This is a flier for the best show that took place in Rochester, NY during the summer of 2009. I had the honor of organizing and staging it. In the late spring, April or so, I received an email from Daniel Lupton, the owner of Sorry State Records. I had contacted him the previous summer about putting on a Rochester show for his band Logic Problem and was excited that this seemed like it finally could be a reality. Logic Problem would be touring the East Coast with The Shitty Limits, a phenomenal band from the UK and would have a chance at stopping through Rochester. I jumped at the opportunity because both bands are extraordinary and it would be fantastic to bring them to my hometown.
First and foremost, was to find a local venue for the bands to play. Recently, there had not been many places willing to do all ages punk gigs, so the picking was sparse. Generally, we were limited to lodges in the county parks, several city houses where the renters were willing to risk hosting shows, and a handful of venues without much atmosphere. Luckily for me, a good friend’s parents worked at Monty’s Krown, a local bar, and through him I was able to book the date for the evening.
Next thing to do was to find a good mix of local bands to include on the bill. I knew that I would want my band, Love Pork, to play, but I was still in need of at least two additional bands. I knew that Daniel had been a fan of Insubordinates, a Rochester-based band. I asked them to play with a newer act that had just started in town that I wanted to see called Abominations. By mid-May I confirmed that all the bands were available in late July and was now ready to promote the show.
To promote punk and hardcore shows in Rochester, it is incredibly important to have a good flier. I have found this to be a very effective marketing medium. A flier should contain all the relevant information like date, time and place of the show, but also must be eye-catching and attention grabbing. In the handful of shows that I have put on, I feel that homemade fliers, cut and pasted then copied, create a great effect. Not only are they more appealing but they seem more personal as well. If a person really takes some time and works at hand gluing together a great flyer rather than just simply mushing something together in Photoshop, it is obvious to the viewer and has a better look to it.
As the date of the show approached, I went to punk shows as I normally do and passed out fliers at them. I prepared online t to publicize the show and used various message boards, MySpace, and Facebook to get the word out. I knew that the show was going to be awesome.
My intuition about the show was absolutely right. Each of the local acts performed phenomenally, and the touring bands were mind blowing live. The bands energized the Rochester audience and I was glad to see that everyone was having a good time. I love putting on shows not only because I get a chance to share and give back to the community I’m so glad to be a part of, but I also get a chance to meet new people from different parts of the world. The Shitty Limits from England were some of the nicest people I have ever met. They were all incredibly polite and were genuinely warm and friendly people. I was able to collect enough money at the door to give them a reasonable amount to continue on the road to their next stop of their month long tour. My friend Brett, guitarist/singer of Insubordinates, was able to have the two bands stay at his house and we all were able to spend some quality time together. I am glad I got the chance to meet these people and put on this show and many others as well. Through these shows, I am able to not only bring in acts that I would like to see from all over the world, but expose Rochester audiences to new music, and these groups to Rochester’s enthusiastic reception of diverse people and the music they have to offer.
