Photo by Brent Michael
By Brent Michael, Rock At Night Tampa Senior Correspondent
Venue: The Brass Mug, Tampa, Florida–September 8th, 2024
Note: Hyperlinks in text usually go somewhere different from the basic links below, follow each textual link for even more fun and info!
Band (in order of appearance) Links: Strays of the World, DéPrime, Six Eyes, The Hand of Reason, The Lonely Ones
Facebook: Strays of the World, DéPrime, Six Eyes, The Hand of Reason, The Lonely Ones
Photo by Brent Michael
I arrived at The Brass Mug early, knowing I had an interview planned with The Lonely Ones but also knowing there was rain coming, which sure enough, there was about 15 minutes after I arrived. While I was hanging around backstage watching the bands scampering to get their equipment inside, I also had a chance to chat informally with some members of the other bands. I won’t name names, since some people – not the band members – probably won’t like what I have to say. This is about the industry and the venues and how they treat their cash-producing assets. Many moons ago, I was in a band, and wow have things changed!
Of course, there has always been that divide between cover bands and bands performing originals, and some venues always leaned toward showcasing new artists while others stuck with bands playing songs everyone knew from the radio. But both operated the same for both types of bands: You contracted a band to perform, agreed on a set fee, usually paid a deposit/retainer to the band or their manager, and paid the balance at the end of their performance. Some bands, having garnered a reputation locally, were also paid a percentage of the door charges, but if a band was booked they were reasonably sure of being paid.
Photo by Brent Michael
Not anymore. Other than the headliners, bands go on depending on how many tickets they – not the venue – have sold, and that means they often don’t know when they’re going on – but they all are expected to show up at the beginning, which means a band could start at 6:00 or so, or at 9:00! And they often make very little, or nothing! So how do they survive? You might think, “Oh yeah, but they have a million views on Youtube, so they make money from that!” Nope. On Tiktok, for example, a band is paid $4-5.00 for a million views. No, not $4500.00, four to five dollars! You couldn’t buy a Happy Meal for that! Merch is where most of the money is made, but that takes followers willing to shell out, and an initial investment in the merchandise! Say you sell five T-shirts at a gig – a lot for most bands – you might make $10 from each shirt.
What I’m saying is that life in a band is far less glamorous and profitable than it was in years past, and fans need to show more appreciation – and venues too. And if you like a band’s music, promote them! Share it to friends, view their links, buy tickets directly from the band whenever possible and before the show – sales at the door help the venue, but the bands don’t get credit for them. Buy some merch, and wear it out wherever and whenever you can – if you’re investing hoping the band makes it big and you can profit by selling it later, buy two! And, probably most important, make an effort to go see bands on the slow nights, Sunday-Thursday. You’ll probably have a better time, get a better seat/place to stand/view, possibly even get to hang out with the band members without paying for “meet and greet” packages, maybe even make new friends!
Photo by Brent Michael
Speaking of which, I made a few Sunday night! Things kicked off with Strays of the World, hailing from right here in Tampa, FL! The band is a labor of love for Eloy Lasanta, founder and prime mover, who fuses inspirations from funk, rock, pop, and soul into a unique and (some say) unquantifiable sound. Inspirations include Prince, The Cure, Fiona Apple, Childish Gambino, The Smashing Pumpkins, Lenny Kravitz, 311, Gorillaz, Trent Reznor, and more. Bandmates, or collaborators as they are known, can vary with the show; the lead guitarist was Stefan that night, but neither he nor the bassist and drummer are listed on the website. Perhaps I’ll update this later!
Photo by Brent Michael
Next up was DéPrime, who doesn’t have a website I can find, despite having been around since 2016 in Lakeland, FL – I think. This trio has a unique sound that in some instances reminded me of Primus. They have stuff on YouTube, an album out in several places, and other than that info is scarce, but they are worth seeing!
