September 13, 2006
Unbuckled 4 Drops Tomorrow
Tomorrow night we continue our local music showcase with the fourth installment of Unbuckled, this time featuring Middle Distance Runner, The Vita Ruins, and the DJs from Bluestate. We're also going to have a spirited debate between mayoral contenders Adrian Fenty and Linda Cropp...oh, that's right, the primary is over. Maybe Sommer and I will just scream at each other on pros and cons of inclusionary zoning and community policing strategies. The show will be at DC9 and start around 9 p.m., and just $8 gets you in the door.
And since it is our second anniversary, we'll have some great prizes from local businesses. We'll have more details on that tomorrow.
Unbuckled graphic created by Holly Tegeler
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I thought we addressed the "drops" issue yesterday, damnit.
"Tomorrow we will christen the cleveland steamer that is Unbuckled."
Beat me to it. And since "cleveland steamer" is a bit esoteric, I vote for either "plate job", "steaming teabag", or "Big Brown 1."
Why is it 8 dollars to see two mildly established local bands?
What would be a more suitable price? $6?
Since DC is ranked #8 by Forbes as the top cities to build net worth, I guess $8 is in your price range for your disappointing entertainment budget.
It would be perfectly reasonable if it they were to charge $7.25 (after tax), 1 canned good for the homeless and three pairs of socks for the sockless. That's roughly the going rate for two (2) mildly (~) established (_) local (DC) bands (rock.)
I just think $8 is too much to charge if these bands are trying to make new fans. Not to mention, that it’s at DC9 and they have a wretched sound system.
That graphic is totally Napoleon Dynamite-esque.
I just think $8 is too much to charge if these bands are trying to make new fans.
Don't be such cheap skate weenie! $8 won't buy you a drink in half the bars in this town, think of it as supporting the arts.
Count me in as one of the folks who think $8 is too much for the quality of the bands and venue. DCist readers drink like fish. It's an objective, repeated fact. The venue should be happy (and un-greedy) about having you there, and this particular crop of bands should be happy for the exposure.
Maybe DCist should start trying harder to make better non-virtual events. After all, the suckage factor at the last Butterstick birthday event was inexcusable. (Seriously people, how could you manage to dull up the easiest idea for a bang-up time ever?) If you start taking these shin-digs seriously, fine--I'll cough up the extra $ for the good time without a second thought. But if you're going to just be lackluster promoters of events you don't seem to really care much about, then you better expect people to get more stingy with their money and enthusiasm.
Wow. Seriously, people. $8 is a pittance for most of us, especially when it comes to supporting local music. I've never seen the bands, and I'm happy to shell over the cash for the chance to. We never much seem to recoil at the idea of paying boatloads more for mediocre movies or more mainstream acts, but when it comes to homegrown talent, we seem to demand a free show before we'll hand over any money for real. Sad.
wow, feedback time. maybe it was your total suckhole of negativity and entitlement that brought down any DCist events you attended. as somebody who helped plan the first Unbuckled, i know it takes a HELL of a lot of effort and planning and trouble to put these things together, and i can speak as to the enthusiam and passion of those working to bring you more DCist events. and a lot of the time the price is not necessarily dictated by the site. just don't go if you can't afford it or find it so intolerable. take your $8 and put it towards getting laid somehow.
Catherine - Don't let folks like feedback time get you down. It's been my experience that people who are quick to criticize have NO IDEA how much time, effort, and love it takes to put together an event.
I'd pay $8 just to see MDR, they're kickass. And Mark, the sound at DC9 is almost entirely in the hands of the band. If you turn up too loud for the room, you sound like crap. If you haven't practiced enough, you sound like crap. Sure, the onstage mix isn't Velvet Lounge quality, but if you put the drums in a corner, what do you expect? The only real problem with DC9's sound is that if you plug your guitar amp in on the stage-left side, it buzzes. They need to ground that circuit a little better or something. Hopefully part of the cover charge is going towards that.
In response to the complaint about the eight dollar cover, I'm not sure I've ever seen a show at DC9 that was less than $8.00. I'm not certain, but it might even be the club's show-minimum (although I'm not sure why they would want to set a minimum cover). I did hear once that IOTA shows have a $10 minimum, so who knows...
Either way, one thing I CAN tell you is we (MDR) spent over $200 and countless hours on promo for this show, and as delicious as it would be, we aren't running a soup-kitchen. Of course, just because we spent time and money promoting the show, that doesn't mean we EXPECT people to show up ... we just hope they do.
If you don't want to go, that's totally your call, but at least don't blame DCist for the cover price. Every show I've seen at DC9 is $8.00.
Of course, if it's the "mediocre" band selection that makes the $8.00 cover outrageous, well ... I can't defend DCist for that one. Wait ... yes I can.
ANYWAY - how about this ... I'll see your comment and raise you mine plus a spot on the guest list so you don't have to pay. Sounds like you wouldn't go even if it was free, so I at least want to make the offer and see what you say...
xoxo
ian of MDR
Ooh, snap. Man, Feedback Time, did you ever end up on the wrong side of the Put Up/Shut Up fence!
feedback, it seems like the only way to even slightly redeem yourself is to take ian up on his offer.
also, i might have a slight crush on ian now.
