Ottawa MegaPromoter in the Citizen

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Pretty sure the vast majority of people in Ottawa have been to a show promoted and booked by Shawn Scallen. He's probably the prototype DIY promoter. Every scene in every city needs a guy like this.

Promoter's got the straight edge

Ottawa's punk scene far from dead, thanks to sharp ears of Shawn Scallen

Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen

Published: Tuesday, October 10, 2006

A pale, intent Shawn Scallen zoomed by me at End Hits the other night, on a mission to grab his camera and take pictures of the band rehearsing in the basement of his store.

Scallen was also spotted at Zaphod Beeblebrox later that night -- his company, Revolution Rock, promoted the Ottawa debut of the New Mexico collective Beirut. Camera held high above his head, he was in the thick of the crowd shooting the band.

Two gigs on the same night is a regular occurrence for the punk rock-loving photographer who's become a guru of the Ottawa music scene. Last week was especially busy -- if I'm counting correctly, he worked nine events in seven days, zipping between Babylon, End Hits, Zaphod Beeblebrox and the First Baptist Church.

He also had to spend a day behind the cash at End Hits, the Dalhousie Street CD store he co-owns with former Record Runner manager Dave Ward, when Ward, who usually mans the cash, called in sick. At one point that day, the store was so busy that Scallen was motivated to document the moment.

"I think this is the most customers ever in the store at one time," he said, reaching past me for his camera.

There were 12 young people, mostly in groups of two or three, browsing the racks. In addition to CDs, the eight-month-old store sells concert tickets to various shows in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, and posters and T-shirts. It also serves as a downtown office for Scallen.

In his late 30s, with a birthday coming up on Oct. 15, Scallen is a self-made punk and indie-rock promoter at the centre of a thriving under-the-radar music scene. He not only co-owns the record store, but also founded an indie website, www.punkottawa.com, and operates an indie concert promotion company (also co-owned with Ward). Plus he's the production manager for PRS Concerts, the Ottawa-born promotion company now co-owned by the non-indie House of Blues Concerts.

If you go to club shows, you've probably seen Scallen's black hoodie (or noticed his orange toque) at two, three or four different venues. Yes, it's his job but it's also a labour of love. He works tirelessly at helping out acts that want to play shows and firmly believes that young people have a right to see punk shows, even if they're not old enough to go to clubs.

For the record, Scallen refused to be formally interviewed by the Citizen. He didn't want an article written about him and was reluctant to appear in a photograph. He says he doesn't trust the media, and I suspect he has some concern about a backlash from the punk scene -- after all, it's not "punk" to make a living in the music business or appear in the mainstream media.

Chances are slim that a newspaper article would damage his reputation. Scallen is respected far and wide for his willingness to book bands, and has worked with hundreds of acts. Planet Smashers, Hot Hot Heat and former head Doughboy, John Kastner, are just some of the Canadian rockers to give props to Scallen onstage or in Citizen interviews in the past year.

Scallen's constantly scouring the Internet looking for bands planning North American tours. He's also grooming the next generation,

freely dispensing advice to bands,

fans and potential promoters on punkottawa.com, the lively website and message board that attracts hundreds of participants each day.

Scallen's favourite expression with me is "off the record," but I know a little of his background. Although he spent some of his childhood in Winnipeg, his family lived near North Gower when he was a teenager. He studied at Carleton University and served as music director at CKCU-FM.

His favourite band is Fugazi -- the store was named after a 1998 album by the Washington, D.C. punk band -- and he's a straight-edge vegan: he doesn't drink, smoke, do drugs or eat animal products. He's been renting the same house in Centretown for something like 18 years, and has a girlfriend.

Scallen has lost some hair, gained some pounds and developed some aches and pains over the years. He's a few years older than most of the musicians and fans he deals with, and sometimes comes across as grumpy and unfriendly. Chalk it up to the stress of overscheduling. Scallen's biggest problem may be that he spreads himself too thin.

But he's grown used to my hanging around shows over the last few years, and didn't really mind my hanging around the store for a couple of days. I brought samosas and vegetarian curry to share. I sat at his desk, glanced at his paperwork, read his postings on punkottawa.com and listened to him talk on the phone. I bought him a soy chai latte.

Spend some time with him, and you can't miss the passion he throws into his work. He's got a keen business sense, but he really seems to love what he's doing, whether it's negotiating with an agent or promoter on the phone or tracking down an obscure disc for a customer. He's also so obsessed with photography that you have to wonder if he created this whole scene just so he could take pictures of it.

If so, I'm grateful for it. I discovered some cool acts last week, including Wakefield's F--k The Facts, singer-songwriter Mark Wilson and the pop collective Beirut. I'm actually looking forward to the Hatebreed and Pennywise concerts, and I'm totally stoked that a show by Canadian punk legends, Propaghandi, was moved to a bigger venue (Capital Music Hall, Oct. 19) after a quick sellout at Babylon. I'm also curious about the Suicide Girls' burlesque show at Barrymore's tomorrow.

You know what? This town would be unimaginably boring without Shawn Scallen.

Thanks, dude.

[bouche]

yeah, he gave Randy, me and ollie some advice when we were trying to book a show last summer. it was very helpful.

[ollie]

Shawn was already an icon on the scene when I went to my first punk show in '89. He deserves all the kudos he gets.

[bradm]

yeah, he gave Randy, me and ollie some advice when we were trying to book a show last summer. it was very helpful.

What was the advice?

Aloha,

Brad

[bouche]

It was just a good way to put an offer together.

[ollie]

What was the advice?

Don't ever allow taping.