Terrapin tapes has always been about personal politics instead of putting on a decent Northeast festival (sans the early Vibes 98-00). I\'m wondering what the Breakfast did to piss off whatever the fuck his name is, Bob Kennedy, or what have you. There is ABSOLUTELY NO RATIONAL REASON WHY THEY SHOULDN\'T BE PLAYING THIS FESTIVAL.
Why would they book a band that will only help to sell a few tickets.
I love this band as much as the next guy but how many festivals do you know that give slots to bands that don\'t help their bottom line.. ?
The breakfast played late night vibes in 2005 at ILCC. One of our very own .infoers is sort of part of their inner circle and has pulled for them every year and that was a huge accomplishment.
Has anyone from the breakfast sent them a demo or press kit ? (somehow I doubt it atleast this year anyway). Just because the Breakfast is from New Haven does not mean the automatically get a slot at a festival in Bridgeport.
How many bands do you think are from Tennessee ? Do you think their fans cry about them not being added to Bonnaroo ?
And what exactly do you mean "Terrapin tapes has always been about personal politics instead of putting on a decent Northeast festival (sans the early Vibes 98-00)"
I have been to every vibes. I have worked them as well as gone as a regular attendee. they put on the best festival in new England by far and have been doing it every year after year.
Your first sentence about booking a band that would only sell a few tickets is moot. Bands like U-Melt, Chuch (who the fuck are they?), and the Ryan Montibleau band (though he\'s growing) draw around the same numbers as The Breakfast. Comparing Vibes to Bonnaroo is laughable. Bonnaroo has grown to be one of America\'s PREMIERE music festivals, focusing on major label acts in a similar veign as Woodstock 94, 99 etc. Terrapin Tapes has always been local, booking New England and New York area jambands. I agree with you that Phil or someone from Crescendo should\'ve sent a press package. Who knows if they did or not, that\'s really besides the point. I look at this situation in quality terms. You have the big name acts which will draw the tickets. This allows you some freedom to give lesser known acts a chance. To put it lightly, The Breakfast takes acts like Strangefolk, U-Melt, John\'s Brown Body, Martin Sexton, Railroad Earth, strips them of their souls, covers them with gas, lights them on fire, puts their ashes into a nice little urn and delivers them to the parents of the departed with a shit eating grin.... musically speaking of course.
Let\'s face it. In the end, yes the band sucks the nut at business and sabotages any chances of success on a weekly basis. However, musically they scare the shit out of people. Naysayers who label them a 4th tier jamband obviously don\'t care about music. But the musicians in these bands that scoff at the Breakfast, KNOW, that if they ever had to share a bill they would be unmasked as the musical frauds they are.
God I hope this band grows....
You need a serious reality check.
1st. U-melt. They are and have been loyal Terrapin folks for a longtime. Many if not a lot of their message board members (which by the way dwarfs this message board) are U-Melt fans. Terrapin usually throws a bone or 2 to the "Boardie Bands" Last year Scarecrow Collection got a slot.
2nd. Chuch. The manager of Chuch is a LONG TIME TERRAPIN EMPLOYEE. and many of the members are extneded family of those that work for Terrapin.
3rd. Ryan Montbleau Band has been selling out the Paradise in Boston regularly. When was the last time the Breakfast did anything remotely close to that. So you assertion that The amount of draw the Breakfast have vs. RMB is silly. And again RMB has a HUGE following on the terrapin board as well.
4th. Your idea that terrapin has been booking New England Acts is just plain false. They book Grateful Dead family bands first and foremost and then fill the rest of the line up. Ratdog, Phil and Friends, Mickey hart, Rythm Devils, New Riders, DSO, Donna Jean & Zen Tricksters.
Comparing the Vibes to Bonnaroo isn\'t laughable at all actually. Bonnaroo is much larger sure but name 1 festival in the North east bigger than Gathering Of the Vibes ? And I was comparing the idea that a festival should fell obligated to promote small bar bands above the importance of their bottom line.
I might agree that the Breakfast are better than some of the bands you mention but Martin Sexton kicks serious ass and that has nothing to do with it.
Calling out Terrapin because your band didn\'t make the cut is juvenile at best. Especially if no one from the Breakfast made any attempts to get added other than starting a thread on a message board whining about them not being on the bill. Perhaps all of the bands you said are afraid of the Breakfast put forth some effort to getting on the bill. You know like actually picking up the phone and calling them, following through on sending the required information, maybe even massaging some egos, you know the things that managers do etc etc.
1. So the band has to suck the tit of TT.
2. So the band has to employ someone through TT.
3. I already stated Ryan Montibelu\'s growth, but he still isn\'t more than a Northeast act.
Those two reasons sound like TT is catering to THEIR family instead of a wider music market. And to me that sounds like politics.
4. The Dead is dead. It\'s just pathetic really, holding onto a lost dream like this. But that\'s why they started this festival in the first place. Damn shame they haven\'t adapted with the times.
And yes I still feel comparing Bonarroo to Vibes is HIGHlarious. Top name indie, electronic, post rock, jamband, bluegrass, hip hop and a few jazz acts compared to a bunch of god awful Dead projects and bands that have dead weight since Trey decided Phish would be cooler on heroin
Yes, the Vibes threw in a few big names ie Los Lobos, Claypool etc.. But lets face it. If you aren\'t a Deadhead, or jamband kid this festival is B-U-N-K
And Berkfest was a million times better than Vibes ANY DAY of the week when it was around.
I agree with you on the lack of effort put forth by the Breakfast management to get on this bill. No argument there
I really wish I had a business background. And also that I didn\'t burn my bridges with this band because I would LOVE to work my ass off to get them to where they need to be...
