Guys (and maybe Mom Surfing),

From my viewpoint, it must be easy to sell a club on the idea of surf in Southern California. Here in NJ its had as hell to pitch to club owners. If we are talking bars, I have to pitch "Island/Beach Night, Aloha MotherF**kers". That is why I try to stay away from strictly playing bars or clubs. If I do, its at a place where I can use every resource I can think of to get warm bodies in the door and usually have at least 3 bands to vary the night, plus the added fans of each band. I started to play Surf/Instro to get away from the Jersey cover band cheese even though I was garenteed at least $100 a night playing bass. So what do I do to get gigs with 50 or more (hopefully) warm bodies. I work hard for what little I get, make phone calls, post emailings, schmooze at work, leave flyers at the chiropractor, send a press release for the local paper, join a drinking club that has a running problem (hash house), send emails to surfline.com (look under Belmar, NJ), offer to drive so people can get loaded. Its not easy and I can't rely on anyone except myself to figure out some way to get people to a gig. Yes, it goes unnoticed, especially here in NJ. Oh did I mention I make apperances at friends bands, play an instro surf song on stage and promote an upcoming gig? Its amazing how "Pipeline" and "Miserlu" intespersed between a band with bad vocals will rev a crowd.

Little by little sh*t goes around and I get call-backs for parties or to play at the finish lines of running races for example. Imagine hearing "Miserlu" as you cross the finish line. After donating a couple of gigs at Surfrider events, I'm getting call backs for parties, especially a a biggie which I can't mention yet. Lets just say the End of Summer party will be Endless.

The bottom line is for Jersey, at least, you must be your own press agent. Yes, I have a full time professional job, but somehow I can pull most of it together. I cannot rely on a bar to have a built-in crowd. Go out and make your own fortune, what ever that may be.

• Cliff Woodbeach
  

PS: Thanks Brian for the headline.
PSS: I rarely go to bars too.

What day is Surf Rock's birthday? Looks like Surf Rock and I was born the same year. Maybe we are both Libras?

Yes there are alot of shows in So. Cal. But they dont come easy.
There are only a handful of clubs that want surf bands.
There are thousands and thousands of Bars from the Valley down to San Diego. and all of them have everything but surf in them.
And there are even more Bands wanting to get into all those clubs.

I hope people don't think that show oportuinities in So. Cal. are falling off the trees. The bands really have to work hard to get the slot, promise that X amount of people will show up. and lucky if they get 50 bucks.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Jeff(bigtikidude)

JakeDobner
I don't like going to bars. That is what keeps me away from most surf shows in the area. It has to be a big show to get me to go. I kind of have a "people I don't know"-phobia.

I also don't like seeing live music when I don't know the songs in advance/

I hate going to bars, too, but if a great surf band
is coming through the area, it is almost always at
a bar, and I am there, hell or high water!!!

I guess I'm different than most people in that I want to
be surprised with new material and improvizations. To
me, hearing the same old stuff, the same way every
time is pointless. That's why I'm more into the progressive
bands than the trad bands. I know that bands have to
play the favorites for the audience to keep them coming
back, but I think there is room for unusual stuff too. In a
way, I think you're short-changing the audience if you
don't challenge them a bit with new material, originals,
and obscure gems. Just my 2 cents worth.... I know
I'm in the minority.

Bob S.

Bob

How about (gasp) distortion!
Kids Love Distortion!

Dean(aka Moondevil)
deanmatherly.com

Man... my head is spinning after reading all these replies in one fell swoop. So let me see if I can toss my little insights into a concise little package here.

I fist and foremost want to reiterate what has been said about playing on non-surf bills. Recently, with the exeption of Hotel Utah shows, we have been trying to play with no more than one other surf band on any given night. Like everyone says: 95% of the general population won't sit around and listen to 2 or 3 hours of instrumental music in a row. Garage rock, frat rock, rockabilly, psychobilly, all that stuff is really surf-friendly, and chances are if you share a bill with one of those bands, they're going to have fans who will get into your sound, even if they aren't "surf fans".

Second: think about what shows you're playing. I know I've talked to some Detonators about this, as I have with other bands, but you have to consider where you're playing and what purpose. For instance, we played a party a few weeks back where people just wanted some surfy sounding stuff to shake their butts to, and our rendition of "Runaway" got tons of people out of their seats, while we skipped some of our more "killer" stuff. But when we play local clubs, especially with non-surf bands, we do all we can to have a blitzkrieg of a set to leave the folks wanting more.

