It is so disappointing that I am considering what I have been thinking about for a while, and not for political reasons, cancelling my subscription to the LA Times. In clearly what is one of the most significant revivals of the last decade. Alice in Chains is making rock music relevant again for the arena. Although Pearl Jam does a great job as the new "grateful dead", AIC is bringing back straight forward ROCK to its devoted fans and by all accounts a whole new generation of kids that have been hung out to dry with corporate, focused group music. Come on Ann Powers, has it got that bad that you cannot cover what will most likely be the best Album and contribution to the rock world this year.
I have been associated with the band since nearly day one as a fan, producer, manager and promoter. At this point I am in the fan portion while Susan Silver and Velvet Hammer, with a very dedicated Jon Pleeter from CAA and the team at Virgin/EMI wield the reigns a career that was thought to have passed on with Layne Staley’s departure from the earth. While Layne will forever be a part of the fabric and soul of Alice in Chains, they have clearly emerged as an undeniable force leading the world of rock. One only has to listen to the “Rock” bands of the last fifteen years to see AIC’s influence. There is not a current rock band out there today that does not carry the ALICE DNA.
As I watched them perform Saturday night at the Palladium in Hollywood, Jerry has never shredded better, Sean was a rock delivering the pulse, as Mike laid the foundation, with William delivering the vocals with Jerry bought on to what looked like the biggest crowd the Palladium has ever seen. In a city of complacency and industry types too cool to show emotion, every ear, eye, and body was focused and in tune with Alice as if the Prophets of Grunge Rock had come back to deliver them from the years of wandering through a desert mediocrity. There was nothing ambiguous or light with the show. They were there to bring it Hard, Loud, and with raw emotion and conviction, and for two solid hours they did with a show that was as entertaining visually as it was aurally. This band is growing with a fever and passion that has long been missing from the scene. As The Who said “Long Live Rock, be it Dead or Alive.” Well with Alice in Chains it is definitely Alive.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Musics New Horizon
Last night marked the beginning of a new life and journey for Alice in Chains. Most of you know that I have a biased connection with the band, but with that said, this is what Fans, Labels, radio, Managers, and agents dream about. The music is not only real, but amazingly well crafted. As a good friend, former boss, and mentor once said " this is the Sh*t, you can't explain it, but you know it when you see it." With record labels in shambles, Radio on the ropes, and corporate concert promoters giving away seats that devalue and demean the music industry, we have a bright shining light with Alice in Chains.
I say to Radio that this is the best opportunity you have had in years to make yourselves relevant again. You now have a band, that not only can play without backup tapes, but rocks and will tour to support the record and your station. Take this gift and run with it.
To the promoters... this is an arena act. Do the right thing and put them in the right venue. if you must use your shed, think about creating a GA atmosphere without seats. The patrons will still buy beer, pay for parking and facility surcharges.
To Virgin, first of all thank you for the vision. Take this time to reinvest in a partnership with the promoters and radio. We all need to work together as a team once again. If you do, I believe that it will make a significant difference.
Last but not least, to the guys. William, you are a star! A perfect fit in the band. I was blown away with your confidence and ease of which you performed last night. To the rest of the guys, you know how I feel. As my mother once said, never be afraid of adversity. Sometimes great people have to go through great trials to do great works. You have certainly lived up to that.
Long live rock!
I say to Radio that this is the best opportunity you have had in years to make yourselves relevant again. You now have a band, that not only can play without backup tapes, but rocks and will tour to support the record and your station. Take this gift and run with it.
To the promoters... this is an arena act. Do the right thing and put them in the right venue. if you must use your shed, think about creating a GA atmosphere without seats. The patrons will still buy beer, pay for parking and facility surcharges.
To Virgin, first of all thank you for the vision. Take this time to reinvest in a partnership with the promoters and radio. We all need to work together as a team once again. If you do, I believe that it will make a significant difference.
