Music showcase reaches fourth year
by Michael Lello Weekender Editor

In a perfect world, musical talent plus good songs would equal success.

But anyone that’s attempted to make it as an original musician, either in a band or as a solo performer, knows that there’s a lot more to it than that. There’s promotion and marketing. There’s networking with bands in your market and in other areas. There’s spending hours in a van only to play to an empty house and make barely enough money to cover gas expenses — if you’re lucky.

“The biggest mistake is that people don’t spend enough time doing (promotion),” said Kyle Weber of Indie on the Move, a free, frequently updated independent online network of musicians, booking agents, promoters, venues and record labels. Indie on the Move will present one of the featured clinics at Sunday’s Steamtown Original Music Showcase in Scranton, a day-long, multi-venue event that will feature performances by about 90 bands from Northeastern Pa. and beyond.

“It’s very simple to send out a few e-mails and wait for people to get back to you,” continued Weber, who is a member of Philadelphia band Zelazowa, which will perform at the Showcase. “But you need to go out there and get it and figure out what it is that you want.”

The Showcase has evolved over the years, into a multi-day Labor Day weekend event last year and back to a more focused, one-day affair this year. Three of this year’s venues — Backyard Ale House, Kildare’s, Trax and The Colosseum — are new to the Showcase, joining returnees The Bog and Whistles. The bar and club-based event is open only to 21-and-over attendees, but on Saturday there will be a pre-Showcase roster of bands playing to an all-ages crowd at Eleanor Rigby’s in Jermyn.

The Showcase, in its fourth year, will again provide a central gathering spot for local and out-of-town bands. The artists will get the opportunity to not only reach new fans, but network with each other.

Multifaceted clinics will be held in Whistles’ banquet room, another change from last year, when they were held in a conference room at the Hilton. Clinics include a talk with local media members, including Weekender Editor Michael Lello and Weekender Music Columnist Alan K. Stout, a Dunlop effects clinic by OurAfter guitarist Michael Dudley, a promoters and developers clinic and the Indie on the Move panel.

Weber touched on some of the topics he plans to cover at the Indie on the Move clinic, including playing in new markets.

“The first step in breaking into any market is getting to know the venues,” he said. “Get to know the clubs and the bookers. If you form a relationship with them, they’re going to vouch for you. That’s the first step.”

Weber said that the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, while mid-level bands doing club tours of major markets and college towns seem to skip it, could be a valuable stop-off.

“Some of these smaller markets can be beneficial, especially on tours,” he said. “The first and best way to save money or make more money on a tour is to spend less on gas. So if you travel from Pittsburgh to New York City, or a better example would be from Philadelphia to Albany, N.Y., you’re going to save more money if you hit a place like Scranton on the way rather than just shooting the tour hours, doubling the amount of gas money and playing less shows.”

John “Guido” Phillips, a Showcase organizer who is also the frontman in OurAfter, a local band that has toured and opened for bands like Panic at the Disco and RED, thinks the local original music scene was in better shape five years ago. But he still sees a lot of potential for growth.

“I think the thing about Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, to me, it’s kind of a hub city,” said Phillips. “It’s a hub in between New York and Philadelphia, and the fact there’s kind of everything here. Scranton has always had a bit of a hipster and indie vibe in some spots and definitely a big jazz scene. There’s also a rock scene that gets tapped on more often in Wilkes-Barre than Scranton. There’s room for everything. Look at venues like The Bog, Bart & Urby’s or Caf� Metropolis or Tinks and Whistles.”

On Sunday, music lovers and musicians will see for themselves.

Steamtown Original Music Showcase, Sunday, Sept. 6, featuring about 90 bands, beginning at 7 p.m. at Backyard Ale House, Kildare’s, Trax, The Colosseum, The Bog and Whistles, all in Scranton, and clinics ($5, free for performers) beginning at noon in Whistles’ banquet room. Tickets: Prices vary per venue. Hopper passes, good for all venues, $10. Info and complete schedule:

www.steamtownshowcase.com

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