Yes. Of course you did your research, and other entities have their own "unofficial" showcases. There is stuff going on on every street corner and in every bar. I think the contention from the beginning is that WERXCOLUMBUS asked for money from the public to fund their "showcase." Whereas many of these other entities do not. WFMU is having an "unofficial" showcase, but instead of asking listeners for money to fund this endeavor -- they booked Death of Samantha and can demand enough money at the door to foot the bill.

I grant the difference you mention.. i'm just not sure it means that much in the end. I guess I was thinking about a bunch of other questions:
1. Is any Columbus band actually able to get much of a draw outside of Columbus?
2. The earlier suggestion that quality of band corresponds to draw or being able to pay your own way: this is not a thing - people go to bands that they've heard of. Draw is based mostly on promotion.
3. I think that's why I had been asking about promotion in general. I was trying to figure out if Columbus music press, broadly construed, was even interested in promotion of its musicians nationally, or if they were, but having a difficult time of it. Or is it that the press entities are trying to get more national attention, and this goal is at odds with focusing on local music? I'm not making an assertion, i'm just wondering, really.
4. I know this thought gets aired in a variety of ways, and i suppose maybe i tend to hear it more from disgruntled musicians, but i suppose it doesn't hurt to ask: is Columbus music press, broadly construed, even out at shows, aside from the obvious ones? and if the problem is just not enough writers, then why not invite more writers?

Lydia Loveless, Black Swans and Two Cow Garage are three that come to mind right away. I don't know how they draw, but they tour a lot and have created what could broadly be construed as "buzz".



Eh...maybe a chicken and egg sort of thing. I go to see bands that I've seen before, that I like, and that put on a good show. Quality is entirely important, but there's got to be something to get me through the door the first time.




I think it's their job to report on what's going on locally. Certain local journalists have made the effort in recent years to send pieces to national publications.



I get out rarely anymore, but I usually see Joel O., DeVille, and Rick Allen at every show. More isn't necessarily better, and when was the last time you talked to anybody who came out to see a local band because of the sweet write-up they got in the Alive or Other Paper? Positive press is part of it, but basically good, hard working bands rise to the top by virtue of their talent and work ethic.

My question: How many of the "We Are Columbus Ohio" bands have played gigs in Austin outside of SXSW? Do they tour national or even regionally? (I'd define regionally as "as far south as Nashville, as far east as NYC, as far north and west as Chicago") If they are still basically Ohio bands and haven't made the jump to touring, why should anybody at SXSW give a damn about them? From the outside, it looks like this effort is "Waah...I want to play SXSW but it's expensive and I don't have the connections or the resources to put a string of shows together to get myself down there and back."

1. So... just an observation - this is I think at least the third Columbus music press person to make the statement: "I get out rarely anymore....but"... I seem to hear that a lot, off the cuff, from Columbus music press people... true story.

2. Sure, more isn't necessarily better. It's just probably a LOT better than less. There's certainly a lot more to cover. I've heard of people chart on CMJ and not get a peep from Columbus music press. I think the focus on a relatively small number of bands gives the impression that there isn't much music going on in Columbus.

3. From what I know - quite a few of the "We Are Columbus" folk do tour outside of Columbus, actually. This includes more than the obvious ones... Hebdo I think has been out and about quite a bit. I think Munhall has as well. Some of this i'm just inferring from a variety of posts I happen to see every now and again. I really don't know either of them very well. Floorwalkers has definitely been around the states. In fact, I think it may be over half of the groups that have done at least one tour where they go through about half the U.S. I know this, and I barely keep up with what's going on in Columbus music.... Several of them, i'm pretty sure, are doing other events at SXSW unofficial.

4. Hmmm... So... looking at (3) and (1) again why not bring on more writers in general? I'm sure there isn't a dearth of proficient writers out there that would be willing to go to a show here and there. (though, i grant there are people actually doing music blogging that show a dearth of writing proficiency). Aren't some of the bigger culture papers in Columbus just importing fashion and style-writers to write "album reviews" anyway? (true story... i think).

btw - i really appreciate the dialogue. i've tried to piece this all over a number of times over the years. i'm just trying to take a new look at it and ask new questions - since this same old discussion seems to pop up in one form or another over the years.

The logic that a band exists, therefore it's deserving of "press" is invalid.

I'm not a Columbus music press person.



Write letters to the editor, letting him or her know what their publication is missing out on.



If this is true, then they should not be asking their fans for donations to pay for their trip/gig. My opinion.



This implies that people would read the additional articles and be motivated to attend more local shows as a result. See Jawbreaker's comment above.



No prob. It beats finishing this document I've been working on all afternoon at work...I guess I'm coming around to Capaldarino's way of thinking. Enjoy what local music you like. If you're in a band, focus on making the best music you can. Beating the drum for the Columbus music scene can be fun, but don't expect anyone else to care.

are there even any good bands in columbus anymore

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

Shot of the Phantods from WeRCbus...
Caption reads that they are "rockin SXSW"
Shot is from front of stage, no audience shown at all, but to the right you can see the place looks damn near empty.

In fairness to the Phantods, this picture appears to have been taken at their gig last night at the Thirsty Nickel in Austin. The Pay-for-our-Gig-a-thon is today. Phantod's website shows that they also have another show in Austin on Saturday.

if a band played in the woods, did the show really happen?

btw i have friends that play sxsw pretty consistantly... i bet you can guess how many times they've hit me up on kickstarter.

I stand corrected.
This info was not clear on the WeRCbus page.
My opinion of the 'tods has dropped a bit, though, since they decided to jump on the kickstarter train with this group...

I sent my friend - who works for a pretty big management company - to see the Phantods. If there's a band that can benefit from this showcase, it's them.

you should have sent me i couldnt afford gas and my kickstarter page didnt get a single hit

Is this another thread about Columbus' place in the music scene or how we should get the word out about the Columbus scene? This may or may not be an appropriate time for me to pimp my DIY book about being an "artiste" (pronounced ar-teest).

An excerpt:

"The artiste sees little or no value in self-promotion. The artiste is distracted by the beauty of the world AND its sadness, is prone to drinking heavily and calling off, making love like the world is about to end, frollicking about the countryside with a fine French pinot noir or trying to overdose on THC in a secluded basement while recording another unlistenable, unheard gem and perhaps accidentally erasing it in the process. The artiste's mind is clouded with drugs and artistic vision. He knows that expecting to be compensated for pushing his art on friends and various other victims is like eagerly awakening on a bone-chilling wintry morning before sunrise, downing half a bottle of Ten High whiskey, shoveling the neighbor's roof and expecting prompt payment for services rendered.

Success is defined by how close the art matches or suggests the artiste's vision not how marketable it is. Afterall, the art is priceless. The banal idea of whoring the product of his muse is as likely to elicit snarky chortling as it is to create an urgency to vomit and depending on the artiste's present state of mind could lead to difficulty in inhibiting emotions, anger, excitement and even violent behavior. The artiste knows their art doesn't have potential to sell until at the very least 30 years after they have been buried upon accidentally overdosing in a trashed apartment above a dive bar."

Thx for the thoughts. I guess my thought is that Columbus music press shouldn't be counting on other people to be doing their job (depending on Columbus music people to keep them in the loop w/ letters to the editor, etc...). The original complaint way back when was that WeareColumbus can't say they represent Columbus, because they aren't representative of Columbus. To hear people (minus you - sorry) then say that "they barely get out anymore" was hypocritical.

The bands that are part of WeArecolumbus - i'm sure they're just taking every opportunity to promote themselves. so I just thought it was strange to criticize them for taking an opportunity. Especially given how other bands, often mentioned here, have done far worse in name of promotion. (this is not news, no?).

And I do agree - nobody's going to come to your show b/c they read a review online. But that's not why you try to get press these days. You just try to get a mention in a blog or magazine, and then TELL people that you got a mention, so that you can sound "official". So i think that's consistent with increased press actually having an effect - especially for the strangely untapped OSU undergraduate market - i still don't understand why people haven't tried to reach this market. Anyway, I exhausted all of my thoughts on that this year.

I certainly don't make it out to shows as often as I'd like. But I try to get out enough to not be "out of touch." I do have an ongoing mental list of bands I haven't seen that I want to make sure I see. Too, most bands aren't shy about sending email updates with relevant news, music, etc.

There's also the stuff I have no business writing about that I try to forward on to people who are more in the know about certain bands, genres, etc.

But yeah, there have been quite a few threads dedicated to the question of "What should local music press cover'?" Anything I say would be a rehash. I'd search around.

here's a bit of a write up of the show

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories ... ction.html

special guest appearance by the friendship farm

How soon do we start the kickstarter campaign to send a contingent of us to Austin to stand across the street from this showcase next year with our arms folded across our chests, disdainful looks on all of our faces?

We could make a real cool video to go with it...

My manager and i stopped by the showcase. I think its cool that they are trying to do something, but on the way home, we brainstormed a zillion things To try that might help it to be more successful.

And for only $250, i will tell them what those things are.

HOW MANY RECORD DEALS DID THEY GET?

ARE THEY GONNA PAY BACK THE DONATORS OR JUST GIVE THE MONEY TO THE BANDS?

Sounds like an excuse for another Kickstarter....

That article had a decently snarky edge to it, but when is anyone in the press gonna actually call this out for the BS that it is/was?