Baton Rouge boasts a variety of musical talent spanning a wide spectrum of genres — Bands range from indie rock to jazz to rap.
Most of these bands play music because it is their passion, and they strive to make a creative piece of work for people to enjoy. But ask any one of these performers what the hardest part for a band is and the answer is the same: being noticed. Artists want to show off their work to an audience, but for many, the hardest part is getting a foot in the door.According to Joshua Nee, drummer for Baton Rouge band Man Plus Building, getting a gig can come about two different ways.
“If you know another band at the venue, it’s easy to get on a bill with them,” Nee said. “You could go through the booking agent at the bar though, but it’s a bit harder.”But for bands who might not have as many connections, there are plenty of venues around town that are willing to help out smaller bands. Locations like the Northgate Tavern or Insomkneeacks are open to newer bands who would like to gig there.
“We take any types of bands, any size,” said Peter Excho, owner of Insomkneeacks. “We don’t censor anyone. We are for everyone and every type of music.”
Excho has one rule though — people must actually come into the art house and talk to him in person. If bands are willing to come in to talk to Excho he will set up a time for them to play, usually with two or three other bands.
“Your fan base might start out small, but if you play with a few other bands that are bringing their fans, you start to reach other people, and your base starts to grow,” Excho said.
This fan base is one of the most important things for any band. If the band starts to pull in more people and the name becomes bigger, the chances of playing at a larger venue are greater.
“Getting your foot into the door and networking is key,” said Randy Faucheux, guitarist and vocalist for the band Wilderness Pangs. “You have to meet people; your name starts to spread around.”
Once a band gains a significant following, it has a wider variety of venues to choose from, but it must then figure out where its audience is.
“When you decide to play, you have to understand your clientele,” Nee said. “Like for Man Plus Building, the Spanish Moon is our home; it’s where our friends hang out and usually where people who like our type of music go.”So once the band has figured out where their music would reach the best audience, it’s time to go talk to the booking agent for that location, or get on the bill with another band.Contact information for venues can usually be found online at their Web site or on MySpace.If the band speaks with the booking agent, the agent may take a look at their music or how successful other shows have been and if the band can pull in business.”They would have to do well in smaller venues to warrant making the jump to the larger venue,” said Chris Lundgren, talent buyer for Varsity Theatre. “If they can bring 300+ people on a consistent basis, they would be considered to play the Varsity.”This amount of people may not be right for many local bands, but Baton Rouge has no shortage of bars and art houses with open arms waiting for unknown bands to play a show on Saturday night.
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Contact Jake Clapp at [email protected]