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Crappy sound at HARPOS. (Detroit)

hyp.spec

hyp.spec

May 14, 2006
1,003
457
Fraser, MI
#1
So my band kicked total ass tonight... even after having to wait 30 minutes for the sound guys at Harpos (Detroit) to fix their blown channels and not having the right mix come out of the PA's. But we still kicked ass!

I swear if I didn't have my GK 700rb-II/Ampeg 810 setup I wouldn't have been able to tell if I was playing in time or not...

Harpos really messed up this time... and they are KNOWN, at least locally for having some of the best sounds period.

Our vocals were hardly sent through the crowd PA, and all I could hear out of the monitors was my screaching singer go nuts.... Really kind of sucks when your drummer can't hear dick and you can barely hear the guitar... trying to balance timing between 3 (metal singers dont count!) players who can only hear certain things is certainly challening.

But at the end of the day, we got a boat load of new fans, sold a ton of shirts and gave away all of our demos.

That and we opened for DEVIL DRIVER \m/ >_< \m/

While it wasn't the most solid performance, we kicked MAJOR ass!

Thanks for reading :) I had the urge to tell you guys :)
 
#6
Harpo's is still open!?!? Good grief, I haven't been there since the last time I played there back in 1981!! For some reason I thought that place closed up years ago.

But that's cool it's still there so bands like yours can play!
 
#8
Mike M. said:
Harpo's is still open!?!? Good grief, I haven't been there since the last time I played there back in 1981!! For some reason I thought that place closed up years ago.

But that's cool it's still there so bands like yours can play!
Click to expand...

Hell yeah it is.

Its dark, dirty and full of drugs but its one of the BEST places in Detroit to play if you're a hard rock/metal act.

The fact that we got such a good reception there just landed us 3 gigs at places we've never played before... and we didn't do anything, the places called US!
 
#9
hyp.spec said:
Hell yeah it is.

Its dark, dirty and full of drugs but its one of the BEST places in Detroit to play if you're a hard rock/metal act.

The fact that we got such a good reception there just landed us 3 gigs at places we've never played before... and we didn't do anything, the places called US!
Click to expand...

That's how I remember it too...dark and dirty but full of drunks! Well, paying drunks, that is! But we had fun there too.

Glad to read more gigs came your way as a result. :bassist:
 
#13
There's limited parking behind the joint and in an adjacent parking lot.

Harpos really isn't good for anything but Metal shows anymore...

Unless extremely dark venues with piss all over the bathroom floor, beer all over the place and getting a contact high from all the weed just by walking is your thing, then I'd avoid the place.

Combine that with the location that requires navigating through some shady parts of Detroit and you've got yourself a winner.

I just ran into the guy who used to do sound at Harpos but they fired him to bring in somebody cheaper who has managed to royal #### up the sound system there.

Harpos has its place for the right kind of people, but the folks that would go see Mr. Big, I'd say stay far away!


According to Mr. Big's website, they play in Cleveland on the 17th... I'd go to that one.
 
#15
Ekim said:
Sounds like fun! /s

But I'm probably going anyway since it's on a Saturday and my vacation time is getting low at work.

How the hell does Mr. Big get booked there then? Sounds like a serious mismatch.
Click to expand...

Thats what I thought too when I heard about it. I came to find out though that Harpos will overbid for a band, and then book 10-12 local acts and make them sell 40+ tickets each. All the local acts want to 'be heard' and then bust ass getting tickets sold only to find out that they have to be there at 3pm for load, play at 5:30 on the second stage with a 20 minute set... all the while Harpos advertising doors open at 7pm... Sounds like a blast doesn't it?

I've been through the aforementioned process above, but I've been fortunate to secure later time slots and not get dooped like some of the other bands I've played with.

Mr Big would have been much, much better off playing at the Royal Oak Music Theatre...
 
#16
hyp.spec said:
Thats what I thought too when I heard about it. I came to find out though that Harpos will overbid for a band, and then book 10-12 local acts and make them sell 40+ tickets each. All the local acts want to 'be heard' and then bust ass getting tickets sold only to find out that they have to be there at 3pm for load, play at 5:30 on the second stage with a 20 minute set... all the while Harpos advertising doors open at 7pm... Sounds like a blast doesn't it?
Click to expand...

Well, clubs are still doing that crap huh? We decided to do house shows and DIY spaces a few years ago because of that nonsense. We're all too old and experienced to put up with that racket. We will only play clubs if they're small, the shows are free, and we get to pick the other bands. We don't get paid much if at all but we get a decent amount of people to show and we have fun. Besides, if kids aren't paying $10 or $15 to get into the show, they have cash to buy merch.

Once you have a decent fan base you can do the same thing too. Sure, it's fun to play on a 4 ft stage with a 20,000w PA behind you, but it's more fun to book your own shows and have control of everything, play with friends, and not have to worry about set times. I've played quite a few DIY shows in Detroit and surrounding areas and they're a lot of fun.
 
#17
runmikeyrun said:
Well, clubs are still doing that crap huh? We decided to do house shows and DIY spaces a few years ago because of that nonsense. We're all too old and experienced to put up with that racket. We will only play clubs if they're small, the shows are free, and we get to pick the other bands. We don't get paid much if at all but we get a decent amount of people to show and we have fun. Besides, if kids aren't paying $10 or $15 to get into the show, they have cash to buy merch.

Once you have a decent fan base you can do the same thing too. Sure, it's fun to play on a 4 ft stage with a 20,000w PA behind you, but it's more fun to book your own shows and have control of everything, play with friends, and not have to worry about set times. I've played quite a few DIY shows in Detroit and surrounding areas and they're a lot of fun.
Click to expand...

Amen to that. Playing large gigs is fun, but when it comes down to it, playing a smaller show at a small bar, even the hole in the dive bars where friends and fans show up can just be pure awesome at times.
 
#18
Having been to Harpo's numerous times I have really been impressed with their sound. In all honesty though the best place in Michigan to watch a metal show is The Machine Shop in Flint. The sound is always spot-on, the owner is great and loves the music and there isn't a cleaner, more intimate place to see this type of music. I've talked to lots of bands who have played there and most have been impressed with the place.
 

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