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Musicians and Fans Losing Patience With
Bar Scene
Local bands join forces to launch
multimedia concert series catering to music fans who find barroom environment
too noisy and uncomfortable for music appreciation
Oakland, CA - March 28, 2008 - Members of Mindball (www.mindball.org), a consortium of Bay Area artists and musicians, have launched a new concert series in response to concerns expressed music fans increasingly dissatisfied with the local bar scene, currently the only venues consistently available to these musicians. Music fans say their enjoyment of the music they came to hear is too often disturbed by the noisy bar environment, spaces not conducive to music, and customers whose indifference to the music makes them prone to distracting from the music. "I don't want to put up with the typical hassles associated with the bar scene," says music fan Andrew Frankel. "People spilling drinks, stepping on my toes, and being loud. I don't want to feel like I'm in high school. I want to be able to focus on the music." The notoriously high volume of bar music is a cause for concern as well. "It's kind of an arms race," according to David Barron, another local live music aficionado. "People are screaming to be heard over the music so the band cranks it up and it just escalates, and this is all happening in this square little room, so it just become unbearable." The artists of Mindball plan to address these frustrations by moving into larger venues more tailored to their needs. The difficulties involved in taking responsibility for all aspects of the production are balanced, they believe, by their ability to meet the demands of fans like Barron and Frankel. An open question, though, is whether there are enough such fans to constitute an entire audience, and whether those fans are willing to pay a premium for a superior concert experience. Nat Hawkes, leader of the band Research & Development (www.researchanddevelopment.us) and one of the organizers of the concert series, is optimistic: "There are some bands who are playing music that doesn't make sense unless you really pay attention to it. And there are plenty of people out there who are into that kind of music. We just want to bring those bands together with that audience in a place where everybody can get what they're looking for." Hawkes is also careful not to burn any bridges. "Don't get me wrong. I like bars. Bars can be a lot of fun, and there are lots of great bands that play in bars. But there are some bands that are ready for something more sophisticated," he says. In addition to Research & Development, the Mindball Concert Series is slated to include Bay Area mainstays like miRthkon (www.miRthkon.com) as well as newly established groups like The R & B Free Jazz Gospel Supreme 80 (www.RNBFJGS80.com). The series kicks off on Friday May 2 at the Ashby Stage in Berkeley, and continues Friday May 9 at CounterPulse in San Francisco. Line-up and schedule details can be found at mindball.org. Download and review tracks by Research & Development here: Download and review tracks by miRthkon here: (Track selections are for promotional use only, not for distribution) Full show details included below. Interviews, physical CDs, hi-res photos, and gig posters are available upon request. We welcome you to be our guest at the shows, simply let us know. Mindball presents The Mindball Concert Series: Music You Listen To For more information and digital press materials for Research & Development, visit: For more information and digital press materials for miRthkon, visit: For more information and digital press materials for The R & B Free Jazz Gospel Supreme 80, visit: MEDIA CONTACT: ### |
