Making the Connection
- Lawrence businesses work together to keep Lawrence's music scene live
by
Christopher
The Nixons from Oklahoma City, perform for a wild crowd at the Bottleneck. 737 New Hampshire. Bands such as the Nixons are brought to Lawrence by a combination of promoters, agents and bar owners.
Staff Photographer / KANSAN
Bulgren
Jacki Becker rushes to finish her salad and polish the bar. Becker, production manager at The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., has a lot of work to do for the show.
The process of bringing music to Lawrence begins with booking bands through agents such as Becker. Agents pursue bands and other live acts with phone calls and bids.
"We look for bands that are either successful or fit our market," Becker said. "We also listen to word-of-mouth."
Although bringing regional and national music acts such as Everclear and Poe to Lawrence begins with a few agents like Becker, the process is carried out by people involved with radio stations, music stores, bars and ticket agents. Using this method, Lawrence's small-town network of agents, owners and promoters bring hundreds of live acts to town every year.
Before a date or a bid can even be established, a band's availability for a Lawrence show must be determined. This depends on the band's touring schedule. Traditionally, many bands tour from coast-to-coast, but some groups are taking a new approach.
"Bands like Filter and the The Presidents of the United States of America start in the Midwest and are doing tours of half the country," Becker said. This way some bands are appearing in Lawrence on their second or third touring date instead of in the middle of a tour.
Once a band has been booked, area businesses become involved with promoting the show.
"In bigger towns like Kansas City or Chicago there's this huge competition to see who will sponsor a show," Becker explained.
Lawrence is small and has a limited number of stations that play alternative music, a type of music often showcased at the Bottleneck, the Granada and Liberty Hall. Lawrence's radio station KLZR The Lazer, 105.9 FM, is one such station, and it often sponsors bands that play in the Lawrence area.
"It just means that they were the station playing the record first," Becker said.
When The Lazer begins a concert promotion, it usually receives exclusive tickets and products from the band's label. Additionally, the station is involved with the actual show, handing out bumperstickers and other promotional materials for the station after the show. The bands advertise on the radio, and occasionally the station conducts an in-studio interview with the band.
Jeff Petterson, assistant music director at the The Lazer, has been involved with a few such interviews. "If it's a band we're playing, we'll definitely be interested in calling the label for an interview," Petterson said. "We also try to get them to play live in the studio."
Petterson said there are benefits of this kind of promotion. "Sun Volt came into town and played live on the Lazer. It sounded perfect. We got calls from people wanting a tape of the performance and tickets to their show." Petterson said.
Music stores play a role in the promotional process as well. Stores such as Love Garden Sounds, 936 1/2 Massachusetts St., or The End, 1000 Massachusetts St. promote bands with filers and feature CD releases of bands scheduled to visit Lawrence.
Brian Davenport, assistant manger of The End, has seen some of the nation's top acts play in his store. "If a band's coming, we will contact the record company or the manager to see if they can perform in the store," Davenport said. These kinds of performances may
have similar benefits to in-studio live broadcasts.
"Sales usually increase if a band plays in the store. We've had Everclear play in here twice," he said. "The second time was the most people we've ever had in the store — around 400. The store was full."
The mix of local businesses becomes intertwined as they work together to promote shows. The End not only hosts bands and puts up fliers but also sells tickets to shows for the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St., Davenport said.
The radio station also catalyzes this process by sponsoring shows or promoting the band and its product. This helps bring bands to town as well as bring people to the shows.
The small-town atmosphere appeals to many groups on tour, and Becker said she thought that Lawrence had an advantage against larger cities in getting big-name acts.
"Kansas City doesn't get some of the bands we get because we work together as a community to get some of these shows," Becker said. "Bands really like it here."
Lawrence's strong musical tradition also has played a role in bringing bands to Lawrence, said Jeff Fortier, an independent promoter with Avalance Productions. Fortier has watched Lawrence's music scene develop and grow.
"Around the mid '80s, bands realized that Lawrence was a good place to come and stay," Fortier said. "Bands liked Lawrence, they were treated right and they wanted to come back."
Fortier, who also books shows in area clubs, said he believed that many factors had put Lawrence on the map as a possible tour stop for bands.
"The Lazer really made Lawrence a national scene," Fortier said, "but the local scene has definitely contributed."
The mix of culture and tradition along with Lawrence's University life make it a great place to play. "Most bands that come through here leave smiling."
Staff Photographer / KANSAN
Lance, Bud Fox, Glow Sheets, and Bert Hamlin, members of Quickserv Johnny, relax before a performance at the Bottleneck.
February, 1996 $ \textcircled{*} $ The Hill
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