hey guys, dont get mad at me. but from 6 years of experience i have come to recognize how much our local scene in fortwayne just plain sucks ass.
a friend and i were talking the other day and he said something to me that made a whole lot of sense.

"yea sure rocking out is fun, but i cant afford it anymore, and all age shows in this city just suck unless your band is incredibly horrible"

now i am from the bluffton area but i have been playing in bands from fortwayne since i started with my first drum kit. i just happen to be in a band right now called Northpointe and that bands seems to be doing pretty well, but i still am not please. you ask WHY?

about a year ago, i decided to start throwing concerts in my own town, "Bluffton". the first few shows were failiors, no one came and it was just crappy bands that wanted to play there first show. but i brought a band called "Blame it on Rio" and my other bands "northpointe" "DTS" "the machine rages on" and the list of bands just keeps going. but i brought them in, and i started selling out the rooms i booked. i have upgraded facilities twice now. i can now seat 400 kids per show. and i usually bring close to that many. i have also upgraded all of my systems and stuff including a Light show, and all that jazz and the kids just keep comming. UNLESS!!!!!

i put on the bands that just plain suck ass...funny story though, i go to a concert in fortwayne where those crappy bands play, and the people there just forking go. its really wierd. the band can be a band that a normal listener would look and say "WO quit while you are behind!" but for some reason, they bring huge crowds....your bring them down here or anywhere els. and no one wants to see them. they leave cause they get bored.

i mean, i feel like im just rambling, but the scene just doesnt seem to be cool anymore. i mean even bands from the area have just got sick of playing in the fort and refuse to books shows there. like northpointe. we would rather travel to indy everyweekend or play house parites then play any of the crappy venues in the fort, simply because, "yea sure rocking out is fun, but i cant afford it anymore, and all age shows in this city just suck unless your band is incredibly horrible"

well everyone, im not sorry if your offended...but

later
-dillon

there's a lot of the same in town, yes.. but there's some doing something different and doing it well.

i go to shows to see friends, and to support my friends' bands.. i hardly hardly go to a show in fort wayne if i've never heard of the band, or if there's not at least one band i like, and even then i need more than one.

but i don't like your band's sound, and unless you played with a band i like i'm not going to show up at a show of your's.

i dont like my bands sound either...thats why my last show is december 9th...

i also appriciate an explanation with honesty

Is it that you guys won't make an effort to book yourselves, or that no one wants to book you?

well I thought that way too,

then something amazing happened.

i realized that I didnt have to keep playing metal and hard rock.

join a band that is just plain fun and really has do boundries, and you will be amazed.

My expierence starting pleasing melani with my brother almost 2 years ago now, was the best thing I have ever done musically. The reason why was that I listened to my little brother more instead of being stubborn and having to continue in the "genre and standard" i was used to.

my 2 cents

I don't really understand how a posting such as this has any positive effect on either the local music scene or your band. Even if you think a band sucks hard, it can't hurt you to support them and do some networking. You never know how many of their fans you can get interested in you...especially if they are all "horrible" and you are not "horrible".

Well, i believe that there are an amount of bands in the fort that as you would say 'suck'. But when did sucking become a bad thing. I know a few people who like sucking. In fact they do it on a regular basis. In fact, I suck at time; lollipops, popsicles, and tictacs.

Aside from that: I've listened to many bands play and I like a lot of their sound. In fact all of the bands that are playing at a concert my band's organized are in fact very good musicians and bands.

This is why the lcoal music scene sucks: because of lack of support from other musicians. If a band is bad then I grit my teeth and continue to listen them until the music gets better. And why are they bad? (that is the real question)

Are they off-key?
If so, then leave a friednly comment, but usually bands get better in time.


Are they not your style of music?
If so.........why the hell are you even listening to the music?


Do they bring no one to the show?
If so, give them a break. Keep bookin' em and the crowd will soon come.



thanx
from that annoying little brat with the comment stick that continually pokes you in back,
StG

hehehehe

You got a LOT to learn yet kiddo.

The 'scene' is what you make of IT...not what what you think it should make of YOU.