1. What's the percentage of the $ that actually goes to the bands? My assumption is that the bands actually see a pittance of that money. If I'm wrong about that assumption (not unusual), then I'd feel better about it. More importantly, if this is really about supporting the local music scene, then go the extra mile and promote how this event supports the bands economically in ways that a typical show doesn't.
2. I've attended almost all the DCist events. Some have been fantastic, but they've been getting progressively less-and-less organized and fun.
3. Jason... umm, I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but you just used the expression "oh snap". *cough* Yeah, umm... well... yeah. What would Lakoff say?
4. Ian, et. al. Ok, the thing is, I've been a fan and friendly with several DCist folk. And fessing up to being the one who gave the gripe-fest about the sad state of recent events would be... awkward. I'll think about it. Ian, if I do end up taking you up on the offer to cover the door prize, then I'll commit to buying an album from each of the two bands (assuming they have 'em on hand), since I'm all for getting money into the hands of the local music scene.
Concerning what the bands see out of the cover, to my recollection, DC9 has some fuzzy math set-up where they take a fixed amount off the total take to cover the sound guy. They then take a cut for the "booker". Then they split what's left of the take between the bands on the bill based on how many people they "bring in". I can't remember if the booker takes a fixed pay out or cut per head on the total head count. I think it's the former. Whether or not this fare or scrooge mcduck is a debate for the ages.
So yeah, if you don't like the $8 cover - take it up with the venue. Give them some line about how it's "for the kids" or something...
BTW - where can I go to make my $8 work towards me getting laid? Is it a 1:1 relationship, i.e. $8 in, & boom I get laid?
j o h n,
the answer to your question is 'yes' -- you get laid for $8.00
ian
Feedback,
I don't really know where you're getting any of this from. Our second Unbuckled was $6 to get in, and we sort of had to twist DC9's arm on that, as $8 is their typical Thursday night rate. The last two Unbuckleds were absolutely packed, and the bands, while not "established," were amazing. In fact, we like them that way. We try to bring people acts that aren't huge yet, but certainly deserve to be. If you miss out on tonight's bands, then that's your loss.
And so you know, we take care of our performers. I won't reveal what our previous acts have taken home, but it's not a pittance. They work hard to promote these shows, and put on some damn fine performances, and we make sure it's worth their while. DCist makes zero money off of these shows, though we easily could pocket quite a bit.
I love how the person worried about how much the bands are going to make tonight thinks $8 is too much to pay to get in.
Feedback, it's really none of your business how much the bands make, but I'll tell you this, if you're so concerned about it, then pay your $8 just like everyone else (including the DCist staff) and come out and enjoy the show.
i haven't had a hand in planning the past few unbuckleds, but the bands do VERY well. for the first one, at the very least, we took out of the site's pocket to plan and publicize and made zero money off of it. so maybe you can go the extra mile in not making assumptions (and having the courage to make your critiques and assumptions under your real name, which of course, anyone on staff could look up).
So let me get this straight. I pay $8 to get into this DCist-sponsored show, and at some point during the show, I get laid. I'm there! It certainly looks like you DCist folks got a decent group rate on those hookers.
as for using $8 to get laid, i think it's probably best put towards some alcohol. um, or axe body spray?
i'll have sex with anybody who gives me $8.00
DCist Kyle, I also really value and want to support the local music scene. Here's my thinking on it...
1. When I make my own judgement about whether or not the door charge to get into a show is reasonable or too much, I don't give a whole lot of consideration to how that may help the band. Why? Because in most indie and small or mid-sized venues, in most situations, the band is getting entirely hosed and exploited by the venue and/or the promoter.
I don't think "aww, the heck with being concerned about a buck here or there, it's for the good of the band," because in most cases we're not really talking about benefiting the band.
If you were considering buying a pair of Nikes, would you go "Awww, the heck with the markup on these shoes, it's for the good of the sweatshop kids making them?" Of course not. They see precious little of that extra nutty bump in price. Now, DC9 and other DC venues may not be pulling off Nike-levels of exploitation with bands, but it's still enough that the logic of "I just want to help the band, so I don't care what you charge at the door" isn't very good thinking.
2. Here's what I *do* do to support local and indie bands. I buy their albums at concerts (where they get a lot more value for my $), and I take photos that I then give the bands at no cost and with no restrictions. (I've done professional photo shoots as well... the images I take and give outright to the bands are suitable for promotional material, not just fun concert snapshots.)
You seem to want to paint me or anyone else being critical of the door cost as someone who doesn't want to support musicians. Not so. I just am not particularly interested in throwing money uncritically to venues and promoters that I'm not so enthusiastic about. I care enough about local music to give more thought to supporting the scene than just "ah screw it, I'll pay whatever door fee they set... to help the band man, to help the band" thinking.
And I'm sorry, but while the first Unbuckled event was a blast, as were many early events in DCist's early days, I've been really underwhelmed by the apparent effort (or lack thereof) that went into the past couple of events I've attended.
I love what you're doing with the blog. I'd like to once again love what you do when you throw events. I wish you'd just be more open to hearing feedback about when something slips. And that's not a new problem.
Funny thing is, in the midst of criticism that many DCist folks have railed against, you've turned around and promoted and spiced up this Unbuckled event far more than you have the last few events. Maybe it's not a matter of not hearing and responding to feedback, it's just a matter of learning to be a bit better about not lashing out against useful (but hard to hear) messages.