I just got this e-mail from a friend. The band is pretty talented - not Audities-style, exactly, but I guarantee a lot of people here would stand and applaud after you heard them cover "Red House." The one kid - Trevor - is probably one of the four or five best guitarists at his age I've ever heard. So at the least, they're worthy of a chance. My buddy may or may not be on the paranoid side - he was in a pretty good band himself once upon a time, so if nothing else it's informed paranoia. Anybody with connections or ideas, I'd be grateful. Buzz me offlist and I'll put you in touch with my friend and/or the band. Thanks. - sam -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Help for Josh and Trev Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2007 17:46:38 -0400 Had a long conversation with Trevor yesterday. He's feeling pretty blue about the music career. He's been using myspace and connecting with other bands and has gotten shows in Boone, Wilmington, Charleston, and elsewhere. In return his band gets other bands into the Raleigh scene - where these bands subsequently get regular shows in clubs like The Pourhouse and The Brewery. But when he tries to get return shows in Wilmington, Boone, or Charleston, etc., he gets stonewalled. A couple of places like The Library in Chapel Hill have even blackballed the band (because a fan wrote on the wall in their men's room "Xxxxxx rules" or some nonsense). They're playing at Cat's Cradle and the club won;t even list them on its web site - what a crock of shit.... The shows, he says, have gone well in these places - and he fears that's part of the problem. He thinks bands are playing him to get into Raleigh, then dissing his band to club owners. Or else the club owners are in cahoots with the local bands and keeping out competition. Surprise, surprise - shitty doings in the music biz, right? Anyway, he's been trying to get hooked up with a management firm/promoter.agent - anyone who could help them get shows - and maybe get them regular work touring NC,SC,VA, etc. The only bite he's gotten is from a Raleigh - from an agency that does one thing - gets them dates - they have to sell tix, promote the show, etc., etc. For this, the agency takes an 80% cut and they get 20%. Am I crazy, or is that a rip off beyond all measure? I know the biz is meaner now than when I worked, but Jeez, we got 80% even in our early days.... They've had a couple of PR firms approach and offer to help them get press, etc., then ignore them. They have support from NCSU (the radio station) and a growing following, but they need some management /agency to get up the ladder.... So I'm asking for help. I want to put Trev in touch with people who could intro him to managers, agents, whatever - or guide him how to land somebody who'd put them to work for a reasonable split (hell, they'd take 50-50 in a heartbeat). BTW, the last time Trev wrote to Xxxxx and asked to appear on a bill at Xxxxx's, after playing there a number of times and getting good reviews, his reply was "Not right now." And Xxxxx told them he loooved them.... So I'm asking for your help. You have some contacts in the biz (at least you know some artists). Can you please prevail upon some folks to at least give advice or offer a name/intro? They're more than willing to do the spade work, but they need a name to get them in the door with someone legit like Deep South Promotions or another agency. I wouldn't ask for myself - but for the guys, who're trying like hell to have a music career, I'm asking. Even if you just intro me to people and suggest I go cap in hand, I'm happy to do so. Laugh at my helicoptering - but please do what you can. I'm open to all suggestions.... -- _______________________ *Sam Smith* *voice: * *303.229.0619 /m * *aim:* lullabypit *skype:* docsammy22 *e-mail:* sam@lullabypit.com *web:* http://www.lullabypit.com <%3Cfont%20face=%22Arial,%20Helvetica,%20sans-serif%22%3Ehttp://www.lullabypit.com%3C/font%3E> *usps:* 7660 Dyer Rd. Louisville CO 80027 /"...it's a lonesome thing to be passing small towns with the lights shining sideways when the night is down, or going in strange places with a dog nosing before you and a dog nosing behind, or drawn to the cities where you'd hear a voice kissing and talking deep love in every shadow of the ditch, and you passing on with an empty, hungry stomach failing from your heart." / /-John Millington Synge/