Mono, Kinski, World’s End Girlfriend – 2007-04-25
April 26th, 2007DISCLAIMER: I have no sense of entitlement about taping shows. I do not feel that I deserve to be able to tape every show I attend nor do I feel that I have any more rights than anyone else who attends a show. I’m not some asshole taper who shows up at a show and expects everyone to bow to my whim. I’m just a guy who likes to tape shows.
I hate being treated like a jerkbag by venue staff when I’m just trying to archive a performance from a band that allows taping. I hate that they try to make me feel bad for doing something that, to me, is very important and worthwhile. I guess, in a sense, I understand because it’s not their job to deal with tapers and if they want to they can disallow taping altogether. Different priorities for different people I suppose.
Last night at the show, I showed up with my taping bag, my mic stand, my camcorder bag, and a tripod. There was no hiding the fact that I was there to tape the show. I got into the venue without a hitch and no one said a thing to me (I assumed because Mono has a very liberal taping policy and informed the venue that taping is fine). I figured I was in the clear until the house management gal came over to ask me who I was with, what I was recording for, and what I was going to do with it.
I informed her that I’m not with anyone, I’m recording for posterity, and I plan to put it online for free so everyone can listen to it. That seemed to be ok with her in a certain sense but she informed me that Mono had a clause in their contract with the venue that there would be no audio or video recording at the show. I informed her of Mono’s taping policy and asked if she could double-check with the band to see if I could still record (or, at the very least, if I could still tape the openers). She obliged my request and after about five minutes, a security staff member informed me that I was fine to record and that no one would hassle me about it.
Immediately following that, the head of security pulled me aside (actually, he pulled me outside) to talk to me real quick. He wasn’t a dick or anything, but he told me that I could no longer show up at Neumo’s to record unless I had explicit, written permission from every band that I wanted to record. He also told me that if I didn’t have said permission, I would be ejected from the venue. He didn’t seem to care about “taping policies” or anything like that either so even if I want to tape a band that is perfectly fine with taping (like, say, Explosions In The Sky), I’ll still have to bother the band about getting written permission if I want to tape at Neumo’s anymore. That’s certainly a downer.
I’ll say this: I really don’t care if the venue disallows taping at a show because of some contractual clause. Like the Isis/Jesu show that I couldn’t open tape… I wasn’t really that upset. It was annoying, sure, but it’s not like I cried myself to sleep or anything. I’m perfectly fine with leaving the rig in the car, buying a few beers, and enjoying myself like any other patron.
What bothers me, though, is that they pulled this stunt on me without having any clearly posted signs that audio and video taping was disallowed for the evening. The whole thing could have been avoided if they had just made the policy known from the get-go instead of pulling some sort of bait-and-switch tactic and making me feel like a dickhole in the process.
I didn’t want the venue staff thinking I was a dickhole, though, so at the end of the night I found the head of security and apologized (again) that I caused him any grief and asked him to apologize to the management girl as well. There’s no harm in trying to smooth things over and he seemed to be appreciative of my efforts to do so.
Look at all that writing I did and I didn’t say a damn thing about the show!
I came in a little bit too late to tape The Drift (and all the problems with the venue made it so that my rig didn’t start flying until halfway through their set) but they were really good. That guy sure can play the trumpet.
World’s End Girlfriend was just amazing and great. It didn’t even bother me that he was using a laptop because his music is so entrancing and good.
Kinski is a band that I hadn’t seen play a show in a few years (the last time was when they opened for Do Make Say Think) and I really enjoyed them this time around. Last time I saw them there were some technical difficulties and they were a little off, but tonight they were on like Donkey Kong. The first track in this set is face-numbingly amazing.
Mono never fails to impress, shatter, and move me. They just have so much power and so much grace. They can take a song from a lullaby to a nightmarish dreamscape within seconds and you’ll never see it coming. They played for well over an hour and the crowd still shouted for more (but they got no more, sadly). I was feeling really tired and groggy yesterday afternoon, but I’m really glad I went to this show. Especially considering Mono isn’t going to tour the states again for another year or two.
Mono – 2007-04-25 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Download: mono2007-04-25.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: mono2007-04-25sample.mp3
Kinski – 2007-04-25 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Download: kinski2007-04-25.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: kinski2007-04-25sample.mp3
World’s End Girlfriend – 2007-04-25 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Download: weg2007-04-25.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: weg2007-04-25sample.mp3
April 26th, 2007 at 5:15 PM
Hey Brian, I just wanted to say that I appreciate you taping what you did, even after all the shit the venue pulled.
April 26th, 2007 at 5:22 PM
That’s messed up. Is Neumos just trying to make themselves suck lately? I went to my first show in about a year there and couldn’t believe how bad that new bar is along the side. At least after filming 3 days of EitS you should be able to get them to vouch for you for the Neumos show.
April 26th, 2007 at 6:42 PM
WOW! Bad news on the Neumo’s situation. Thanks for taking the time to explain everything for other Seattle folk.
So do you think it will be open taping with video for Explosions in the Sky? I was planning on doing MiniDV video and OKMIIr -> iRiver audio for the 2nd night.
If you don’t find out until the night of the show I’ll bring my camcorder just in case it works out… otherwise it’s stealth audio only I guess.
