Saturday, May 29, 2010

Another Bottom Feeder Comes to Town...

If you've been following my rants with any level of regularity then you already know my views on the current trends in music. There are many talented acts out there but most people aren't willing to venture out to see them.

Worse than that are the new breed of "promoters". These cats think that their job is to find a venue, book a bunch of bands (who usually can't get gigs anywhere else) and make the bands sell the tickets. It's just 'pay to play' all over again. I won't be part of it.

I received this email this morning and I just about blew my top:

Hey!I’m Dan from Standard_Issues_Productions, a new booking/promotion group based here in Pittsburgh. We have decided to make my small move on the Pittsburgh scene. Shows I have to offer right now are all at The Rex Theater.Dates are July 11th, 18th and 25th. These are Sunday shows. They will all be 21+ shows. These dates will be filled with local talent, and perhaps out of town "local" bands. I am also working with addition venues such as Fate and The Rock Room. Bands are required to sell between 15 and 20 tickets each for any of these events. Number will be deterred by price. All bands will receive 30-40 tickets to begin with. After that additional tickets will be made available to the band at a very reduced rate. All unsold tickets will be turned in day of show. Tickets day of show will be slightly more at box office, only. Please don't scalp tickets in front of the venue the day of show. To help with clarity: an example. You need to sell 20 tickets at $6.00 each. Total of $120. You have an addition 20 tickets to pocket cash. $120 to you. If you need more tickets 10 will cost you $20, and you sell for $60. $40 more to you. Again, this is just an example.We’re expecting to have between 4 and 6 bands performing on each Sunday. Bands will have up to 40 minutes to perform. We will run a tight ship and keep on schedule! Promo... I'll help. Fliers will be generated as soon as a lineup is finalized. I'll paper Southside, and a few Hot Topics. I will also pool resources to get handbills out to some of the more obvious given spots around Pittsburgh. Further I will pass out handbills at any available upcoming show at The Rex, and can also work some of the shows at Altar.If you like the idea and want to perform, let me know ASAP. At this point the July 18th show is looking like it will be Industrial/Techno. The other July dates are open to whatever genre has a stronger response.Things to tell me:-Which date you’d prefer to play. - Expected ticket sales- Expected requirementsI’d prefer to know by the end of the week or early next week if at all possible. Ticket sales are low (15 -20 mandatory) The majority of this money will be used to cover cost, however it may not totally pay all expenses. That is where day of show ticket sales will go.That’s really it, if you have questions let me know. This is all the details I can give at this point. Once the date is confirmed we will work out ticket prices. Figure between $5 and $9 each. You guys know your fan base. Each band will have a small guest list. 4 people. per band. You may also have 2 people "work" your Merch table. I have no desire to profit off your swag, however I am unsure if the venue wants a piece.Thanks for reading-Dan

While I'm not one to wish anyone ill, especially in a business venture, this dude is obviously just too lazy to go out and do the damned job. To run any kind of business successfully requires doing WORK. In his case, he needs to advertise in print, radio, online, etc. He needs to do the leg work. But instead, he figures he'll get the bands to do it. Who knows, he could pull off a couple decent shows...but with bands no one has heard of.

While I could go into great detail on his poor writing skills, I'll stick to my rant. The Rex, while a nice venue, has not exactly been packing them in lately. So, trying to fill it with essentially the friends of a bunch of unknown bands is one way to go...but not necessarily the best route. This guy hopes to make $120 per band while having the bands do all the work....does anyone else see a problem with this? How very Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn!

I could suggest boycotting this cat...but why? He won't last long anyway. He might even make a few bucks before the bands realize they're being scammed. It just sickens me that the music scene has come, once again, to this. And ya wonder why I rarely book shows anymore...

Sunday, May 2, 2010

The Pleasure Bar Gay Bashing Incident: Fact or Fiction?

DISCLAIMER: I wrote this earlier today and have been torn as to whether or not to publish it. I know one or two friends who may be upset by it. That said, I feel it more important to share the truth "as I understand it". The gay community, in my lifetime, has made great strides. People are more educated, tolerant, accepting than before. While gay bashing does unfortunately still exist, the occurrences have, thankfully, declined over the past 20-25 years.

As always, feel free to comment. If you'd rather, feel free to email me @ michaelcmetzger@gmail.com

And now, my blog.......

Gay bashing, in the 21st century, should be a thing of the past. I'm old enough to remember when it was a daily threat in the gay community. Time marches on, however, and thanks to education, tolerance and acceptance, these sorts of atrocities are few and far between these days...especially in Pittsburgh, which for its size boasts at least 8 or 9 gay bars.

As many of you may already know, there was an alleged incident of gay bashing in front of the Pleasure Bar in the Bloomfield section of Pittsburgh on the night of Thursday April 29. According to the stories, "Veruca La Pirhana", a popular local drag performer was walking down the street with friends and was accosted and then physically assaulted by three drunk men in front of the Pleasure Bar.

Veruca's side of the story can be read here: http://thomascwaters.com/2010/04/30/bloomingfield-bashing/

But new information has been coming to light regarding this incident. According to a "very reliable source" who was at the scene, it appears that Veruca may have instigated the altercation. There was mention of Veruca throwing objects at her detractors and essentially, showing off for her friends.

In the thomascwaters.com story, Veruca mentions not wanting the police to be involved due to her being "frightened" of/and distrustful of the police. The story mentions a previous incident at a diner where Veruca was "attacked" and later treated as more of suspect than a victim in that incident. Veruca has also been arrested previously on drug charges.

In a perfect world, a person's past indiscretions should not pertain to new circumstances. If this is an actual case of gay bashing, which at least in my book is a hate crime, the police should be involved. If gay bashing is indeed what happened, the young men responsible should be held accountable for their actions. To not pursue this is to condone this type of behavior and run the risk of turning back the clock to a more dangerous time for all.

Why then was there no police involvement? Why didn't the manager of the Pleasure Bar insist on it, if for no other reason than to appear to want to maintain a peaceful neighborhood presence, not to mention avoiding the risk of being labeled a "nuisance bar".

The day after the incident, a friend who works in another Bloomfield night spot informed me of the incident and also informed me of a rally to show support for Veruca and the entire gay community, to be held in front of the Pleasure Bar. I, for one, notified as many people as possible in the short span of time I was given. From what I can ascertain, the rally was well attended by a large and well-behaved crowd.

I'm still wondering what if any involvement the police plan to offer in light of this event. At the very least, an assault did occur and it should be investigated. Bloomfield is by and large a very nice and safe city neighborhood. In the 20 years that I've lived here, I've never personally experienced anything out of the ordinary there.

Remember kids, violence is BAD, regardless of who is involved. In this modern world, we are all blessed to encounter people from all walks of life. Some we may find "different" or possibly even "offensive" but those people, at least in the US, have the same rights as anyone else and should be treated with the same respect every individual should enjoy.

I know that by publishing this piece, I run the risk of offending some people and may even run the risk of damaging some friendships but I feel, as always, that truth and honesty are of the utmost importance in this day and age. Too many people consider it "ok" to spin a story to meet their own designs. I'm merely trying to state the facts as I understand them. If you feel that I am incorrect, please feel free to comment and post your own facts regarding this incident. To reiterate, gay bashing is, in my humble opinion, a hate crime and should not be tolerated at all.