In light of your vast experience and knowledge of the local music scene, I would really appreciate an instructional booklet based on what you have learned through your considerable time spent in the Fort Wayne music arena. Perhaps you could pen "Dillon's Guide to Fort Wayne Music...(and how to make it not suck!)" Oh, I'm sorry, those are all called "The Idiot's Guide....". When done writing, you could pass them out by the hundreds at your all ages shows. This way all the young up and coming musicians would have a fool proof way to go out and NOT suck! Heck, you could even sell 'em for a few bucks and make some money while not sucking.

I knew I wouldn't finish reading this post when I saw the title. I was right. Despite the fact that I actually stopped reading the initial thread posting due to reasons you all know by now, I'll chime in. This has been a sore point of contention with me for a long time.

• People (non-musicians or their friends) don't go out to see original music in Fort Wayne. As a rule, less than 1% of the city's population of over 225,000 can be found supporting these bands.
• Musicians don't support broadly enough. I am as guilty of this as anyone. So many bands or musicians are so critically judgemental of others that no support base is fostered or grown.
• Musicians are too willing to play for free. What we do is hard work. Even for those who "suck." Don't play for free. Even if you've never played a venue before, and you're just looking to get in, ask them for flyer money or ask them for gas money. People who play for free when it's not for a benefit show, bring down the payscale for EVERY OTHER BAND in town.
• Bands tell their fans when they're going on and people don't show up until then. There's no support for openers.
• Bands' fans leave immediately after the band they came to see is done. Stick around. Have a drink. You might end up discovering some hidden talent.
• Venues don't do much to generate an audience. They have as much at stake as the band. The venue should meet the band half way in promoting, ESPECIALLY when there are out-of-town bands playing or mixed genre shows.

I could list more, but those are a few of the prominent problems that have existed for original music in Fort Wayne since around '98 when I was old enough to get into bars.

Don't even get me started on the worthless all ages situation in this town. The kids don't respect S H I T that venues or bands do for them in most cases. They have ruined more great scene building than I can imagine. Shitting in trash cans. Jesus.

I remember being at one of my shows at legends with my girlfriend at the time. We got booked to play with too many bands and none of which were our genre (imagine that).

Now I have heard some sh*tty bands before. A lot of time it is at Legends too but that is also why Legends is so great, they let anyone play and get experience.

So my girl friend leans to me and comments on the band that is playing before we get up. She "say's G-d #$%# these guys suck, I wish they would get off the stage" I smiled and said, "Yeah its pretty annoying". Then the current song was over and I clapped. She looked at me like WTF? And I said to her, "How many times do you think that I am on stage performing that someone may say the same about me/us? For whatever reason, be it that we truely suck, or we are just not what they are into".

The point is, we are not in a pissing contest here. The people on that stage that night, were humans, and fellow musicians. They came to share the stage with us, and they brought thier friends to stay and watch us. So I returned the favor by watching thier set and applauding.

That is one way you could start.

This is sh*t. Play as many free shows as you possibly can and earn mad respect in the process.

The payscale is brought down because the band isn't bringing out as many people as the best-paid bands are, or the band just isn't really all that good and probably won't get another booking at that venue. Not because people are playing free shows in town and that's leading bars to drop their pay. This sounds like a factory worker complaining about immigrants 'takin' ther jerbs".

I can only think of three reasons to play for no compensation (in no particular order):

1. It's an audition gig. If the club requires you to play once for nothing before paying, that's cool. Some booking reps want to see the power of the band prior to setting terms. I've had these turn into paying gigs when the band brought in a full house.

2. It's a benefit show. A good cause is always a good cause.

3. You're promoting. If you want on a great bill to gain exposure and reach a wider audience, this is a great idea. I view this as compensation, though, so I guess it might not count.

There is a great deal of expense involved with being a musician. Equipment is expensive. Marketing is expensive. Merchandise is expensive. Studio time is a b*tch. You spend hours upon hours in practice that by the time the gig comes, even if you only play an hour, it's less than minimum wage when you count in practice hours.

Zach, if you think that club owners or booking reps won't or don't take advantage of people, you're more of a fool than I would have ever taken you for. The more people who allow that to happen, the more it will happen. Why would a club book me when they can get another band to do it for free? They would do that if we brought a good crowd. Well, if we bring a good crowd, the venue is raping the band.

And Rape is no laughing matter, unless of course you're raping a clown.

It sad that you see it as a job.