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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 29, 1993)
Music’s popularity boosts scene SEATTLE (AP) — He's standing near the stage at the Off Katnp Music Cafe in deliberately ripped Levi's, black leather boots and long cotton underwear beneath a one pocket workman's T-shirt. Both his ears are pierced — the left one twice — and his straight black hair is pulled back by a headband and falls well past his shoulders Is he in a band? Of course So is the guy in cutoffs and short, spiky dreadlocks; the girl with her hair cut to fuzz over her right ear and hanging long over the left; even the prep-cut young man in khakis and a denim shirt !n this birthplace of "grunge" rock, everybody's in a band. And for every one of those aspiring musicians dream ing of being part of the next Nirvana. Pearl )am or Alice Selling (he Seattle product was the aim of Bruce Pavitt and |on Poneman. owners of the now internationally known independent label, Sub Pop. "They just wanted to be the agents by which all the cool music happening here in the mid-flOs could be served up to the world." Sub Pop publicist Nils Bernstein said Pavitt and Poneman. who claim original patent on grunge, "always used lotal photographers, artists, design ers, so they coult^build the scene ns a whole." Bern stein said. Sub Pop. which had mega-acts Nirvana and Soundgar den under contract in their early days, serv es to reassure local musicians that the dream can be realized Thai may be ironic, however As Sub Pop has prospered with a share of earnings front Nirvana's multi-platinum in Chains, there's an entrepreneur will inn *° sell them that dream. How many cities of half a million peo ple can boast mom than 100 commercial recording studios and demo-tape dupli cation firms? And those are just the ones that advertise. Dozens more have so much word-of-mouth business they don't need to place ads. It took one engineer more than a month to squeeze one per son in for four hours of re-dubbing vocals. The scene is served by more than 75 new and used musical equipment stores. Ads in The Rocket music magazine tout photographers specializing in band pro mo shots, music producers, vocal and They just wanted to be the agents by which all the cool music happening here in the midSOs could be served up to the world.* — Nils Bernstein, Sub Pop publicist IX.t. release. rveverwtimr, onti us own hark-catalog Blroch from the group, it has begun signing bands from around the country. Other com pantea an* big enough to look beyond the local scone At Bud Animals studio, part-owned bv Seattle sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, engineers did overdubbing and mining work on K.K M.’s latest release Bad Animals President Steve Lawson said the studio is a member of the World Studio Group, whit h ranks it among the top 25 in the world Major acts general ly use Bad Animals' Studio X. which comes complete with full lounge and kitchen facilities, for $2.5(g) a day. instrument instructors, musical consultants, and attof neys specializing in musiubusiness law. Musicians can peruse the calendars in The Rocket and oilier magazines to locate (he dozens of clubs that feature live, original bands. If they have a revolving door at drums or bass they can find help in the "musicians available" column. If they need that stage-ready look, there are ads for tattoo parlors and body piercing clinics Music business consultant Ed Locke said that as the' scene has grown, so has the need for such services. "This wasn't available to me nine or 10 years ago. when I was out there," Locke said of his firm, which offers advice on music promotions, production and management. Locke, who is not an attorney, charges a retaining fee of $150, plus $65 an hour. Among his clients am a man trying to get his own record label off of the ground and a producer who is "just fed up with trying to shop the deal. He wants to make sure he is selling the product in the right manner." However, trie studio still dot** intt out* oi its music al work wilh Seattle acts, Lawson said, adding lhal many Uxal groups have the hacking to afford Studio A at SI .2SO a day. Seattle musicians also have the option now of pursu ing big-league managers, if they can get in the door Susan Silver Management isn't accepting new clients, said Mary Kohl, assot iate manager for Alice in Chains, which jnst wrapped up a mostly sellout tour of Europe f'he company also manages Soundgarden and Sweet water. Lawson said it signaled a major c hange in attitude when Seattle managers were able to get a< Is signed to major labels anti then stay on as manager. “There was a feeling at one tune that you had to go someplace else for the proper structure like lawyers and managers," Kohl said Kohl said Seattle managers still must travel to New York and Los Angeles, hut “that's a small price to pay Legislative advice: Know your topics and spell correctly BISMARCK. N U. (AR) North Uokoln lawmak ers sav if you want I hum to stand up and lake notice, then sit down and write Their advice: send personal letters, know your topic, spell names t orreclly and never say Cod is on vour side. "If I was going to give advice to anyone who wants to he part of the legislative process it would l>e to know what you're talking about." Son |ohn Andrist said "I'm just a little bit offended when I call some one Ikii k. and they say. Well. I don't know muc h about the bill, but George told me to call."' he said. Sen. Bonnie Heinrich said form letters are a |>et peeve "They usually gel tossed," she said letter-writing campaigns. where people are urged lo write variations ol the same uiissivu, are almost as worthless several legislators said. Sen Steve Tomut was a ret nut target of such a campaign over a fall in the Senate Govtirnment and Veterans Affairs Committee, of which he is i hair man. Unfortunately, the person who organized the campaign misspelled Tomat s name I ended up with a stai k of letters all addressed to Sen Tomak, ' he said "Personal letters from people who had researched the lull would have been a lot more effective." Constituents who want to get a lawmaker's attention should contact them directly with a personal letter or a phone i all and leave God out of it "Some people pander to that argument, hut it has never been well re< eived." said Dave Meiers, a lobbyist for North Dakota's beverage industry V FREE MUSIC BUY 2 USED RECORDS OR TAPES AND GET ONE FREE!* On* coupon^)** custom** pm art We Pay Cash SS For Used Records, Tapes A CD's *{fr*# uMd racortJ or tap* of pquof or Ioomt vaiuo) C«pmOl*3 HAPPY TRAILS 361 E 13TH • 415-535) Why Pay More Somewhere Else? GIANT PIZZA (15" One Topping) 484-2919 Dine-In • Take-Out • Delivery Expires 4/30/93 Art School Supply 30% Off! 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