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Ways to support your local VIBE Part1.


ChubbSubb

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Yet another rant, this time for the fans of bands like.

Nero

Caution Jam

Downtime

Grand Theft Bus

Aaron McDonald Band

Glu

Fuse

Astrogroove

JukeJoint

Dr. Huxtable

Deisel Dog

The Hummers

etc.

Fans of the music..

You might ask yourself often as I do.. why aren't any of these bands as huge as SCI or MOE, I mean in many cases.. I am sure many of you will agree the talent level is the same.

If thats the case.. whats different?

Community

Those bands I mentioned are much better at building that community. SCI and MOE kinda fell into the Displaced Phishtour audience... and that was kinda lucky.. But they would have never been invited to that dance if it wasn't for community.

If a Canadian Jamband audience had the same boastfull vigor as our US cousins, our bands would be just as huge.. Burt Neilson Managed to get on the radar.. What happens when Relix finds out about a band like Alpha Q, or Nero finally gets recognized for what they do consistantly (KICK ASS). These things happen because fans get passionate about what they like, they get their friends out to shows.. they tell new people.. they grab stacks of posters and handbills and make their neighbourhoods a tacky testament to their good taste in music.

Its what needs to be done. More fans have to be proactive like Velvet was in Ottawa.. Talking to the club promoters, asking how they can help, solving problems (getting people out) helping give the owners of the clubs, returns on their investment in us. They get music we like so we will come out, hang out socialize, smoke cigarettes, drink, dance, and laugh in their establishments.. and we often appear as if we don't appreciate it.

Many of them allow us to tape, tapers gotta capture as many shows from across canada from our jambands as possible.. and they have to be made easily available on the internet and well promoted.. so people get the tunes, people get used to the sweet acoustics of a certain venues.

I mean this summer.. why not do your music tour in canada.. just in ontario you could do like 5 cities and catch around 80-100 bands in a month or so, for way less than going to the states, dealing with border issues, stash issues, people smuggling issues, darien traffic issues, high ticket issues, snobby head issues, overpriced food & beer & ticket issues. and Low Canadian Exchange issues.

Not to mention an ontario tour could be easily filled in with other shit like Canoe Tripping, Camping, and Backpacking. all for less than the cost of like I dunno 2 or 3 stateside jaunts to see 10-20 bands.

Thats my summer. But we need to start making it happen, making our party bigger.. Cheap promotional ideas now that it is spring could include. Getting the cheap or free permit to hold a drumjam in a local park.. have a drumjam/cookout get your local vibe out for a sunny day, and get them aware of the shows coming to town, and trips out of town..

With a little organization the cities could easily build a nice cheap travel network. It'd be like a throwback a bit.. being able to travel for like 20 bucks from ottawa to kitchener, go to a field party there for a drumjam in the day, and say to the circus room at night for a good show..

next weekend different city.. all cheap.

All it would really take is some organization, and something like that could easily put the canadian head scene on the map, and maybe divert a little south of the border tour traffic.. The idea is to think big.. All it would take is a small group of us to make this happen

I dunno food for thought

glad spring is here

Chubb

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"make their neighbourhoods a tacky testament to their good taste in music"

Love that line!

I hear ya Chubb, it doesen't take much effort to have a large impact. The maddness surrounding the nero show tomorrow is a testament to the spirit of our community, we should all be very proud, but at the same time, the work is not over come Monday, and efforts like this need to be sustained to accomplish the goal of a strong multi-city communitty. I have seen such a dramatic shift in "comunity" spirit over the last year that I am completely confident that we are on the right path and that the year to come will bring more positive and dramatic changes to our comunity, to the benefit of the bands, the clubs and most of all the fans like us

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I love to foat.

Great call to arms, Chubb. And really all we gotta do is go to shows! Imagine if there was a website where jambands could list their Canadian dates and they were all listed by city. ie, you could have a map of Canada with cities where shows are happening highlighted. Click on a city and see when all the bands are playing that city. Great way to plan a road trip.

Aside from that, I highly recommend a road trip to Evolve. If nothing else, it'll get you out east, where a lot of you might not have been. The maritimes rock in a big way. Also, I know nero is planning to tour their way out to Evolve, so folks could hit some nero shows on the way to Antigonish.

For the record, non-border music road trips? I vote dramatically in favour.

