weekendwarriors

This was my first attendance at this event. I played bass with Fat Chance (fill in only) but I wanted to talk about the event itself.

There were four bands who were rehearsed and delivered pretty good music; there was food and drinks at reasonable prices; there was no admission fee.

So where was everybody? As far as I could see the audience were almost all friends of the various bands. This is a shame because it was worth being there by anyone's standards. I hope that if a good quality audio record of the night comes through we can publicise the night a bit. It would not hurt to play to a larger audience.

Speaking for myself, I was generally happy with my performance but I had some difficulties because there was not much vocal foldback where I was and I needed the cues.

And the moral is: if you have an issue with the sound - mention it! I didn't and so it was not fixed. My fault.

And for me the highlight of the night was 'Georgia' (but I couldn't hear us, so we may have topped it)!

I'm sure the Healer will have his own take on the evening.

Cheers

Thanks Big Al

My fellow Bumpsters & Bumpettes

You should really slide on down to Undie on the last Thursday of each month, because this is shaping up to be a truly unique event.

Where else can you see a up to five bands, polished and rehearsed and ready to sell their souls for Rock n' Roll? And all that "Soul Food" that Big Al mentioned.

The recordings made should provide us all with the valuable feedback we need on 'Front of House" sound, but besides all that, here is an opportunity to mingle with very like minded people, socialise.....(our keyboard player seemed to be doing alright for himself with that long legged blonde !!) and generally find out what other bands are doing, and what works and clearly what doesn't.

Your healer sees this venue as a great place to "Road Test" new ideas before going public at potential paid gigs, (or any bloody gigs for that matter) not to mention the free exposure your band receives.

There was a promoter there (Gary Wood) who listened to all the bands except "Fat Chance" because he had to go.....more is the pity as they were brilliant headliners and 'Big Al" as usual, did them proud.

"Planbe" have already heard from Gary and we are seriously considering all offers/suggestions.....beggars can't be choosers.

What could potentially make this an "authentic" road test would be to see more punters in the audience apart from the "Rent a Crowds" as Big Al has suggested....or are those medical shows on channel nine so compelling that folks just wanna sit at home and vegetate.

If you wanna be successful then get involved and let's all make the potential "pie" bigger for everybody. Ellaways have continued to support us during tough economic times, which is more than a few other retailers who have suddenly popped out of nowhere and are trying to get a spin-off from their promotional activity....imitation is a form of flattery.



That is All

I agree completely with you guys. It was a top night and it sure deserves to have a wider audience. I took the missus and kids along just to have a night out for a change and it was good to sit back and relax and just listen to the bands. Leanne and I had a couple of red wines and the kids filled up on hot dogs and soft drink.

These were all established bands playing a variety of styles and all of it worth seeing. We had to leave a couple of songs into Fat Chance's set cos the kids had school next day but we all felt like we'd had a great night out. Everyone's saying that times are getting tough. Well, where else can you go and see four good bands for nix?

And the other bonus there for all you musos: you can see what you're up against and what you need to do to succeed. Slugging it out in the garage is important but only takes you so far. You need to get out and see what the opposition's up to, how they're doing it and how your band shapes up in comparison. Are you serious about this music thing or are you just content to sit there and hope it will all just happen for you by magic? As Ali G said: "You got to move it, move it!"


Lodger

Hi All,

It takes time to build a strong following to these events. The jam on the first Thursday is rarely below 60 people these days and the average is more like 80.

The Acoustic Central has plenty of players now which is great but the crowd number is generally low. There are a few regulars who spectate but not as many as we would like.

The "Rock On Central" has gone from strngth to strength in a pretty short timeframe. The quality of the bands has been a factor in keeping people coming back and I'm generally booked a month in advance.

Most of the Warriors would rather participate than sit on the side lines so it has and always will be a bit of a problem. This is a real world problem too as pubs and clubs are more interested in local bands that can attract a fan base.

Its a difficult issue... anyone have any solutions?

Bob

I had a great night as I always do. Every Rock Central over the last 4 or 5 months has been great. I would love to see more support for this event it is really an awsome night out well done everyone from this month.

BlackMaster
Keep on Rockin