Marketing the Band - Irish Pubs and Rock Venues
George O'Brien - Arizona Correspondent
This is a series of articles on building an Irish/Celtic band in Arizona.
Part 1 "Do You Really Want To Be A Professional Musician?" and "Do You Really Want To Do Irish Music?"
Part 2 "Can You Fill The Role Of Band Leader?" Who Is Going To Handle The Operational Tasks Of The Band?
Part 3 "What Kind Of Irish/Celtic Band Do You Want To Build?" and "What Performance Style Should You
Have?"
Part 4 "Who Should Be In The Band?"
Part 5 "What Is Your Repertoire?"
Part 6 "Do You Have Stage Presence?"
Part 7 "Do You Have The Equipment To Run A Band?"
Part 8 "How Will You Find Your First Gig?"
Part 9 "How Do You Plan To Build Your Fan Base?"
Part 10 "Do You Have Media/Marketing Kit?"
Part 11 " Who Is Your Target Market?"ARE YOU PREPARED TO BECOME A PUB BAND?
It is probably not fair that the pub bands tend to get so much more attention than the folk or traditional performers. However, the reason is obvious - pub bands play more and generally earn more than the other approaches. Top local pub bands like The Clare Voyants and Seanachie will average over six gigs a month while traditonal bands rarely average over two and the trad bands typically make less money per gig. The exception is concert performances, but a top concert band like New Potatoes may not play more than three or four times a year. This is not necessarily fair, but that is the reality of the market.
The pub market in Phoenix has expanded considerably over the last five years and bands that meet their requirements are in great demand. However, not every band that tries to become a pub band/performer succeeds. The pub owners are very explicit about what kind of music they want and bands that do not deliver do not get booked.
Pub owners like band that do a lot of up tempo sing along, clap along songs and tunes. They like bands that can get the Irish dancers up and dancing. Most of all, they like bands that can hold the audience at the pub and keep them drinking alcohol. One Renaissance Faire band, the Bringers, generated complaints that their audience all drank sodas!
As a general rule, a pub band playing to a new audience (relatively few members of their fan base), they generally should have their vocals a ratio of two-to-one up-tempo material. There should never be more than two ballads in a row when playing to a new crowd. There are some special vocalists who can really grab the attention of the audience with slow materials, Brid Dower of Ashling comes to mind, but they are a rarity.
Pub bands/vocalists should mix up their tempos, vocal dynamics, and rhythms. Most successful pub bands have two or more vocalists. The goal is avoid boredom by the audience. There is no band that is better at this than The Clare Voyants who include extensive vocals by three singers as well as featured fiddle tunes. The McMorrows are another great band for mixing it up and are especially effective at using harmonies and multiple instruments to create variety.
In Part 6 on stage presence, I noted that successful pub bands do a lot to emphasize energy. This is rarely a problem for the Celtic Rock bands that tend to play faster, have a strong beat, and are louder. However, all successful pub bands are able to get the audience's blood pumping. Apparently this makes them thirsty.
Every pub style band and most of the Celtic Rock bands have a fiddle. Fiddle tunes can get the audience going, but the vocalist has to be able to do continue that energy if the band hopes to be a pub band.
One of the things that can get new bands into trouble is when they front load their first set with slow material and save their up tempo stuff until later. Unless the early audience sticks around for the second set, the higher energy may be wasted because the audience cleared out. At the same time, the pub owner may not stay the evening, so a low energy first set may leave a sour "first impression." This is another situation where an established band can do things that a new band should not.
The bottom line is that the band has to accommodate the requirements of the pub environment. Band that are uncomfortable doing the kind of material they want should choose a different target market.
HOW DO YOU GET THE ATTENTION OF THE PUB OWNER
CHARITY GIGS AND BENEFITS - Irish bands do an extensive number of charity events and benefits. Several bands have earned pub gigs after performing at the AIMS Anniversary Party (Arizona Irish Music Society www.azirishmusic.com) and benefits for dance schools and the Phoenix Irish Feis. Benefits are a great opportunity to showcase the band in front of the people who hire bands.
REGULAR DROP IN CHATS - In addition to giving the pub owner the media kit, it is a good idea to simply drop in and chat with the pub owner. This should not be a hard sell, but just a chance to get to know one another. Given a choice, the pub owner will book someone he likes rather than a perfect stranger.
REHEARSALS AT THE PUB - Ask the pub owner if it would be OK to hold a rehearsal at the pub. If there is nothing else going on (like a dart tournament or a special sports broadcast), they are likely to agree. If the audience responds well, it could turn into something. If not, then at least the band gets a rehearsal under live conditions.
SIT IN WITH OTHER BANDS - Many bands are open to having other performers come up and play with them for a few songs or tunes. For the established bands, it adds a little variety for both the audience and the band itself. For the performer, it is a way to get the attention of the pub owner and the wait staff.
MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE BAR TENDERS AND WAIT STAFF - Some bands go to great lengths to encourage the patrons to tip the wait staff and bartenders. This is only partly because they want to be nice. The bar tenders and wait staff can have a very positive influence on which bands get selected. This is especially true when the pub owner is not present for most of the performances.
HOW DO ROCK VENUES DIFFER FROM IRISH PUBS?
I usually put Irish pubs in the middle between traditional music venues such as coffee places and libraries on one side and rock venues on the other. Compared to traditional music venues, pubs are louder, rowdier, and the audiences tend to be younger. At the same time, rock venues are much louder, rowdier, and have an even younger audience than Irish pubs.
It may be useful to develop a special demo CD of all up-tempo material to give to these venue owners. They are not going to be interested in ballads and slow airs.
The most obvious difference between Celtic Rock bands and other Irish Pub bands is their percussion. Celtic Rock bands have full drum kits, while Irish Pub bands generally only use a bodhran if they have any percussion at all. The McMorrows and Seanachie only use the bodhran on certain pieces. If I were to predict which bands would do well at rock venues, I would first evaluate how pronounced the percussion is.
I use the term "rock venue" somewhat loosely. As a rule, when playing outside of the Irish pub scene, Irish band tend to do better with venues that cater to a slightly older and more up scale crowd. It is only partially a joke when I say that I can evaluate the crowd based on how many are wearing baseball caps.
In scouting for possible rock venues, it is a good idea to read the entertainment pages of the Rep, New Times, and Get Out. This will tell you which venues routinely book local bands. It may be useful to check out the local rock and pop bands to get a feel for which ones appeal to adult audiences, because they will play venues that may be open to booking Irish. The AIMS venue directory includes a section of rock venues where Irish bands have at one time or another performed.
[This is the 12th segment in the series "On Building an Irish Band in Arizona"]
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