly guy out of the group.
I’m not saying that it doesn’t have it’s place. I’m just tired of the people who don’t “get” it. It always devolves into 2 or 3 probably drunken buttholes flailing around like fish out of water trying to start some kind of fight or prove their manliness. Generally people have good manners. Most people in the pit are just out to have fun bouncing around to the music, until it gets ruined by the few flailers.
It’s a weird topic to discuss. Saying the word “mosh” makes it an instantly corny conversation. I hate to say the word out loud because I’m old and it’s a young man’s (or brave young woman’s) game. It’s just getting out of control. I don’t want to see it stop, I just want to see it not be ruined by the few, the proud, the imbeciles. This was all sparked by our recent adventures at the Flogging Molly show. (Which musically, is a rather tame band… but crowd-excitement is off of the charts with them.)
We all know the “unwritten rules”, right? The only one that I’ve ever seen obeyed consistently is: If someone falls down, pick them up. This proves to me that we’re mostly all just out to have a good time & not hurt anyone. As for the rest, I guess I’m going to have to write them for you.
The biggest one and my spark for writing this blog?
Fig. A
Obey the Zone. This is the biggest rule that you need to adhere to. You can see in figure A that there is a clearly defined acceptable zone for pogoing / slam-dancing / moshing activity. It’s in yellow and black… for caution. It can get a little bigger or even smaller depending on the ferocity of the act on stage. The blue area is the crowd in general. Generally, there’s a row or two of people up front really into the band or show and unwilling to move no matter how many goofballs are bouncing off of their backs. This spills out & around to people that are just trying to watch the band. Is this that difficult? Am I wrong here?
Please see my additional figures B & C to help drive my point home…
Fig. B
Fig. C
In figure B we see the big red ⃠ symbol recognized as “No”. This is where you’re not supposed to flail, push, agitate, or try to cajole others into moshing. The other night when we were safely in this zone, a chubby young ginger-headed frat boy was doing exactly that, and looking at all of us like we were crazy for not wanting to hardcore dance with him 1-on-1 when it was happening with willing participants mere feet away. Was this kid afraid of the real pit? I say put on your big boy pants & get in there, Skippy. Or better yet, move into the Idoit Zone as illustrated by figure C.
This unwritten rule is written for you.
The idiot zone is formed when the people who do know how to act at a show force out the people who don’t. This is where the “too metal for you”, “hardcore windmillers”, and “guy with Greek letters on his hoodie & daddy issues” go to play. They’re convinced that no one can have a good time unless you go home with bruises. They feel that they are integral to your having the correct concert experience by placing an elbow repeatedly in your ribs or fist in your eye. They’re irate when you don’t want to participate. They go to the idiot zone to act like a wind-up toy and get out their frustration. They just paid $30-60 for a ticket, $9+ per beer, and $10-$20 for parking to ignore the band on stage.
Weenies.
You have to understand that the whole floor has the potential turn into that zone, and accept your risk of taking a wild hit or someone landing on you if you’re going to get down there anywhere close to the action. You most likely dropped some serious cash to see this show, and you’re there to see and hopefully enjoy the band… not to get distracted or assaulted by some self-appointed chairman of the mosh commission.
Well, that’s the big rule. What’s your take on concert etiquette? I’ll list some others, you give me more in the comments.
No lit cigarettes (or other burning substances) in the pit. Most venues in Pittsburgh don’t allow you to smoke in the first place. Besides billowing toxic crap into my air, burning someone while thrashing around like a toolbag is not cool. If you need to get high, go do it in a dark corner.
Don’t scream off-key into your neighbor’s ear. I paid lots of money for the people on stage to scream into my ear, not you. Shut up unless it’s a sing-along rock anthem.
If you’re on the edge of the circle, keep it from spilling over. Push the lugheads back into the fold. Protect the people around you who don’t want in it, and watch out for that kid that’s way too young to be there. Might be good to not trample him to death before he can drive.
You are not a windmill. No one thinks this is cool. No one likes getting punched in the head. No one is more entertained by you dancing like Frankenstein than by the band on stage.
We’re there to see the band, not you. You are not that guy on the runway, a traffic cop, or a cheer-leading coach. Stop gesturing wildly at people trying to get them to go in a circle, spin you around, run into you, or do the safety dance.
Now it’s your turn. While you think/type, please enjoy the following…
Vodpod videos no longer available.
This is not a dance.
(Also, feel free to post other songs about moshing, slam-dancing, circle pits, pogoing, or any related ridiculousness.)
Also… to the people who drink in the parking lot through the opening acts, then come in during the headliner barely knowing where you are or that you’re alive. Just stay home & get drunk. It’s cheaper and safer, and you don’t have the potential to puke on my shoes.
So, bands… where & how do you advertise shows these days? There is of course your own website (if you even bother to have one), social media, and good old-fashioned word-of-mouth. Do you still print physical show fliers? Where do put them? Do you pass out handbills? How many friends, family members, classmates, co-workers, and casual acquaintances do you annoy with news of your shows & how often?
Then there are sites like Bandcamp, SoundCloud, & even YouTube… they help promote the band, but do they help promote shows?
A gig is a gig, right?
Which ones do you use & which ones do you find effective? I know bands helped animated gifs with glittering text kill MySpace. At what point of posting about your band / shows / music / merchandise does it become over-saturation?
Do you hit the local papers or their websites with classified ads or event listings? Do you post on local radio websites?
Do you post on the venue’s (and/or promoter’s) website/Facebook/Twitter/etc.?
Do you have an email list?
If you hang flyers, where do you hang them? If you pass them out, where do you pass them out?
Here are some local sites where I’ve listed (or tried to list) our stuff… Not sure if it’s drawing anyone out.
World (and Lunar) Domination 