Last but not least, to the guys. William, you are a star! A perfect fit in the band. I was blown away with your confidence and ease of which you performed last night. To the rest of the guys, you know how I feel. As my mother once said, never be afraid of adversity. Sometimes great people have to go through great trials to do great works. You have certainly lived up to that.
Long live rock!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Speak True
I am constantly reminded of a phrase/philosophy used by a former employer. It is "Speak True". It applies to many things in life, but most of all the spirit in which you live.
Last night I experienced one of those moments in which all points led to this philosophy. I was at the Alice in Chains listening party for the new Record, Black Gives Way to Blue . For those of you who do not know who Alice in Chains are, they were and now still are one of the leading forces of rock in what was called the Grunge Movement born in Seattle.
My relationship with the band started back in 1987 when they were all living in their rehearsal room at a group of studios called the Music Bank. Little did we know that it was really a front for the largest Pot Growing operation in the Northwest. Jerry had to talk the police into letting him take the band gear out into the street so it would not get confiscated. Later that day I picked him and the gear up and headed to London Bridge recording studios to start making a demo to shop to record companies. We made the demo, shopped the tape and soon they were signed to Columbia Records. The band had hits, sold millions, won all the trappings of rock stars, but that's not the story.
The story is here that after all these years, Alice in Chains has come back strong as ever with a new record that clearly is all Alice in Chains. They are not trying to chase trends, please radio, or suck up to record executives. They have delivered another milestone in rock that will surly cement their place as rock icons. Alice in Chains has always delivered, during the good and bad days of their existence. Since that first day in London Bridge and the records that followed, you had no doubt who you were listening to. Alice in Chains is different without Layne, but it is still Alice in Chains. Layne still has a presence in the band, and always will. His personality and spirit is infused in Jerry, Sean, Mike, and yes even William.
Alice in Chains is now clearly in a good space of existence. What I heard last night on the record and live was clearly a cathartic experience. While they are by no means butterflies, they have come back out of their cocoon and brought with them a record full of life, emotion, and humor that is uniquely Alice. I have a pretty simple rule in how I choose music that I listen to. It has to be real. I have my preferences, but really don't care about the genre, if it’s genuine. I can tell you that what I saw and experienced last night was genuine. It was emotional for me watching them on stage last night performing with the same honesty and vulnerability that attracted me to the band in the beginning.
I miss Layne. I wish I could have done something to prevent his death. I do think about that. I also really know that, in the end I was powerless over his life, and even that hurts, but I have a new feeling of peace with the band and the music that will go on as it should. I am extremely proud of Jerry, Sean, Mike, and William for having the courage to come back together and create again. My hats off to them and a special thank you to those that kept it going behind the scenes, Susan, Beno and the team at Velvet Hammer, as well as Bill Siddons, Kevan Wilkins, and so many others.
Rock lives on and Black Give way to Blue Speaks True.
Last night I experienced one of those moments in which all points led to this philosophy. I was at the Alice in Chains listening party for the new Record, Black Gives Way to Blue . For those of you who do not know who Alice in Chains are, they were and now still are one of the leading forces of rock in what was called the Grunge Movement born in Seattle.
My relationship with the band started back in 1987 when they were all living in their rehearsal room at a group of studios called the Music Bank. Little did we know that it was really a front for the largest Pot Growing operation in the Northwest. Jerry had to talk the police into letting him take the band gear out into the street so it would not get confiscated. Later that day I picked him and the gear up and headed to London Bridge recording studios to start making a demo to shop to record companies. We made the demo, shopped the tape and soon they were signed to Columbia Records. The band had hits, sold millions, won all the trappings of rock stars, but that's not the story.
The story is here that after all these years, Alice in Chains has come back strong as ever with a new record that clearly is all Alice in Chains. They are not trying to chase trends, please radio, or suck up to record executives. They have delivered another milestone in rock that will surly cement their place as rock icons. Alice in Chains has always delivered, during the good and bad days of their existence. Since that first day in London Bridge and the records that followed, you had no doubt who you were listening to. Alice in Chains is different without Layne, but it is still Alice in Chains. Layne still has a presence in the band, and always will. His personality and spirit is infused in Jerry, Sean, Mike, and yes even William.
