'Ask Eliza' is a regular MusicSA column by the site's Project Officer that attempts to answer your questions about the local music scene. You can view the latest topic, respond to all topics in the Forum, check the rest of the Archives for past topics, and/or email Eliza a new question!

Ask Eliza: Gigs in a So-Called Ghost Town

  
Eliza Reid, Music SA Project Officer
20/01/2005

'Gigs in the so-called Ghost Town' - 16 Dec 2004

Happy Holidays everyone – I see there are heaps of 'Xmas shows' happening of late!  Which brings me to the new ' Ask Eliza' topic…. I recently received an email from a young band, who wanted to know how to get more gigs ' around this so-called Ghost Town'  of Adelaide.

Firstly, while taking their enquiry as having a hint of sarcasm, I agree that it can certainly be tough for emerging acts to get a foothold in the local live scene, whether it is healthy or not (and for the record, I' ll go with the former). For that matter, the ' regulars'  of the scene may also find it a bit difficult at times, as the venues hosting live music diminish ever further… but that' s a whole other column.

Great to see that the band in question is taking matters in to own hands, though, by ' spending endless hours emailing other bands'  to try get on a lineup.  Good move- by doing so, they have found at least one more ' established'  act to lend a hand with a few shows, and this kind of contact is invaluable. Not only do you get exposure in front of their own crowd, but their tacit endorsement may take you further in getting other gigs -  "If they like them, so should we."  Without abusing the relationship (or pushing the same lineup every show), this is a very useful way of being seen - and treated - as part of the scene.  Ask them how they started, too; may even be a similar scenario.

Despite their best efforts of emailing, however, the band has found few others are willing to help 'younger less-established'  acts.  Two things on this point:

(1) Obviously it' s a lot easier for someone to build an informed opinion about a band by hearing them. Do the emails include mp3s or direct the others to a website where they can listen to sample music?  A bio alone may be a tough sell, but if they hear that you can in fact play….  Also, why not offer to put them on the door of an existing show, so they can see how hot you are live (whether you have a crowd or not).  Without wanting to appear desperate (because we' re all too cool for that, right?), you want to demonstrate that you are worth any ‘risk’ in doing a show together.

(2)  I find Adelaide to be quite competitive, so it' s no big surprise if some folks close ranks. OK, so the music industry is competitive in general, no matter where you live; but perhaps since there are somewhat fewer opportunities here, artists can sometimes be a bit aloof - or even catty - when it comes to new acts.  Kind of a ' Tall Poppy Syndrome'  before the seeds even sprout.  However, this is NOT the case across the board, and you are not powerless.  Some of the greatest successes of late (in my humble opinion) have been where artists new &/or ' old'  have joined forces to ' build their own scene.'

By this I mean, not getting bogged down in certain ideas of who is good, who isn' t, where is a good place to play, where isn' t - just put together a list of your dream local lineup, pitch it as an EVENT, and make it happen. Have a general date in mind (an actual booking may be a risk because it doesn't offer any flexibility to your target bands), make a theme if possible and talk it up ("We want to do a show that’s only 2-piece bands, and you guys were amongst the first to do that here"). I've seen it work.  The more organised and inspired you sound  - and hopefully are -  the better the chances of others finding that vision to be interesting, and something they want to be part of.

Also, if you're not getting a response from the usual suspects in your genre, why not mix it up a bit. I have one show in mind in particular, where I could not work out how the 5 acts came to be on the same bill - a total cross section of stuff, from quirky pop to thrashy rock to indie shoe-gazing stuff. Weird, but it worked. In fact, you could find yourself with an eclectic mix of CDs in your own stereo at this very moment - you don't always want to hear the same thing all night long!  Be creative.

Actually, MusicSA has been a useful for this sort of thing if you don't know a lot of bands; go through the artist list, read the short description, and go from there.  Even better if they have sound files or a gallery on their page (see above point).  (This is also a good way for others to suss you out as well, hint hint).

It's not necessarily as easy as all that, but it's a start.   Of course, I'm leaving out all the bits where you go out and support live shows, too, and send your demos/bios etc to community radio, local promoters, street press, venue managers/bookers etc – you DO have a MISA guide, right?  There are also plenty of gigs that are geared specifically toward young, new bands – ie. Battle Ofs.  But I think one of the best ways is to maintain focus on your band networking. Work with the contacts you already have, don't give up on the new ones, and keep an open mind.

Anyone agree or disagree - or have more useful advice?  Head to the Forum and have your say in the Ask Eliza topic.