Outhouse United @ Centerstage

I got out to a couple local shows this weekend. Both shows were great, but they also had their issues, as every show does. I was originally going to do one post for both shows this weekend, but as my word count grew, I decided instead to address each show individually, which in retrospect is probably for the best. That said, here are my thoughts on Friday’s show; Devastation Fest’s write up will come on Monday:

(Note… this one’s long…)

Friday I went to the Outhouse United locals showcase at Centerstage Bar & Grill in Kokomo, IN. OU has recently landed a deal with Centerstage to put on monthly concerts that feature bands local to the Indiana scene. To some, this might not seem like a big deal, because there are lots of places for locals to play on not just a monthly, but even a weekly basis. However, folks in north central Indiana are quickly becoming aware of the fact that Centerstage is primed to become THE place to play in our area, both for locals and nationals, and there are several reasons why a local promoter scoring a deal that will FEATURE local bands is a big deal.

Centerstage is an all-ages venue that has a capacity of just under 700, has a great stage, great sound system, great lighting, and the owners have been busy doing what they can to turn it into a stopping point for national bands out on tour. Local bands are regularly added to those national shows (this is part, where, in the middle of singing Centerstage’s praises, I point out that I disagree with the way local bands get on those shows–they essentially buy on to them, but that’s another rant for another day, and it’s not entirely the venue’s issue… not entirely…) giving them a chance at exposure to audiences that might not ever see or hear them otherwise. Centerstage gives local bands a shot at playing on the ‘big’ stage, under pro-level lights and through a pro-level sound system. For some (okay… a LOT) of those bands, it’s the closest to the ‘big time’ that they’ll ever get. So yeah, it IS a big deal that a local promoter landed a regular gig FEATURING local bands at a venue like this.

A big deal.

Still I Rise @ Centerstage, Kokomo, IN 6/20/14 – Photo: Still I Rise (from Facebook)

Friday night was the first of these shows, and it went off as well as could have been expected. There were four bands on the bill: Voices Of Our Past, Still I Rise, Let The Trees Burn, and Seconds From Yesterday. There were roughly 50 fans through the door, which sounds like nothing considering the capacity of the venue, but for a first showcase that came together on fairly short notice, that’s not too shabby. Especially since all of those people paid. Sure, the venue looked a little empty, but the fans that showed up showed early and stayed until the end. Even better though? So did the bands.

That’s a big deal to me. I see so many bands show up a little before their set time and then bail not long after their set, which is crap. Especially when those are the same bands complaining about no scene unity, no one supporting them, blah-blah-blah-blah-fucking-blah. But Friday night I saw four bands show up and support each other for the full gig. And not only were they there, they were engaged. They were up front, at the rails, -participating- in the concert when they weren’t playing, setting up their gear for their set, or tearing down.

Outhouse United did more than a couple things right with this first show: they offered variety, they paid the bands, they treated it like any ‘big’ concert, and they got the venue itself to offer something to the people coming in the doors.

Variety – an important aspect of any show is to not bore the people in attendance, and OU got this right in a big way. They had four bands that were very different from each other. Voices Of Our Past offered a hardcore edge, Still I Rise was solid death metal, Let The Trees Burn brought a post hardcore/prog sound, and Seconds From Yesterday hit us with a straight up hard rock set. The fans were able to stay engaged and attentive, both because of the variety in sound, but also because the bands played short sets: roughly 30 minutes each. Each band walked away with a little something for their time (they were paid out of a door split… which, while I’m not a big fan of this model, it’s the current deal that OU has with Centerstage; it’s not as bad as some deals though, because with this one, the bands aren’t buying into the show other than with their own effort to self-promote, which they should be doing anyway). The show started and ended at a reasonable time, with the first band hitting the stage right around 8, and the show wrapping up around 11. And fans got to benefit, not just from a decent time slot for the gig, but also because OU has worked a deal with Centerstage to offer drink specials during these shows. Win for everyone.

So, a few comments about why these things were right:

Variety… we all love our metal. Some of us can listen to one type of metal for hours on end and never get bored with it. But the average listener, or the person new to the scene, needs something to differentiate one band/sound from the next. By mixing genres/sub-genres, an environment is created that actually -encourages- people to pay attention and stay engaged with the bands. Sure, shows should be fairly homogenous in their presentation–it would be odd to have a country band play in the middle of a show that is billed as a rock and metal show–but there needs to be enough diversity between bands that one doesn’t sound like the next.

