AZ Local Band(Club)

[omnimutant]

Arizona has always had a very rich tradition of Music going back many years. The many bars and Venues of Phoenix,Tempe, Mesa, and Tucson, have always been very accommodating and allowed AZ to really flourish as a Hot spot for local talent.

The Idea of this Club is for Live Musicians in Bands who gig and are part of the AZ music scene to chat about venues, experiences, up coming gigs, shops, the Arizona Music scene in general, etc.

Everyone is Welcome to Join provided you Gig in Arizona, regardless your style, just don't hate on other Bands.

To Join Post your Band Name, Location, Music Style and some general Info. (Previous bands, whatever you want)

Member List
#1. Omnimutant - Reverend Doom - Tempe - Classic/Stoner/Doom/Metal
#2. plankspanker13 - JG & the Modrockers -Tempe - Covers
#3. TortillaChip520 - Antebellum - Mesa - Hardcore
#4. WalterBush - Kap'n Krunch - Yuma - Hard Rock
#5. bucephylus - Spank - Mesa - Classic Rock
#6. Thankful birds - The Rebel Set - Tempe - Surf
#7. NickInMesa - Luminatus - Mesa? - Metal?
#8. FunkMetalBass - Cycles of Surrealism - Phoenix - Alt/Metal
#9. standupright - Blind Ronnie's House of Blues - Phoenix - Blues
#10. ERIC31 - none - Chandler - Surf
#11. DrSmaggs - Versed In Grey - Tempe - Prog/Metal
#12. ourworldisgrey - The Kings Divide - Phoenix - Christian Hardcore

[omnimutant]

My Story:
About Me:
I Started out in 1994-95 with a 5 Piece punk/trash band Called Unknown Origin, which fell apart rather quick and became a 3 piece called Captain Crust and the Supernaturals. We got our First Gigs at Hollywood Alley in Mesa,(Huge props to Ross) where we predominately played for the better part of 2-1/2 years or so. I played in many side projects during that time as well. I pretty much left music scene all together till my old band mates contacted me to come Play bass for Reverend Doom, which I've been doing for about 6 months now. I've got a new focus with music now then I did before. I'm taking it a little more seriously, and actually learning how to do become a musician instead of just some guy that plays a few bass lines.

Recently Played at Hollywood Alley with Antique Scream, and Jugheads where we opened for the Mentors. Got a few Gigs lined up already in this new year at The Palo Verde, which I hear is like playing in a closet, but we shall see.

[plankspanker13]

OK, make me #2:

Born & raised in Los Angeles, I started music as a 5-year-old, developing skills on over a dozen instruments along the way. I started playing basslines on the acoustic guitar at 16, and took up bass at 18, with my first gig barely a month after getting started. I went on to play with a pool of musicians that spawned two bands, one of which made it, and the other one did not. I played in the latter, which I led, and in my current situation, am covering the former; a song that I couldn't stand in 1985, but tolerate today. I chased the dream of playing my own original stuff to stardom enough before moving to Arizona in 1991.

My first AZ Band was the Exploding Cargo Doors in the mid-90's, and I also had a nice year with the Gene Faith Band in the aughts. There were periodic involvements in jazz bands and with church music, in both my native and adopted denominations, but ultimately, I recognized that I could never reconcile with the intellectual violence of religion, and I put down both religion and music completely in 2003.

2005 saw me begin to resurrect myself as a musician, and I have no problem saying that I am a cover band ho' nowadays. There's still room for creativity and expressiveness, even in this context, and more importantly, there is no elusive payoff to keep chasing. The wallet is full at the end of the night, and the free beer & food are icing on the cake. Don't tell me that there aren't plenty of chicks out there who can still dig me and what I do; experience has prooven it.

I have come to see music as being an overly-demanding, high-maintenance mistress who did not put out enough, and once I learned to be cruel in return, she started rewarding me with sufficient consistency. I certainly do get around a lot, from private parties in ritzy homes in the far west Valley, to political rallies in Tucson, to higher-profile bar gigs all over. I am priveleged enough to be the first-call bassist in a pool of musicians, and actually abdicated one of the splinter projects, citing a personal lack of passion for the material. We are of the "don't try this at home, we are professionals" school of cover performance; sufficient chops and minimal rehearsal, although we'll still occasionally hit the woodshed for the more important shows, like this past NYE.