Alice in Chains is now clearly in a good space of existence. What I heard last night on the record and live was clearly a cathartic experience. While they are by no means butterflies, they have come back out of their cocoon and brought with them a record full of life, emotion, and humor that is uniquely Alice. I have a pretty simple rule in how I choose music that I listen to. It has to be real. I have my preferences, but really don't care about the genre, if it’s genuine. I can tell you that what I saw and experienced last night was genuine. It was emotional for me watching them on stage last night performing with the same honesty and vulnerability that attracted me to the band in the beginning.
I miss Layne. I wish I could have done something to prevent his death. I do think about that. I also really know that, in the end I was powerless over his life, and even that hurts, but I have a new feeling of peace with the band and the music that will go on as it should. I am extremely proud of Jerry, Sean, Mike, and William for having the courage to come back together and create again. My hats off to them and a special thank you to those that kept it going behind the scenes, Susan, Beno and the team at Velvet Hammer, as well as Bill Siddons, Kevan Wilkins, and so many others.
Rock lives on and Black Give way to Blue Speaks True.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Pull yourself out
Recently I had been lamenting of the sharp decline in business. One client even told me that they had the money; they just did not want to take the chance of being singled out as an irresponsible company for having a corporate meeting. It wasn’t even in Las Vegas; it was going to be in Phoenix, and, to top it off, during the summer. Now, if you have ever been to Phoenix in the summer, people are happy when it cools down to 98. Hotels are virtually empty and you can get room at a 5 star resort for less than $100/night. Wow, I thought with this being the case, I might as well close up shop and crawl into a hole and hide.
Well, while I am in hiding what do you think the smart people are doing. They are picking up the phone and dialing for dollars. This recession is the perfect opportunity to go after new clients. The playing field has been leveled in an interesting sort of way. When the big corporations scale back their marketing and promotion plans, it becomes easier for the smaller ones to come forward. Think about it. Promotion and marketing are all about supply and demand. With a big supply of ad inventory, TV, Cable, Radio, and Print are making deals. They need to keep their doors open and are cutting costs and overhead to be able to offer historic lows in advertising. S does that mean go out a start blasting away with a shotgun approach… Absolutely not! More than ever you have to focus on you target audience.
Ask yourself the right questions.
1. What is my product
2. Who uses my product
3. Why do they use my product
4. Who REALLY needs my product
5. Where do they get their information
a. Trade shows
b. Print dailies
c. Radio
d. Internet
e. TV
Once you have gone through these basic questions you can begin to focus on a comprehensive plan. Do your research. Find the right media outlets, create relationships with them and craft your plan and follow it. Remember you don’t know if a plan works if you don’t follow it to completion.
That’s it for today. More to follow.
All the best,
Well, while I am in hiding what do you think the smart people are doing. They are picking up the phone and dialing for dollars. This recession is the perfect opportunity to go after new clients. The playing field has been leveled in an interesting sort of way. When the big corporations scale back their marketing and promotion plans, it becomes easier for the smaller ones to come forward. Think about it. Promotion and marketing are all about supply and demand. With a big supply of ad inventory, TV, Cable, Radio, and Print are making deals. They need to keep their doors open and are cutting costs and overhead to be able to offer historic lows in advertising. S does that mean go out a start blasting away with a shotgun approach… Absolutely not! More than ever you have to focus on you target audience.
Ask yourself the right questions.
1. What is my product
2. Who uses my product
3. Why do they use my product
4. Who REALLY needs my product
5. Where do they get their information
a. Trade shows
b. Print dailies
c. Radio
d. Internet
e. TV
Once you have gone through these basic questions you can begin to focus on a comprehensive plan. Do your research. Find the right media outlets, create relationships with them and craft your plan and follow it. Remember you don’t know if a plan works if you don’t follow it to completion.
That’s it for today. More to follow.
All the best,
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Who do I need to Know!
