I just wanted to share this story, while it's progressing.
I had a show booked with some great local punk bands, at a great local venue. We usually have a pretty good turnout at this place, but the combination of a really cool promoter, no charge for parking or admission, and a well planned show presented an opportunity and I took it.
We happened to be booked 6 days before NOFX plays a show with The Bouncing Souls in South Florida. I figured we should make it a pre-show party, and have each band cover two NOFX songs, buy some merch and tickets, and raffle them off.
Here's the poster:
And the event page of FB:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei...5386662&ref=ts
So far the show has gotten some attention beyond what it normally would have. We have a few more attendees on the event page than we normally would (sure, it's not a guarantee, but it's a good way to gage your effectiveness) and I'm hoping to get some media coverage if it's not too late. I also wrote a press release:
Mindyou, Jolly Badfellow, Dead Right, Liberty Call
Sponsored by Radioactive Records, Route 8 Records, and The Monterey Club
In late January South Florida’s true punk rockers will put down their skateboards, beer bottles, and pawn shop guitars to party with NOFX and The Bouncing Souls. For those who can’t wait another week to celebrate the ‘second coming,’ there’s Day To Daze on January 22nd, the NOFX-inspired pre-party at Ft. Lauderdale’s new rockabilly hotspot, the Monterey Club.
Four of the best punk bands you’ve never heard of are stoked to channel their tunes with the same mind-warping speed and frenetic energy that NOFX fans crave. Each band will add covers to their usual sets, promising a night that will leave you convinced that time stopped on a half-pipe in 1994.
“These kids act like they’re at a dysfunctional family reunion every time we book them. The last time Dead Right and Mindyou played The Monterey Club we almost had to replace the couches and now I’ve paired them with Jolly Badfellow and Liberty Call," says Jessica Kross, resident promoter for The Monterey Club, "so close your ears and take cover.”
The show is free but $5 will get you 6 tickets for a raffle Sponsored by Radioactive Records, Route 8 Records and The Monterey Club. Prizes include original music and merchandise, Radioactive Records gift certificates, a vinyl copy of NOFX’s Punk in Drublic, and two tickets to the NOFX and Bouncing Souls show the following week. All proceeds from the raffle will support the bands.
Any advice on how to further promote the show is welcome! I'll be back with results after... and hopefully sharing will help you guys get some ideas for turning a regular booking into something more. So far it's really paid off... at least with the promoter.
