Think about bands from the Coachella Valley, the Pass area (Banning/Beaumont) or the high desert (Yucca Valley/Joshua Tree). Who are your favorite bands?
Why do you love these bands?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
We're back for the summer
It has been about 18 months since our last show, but we're back at it once again. We're planning some very special events for you all. We're not going to announce anything until its set in stone, but you are going to love it. It's huge.
Let me take some time to explain what I've been doing over the last year, since you probably want to know and you're probably heard rumors of some sort.
Christopher and I started Blackhart in 2004, over four years ago. We didn't do this to make money, and we never did. Every once in a while we'd actually get a few dollars off a show which helped us buy better equipment for the shows. Overall we lost quite a bit of money throwing these events. But we loved doing it and it was worth it to us because this valley is really hungry for a music scene yet nothing is ever sustainable here.
After the unfortunate events which ended the Elk's Lodge tenure, we spent a few months looking for a new venue. All the while I was paying for equipment we bought for our scheduled shows which I put on credit expecting the income from the shows would pay for it. (I just finished paying for it this month actually.) We had no luck. The Ignition started doing shows, and that was nice of them because it filled a gap that was missing. We approached them to help book there but in the end decided to let them do their thing because we never want to just go in and take over someone else's work. We know how that is because a few places did exactly that to us.
In October I was asked by my brother-in-law to play with his band, More Than This, which I have been doing and it's been using a lot of my time because we'll play at least twice a month.
In December of 2007 I met a nice man who was buying a restaurant and he really liked what I had to offer him and we started working with him to get weekly shows going. Unfortunately he didn't get the building and all that work didn't pay off.
Also in December I started managing Hopeunseen, a band out of Riverside, CA. These guys have been good friends of mine and I have played with them and alongside them before. They're a very professional bunch of guys and have a unique sound, and now we're working to expand their market and we're really focusing a lot of effort on growing their "brand."
Christopher is actually living in Las Vegas, NV now and is pursuing successful musical endeavors, so I'm happy for him.
Right now we have a lot of things opening up to us and I'll clue you in on that when it comes to pass, but I've also got a new attitude to this whole scene.
I've been performing, touring and promoting for over eight years now. I'm not burnt out on it, but things have changed a lot since I started. I'm not in on the new trends and I hardly recognize anyone at these shows anymore. What's happening is the new generation is coming of age and making this scene their own.
This is a good thing. When I was young I helped form my scene, and now this is yours. When I started my first band there wasn't one hardcore band in the desert, let alone a hardcore show. In fact there were so few hardcore fans that I had to convert my friends to fill the positions in the band. Now there are hundreds of kids.
I did my part, now it's your turn to take this scene and make it your own.
I'm not leaving, what I'm doing is I feel like I need to take a guiding role and help the next group reach their potential. I'm going to promote still, but I'm going to focus mainly on helping the next generation promote. I'm going to play in bands still, but I'm going to focus on helping younger bands promote themselves and stay focused on their journey.
And most of all, I want to strengthen my relationships with everyone I've gotten to know over the last several years because relationships are more important than music.
Let me take some time to explain what I've been doing over the last year, since you probably want to know and you're probably heard rumors of some sort.
Christopher and I started Blackhart in 2004, over four years ago. We didn't do this to make money, and we never did. Every once in a while we'd actually get a few dollars off a show which helped us buy better equipment for the shows. Overall we lost quite a bit of money throwing these events. But we loved doing it and it was worth it to us because this valley is really hungry for a music scene yet nothing is ever sustainable here.
After the unfortunate events which ended the Elk's Lodge tenure, we spent a few months looking for a new venue. All the while I was paying for equipment we bought for our scheduled shows which I put on credit expecting the income from the shows would pay for it. (I just finished paying for it this month actually.) We had no luck. The Ignition started doing shows, and that was nice of them because it filled a gap that was missing. We approached them to help book there but in the end decided to let them do their thing because we never want to just go in and take over someone else's work. We know how that is because a few places did exactly that to us.
In October I was asked by my brother-in-law to play with his band, More Than This, which I have been doing and it's been using a lot of my time because we'll play at least twice a month.
In December of 2007 I met a nice man who was buying a restaurant and he really liked what I had to offer him and we started working with him to get weekly shows going. Unfortunately he didn't get the building and all that work didn't pay off.
Also in December I started managing Hopeunseen, a band out of Riverside, CA. These guys have been good friends of mine and I have played with them and alongside them before. They're a very professional bunch of guys and have a unique sound, and now we're working to expand their market and we're really focusing a lot of effort on growing their "brand."
Christopher is actually living in Las Vegas, NV now and is pursuing successful musical endeavors, so I'm happy for him.
Right now we have a lot of things opening up to us and I'll clue you in on that when it comes to pass, but I've also got a new attitude to this whole scene.
I've been performing, touring and promoting for over eight years now. I'm not burnt out on it, but things have changed a lot since I started. I'm not in on the new trends and I hardly recognize anyone at these shows anymore. What's happening is the new generation is coming of age and making this scene their own.
This is a good thing. When I was young I helped form my scene, and now this is yours. When I started my first band there wasn't one hardcore band in the desert, let alone a hardcore show. In fact there were so few hardcore fans that I had to convert my friends to fill the positions in the band. Now there are hundreds of kids.
I did my part, now it's your turn to take this scene and make it your own.
I'm not leaving, what I'm doing is I feel like I need to take a guiding role and help the next group reach their potential. I'm going to promote still, but I'm going to focus mainly on helping the next generation promote. I'm going to play in bands still, but I'm going to focus on helping younger bands promote themselves and stay focused on their journey.
And most of all, I want to strengthen my relationships with everyone I've gotten to know over the last several years because relationships are more important than music.
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