Third: Pick your gigs with some amount of care. I love the Utah. LOOOOVE the Utah. However, I don't want to play that club exclusively for the next three years. It's through exposure in different locales that you really build a following. Still, you have to be careful that it's somewhere where you'll be received. Point in case, our benefit gig which you can hear me re-hash in the "gig horror stories" thread. We just shouldn't have taken it in the first place. Remember folks, charity shows are great to spread the word, because hell, no one feels ripped off if they hear live music for free, but don't go out and play some club called "The Brick Hit-house" just because they'll pay you $50 and give you free beer to do so.

Fourth:The prolonged exposure effect. We try to keep our gigs in any given city down to 2, maybe 3 a month at most. Nothing will make clubs pissed off and cut your attendance in half by saying "thanks for coming out, you can catch us tomorrow night at the club across town".

Fifth: This one is actually a near (or as near as memory allows) quote from Ferenc: make each show an event. Don't just say "we'll be playing a show here with these people", give your folks something to WANT to come out to. Have giveaways, dance contests, trivia, goofy costumes, whatever works, but use something IN ADDITION TO the music to draw peeps out to your shows.

Sixth: Promote 24-7. No, don't get your band name tatooed across your forehead (not that I haven't considered it....), but bring things up in conversation with new people, put stickers up at clubs you like, do anything you can to get your name out. Hell, I've considered sporting a sandwich board and roaming the Mission or the Haight with the bands name and web info just to bring a little name recognition. Anyone who has seen me at shows knows I basically always wear my Lava Rat jacket around, and I have at least five people a week ask "so what's the Lava Rats?" That's the whole point. I don't care if it's shameless, self promotion works wonders.

Arright, I'm stepping down off my soapbox. I just know the potential for surf to be doing so much better. Just remember to help each other out and stick together. And if you're wondering about surf music's popularity with the kids, just keep this in mind, in my band class last year, a sophomore in high school walked in one day, picked up his alto sax, and suprised me by wailing on the line from "Comanche". He put down the horn and said "Hey Mr. B, do you recognize that song? I think it's an old surf tune"

~B~

Interesting discussion. A lot of good ideas in this thread. We, too, have found that playing in a Surf context limits the draw of your crowd. Playing Trad style limits it further within that crowd. You get the hardcore fans but trying to draw in from outside that is the challenge. This why we try to diversify our song selection. A lot. We don't do many bars any more and play more Fairs (BTW We'll be at the Southern California Fair in Lake Perris next month) and City events. At our shows we get quite a cross section of ages. There's the little kids bopping to the music in front of us, the people who come up to us afterwards and say "I grew up on this music", the elderly couples who sit right in front of the PA, and we find a lot of teenagers hanging around watching what we're doing on guitar very closely. We try to throw in a lot of stuff that people will recognize and try to have a sense of humor about it. That's why we do stuff like morphing Ghost Riders into a Western Suite by throwing in the Magnificent 7, Bonanza, F Troop and the William Tell Overture. We put in TV and movie themes like The Good The Bad and The Ugly, The Pink Panther and the Simpsons because we figure not everyone knows Surf but EVERYONE watches TV. If we can catch their ear with The Munsters maybe they'll hang around to hear Bangalore or Surfbound. We may not have a traditional sound all the time and we may not play songs exactly the way they were done and have been enshrined for years but we've been able to reach people who wouldn't normally be listening to this music.

Oh yeah we've been known to use inflatable palm trees to set the ambiance.

image

image

There is Surf east of Sepulveda.

bigtikidude
I saw a link to this while watching the DD videos from another thread.
Maybe this would help get people at shows.
its a thought
Jeff(bigtikidude)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH_NqEwjLek&NR

jeff, are you volunteering????

www.surfintheeye.com

momsurfing_
jeff, are you volunteering????

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

i'm not into the bar scene at all, but i just don't want to miss this great show.

www.surfintheeye.com

I'm not that into bars either. But the only problems I've had are when I go to shows that are packed, and thats only happened during Los Straits, Dick Dale, and the 2005 Portland Satan's Pilgrim show (409 people!!!). It was just having to deal with some people who were over-served. I'd encourage you to go Chopper, if you are close enough. That sounds like a great show. But I understand where you are coming from.

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea