Starting a Night Q's.

**Bassline Brine** · 12-04-2011, 10:31 AM

So I'm sure I'm not the only one with some questions. And while there is a lot of general information floating around, that's all it is. General.

It really hit me last night that this is something that I HAVE to do. Literally, in Massachusetts, on a Saturday night (last night) there was NOTHING going on. Yeah, there was stuff in CT and RI. But.. here? Nada. I want to fill that gap.

Here's the situation:

Myself and a couple buddies want to start a night in one of the local cities (Looking at both Fitchburg and Lowell at the moment). Central MA has more than a few colleges around, and is close enough to NH to potentially pull some folks down from there if it hits off well enough. Central MA also has a void where there is nothing going on.

Just a weekly or bi-weekly thing (leaning toward weekly, but we'll see). Nothing fancy, just playing "Bass Music" basically. Consider the genre's to include Dubstep, Breaks, Electro, and some DnB. Probably going to have a few resident DJ's whom open, and then see what other local talent we can pull in. More about just consistency in quality of mixing/music rather than sticking to "omg dubstep night" or "omg electro night" which seems to be happening all over the place. (of note, I'll def. be contacting the DJTT community about playing

)

Sounds pretty simple. But there's literally nothing going on in this general area, and while we aren't looking for a crazy packed house rager party, just getting a few people together and playing music that we love and sharing it with people is the goal. But actually getting it all planned out is the monster.

One of the bar's in Boston (Phoenix Landing), which I go to a fair amount, has the kind of vibe I'd like to emulate. I know it's taken them over 10 years of playing music to get where they are, but it's just a great atmosphere. Small bar, great sound system, and people there for the music over the whole "dry-hump grindfest" which seems to be taking over in a lot of places.

Our time-frame is pretty open. We've stated that we'd like to start something in the beginning of next year. No stone date, and we're open to where it takes us. There's still a lot of prep work to be put in.

Questions/Concerns:

Now, setting this up as an actual business with tax write-off's and such is something I'm actively looking into. If anyone has any good information here, I would love to hear it. Would basically want to be starting an event/promotion company, and would like to be able to see about at least writing stuff off. I know it's possible, I just haven't made the connection to how I would do it yet.

My boy and I are checking out venue's at the moment. I realize that is a HUGE part of it. But we're working on that, but don't have something set in stone. Sound and gear, and what the bar/club might have or might not have, is one of our big concerns. (I want to get some of the plans of HOW we would get the gear/sound/djs together before I settle on a venue, though checking out different places never hurts)

Renting gear. I realize that myself, nor any of my good friends, own CDJ's. Also, getting sufficient sound gear to start the first few nights out is something we will probably have to rent. Our plan is to eventually buy the stuff outright, but it's not going to happen right away. We currently have a hodge-podge of equipment, and I realize for a legit night we'd need something a bit more serious.

Is anyone willing to share average costs to rent sound equipment, or even just renting mixers/turntables/cdj's? This is one of the big "unknown" factors in all of this right now. Would LOVE to hear some actual experience of people renting gear.

Basically, once we figure out what the costs would be for the sound equipment (having EXCELLENT sound is a priority), then it's going to really start the ball rolling from there. Depending on the venue's system, that can change, but we've talked about it and definitely plan on bringing sound that will really set the tone. There's nothing like going to an event and the sound sucks.

Anything else anyone thinks should be a legit concern? Something that we should keep in mind? Open to any and all suggestions. Troll the hell out of this, I don't care. But just trying to figure this out and would love all the help I can get with planning. While I've been to a ton of shows, actually running one (albeit small) is a totally different animal.

**Bassline Brine** · 12-04-2011, 04:49 PM

No one with any advice?

**keithace** · 12-04-2011, 05:11 PM

the only advice i have...

http://treehousemuzique.com/manifest...ive-gathering/

**sobi** · 12-04-2011, 05:54 PM

First things first, is to start networking with people operating within the new england community. As someone who has been here since the 90's, I can tell you those who thrive and survive do so by working with the guys who have been around. I was part of some of the biggest productions in CT for about 10 years, though I'm a bit off the board now, and the people who have been around for the longest are those who work with others. I tried giving this advice to someone else who wanted to start something in Hartford, but it fell on deaf ears... and their night only made it one week.
For renting equipment, find Shane Burke from Supreme Sounds. He is the guy in the scene at the moment for equipment rental. There is another guy that I suggest a bit more, but you are going to pay a lot more. That being said, it's worth every penny. His name is Rob Corr, of Correlation Productions. Here's an example of his stuff that he does.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150438525293738
Hope that helps you out man. There's still a ton of people to network with, but get out to the good shows, find out whos running things, and get talking. Working together is the way it works.
Also, if you ever want an old washed up techno/house DJ, give me a shout. lol.

Check into the ADC in southbridge. There is constantly parties going off at that spot. Hook up with Jeff @ True Productions. He is out of Boston, and has been doing quality stuff for over a decade now. Also, contact Chris or Nicole from Columns of Knowledge. He's from CT, and has done most of the largest parties in CT, and been a staple of the New england scene for almost 20 years now.

**Bassline Brine** · 12-04-2011, 06:01 PM

Yeah I've been out to the ADC a couple times, and I'm always down in Boston. Actually going down to The Drop tonight (Jeff's Sunday Bass Night), talked to him for a little last week. Been networking with people like a madman honestly, but it's all in the air really because I'm not attempting to spin out yet myself. I know I've been going to Jeff's shows since the Asylum back 10 years ago now. Haven't really networked with the Knowledge crew, but I'm not often down in CT. (Only like 5 times this year I've gone to shows down there).

Actually been going out to a lot of shows lately networking and talking with people. And enjoying good music multiple times a week. It's really nice going out and knowing people and recognizing people all over the place lol. But we'll see what actually happens. For now I'm just up on talking to people and going out. But you can see the wheels churning in my head for the future.

Yeah there is def. a solid scene here. And people who've been throwing stuff forever.

It's funny, but until I started thinking about this from a DJing perspective, I never thought a single thing about any of this.

**3heads** · 12-04-2011, 06:27 PM

Start out slow! Weekly is way too much to begin with, imo. Actually even bi-weekly might be a bit of a stretch in the beginning. It's always better to organize one great party than two mediocre ones

See that you have all the important things covered by people who really know their shit. You definitely need: someone for the technical side of things (professionally trained is a huge plus, e.g. a theatre tech), someone for the business side of things (who knows his way around finances, planning, general organizational stuff), someone in charge of the music (dealing with all the little DJ issues - timetable, technical problems on the DJ side, etc.), someone with artistic talent for decorations and stuff (maybe not a must, but for me it's quite an important factor), lots of friends who like to help (and don't be afraid to reassess after a couple parties, if someone is more hinderance than help it's best for everyone to politely him that). Doubling up on the important posts (or at least having people who could fill in in emergency situations) can come in handy - no matter how dedicated you all are, there will be times when someone important is not available, but the show must go on

Try to make your parties special. Do stuff that the other people don't, surprise your guests. It's the little things which count (can be something trivial like giving out some fruit for free in the morning, be creative), they set a great party apart from a good one and people remember those unexpected little things the most. Oh, and put profit last.If you think something is the right thing to do, even though another option might net more cash, go with the right way

Don't be put off by stuff going wrong. There are thousands of things which can (and will) go wrong, but you learn something during every party you organize - the good ones just as well as the bad ones. Also, once in a while take the time to just go out and party with all the people involved in organizing your events. Even though organizing parties is lots of fun, you never get to enjoy it as much as you would at someone else's party, so reward yourselves with some time to kick back and just have fun.

Just some random thoughts on the issue (from my experience when regularly organizing parties in Berlin this summer, mostly illegal open-airs but some other stuff as well). Sorry I didn't go into your explicite issues, but I'm not sure there are "one-size-fits-all"-answers to those questions. And for specifics it'd be a bit too far out of my area of expertise anyways.

Btw, read keithace's link. It's very good, most are very valid points, imho.