do you ever just get over it?

so i decided to pack in the my nite. i think i'm just burnt out on it-i do all the promotion myself (making the flyers/posters, then distributing them across chicago), post up about the nite, hit up all the people on the mailing list, book the djs, sometimes play there too (which i love to do)...and then you have to deal with all the other stupid shit that comes up (bitching, gripeing, scene politics, people dancing in the club & actually making the system crack, which is quite funny when you have to tell people not to dance too close to the system). and there hasn't been much turnout which sucks particularly when you get all that work goin on.

i just wanted to dj and play records and then i ended up with a nite, and i feel really grateful for it. i tried to make a difference with it but it just didn't work out; i had all these great ideas to get it going like booking the lot here, but the time between here and getting to where i wanted it to be was going to be a while.

i guess what's most frustruating is that i have a ton of talent, a lot to say and excellent ideas and i don't feel like i got to do any of it b/c i was so busy doing the other shit...it's disillusioning. i kind of think, "what the hell happened?" it's not like you know immediately what you learned from a situation like this, but i don't know if i learned anything or made any connexions...ungh. maybe the reality of the situation-ie:your passion does not always register with people? i just want to be able to do this so bad and i want the music to work for me and i'll continue to do so, but shit like this busts yer chops a bit.

sorry i'm spilling my guts like this-it's minor in the big scope of things. i don't really have any other like minded peeps to share my experience with.

:ranton

failing to be rewarded for hard work is a gutting exercise. for what it's worth, when i read your rant i felt a little sorry for you but hey... at least you can say you gave it a go. and thats more than most people can do.

Running a night is definitely a lot of hard work, and I think it's probably a little over ambitious to try to do everything yourself. I'm sure you've learned quite a bit about the process, so take that knowledge and try to get involved with other people who are also passionate about it. Also, look at the scene around you and figure out if it needs another weekly, monthly, or whatever. One of the things that often killed parties in SF before they got started was that they weren't doing anything new or filling any particular void. Anyway, good luck to you and try not to get too frustrated, just remember the things you like and focus on those.

Running a night is definitely a lot of hard work, and I think it's probably a little over ambitious to try to do everything yourself. I'm sure you've learned quite a bit about the process, so take that knowledge and try to get involved with other people who are also passionate about it. Also, look at the scene around you and figure out if it needs another weekly, monthly, or whatever. One of the things that often killed parties in SF before they got started was that they weren't doing anything new or filling any particular void. Anyway, good luck to you and try not to get too frustrated, just remember the things you like and focus on those.

Like the Agent said - try and get plant some seeds ion some like-minded peeps and nourish their interest - that's the best way to engineer a sitauation in which you DO have people to share the burden with - including the rants!

i did-it's a bit difficult to get people on the same page who have varying schedules & can't properly commit. i did it by myself by default when i couldn't get people on it to help out regularly. when you can't depend on anyone in particular you can't just abandon it-you have to try to make it work despite the circumstances, but then you can only do that so long before you get burnt on it.

please pardon putting up with my gripe. yeh-i'm sure i'll get something from the experience, but i dunno what it is yet

Yeah, no doubt it would be nice if people weren't flakey and you could have tons of dependable people, but nothing works like that. Hell, people can be flakey even if you are paying them. But one of the things you should take from this is the knowledge that you need truly committed people on your team. I'm sure you've also learned quite a bit through trying to do everything yourself, so that in the future you can pick whichever aspects you like the best and focus on those.

Keep your head up bro.It always works out in the end,somehow.....?

Its always tough when turnouts start going bad, best bet is to take a break re-group, re-organise and get back into it again in a few months...im sure maybe there might be some people outside of the circle you know already that might be into helping out with running the night so maybe put some feelers out there?

Getting other people that move in different circles involved can also help suck in other crowds....are there any other drum and bass nights on the go over there? Im sure you might find some peeps at those that might be interested in helping out.....

Ah seanie sorry to hear that bud! That was a hell of a lot of work u ended up doing! I had the same problem with my night...people dancing hard which meant the needle bounced off the record..which in turned pissed the djs off so in the end i put tables rigth in front of the decks and moved the dancefloor back (we are talking pubs here people) and that worked...but now we have moved downstairs to a concrete floor so that problem is eliminated!

I recommend getting a graphic designer to do your posters n flyers the next time as that is a huge chunk of work and thee most time consuming.

yeah, man it's a lot of work!!! We're with three people, but we're pretty busy individually with other stuff... Couldn't do it on my own man! We're lucky to be 3 likeminded guys here... What's very important is to constantly learn how to do better, build up experience, routine... like becket said, maybe better take a break, that never hurts, retrospect and see how you can make it easier on yourself and get some good people around you...it's never impossible, sometimes it just requires the right decisions at the right time, a lot of hard work and a bit of luck... just keep your head up and try again!!!

sorry to hear that mr. mack

some great advice so far!! it can help to outsource as much as you feel comfortable... assemble a small street team-- ppl who flyer & poster in exchange for a small guestlist-- or hire a street promotions company to do that work.

maybe give all the internet promo to one reliable person (doesn't even have to be someone into the music, just someone who can send out emails) so you are left to handle the creative stuff like bookings & venue relations

try keep your public face positive & professional, try not to berate ppl for not coming to your night, and try not to pigeonhole what is played there (all mistakes i continue to make myself!!). passion for music sometimes registers with people but it's unreasonable to expect your guests to share that passion... they are probably out to have a good time, end of story... so don't be afraid to try things to draw ppl in that may seem gimmicky or corny to you, if you're coming correct with the music then it's all good!

i can tell you i've only had djs repeat there a few times...everyone i've had out have very different selections & styles, i myself never played the same set twice and i had a lot of djs out who don't get much exposure so i think i accomplished that goal to do something different that what other nites were doing. i feel really good about that. likewise, i was always really respectful of the people who came thru-you can't fault the people who are there in the club, only the people who aren't...and even then it's not a fault, it's a decision.

i guess what i'm focusing on in terms of putting on nites are one-offs, that is, unless i have some really sweet offer/opportunity to get something consistently going again. one of the guys who played for me the other nite actually has (for a lack of a better term) a crew that is properly organized and funded & is alos putting on events around the area, and it would be excellent to funnel a lot of the talent under this tent thru his nites, so that's what i'm going to work on doing now.

i think there's still an impact that can be made in chicago by the unexposed artists in town and on this board-there are people like the sb crew, bassbin/breakage, AO , esb, etc. i think would be great to have touch down here. so i have to find a way to get that happening, whether thru my own nite or someone else's.

thanx for the positive encouragement-between you all and my girlfriend, i've definitely been able to get over it, clear my head and get on to the next thing.

[Statto]

hi seanie

do you know anything about these guys...?

chgostye live! tuesdays 7-10cst

Seanie,I never realised you was in the windy city?
I have to sort out a US tour one day soon.
NY,LA,Atlanta,Chicago?,Philly,San Fran,Peurto Rico anywhere else?

Seanie,I never realised you was in the windy city?
I have to sort out a US tour one day soon.
NY,LA,Atlanta,Chicago?,Philly,San Fran,Peurto Rico anywhere else?

you know that-there are some hungry fools wanting you to touch down in chi*town.

statto-yeah, i know four/4...he does a few shows on bassdrive. more about phix's show myself-i think it's on wednesdays & he plays across the board & is a really great guy.