Recently I was privileged to sit on a panel at ProProduction that was moderated by Glenn Goodwin of Image Technologies, Corp, and sat in the company of fellow panelists, Sandra Bartsch, Ken Freeman, and Pam Scrape. The panel was poised with the question frequently asked by vendors trying to break in to the event production market. “Who do I need to know?” This was an easy topic for me as I have used a basic philosophy for years.
First of all you need to know me. I am the producer who makes all the production vendor decisions for my clients’ events. Second, I need to know you. Not just your company and your resume, but you. I have spent 25 years in the event production business and I am not about to throw it all down the drain on a new vendor.
I have a very simple test I use with the people I work with. I must feel like I could leave my children with them. I don’t mean as godparents, but if I had to leave for a day or two, I would not worry for their safety.
That might seem a bit strange at first, but think about it. I happen to be the major breadwinner in my family. I make that money by producing events for my clients. If I were to work with any vendor that came along, or only took the low bidder, I might make more money for a short time, but at some point just paying attention to money will come back to haunt you. If I lose clients because of poor decisions, my kids will lose their home. That does not mean that from time to time your clients will not need help, but what it does mean that you need to deliver a great product and price yourself accordingly so that you will still be in business and able to help when that time comes. As they say on the plane, put on your oxygen mask and then help your children. Build your business on a solid foundation so that when you need a mask, you have one, and don’t go down in flames on your first mistake.
Mistakes will happen. We are all human. When a child makes a mistake, how a parent (producer/vendor) handles it will shape how the child (vendor/employee) deals with their next opportunity to make another mistake. I look for vendors that are straightforward and honest. Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. Tell me what exactly is going on. That way I can deal with the client from an informed and honest position. It is much easier to protect a vendor who comes to me when they know there is a problem than one that tries to cover it up. This IS NOT a time when it is better to beg for forgiveness after the problem has hit the fan. Get in front of it. Stand up and take responsibility. I tell my clients that one of my selling points is all of the mistakes I have made in the past. So not only do I know what to avoid, but chances are, if the ball does drop I can catch it before it hits the ground, or pick it up fast when it does.
Communication is critical. On an airplane when you have been sitting on the tarmac for forty-five minutes with no explanation, it makes you agitated. Same thing with us producers, we need to know if there is a snag or snafu coming at us.
More on communication. Stay in touch. I don’t mean that I want to get an email blast every time you do a show, but maybe bi-monthly or quarterly give me an update so I know that you are still there. You never know when a producer is going to get that big job in your city. A great example is, when cell phones were just coming on the market, I got a job producing an employee party for the company that introduced cellular to the U.S. through a vendor in Seattle, Mac Perkins at PNTA (by the way, thanks again Mac). In the mid-nineties it was sold to AT&T and I was hired to produce a series of market rollouts across the country. I used a decorator in Cleveland who over the years has sent me very tasteful, quarterly and sometimes bi-annual newsletters. Not big, but nice. I am going back there this summer with a client and they will get a good piece of business out of it.
Advertise. When my kids want me to notice them, they make noise. There are plenty of places to put an ad. Some of them are even free. Seek out the directories for producers and event planners. Find the publications, like this one that sends free subscriptions to people like me. I am an ardent reader of advertising. It not only tells me who and what is out there, but it can also give me insight in to what my competition is doing.
Contrary to what you might think, not all of us are just wannabe production managers. After years of being a musician, I started out in this business beginning around 1979 as a runner, and have worked my way through promoter rep, production manager, tour accountant, tour promoter, event producer and consultant. I have made audio snakes, taken electrical courses, designed Broadway sets, got a RIAA degree in recording engineering and been on and off the road for the past 30 years. There are quite a few of us who have done most of the jobs out there on our way to where we are today. That is not to say that there are not bad producers; I would venture to say there are more bad than good.
So beyond buyer beware, there is vendor beware. I also approach clients as I do vendors. Just because there is business, does not mean that I am the right producer for the job. As difficult as it may seem at the time when all the bills are coming due, sometimes it is better to pass on a job that may cause more problems than benefits. If you do take the job, get invested in it. Get to know all of those involved as extended family. Treat each job as if your children’s future (if you don’t have any, pretend) depended on it, because it does.
