With the main draw for tonight, Penetrator dropping out due to a scheduling mixup - there really wasn't any oppurtunity to promote or advertise about the show. Alive & Kicking did have an ad - and that was big help, except for the fact that that ad -- was for Penetrator to play the show, and they were going to be here.

I'd done everything I could - calling and sending out nearly 200 email invites, plus posting about the show on every message board I could even imagine, several times - Darryl had sent out another 80 invites and made dozens of calls - and then we had our regular group that had been coming out to our shows so far, most of whom were co-workers of Mike and Treno's, but I was growing worried that they'd had already seen us a couple times and we can't count of them coming out forever. We need new people to see us, and become fans independant of any personal relationship -- but we can't get to that point without showing the clubs that we can draw people so that they'll book us with other bands who also draw and NEW PEOPLE can see us.

It's the eternal catch-22 of the Sacramento gigging circuit. In the heydey of Hollywood's Sunset Strip, before the clubs starting requiring bands to pay a fee upfront (pay-to-play) - they used to mix headliner/drawing bands with new, up and coming acts in order to give them a wider exposure. The big acts became big because a) they were good and b) people got a chance to see how good they were. Sacramento's clique system makes that nearly impossible, unless that band spends tons of money ($100-200/Month) on advertising and/or flyering - and our funds are just too limited for that.

Riddle me this:
If a band plays in the forest and nobody hears or sees it - do they rock?

Jim had even called me up a couple of days before and asked "Is anybody going to show up?"

Sigh!

I mean, I understand his position - he's trying to run a business. As a personal favor to *me* since we've become friends and I'd bailed him out by doing sound for him sometimes with only a couple hours notice, he had booked us in on a weekend - pretty much sight unseen too. We hadn't played the Distillery for nearly a year and now we had a new line-up, and all new material. Our previous show at the Distillery with the old lineup had been an "audition night" and frankly, we didn't pass. Not because we didn't play well, but because not enough people came -- plus our style was a bit more "old school" then, especially with the keyboards giving it a Deep Purple feel, and it simply didn't fit with the other bands that regularly played the Distillery and did draw.

We had brought about 40 people into the Roadhouse on our first 'Official' gig with the new group, including most of Sammy's family and apparently that wasn't enough for them. Now, it'll be even harder for us to get back in there, than it was the first time. I didn't want that to happen to us yet again at the Distillery.

Just before the show began Jim told me the night would be a 'success' if a hundred people showed up.

Ok, now I as sweating.

I really wish it wasn't like this. I really wish I didn't have to constantly worry about getting people to come to a show - or constantly count how many people came out - or who promised that they would come out, but didn't - who would've come out if only they had a car, or didn't have a previous engagement - or head cold - or the mumps - or a bad hair day - or whatever excuse it is this time. I mean, if you just don't like us - ok, fine, we'll stop bugging you about it. We don't want to harrass people, and we don't want anyone at our show who would rather be somewhere else. I just wish all i had to worry about was writing songs that really got me excited and were fun to play - and then simply go out and party while we played them.

But as Bodycount used to say - "SH#T AIN'T LIKE THAT!".

OK, THE RANT IS NOW OFFICIAL OVER!

One good thing about tonight was that we were up first, instead of last. We had plenty of time to setup and check out all of gear before starting and that was perfectly fine with us. We were able to talk the soundguy into letting us mic the kick drum, which the Distillery almost never does - and was not an easy battle to wage btw, but ultimately we pretty much got the mix exactly the way we wanted it.

Despite all my worries - it was a pretty good sized crowd. No, it wasn't capacity -- but I think we had about 30-40 people which were mostly for us. At least 20 of those people were from the Cambell's Soup plant where Mike and Treno work, which so far -- was a record turnout from them. Both Darryl and I had some friends show up too, mostly downtown pals of ours such as my friend Tom, Noel (who used to work at a local music store) and Chris.

They were good and loud too - and I like that. :D

We ripped into our songs with a vengence. Yeah, we had something to prove - damn straight. And I had a lot of interaction with the crowd, because during the normal course of our set we have two guitar changes. I'm sure people wonder why it is that bands keep switching guitars -- and I guess they figure it's like ("Oh - I think I'll wear the BLUE guitar right now, because it goes with the mood of this song..."), but for us it's because we use two different alternate tunings for our songs. A few are in dropped-D (the lowest string is tuned down from an "E" to a "D"), but most of them are in dropped-C (the lowest string is tuned to "C" and the next to "G"). We happen to like the dropped-C songs best and like to begin and end the set with them - so we have to change guitars twice and as I result -- I have to talk...and talk...and talk.

Usually there's one or two notable one-liners that go by. Tonight I was saying something about how it's "all about Sacramento" (even though the second band Beyond 7 was from Vacaville, but oh well...) and somebody in the audience said - "It's looks like it's all about San Francisco" and pointed at pictures on the wall of the Distillery that depict SF. In fact, all the pictures on the walls of the Distillery are scenic panorama's and landmarks from San Francisco such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Trans-America Building, Pacific Heights Victorians - etc.

So I said..."Let's not have a 'Do the right thing' moment, up in here. Nobodies throwing a trash can through the window - all right?"

Ok, it was funny at the time... I guess you had to be there. (HA!)

Ron Gilihan who took the live photos of us at Sports Nutz was there and took some more shots, I think my eyes were closed for every one of them.

We're improving a little each show - some of the same sections of certain songs are still rough, and sometimes we actually find new and inventive ways to mess up -- but those are growing more and more infrequent. I actually think we're the only ones who notice these things most of the time, simply because we know what we reheased and most other people don't. The three-part acapello harmony at the end of "Shame" really came off well this time.

There was stress again between people who wanted to stand up front and people wanted to sit during the show. I tried to talk them into a compromise -- standing people on the right, sitters on the left -- but it didn't really work. I hope that doesn't continue to escalate, but in all probability it will. I don't know how many shows I've been to where I just wanted to see the band and my reward was a size 10 boot to the head, from a crowd surfer. Playing a show that inspires people to be vocal and energetic is great, but people getting shoved, blocked from a decent view or trampled is the pits. Ultimately though Rock is not "Sit down" music. That's what you do at the symphony - not a Rock show.

After we played I went over to the Press Club in order to catch Mindphyx, who were performing with Contents under Pressure and Bonita Downs. Unfortunately, Mindphyx had already finished their show, but I got say "Hi" to Brandon, Ian and the guys - plus they introduced me to Mary, Bonita Down's manager who also has been doing some of the booking for Scratch 8, in Old Sac.

I caught a bit of the beginning of Bonita Downs set, and they struct me as you basic thrash-rap-core kinda band. Not bad. Then I headed back to the Distillery and heard some of Beyond 7. They were very interesting and pretty tight. They had grooves that reminded me of Candlebox, but the vocalist was completely different.

Girth, who'd been nice enough to come in at the last minute (Note to all the other bands in town and elsewhere: This is definately a golden virtue to possess. Also promptness, dependability and professionalism are definately in the plus column) They came on last this time, and were just MONSTROUS as usual. Jim really liked them and I could see him scheming which hardcore bands he could book them with in the future.

One nice comment I heard from Tom was that his girlfriend Elaine had bought him a copy of our CD for Christmas -- and he been listening to it since then, but said that we were "much better live" than on the CD.

:D

I think we and Girth will be back at the Distillery some time in the future.

Mission Accomplished.