I'm proud to be a Modrocker, and look forward to a splinter group with a bit more of a country lean getting going as the economy begins to turn around.

[omnimutant]

Wow sounds like a life worth of experiences.

What the Name of your main Band? I've considered doing a cover project on the side to see what that scene is all about. Sounds interesting.

Welcome to #2.

[TortillaChip520]

My first band that gets legit shows, Antebellum (www.myspace.com/antebellumaz)
Hardcore music, I just joined them about a month ago. While I've been with them, we've opened for Jonny Craig, Sleeping With Sirens, Tides of Man, and this month we'll have shows opening for Of Machines, LoveHateHero, and I Am Ghost. And we'll be opening for Greeley Estates in February.

My other band, Nightfall, is just some prog metal band, but I like jammin with the guys and they're good musicians.

[omnimutant]

Nice Myspace page! You guys sound really clean and Polished, very pro... Good stuff.
#3

[TortillaChip520]

Originally Posted by omnimutant

Nice Myspace page! You guys sound really clean and Polished, very pro... Good stuff.
#3

Thank you, sir

I just joined so i'm not on their page

We're doing a new photoshoot and getting a whole new layout and putting up a new song next week, all of which I will be a part of

I almost forgot my band before that, The Fatal Salute (www.myspace.com/thefatalsalutemusic)

I did all the design for that page and whatnot, it was fun till the lead singer/lead guitarist moved

[omnimutant]

I did all the design for that page and whatnot, it was fun till the lead singer/lead guitarist moved

Sweet! I was thinking about toying with real editor myself to see what I can screw up on our hideous band page

[WalterBush]

Yuma here! We're the town you pass through on the way to San Diego from Phoenix. You may have missed us because you were too busy driving to notice...

I play in a few bands, here and in California. An original band in NorCal named Ariel, and until recently a top 40 band called Powertrip, which played local bars and not-so-local casinos until last fall. I do some studio work in both states, though not enough to live off of (yet!)

New project starting up, with a singer from the Bay Area called Kap'n Krunch. Mostly hard rock from the '70s and '80s, though we'll be working up a few acts to make the rounds of desert southwest casinos with. The new singer and I also write much more modern rock and metal, but we've got no band to play the stuff, studio only.

I play every weekend (unless I'm gigging out of town) at Yuma's largest church, Generations, by far my most rewarding gig on many levels.

No Myspace or FB fan page yet, and won't be until February. I'm trading studio time for photoshoot time with a talented friend.

[omnimutant]

Mostly hard rock from the '70s and '80s, though we'll be working up a few acts to make the rounds of desert southwest casinos with.

Lets us know when you have Dates for the Casino Tour I might have to come check you guys out

Welcome #4.

[bucephylus]

DoctorT here in Mesa.

Lived out here for going on 6 years and in Michigan - Saginaw / Detroit before that.

Currently playing in Classic Rock Band "Spank," which is not nearly as naughty as it sounds. We pretty much gig monthly at Jakes O' Mine in AJ. Website is a mess, incomplete and in drastic need of updating.
http://www.myspace.com/spankmusicrocks

Before that I have been in and out of Blues, Funk, Rock, even Classical gigs; more information on my MySpace page.
http://www.myspace.com/doctortbassist

Been in and out of a lot of the clubs in the PHX area. Glad to trade gig stories / info about the gig scene here.

[omnimutant]

Website is a mess, incomplete and in drastic need of updating.

I hear that, never enough time or motivation :P

Welcome # 5!

[bucephylus]

Originally Posted by omnimutant

I hear that, never enough time or motivation :P

Welcome # 5!

#5 is ALIVE! Yeah!

[Thankful birds]

Currently play bass in The Rebel Set, which is a surf/garage band - http://www.myspace.com/rebelset .