Set lengths… Let’s face it: most local bands don’t -need- to play a set any longer than 30 minutes. Why? Fundamentally, hardly anyone knows their music. I’ve watched it time and again: Band starts their set, everyone goes up to the stage to check them out, then song after song people trickle away. Part of this is because the band might be boring to watch, the music might not be very good, but also because they simply don’t know it yet. There’s nothing holding them there. And the longer the set goes, the fewer people are left standing there at the end of it. Local bands, unless very well established and can get fans to sing along, need to keep it short and sweet–leave people wanting more, not waiting for the next band. 30 minutes is just about right for this: 5 or 6 songs (on average) they can kick people in the face with, make an impression (which needs more than the music to do… you’d better be putting on a damn show, not just regurgitating your demo/EP/album), and get off stage (then go interact with the people who were paying attention to you). There are -very few- locals that need to be playing hour-long sets, even if they’re the ‘headliner’ for the night (in which case, 45 minutes is appropriate… and while your original music is far more important to me, a crowd-engaging cover isn’t a bad idea–hell, even in a 30 minute set, it’s not a bad idea; even the nationals do it…).

Show time: National tourers don’t start a gig at 10 and play until last call. Why? They aren’t there to help the venue make money at the bar, they’re there to play to people wanting a concert. Venues have this notion that local bands are going to put bodies in seats and keep them there all night, and this isn’t true. People going to shows aren’t going to the venue to turn it into their local watering hole, they’re going to see the show. It’s a simple fact that the people who will be sitting at the bar at 2 am would be there whether or not there was live music that night. There’s also the issue of playing to the younger (under 18) crowd. Most of those kids can’t get away with being out until 2 am, because their parents won’t let them (and probably don’t want to be, if they stuck around too). By 11 or so, those kids are having to start thinking about getting home by curfew, so that they can go out again the next weekend. And for the older crowd, well, let’s face it… a lot of us have shit to do in the morning, like go to work, get up with kids or any of that other ‘be responsible’ bullshit we deal with. The nationals play early starting and early ending shows… and there’s a reason for that, (besides just moving on to the next tour stop). IT WORKS. If you want live music in your venue until 2am, hire a cover band, don’t book a local show. But don’t expect the cover band to do any better at getting/retaining bodies through your doors–the reality is that the early local shows will do better at that… especially if you’re paying the bands (bands get paid? Holy crap, we’re EXCITED to play there! Let’s make sure everyone knows!).

That said… things that could have been done better:

Promotion. Now, this is a tricky one, because beyond social media, -good- promotion is expensive. Outhouse United, as a new promotions group, is working on a limited budget to start with, and is relying pretty heavily on social media and word of mouth to get some draw to their shows (this isn’t a knock against them, just an observation). But they’re not putting up a single post on Facebook or whatever and expecting that to bring people in by the dozens. They’re regularly and constantly hitting people how they can, and through The Forge, they’re doing what they can (because I’m a nice guy and want to see these shows succeed, I make it a point to bring in promoters to talk about their shows… 😉 ). However… this IS where Centerstage falls short.

I wish I could say it was just the locals shows that they miss the mark on, but they miss with the nationals as well. I make it a point to stay up to date with who they’re bringing in (it’s part of my job as a radio guy), but there is typically little active promotion for their shows beyond flyers at the venue and posts on Facebook, and I hear all the time about people who live in Kokomo who never knew so-and-so national band was playing at Centerstage. I’ve heard the occasional spot on the local rock radio station (the one I’m not on… I’m on Radio Free Kokomo at Indiana University Kokomo), but that’s about it. Yeah, advertising and promoting is expensive, but if done right, that money will be made back and then some by the people showing up at the shows… which is kinda the point. You have to invest in the people you want in your venue if you want them to invest in you.

I’m looking for the Outhouse United shows at Centerstage to really take off over the next few months. Outhouse has an opportunity build itself up as a promoter that is giving local bands a shot at big shows, without the stress of national tourers (and the money problems that come with that), and Centerstage has the opportunity to make itself THE place to check out the local scene in a good venue–it could very well become the home of the next big underground scene. Everyone in the local scene, from Indy to Fort Wayne, is looking at Centerstage with hope–a lot of hope–that it will be that home we’ve all needed for so long. We don’t want it to cater just to us; we love the national acts that they’ve brought in and have lined up in the coming month, because they’re good bands, but also because this venue has the power to put our scene on the map–and the owner of the venue is one of US, so I know he gets it.  Let’s hope that they continue to support these shows and continue working towards laying a foundation there that is good for everyone involved in the OU (and other) shows. It’s going to take a few months for these shows to really become a big deal to anyone but the bands playing, but with persistence and A LOT of promotion, it will happen. And when it does…

…well…

…it’s going to be the greatest thing Midwesthell has ever seen.