Thanks for all your efforts Brian!!
April 26th, 2007 at 6:57 PM
We’ll see what happens for EITS. I’m taping them for the two prior shows in Oregon so maybe I can talk to them after the Eugene or PDX shows and ask them to make a special remark to Neumo’s staff that taping is ok.
April 26th, 2007 at 10:40 PM
so did you get permission or did you tape stealth?
sorry to hear about your woes. and i thought you had it made at neumo’s!
April 27th, 2007 at 12:30 AM
I ended up getting permission and I was allowed to record openly.
April 27th, 2007 at 1:59 AM
Thanks for all of this! just got back from mono in portland – great show, also no encore for us. glad you taped kinski. I used to go to their shows all the time in their early days but haven’t kept up the past few years. That first song is one of their oldest, btw. The setlist is something like this (they have a new record coming out so I don’t know what those are called):
1. Semaphore
2. Hiding Drugs In The Temple (part 2)
3. ?
4. ?
5. The Wives Of Artie Shaw
6. ?
7. ? (sounds like a cover?)
8. Point That Thing Somewhere Else (Clean cover)
April 27th, 2007 at 3:00 AM
Cheers for taping the World’s End set- I’m just now deciding whether to go to a great deal of trouble to get to their Philadelphia show. It’s hard to know whether a given laptop band is going to be worth seeing.
April 27th, 2007 at 12:01 PM
Hi, I saw the Drift, World’s End Girlfriend, & Mono when they came to Portland last night & I have to say it was an amazing experience (also my first time seeing Mono). It’s almost a blur to me (as all of life’s greatest experiences are) and I just wanted to thank you for taping the show that you saw & providing it for any and everybody to see. It sort of gives me something to cling onto so the memories stay on with me through time.
Thank you.
April 27th, 2007 at 12:35 PM
I think it really should be up to the artist to decide whether you tape their show. I appreciate you trying to get 100% permission from both the venue and artist but really if the artist says OK but the venue is hassling you still; I want to say just stealth tape it. Having to get written permission is sorta ridiculous.
April 27th, 2007 at 8:45 PM
Brian, do you think this has anything to do with that JW thread on the Stranger a few weeks ago?
April 27th, 2007 at 9:56 PM
I don’t know… probably not. Seems like a coincidence to me.
She’s not helping things, though. That’s for sure.
April 28th, 2007 at 12:40 AM
I remember seeing that JW person at shows as early as ’99. I remember someone asking her if they could get a copy of a recording and she said she’d only copy them for the bands. I know she did do that sometimes — Voyager One once gave me a show she’d copied for them to cassette so I’d transfer it to cd. It sounded pretty crappy. You’d think someone taping basicall for herself would make less of a spectacle of herself when taping, by stealthing perhaps.
April 28th, 2007 at 9:18 AM
That reminds me… I have a Voyager One tape that I need to give to the band. Thanks for reminding me.
April 28th, 2007 at 11:55 AM
Neumo’s seemed extra-securityish that night. The security guy brought me outside because I was taking (some not particularly good) photos with a consumer dSLR. (I had permission from Mono’s publicist, but they didn’t have photopasses at the door.) It was pretty weird. I wonder if they were on high alert because the band was recording the show, too?
April 28th, 2007 at 1:22 PM
JW has an in store that she taped and said I could have if I got the band’s permission. I got the ok from a band member and was supposed to send them a copy too but since it wasn’t on an email from the band’s official site’s address, she wouldn’t accept it. I guess the next time they’re in town I’m going to ask her to bring a few copies to where they’re playing and bring someone from the band over to ok it, then tell him he should have her kicked off the board since she supposedly profits from them.
April 28th, 2007 at 10:32 PM
Hey Brian – Sucks to hear about the show. Just curious what the head of security looked like. I taped Rocky on 4/20 and miscommunication myself. First security guard I saw was that girl with the tattoos and body piercing. She said no taping but my friend knows Rocky and knows that he allows taping. She (my friend) tried to call him but didn’t get him. We decided to wait until we got ahold of Rocky, but when I was going outside, a guy who seemed to be the head of security came up to me and asked what I was doing. I explained everything to him and he asked me that if I was told you shut down that I would and I agreed to it. He had black hair and dark skin (don’t know if that was the guy who pulled out). Anyways, I still had to deal with that security girl but she let me in, though I had more problems. During the Street to Nowhere set I heard them checking for taping. They verified it. Don’t know if that venue is starting to hate tapers or what. Hopefully I can tape Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Secrets Chiefs 3 easily without having to get permission. Let me know how it goes for EITS. Peace.
Jarod – alienbobz
April 29th, 2007 at 8:41 PM
damn brian, you’ve got my sympathies. if they pulled that bs here in vancouver, i’d be screwed if i wanted to do video for the bands i like.
jarod: for sc3, look for a sc3 thread on ts.com, there’s a guy on there who can get you explicit permission to tape via the band themselves. try that.
April 30th, 2007 at 1:15 PM
Kinski set is KILLLER! thanks, Brian!
May 1st, 2007 at 4:40 PM
Firm – I actually am working with him to get that show taped. I think the only other show I have to do at Neumos is SGM. Hopefully that goes ok.