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Post by wolfsinger on May 11, 2007 8:04:43 GMT -5
As I've mentioned, I'm helping with the demographics research for a local group who are planning on opening a new venue in the Syracuse area.
While it looks like there is a solid metal presence locally, we're having a bit more difficulty getting any solid data on the goth presence. There have been random surveys done at one of the malls, but doing such surveys is pretty hit-and-miss.
In your opinion, is there a large enough gothic presence or interest in the CNY area to justify having one or two nights reserved for goth bands??
Also, in our research, we have found a large number of metal/hard rock bands, but strangely enough, some of the better known ones tend to do more covers than original music. The principals in this endeavor are primarily interested in bands playing original music - metal/rock and goth.
I would definitely like to hear your thoughts on this.
Thanks, WolfSinger
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Post by Zadoc on May 14, 2007 5:38:05 GMT -5
As I've mentioned, I'm helping with the demographics research for a local group who are planning on opening a new venue in the Syracuse area. Syracuse is a bizarre area as far as music goes - and that even extends to national touring acts as well as the local scene. At one point this area did quite well for itself with the Lost Horizon back in it's heydays. It wasn't uncommon for well known national acts to be playing in Syracuse back then - Guns N' Roses, Type O Negative, Helmet, and Cinderella amongst countless others have all played to packed houses at the Lost. Nowadays, on the off-chance that a national touring act *maybe* plays either the Landmark or the Dome, you find that attendance is a bit anemic, or that they're high grossing retro acts like the Stones or Billy Joel. Outside of that, the most you ever see near here is the K-Rock-a-thon where 10-15 bands are jammed onto one bill in order to draw a crowd. Back to the local scene, things have always been a bit weird playing here versus other areas in the state. Outside of our core group of fans and friends here at home, I have to admit we get a better reception outside of Syracuse - and this has been consistent throughout the band's dozen-plus years of playing out. "Goth" in and of itself is a strange genre in which no-one can quite agree fully on categorization. Anything and everything from Joy Division, Siouxie and the Banshees, and The Cure to Marilyn Manson, HIM, and Orgy are embraced or shunned as deserving of the title - by both the artists and the fans. Ourselves, I tend to refer to as Gothic Rock - generally since we incorporate some aspects of goth (mainly the vocal styling, the prominent keyboards, subject matter, and attire) while the rest of the sound tends to borrow more from traditional hard rock and metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Danzig. We tend to blend in quite well alongside of rock bands, metal bands, and punk bands due to this sonic ambiguity. Honestly, for Goth alone - I would say no. Even in places where Goth seems to flourish more - such as Rochester and Albany - Goth nights tend to be mixed in with Industrial and Punk. That is the current trend around here these days, thanks in part to bars that discourage original music. The thought process being that even bad cover bands can at least entertain patrons by "familiarity", whereas bad original bands tend to just scare people off. Any live music venture can be trying, but there are some success stories with original music here in Syracuse - for example, the Half Penny Pub which caters mostly to original bands. In my opinion, it's more about the location of the bar or club, doing enough publicity and promotion, keeping the drink and cover charges low as possible, and booking *good* bands - regardless of whether they're playing covers or originals. While carefully billing bands that "fit together" should be regarded, segregating genres to me, is sort of an afterthought once a bar or club is doing enough business with enough bands that the demand calls for it.
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Post by wolfsinger on May 14, 2007 6:13:50 GMT -5
Thanks for the info! Maybe doing a test run on the goth issue would be advisable to see what occurs.
The prinicipals have some interesting concepts that I am loathe to post on an even semi-public board (confidentiality issues), but so far those that have been approached have shown a lot of excitement.
One thing we haven't been able to discern is why places like the Lost Horizon/Tundra and the Country Club closed down. They had been very hot venues, but suddenly closed with no real warning. We are assuming it was more a matter of insufficient security than anything else.
If you would like to discuss the concept and plans, feel free to contact me by private message or email.
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