I also play guitar in Thankful Birds, a jazz/rock outfit- http://www.myspace.com/thankfulbirds .

I am also in the process of a getting a third band up and running called The Riveras that's moody indie rock with violins and female vocals. No website yet.

All three bands are all original. Thankful Birds is currently on hitaus while our singer has her child. The Rebel Set is at Hollywood Alley on January 22 with Kirkwood Dellinger and Mondegreen.

[omnimutant]

Sweet! Haven't heard a good surf band in ages... I've got a Gig on the 22n'd as well or I'd come check you guys out. I love playing the Alley. So laid back. Great place for shows.

Welcome #6!

[omnimutant]

Can anyone fill me in on whats going on with Jugheads? I keep hearing mixed reports, it's being sold, not being sold, no more shows, then I see fliers for upcoming shows there... it's all rather confusing. Anyone know the real story?

[NickInMesa]

Hey give me a number. I am in two bands, one is Luminatus, no page yet, only one gig (we formed in December) and another unnamed project with a bunch of midlifers (no idea if we will eventually gig but hopefully we will).

[omnimutant]

Sweet #7 is yours.

[FunkMetalBass]

I'll take a number, please.

I play bass in the band Cycles of Surrealism
http://www.myspace.com/cyclesofsurrealism

We're an alternative/metal band in Phoenix currently working on our demo, which is going swimmingly. Only cruddy recordings up on the MySpace right now. We've been playing out for about 5 months now, and so far have gotten great reactions. We play with a lot of heavier metal bands (Talk to Sheep, One Body Too Many, Tommy Gibbons Project) mostly in the Northwest Phoenix Area. We are always willing to tag along with other bands in the harder rock genre if they need spaces to fill. We are also looking for venues in Tucson, so if anybody has any connections, please contact us.

Not sure what else to write here, so I'll make recommendations about promoters to work with and such.

Recommended Clubs:
Donna Jean's Libations (67th Ave & Bell) is a wonderful club for bands that are just starting out. Donna Jean does the booking for it, so it's usually just a $3 cover (no ticket sales) and the bands get 100% of the door. Only downside is that it's ages 21+, which is bad for the younger pups.

Famous Sam's (43rd Ave & Glendale) is another fun place to play. I can't remember the promoter's company, but his name is Tad. He's a great guy who does it for the love of music. Every time we play at Famous Sam's, it's just a $5 door cover with 90-100% of the proceeds going to the band. It's only 21+ about half the time.

Rick from One Body Too Many books shows here and there, and he also plays bass. He's a great guy to work with, a bit chatty, but usually keeps ticket prices low and profit margins high. If you're even a little bit metal, you might try hitting those guys up as well.


Rather than throw out names of poor promoters that we've worked with, I will just say that this state is full of people who think there is good business in promoting smaller local bands. There isn't. You'll only get screwed over as a band. Always look for internally-booked venues. Or, if you or a friend would like to take on the task of booking 4/5 bands for a club and fronting the club booking price, I suggest you do it this way. Not only is it a great way to get connections with other bands, you also can ensure that most of the profits go to the bands instead of your pocket, which makes you more liked, and so on and so forth.

Yay for AZ!

Upcoming Shows:
01/30 - Donna Jean's Libations @ 67th & Bell. $3 cover. 21+.
02/13 - Joe's Grotto (also my birthday!) @ 32nd St & Thunderbird. $8 Tickets. All ages.
02/21 - Chasters (Scottsdale somewhere). $10 tickets. All ages.

[omnimutant]

Always look for internally-booked venues.

No truer words have been spoken about that! If your ever in the east Valley Hit up Hollywood alley. It's probably the best place for small bands trying to get some exposure. Everyone is super nice, and they have a decent stage. Usually pretty good crowd draw and any given night, and they let just about anyone play. Ross, the owner, is really cool and the food their is great! It's usually a $5 cover, with a list option and the sound man generally gets paid first.(usually very pro sound man too) Everything else goes tot he bands unless it was a special promoted show.

#8 is yours!