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
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