Getting Your First Show in Morgantown

Ok, so you have the right guys, the songs are written, and the songs are solid enough to play in front of a crowd. Who do you have to talk to for a show around here?

Unfortunately for a new local band, places like 123 Pleasant Street and the Rosewood get a lot of established local acts, regional touring acts, and the occasional national act all trying to get a spot on any given night at one of their clubs. This is a good thing that the clubs have such a demand for shows but for a new band this can be very discouraging.

When I moved here and was in my first Morgantown band I didn't know anyone and was eager to be the booking agent of the band eventhough I had no clue or experience in any aspect of booking shows. I don't know if LJ still recommends this or not, but when I would request shows in the beginning he would either not reply or say "why don't you come down to an open mic night and show the locals what you're about and get a buzz going around."

So, basically what I'm saying is start from the ground up. Register for the open mic nights at 123 and play the smaller places that have a less demand for shows. The Corner Cafe, Fuel, The Side Pocket Pub, open mic night at the Brew Pub (although it's recommended you're a bluegrass outfit for that), Fielder's (watch out for Fielder's though... it's quite the redneck joint) and house shows are all great places to start... and if that's not enough then be creative, one way that Cryptorchid Chipmunk would try to get people to come to shows would be after practice we'd grab an acoustic guitar, trombone, and anything else not electric and sit somewhere on High St. playing our songs and dancing. It became such a hit that we actually had some fans come from Parkersburg just to see us play on the street.

Open Mic Nights at 123 are one of the best ways to get your band started in Morgantown. They are every Wednesday night and all you need to do is call the bar (304.292.0800) at around 9pm and talk to the sound guy (currently at this time it will be Paul) and just ask what is available for the time your band can play and sign up! 123 has an established open mic crowd and you can make great contacts while playing. When I started out we were lucky enough to share open mic nights on a consistent basis with Pats!e, Egoslavia, Lover, and the best open mic night band Morgantown has ever seen... the Tighty Whiteys. You'll even meet some bands that are on tour and just filling in a last minute open slot (the High Strung is a big notable). Aside from the contacts you'll get to work with a sound guy, have complete freedom that 123 offers, and almost all of the other perks that playing at 123 has to offer. The only cons is that you're not playing your own shows yet, gotta have those 18 and over friends, and no free drinks but hey, you can't win them all.

213 Green St is my house. We do about two shows a month depending on how lazy we are. We open up our basement for bands and friends to play music. We open up our living room and dining room for artists of all types. Want to put on a puppet show? Want to show a film? Want to put up your life's work? Contact me at: t.shirt_revolution@yahoo.com or Anthony at: withoutapause@gmail.com All shows are $4.00, all ages, and alcohol free. $3.00 of the door is split between bands and $1.00 is split between the artists. We're really laid back dudes. If you have a problem with anything just talk to us or email us and we'll try and work it out.

IThe Flipside is a new venue that has taken the place of the old Rosewood venue. I haven't been inside there or talked to anyone about it. So, I know virtually nothing about this place. If someone could comment and give me contact information and a general rundown of how things work and the atmosphere... that would be pretty rad.

The Side Pocket Pub requires the submission of a demo and two hours worth of material but it's still pretty easy to get booked there and the pay out is enormous for local bands. A guaranteed $200 is well worth is eventhough you'll be using your own PA and playing to some exchange students under some NASCAR decorations. What a lot of band will do is rent a PA since they have a guaranteed amount of money to pay off the rental and will split the two hour time with another band so that it's still a good pay out and you're not overkilling the crowd with too many songs. I don't have the specifics for contact information for this either because every band I've ever been in has been the band asked to play and never booked it ourselves.

One more thing is to talk to other bars and places about holding shows. We used to nag the bar Spanky's into having shows every week until it became a regular thing. Brian Pennington and Jeremy were spinning records at Fatty Loaf's... most owners like the idea of live entertainment. It brings people in to eat and drink. Don't be afraid to scout some places and look for a place where you could clear some tables for a show.

Remember in the beginning to never turn down a show. Play as many as you possibly can until you start building somewhat of a following. No matter how many times you play in this town at first someone new is going to see you every time. Hit every open mic night that's available, attend any party or show and talk to people and make some friends (because honestly, if you're in this for the money then quit right now. If you're into playing shows because you want to get your music heard and have some adventures then this is for you), and always look for oppurtunities to hop onto some shows. Help out the other bands just starting out when you can and never forget about the already established bands that helped you out or gave you a chance on one of their shows.

image #1 is from April 28th, 2001. First official Cryptorchid Chipmunk show at 123 Pleasant Street with Kids Eating Pizza.
image #2 is the first show ever held at Liquid Lounge
image #3 is from a house show featuring Devil Inside Her (amazing surf rock), Eli from Devil Inside Her made this flyer.