Bootleg
Recently, the band manager - Paris - has been strongly encouraging demanding that we get out and see more gigs. For several reasons: to see how other bands perform onstage, to network with other bands and live music fans, to "be seen"...
Now, this shouldn't seem like such a tough ask for musicians who love live music, but for various reasons it is a tricky thing to do. Personally, I have trouble because of my voice. Every time I go out to somewhere loud and smoky my voice is very husky the next day. Which, being the back-up singer, I can't afford. Others struggle for money, time, etc.
So, despite the voice issue, I initiated an outing. There was a band that I really wanted to see who have been overseas for most of the year, and this would be their first show back. Not only do I quite like the band, but they have done a lot of recording with our producer, and have gone on to make it quite big. Touring o/s with bands such as The Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Massacre, which I think is pretty impressive. I guess they are my proof that a band who has been down our path can "make it". So, I was very keen to see how their show has improved and what all the fuss is about.
Paris has been working for us for nothing so far, as we have not finalised her contract. I think this is because we are all a bit crap when it comes to this legally sort of stuff. It's all a bit too official and serious and scary. So we postpone it. But she has been feeling the pinch and was keen to get it finalised soon. So we decided to meet over dinner to discuss it and then go to this gig. Tom and Will couldn't make it, so it was up to Ric and I to negotiate our future.
Now I'm not going to bore you with the details of the negotiation process except to say two things. The first is that when you hire a manager, a big part of their role is to negotiate on the band's behalf. So you hire someone who is a skilled negotiator. Which Paris is. She can out-negotiate Ric and I any day. The second is that it went pretty well, considering. We were in agreement most of the time, and I did hold my ground once or twice. At this stage anyway, its in all our best interests for Paris' earning potential to be as high as possible, otherwise there will be nothing to motivate her to work for us. We all agreed that things can be renegotiated down the track.
Anyway, we finished our pizza and headed to Bootleg. Bootleg is an indie nightclub in the city, spread over three levels, with bands and DJs. I immediately had flashbacks to about 10 years ago, going to indie nightclubs like Collision and Goo. At Bootleg I felt kinda old. And not very fashionable, despite having put on my best trendy outfit. This is a place where Paris, with her dyed green, shaved at the sides, designer mullet, fits in. And I realised that these cool indie kids are the audience she thinks we should be targeting. Thinking of our less than cutting edge dress sense, our lack of onstage antics and the proportion of receeding hairlines in our band, I made an observation to Ric. "We would get eaten alive here."
There were seven bands on, all of them bands of the moment - hip, happening, cool. The headline band (let's call them Not The Dandy Warhols, or NTDW for short) were scheduled to play at 1am. Oh jesus. I am such a nanna but that's way past my bedtime. Oh well, I just had to suck it up and stay awake.
I passed the time by bumping into a few people I knew (accomplishing the "be seen" objective) and hanging out with Ric and Robbie (our producer). Paris flitted about, shadowing a cute boy who's also the lead singer of a local band. She was in her element. She informed us at quarter to one that NTDW had been rescheduled to play at 2am. Why? They were not here yet. They arrived casually at 1:00. For a 1:00 gig. How cool is that?
They put on a great show, I'm glad I stayed. The band has one girl in it, Aimee, and she was very inspiring. She plays mostly tambourine, one in each hand shaking them above her head. She also plays the odd keyboard and guitar part and sings as well. The band lined up across the front of the stage with four microphones and often all four sang in harmony, which was great. I wish we could do that. They also all looked cool, all the time. Especially Aimee. Never daggy or awkward, just totally cool and in control. Very impressed!
It was an extremely late night and my ears were ringing the next day, it had been so loud. I am definitely getting old. But if my whole job now is to be a rockstar, then this is what I have to do, and really, I do enjoy it.
Now, this shouldn't seem like such a tough ask for musicians who love live music, but for various reasons it is a tricky thing to do. Personally, I have trouble because of my voice. Every time I go out to somewhere loud and smoky my voice is very husky the next day. Which, being the back-up singer, I can't afford. Others struggle for money, time, etc.
So, despite the voice issue, I initiated an outing. There was a band that I really wanted to see who have been overseas for most of the year, and this would be their first show back. Not only do I quite like the band, but they have done a lot of recording with our producer, and have gone on to make it quite big. Touring o/s with bands such as The Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Massacre, which I think is pretty impressive. I guess they are my proof that a band who has been down our path can "make it". So, I was very keen to see how their show has improved and what all the fuss is about.
Paris has been working for us for nothing so far, as we have not finalised her contract. I think this is because we are all a bit crap when it comes to this legally sort of stuff. It's all a bit too official and serious and scary. So we postpone it. But she has been feeling the pinch and was keen to get it finalised soon. So we decided to meet over dinner to discuss it and then go to this gig. Tom and Will couldn't make it, so it was up to Ric and I to negotiate our future.
Now I'm not going to bore you with the details of the negotiation process except to say two things. The first is that when you hire a manager, a big part of their role is to negotiate on the band's behalf. So you hire someone who is a skilled negotiator. Which Paris is. She can out-negotiate Ric and I any day. The second is that it went pretty well, considering. We were in agreement most of the time, and I did hold my ground once or twice. At this stage anyway, its in all our best interests for Paris' earning potential to be as high as possible, otherwise there will be nothing to motivate her to work for us. We all agreed that things can be renegotiated down the track.
Anyway, we finished our pizza and headed to Bootleg. Bootleg is an indie nightclub in the city, spread over three levels, with bands and DJs. I immediately had flashbacks to about 10 years ago, going to indie nightclubs like Collision and Goo. At Bootleg I felt kinda old. And not very fashionable, despite having put on my best trendy outfit. This is a place where Paris, with her dyed green, shaved at the sides, designer mullet, fits in. And I realised that these cool indie kids are the audience she thinks we should be targeting. Thinking of our less than cutting edge dress sense, our lack of onstage antics and the proportion of receeding hairlines in our band, I made an observation to Ric. "We would get eaten alive here."
There were seven bands on, all of them bands of the moment - hip, happening, cool. The headline band (let's call them Not The Dandy Warhols, or NTDW for short) were scheduled to play at 1am. Oh jesus. I am such a nanna but that's way past my bedtime. Oh well, I just had to suck it up and stay awake.
I passed the time by bumping into a few people I knew (accomplishing the "be seen" objective) and hanging out with Ric and Robbie (our producer). Paris flitted about, shadowing a cute boy who's also the lead singer of a local band. She was in her element. She informed us at quarter to one that NTDW had been rescheduled to play at 2am. Why? They were not here yet. They arrived casually at 1:00. For a 1:00 gig. How cool is that?
They put on a great show, I'm glad I stayed. The band has one girl in it, Aimee, and she was very inspiring. She plays mostly tambourine, one in each hand shaking them above her head. She also plays the odd keyboard and guitar part and sings as well. The band lined up across the front of the stage with four microphones and often all four sang in harmony, which was great. I wish we could do that. They also all looked cool, all the time. Especially Aimee. Never daggy or awkward, just totally cool and in control. Very impressed!
It was an extremely late night and my ears were ringing the next day, it had been so loud. I am definitely getting old. But if my whole job now is to be a rockstar, then this is what I have to do, and really, I do enjoy it.
posted by Aussie Rock Chick at 12:56 AM
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