RTP-area local music and culture

[Bryan.C.Reed AT gmail.com]

Wow, dude. Just wow. I wouldn't want to book "your" band now. I guess
it's a good thing you've failed to mention exactly who you're
representing, despite the fact (and I can only speak for myself) it
probably would have garnered a couple more visits to the Myspace page.

Ross is right, though. There is a certain level of superficial
filtering that needs to be done when you're faced with tons of
requests, whether it be for booking, or for reviews/features/
interviews/listings/write-ups/whatever. I don't even get all that many
CDs crossing my path (sadly), and I still can't get to all of them.

If I'm working within the understanding that it is impossible for me
to get to everything, of course I'll go with the CD I heard was super
great, or the band I saw that one time and loved, or even the one with
the best packaging. And yes, there are some red flags. For me, a promo
CD-R w/ chicken-scratch sharpie all over it, but with a giant glossy
portrait and 8-pages of glowing praise from said band's moms is a huge
red flag because clearly that band cares more about its moms and its
"image" than packaging its music, which should speak for itself.

Similarly, publicists that are rude or do something like spell my name
wrong or who fail to provide basic information like release dates or
what the name of the band/album is usually get blown off.

Sometimes there just isn't space on the page (in the club) for
everything.

Sometimes, too I'll listen to a record and decide that this music is
simply so awful that I wouldn't want to subject my readers to the mere
mention of it. Yeah, that's editorial discretion. Yeah, it's
subjective. No, it's not a perfect system. Sorry.

I know the press side and the radio side and booking side of things
are all a little different, but I speak for myself, and I believe also
for Ross and Glenn in saying we're all generally in favor of music. If
we weren't, we wouldn't spend so much damn time on it. You can't blame
anybody for trying to take care of themselves, too.

If there were enough hours in the day, I would personally respond to
every e-mail or phone call from every publicist who sends me one to
say that some band is playing in Greensboro (out of my circulation)
and their CD came out three months ago (no longer newsworthy). But the
fact of the matter is, I don't have the time for that. And I've got it
pretty easy as a mere college newspaper editor.

That's why 90% of the job of a publicist/promoter/manager is to build
good relationships with people, so they don't waste anybody's time and
then when your band does do something newsworthy, I won't look over
your e-mail because I remember that time you were a dick because I
didn't write a 1000 word feature on your band's second practice.

-bryan from diversions/shuffle