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A weekend trip to toronto this coming weekend (April 6th) is a good thing.. help support a venue that plays our music.. comfort zone.. see

Mahavishnu Post for much more detail as to why this is a must attend event..

great ideas guys... people who are really serious should start emailing me at davefitches@rogers.com maybe we can build a network hehehhe

to a good summer

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dude I hear ya,

but I'll tell you what one of the problems is with Toronto:

the Comfort Zone!

Now don't freak out, I dig the CZone from time to time. But I think jambands have got to start testing out some other venues, because the CZone has become a bit of a drag and general deternce for many (it does kind of smell from time to time).

Great jambands often filter through there, but it really becomes difficult trying to bring together a large crew of people to the CZone when an interesting band plays there (Nero for eg was like pulling teeth trying to introduce other friends to them).

I give props to the venue for letting up and coming bands play there, but after a while, when the same band always plays there, it kind of loses its zing.

just my 2 cents

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zimmerman, I really do hear you.. really I do hehehe

ok but here is the catch 22.. if you starve a club of commerce money isn't there to say properly clean or renovate.. both of which are in the offing I am hearing..

A show like this has the power to make them some coin.. that could potentially be used to say clean the place up, paint, desmell, buy new chairs whatever.. get better bands

just saying "Lets find somewhere else" isn't the answer.. because then the cycle starts over..

people really should be glad that comfort zone bothers to book bands we'd be interested in. I know the smell is a drag.. you know the solution

go there.. brave the stink.. and get plastered.. spend your cash.. and they will fix it up trust me..

I am pretty sure it'd work that way if we put it to them that way

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See the "FInd another venue logic" is a complacent and more difficult solution..

not to mention a little harsh

I mean comfort zone is dirty on occasion, smelly maybe. But is there a more relaxed atmosphere than the comfort zone? try and chill like that at Lee's Palace or the 360.. you know what I am talking about..

we'd have to break them into our way of thinking musically all over again.. and get them used to our crowd.. all over again.. wrong move

not to mention its harsh.. because comfort zone has provided that venue to you cheap if not free for years now..

the real solution is to offer to help make the comfort zone better.. a revival renovation job.. make it ours in a way.. then it won't be a drag.. and people will beg to go.. trust me..

ideas are good things.. share them..

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I must say that I think Chubb has totally the right idea!

Cozo is a great place, been going there for years!! The vibe, it seems is not what it once was although the music is only getting better!! Lets all go out and have a wonderful time together there!

See you all soon!

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Velvet, I hear ya about the listings page.. My upcoming shows page (Click Here) has been running for 4+ years now, and I know it as much as anyone does that it is due for a major overhaul.

I'm on the road right now, but I'm gonna be back at home at the end of April. This Spring I'll be re-working the whole damn thing, getting a new, shorter address, etc etc. The whole kit and kaboodle (?).

I'm really digging how the scene is becoming more and more integrated. I say we keep on going with it, and work to integrate all of our lovely pages connected to the scene as much as we can.

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it's cool to be able to support a scene, but toronto's not like Ottawa where there are few cool places to play...what about renting out awesome venues and putting on great shows? hmm?? isn't that what a concert promoter's supposed to do? risk a little to get a lot.

If nobody makes the CanJam scene into what it deserves to be, we won't get the proper support. I think there are a lot of awesome bands in canada but it's only when we can get people to turn it into an event that we make it magic.

get your own shit together without worrying about helping the bar owners. hell, start your own bar/club in your town. it could work. a private club that advertises...cheap membership rates...smoking...

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T.O, sticking with the club might be the right thing to do. They have been playing to this scene for a while, but they also have to step things up a bit too. (in cleanliness mainly)

but in other ways too

really though, a scene does not have to focus on a venue. Ottawa shows do well at decuf, babylon, mercury, and the bayou. why can't people travel to more than one bar in Toronto?

how many people make up the TO scene?

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Cozo will be able to fix up their cleanliness if more people come out and support the club!

Try coming out this weekend to Mahavishnu, shoudl prove to be an awesome time, Ithink all of you will be pleasantly surprised!

:-)

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Gentle: well there are a few venues, comfort zone just plays the most stuff we'd like per capita in toronto..

cleaning it would do tonnes.. I mean it is sort of our hub if nothing else.. I mean we share collective eyerolls with our friends about the comfort zone, as if to say.. yes I've been there too.

Providing numbers provides cleansing.. its a simple solution.. brave the stench and we'll nuke it

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