Photo by Brent Michael
A special thanks to Jay Fucking Stone – listen to the video, he intros himself that way – for inspiring my latest promotion gimmick offer: The first band to give me a band T-Shirt will not only get me to wear it that night, but as often as possible to other gigs and venues I attend, working or not! It’s not that I have any shortage of T-shirts, or of band T-shirts, including bands that no longer exist, but I try to do my part to get live bands some promotion. Doing this work actually costs me, as none of the Rock At Night journalists are paid, and even when I get in free I often end up paying for parking, drinks/food, etc. so I’m not in this for the money! Anyhow, I do my best to help bands succeed.
But on to Six Eyes! Six Eyes is from Tampa Bay, Florida – sort of. Formed in 2022, it consists of all former NYC area musicians who knew or knew of each other in New York, so you might call it a transplant band! With David Graves on bass, Frank R. on guitar, Steve O on drums, Jay Stone on vocals and general mayhem, they offer original, heavy, but catchy songs blending several styles of rock and metal to give them a familiar yet fresh sound. They have been playing and booking shows in the Tampa Area and with National Acts and locals of all genres. They released their first single, “Ms. Devilize,” with their friend Andy Gerold ( currently of There Is No US, formerly of Marilyn Manson, Ashes Divide and 16volt) on lead guitar. Don’t miss them at the historic and haunted Heard Opera House in Arcadia, FL on both November 9th and December 28th, 2024!
Photo by Brent Michael
Next up we were treated to The Hand of Reason, a band originally from Seattle but who now could literally walk to the venue, or at least the two brothers in front could, from their “home address” in Tampa. It’s on their Facebook page, but I’ll save you the trouble: 13417 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa, FL, United States, Florida. I’m not going to give it away, but a quick lookup on Google maps will tell you it’s their dream house – of sorts. They call themselves an Alternative Progressive Rock band, it’s as good of a label as any, they list The Wombats, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, RUSH, Nirvana, The Who, Matchbox 20, Counting Crows, White Stripes, Barenaked Ladies, The Beatles, Brand New, Fallout Boy, Death Cab for Cutie, Silversun Pickups, and Coheed and Cambria as influences, so you ought to be able to identify something you like!
Photo by Brent Michael
Finally, The Lonely Ones, or 3/4 of them, hit the stage! Marty McCoy – guitar / vocals, Tristan Woodruff – drums, and Jymmy Tolland – guitar / vocals were there (Marty and Jymmy are featured in the podcast interview), but Tru Payne Roberts – bass / vocals, was MIA. I didn’t realize this, as I had seen some of the members when they were – and still are, listen to the interview! – with Bobaflex, in 2018, so I was unaware they were missing anyone! Of course, there music is different, a more mainstream yet still rocking sound, more vocal-oriented – everyone sings on nearly every song. Starting out with “Bedroom Door,” they then took you to the “Dance Floor,” told you “Don’t Cry for Me, One More Time Around” to “The Bottom, Don’t Take Your Love Away” but “Run Away,” headed to “The Oasis” for some “Getting High,” and closed out with a rousing snippet of “Stairway to Heaven!”
A great show seen by far too few people!
See the YouTube video HERE or scroll down beneath the photo gallery.
Photo Gallery
VIDEO SNIPPETS OF THE EVENING
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW HERE
When not in custody, I've been involved with music, photography, and writing my entire life. Ever since I was a young boy and played those silver tunes, I've had the beat, but being a drummer didn't suit me so I became a lead singer, which lasted a few years. Settling down, sort of, I translated my knowledge of audio and glib tongue into mobile emcee work, and my training as a photographer and videographer into a living in the wedding, party, bar/bat mitzvah, and entertainment industry. During this time I also managed to bamboozle my way into a master's degree in writing, worked for a couple of magazines (yes, I took photos for a nudist magazine!), have photographed hotels, done commercial work (shot the cover of Tablet and Capsule magazine), published a few articles, hosted some public access shows (a couple times in drag, but that's another story), and generally made a nuisance of myself until I landed here.
- Chatting with rock band The Lonely Ones - September 11, 2024
- The Hand of Reason Serves The Lonely Ones The Brass Mug! - September 11, 2024
- Alex Lopez Xpress brings Memphis Lightning to Lakeland’s Union Hall, Blues-rock ensued! - August 25, 2024