First of all you need to know me. I am the producer who makes all the production vendor decisions for my clients’ events. Second, I need to know you. Not just your company and your resume, but you. I have spent 25 years in the event production business and I am not about to throw it all down the drain on a new vendor.
I have a very simple test I use with the people I work with. I must feel like I could leave my children with them. I don’t mean as godparents, but if I had to leave for a day or two, I would not worry for their safety.
That might seem a bit strange at first, but think about it. I happen to be the major breadwinner in my family. I make that money by producing events for my clients. If I were to work with any vendor that came along, or only took the low bidder, I might make more money for a short time, but at some point just paying attention to money will come back to haunt you. If I lose clients because of poor decisions, my kids will lose their home. That does not mean that from time to time your clients will not need help, but what it does mean that you need to deliver a great product and price yourself accordingly so that you will still be in business and able to help when that time comes. As they say on the plane, put on your oxygen mask and then help your children. Build your business on a solid foundation so that when you need a mask, you have one, and don’t go down in flames on your first mistake.
Mistakes will happen. We are all human. When a child makes a mistake, how a parent (producer/vendor) handles it will shape how the child (vendor/employee) deals with their next opportunity to make another mistake. I look for vendors that are straightforward and honest. Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. Tell me what exactly is going on. That way I can deal with the client from an informed and honest position. It is much easier to protect a vendor who comes to me when they know there is a problem than one that tries to cover it up. This IS NOT a time when it is better to beg for forgiveness after the problem has hit the fan. Get in front of it. Stand up and take responsibility. I tell my clients that one of my selling points is all of the mistakes I have made in the past. So not only do I know what to avoid, but chances are, if the ball does drop I can catch it before it hits the ground, or pick it up fast when it does.
Communication is critical. On an airplane when you have been sitting on the tarmac for forty-five minutes with no explanation, it makes you agitated. Same thing with us producers, we need to know if there is a snag or snafu coming at us.
More on communication. Stay in touch. I don’t mean that I want to get an email blast every time you do a show, but maybe bi-monthly or quarterly give me an update so I know that you are still there. You never know when a producer is going to get that big job in your city. A great example is, when cell phones were just coming on the market, I got a job producing an employee party for the company that introduced cellular to the U.S. through a vendor in Seattle, Mac Perkins at PNTA (by the way, thanks again Mac). In the mid-nineties it was sold to AT&T and I was hired to produce a series of market rollouts across the country. I used a decorator in Cleveland who over the years has sent me very tasteful, quarterly and sometimes bi-annual newsletters. Not big, but nice. I am going back there this summer with a client and they will get a good piece of business out of it.
Advertise. When my kids want me to notice them, they make noise. There are plenty of places to put an ad. Some of them are even free. Seek out the directories for producers and event planners. Find the publications, like this one that sends free subscriptions to people like me. I am an ardent reader of advertising. It not only tells me who and what is out there, but it can also give me insight in to what my competition is doing.
Contrary to what you might think, not all of us are just wannabe production managers. After years of being a musician, I started out in this business beginning around 1979 as a runner, and have worked my way through promoter rep, production manager, tour accountant, tour promoter, event producer and consultant. I have made audio snakes, taken electrical courses, designed Broadway sets, got a RIAA degree in recording engineering and been on and off the road for the past 30 years. There are quite a few of us who have done most of the jobs out there on our way to where we are today. That is not to say that there are not bad producers; I would venture to say there are more bad than good.
So beyond buyer beware, there is vendor beware. I also approach clients as I do vendors. Just because there is business, does not mean that I am the right producer for the job. As difficult as it may seem at the time when all the bills are coming due, sometimes it is better to pass on a job that may cause more problems than benefits. If you do take the job, get invested in it. Get to know all of those involved as extended family. Treat each job as if your children’s future (if you don’t have any, pretend) depended on it, because it does.
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