Production FAQs

How quickly can I get a show?

Keep in mind most clubs and promoters in the Bay Area typically book at least 2-3 months in advance. Shows last minute on the fly rarely happen. Also give any booker enough time to review your package before calling to follow up. 3 weeks is the earliest. Very few bookers do it as their full time jobs (it doesn’t pay very well (or at all)- it’s all about the love!), and dani gets hundreds of packages and calls every week.

I’m new to this, what is expected of me once I book a show?

There are a few general rules a band should keep in mind before booking a show anywhere. If you already know these, great. These are BASICS that new bands should keep in mind.

1. promotion: don’t just book a show, then show up! Promote your show – make flyers, send emails, announce the show to all the listings! Contact the press with a kit and follow up! Do on-air appearances on the four college stations in the Bay Area: KALX, KUSF, KZSU, KFJC. The reason clubs book a band is to draw more people to the club. Don’t let them down. In turn, dani will also promote the show. We place listings in all the local papers, websites, and put you on the daniland calendar (printed & net versions). We have ticket giveaways on the college radio stations to make more people hear about your show. We have ads in the SF Bay Guardian,& East Bay Express.

2. scheduling: don’t book too many local shows in a short time period. 1-2 times per month is plenty (in one geographic area – more if you are touring, of course)! Any more than that dilutes the crowd that comes out to see you, making less money & contacts for you, less exciting shows for the audience, and poor turnout for the venue that booked you. We all lose. Local bands: dani expects that you will not have any Bay Area shows 2 weeks before & 1 week after your daniland show.

3. load-in/sound check times: please honor the logistics of the clubs that book you. There is a rhyme & reason for all of it. When you show up late, it makes clubs (& the other bands playing with you) mad & less likely to book you in the future. Load in for most shows with dani is 8 PM. This allows for one sound check and line checks for other bands before sets. If you request more than one sound check, load in will be earlier.

4. cancellations: when you absolutely must cancel (medical emergencies or van trouble on the road- not “we lost our drummer!”), please give us as much notice as possible. If you book a show, it’s a commitment – treat it as such. Bands who are breaking up should fufill their outstanding commitments. It’s the professional thing to do (and to not do so is LAME!). The other bands and the club are counting on you. If a member is projectile vomiting & you just cannot play, the other band members who can make it out to the show should do so to support the show you were supposed to play (and the bands who were supposed to play with you). Finding a suitable replacement (in conjunction with the booker who set up your show) shows a level of professionalism that is most appreciated.

When can I consider a show confirmed?

All dates originally offered are in pencil. Many times when you call for a show, a booker will give you a tentative date saying something like: “why don’t we shoot for the 3rd — you ask the other people involved and I’ll make sure the date is clear and we’ll talk again to confirm it.”

That is NOT a confirmed show. A million different things can happen on BOTH sides of that conversation. The drummer is out of town, you forgot you have a show too close to that date, you’re offered a different show that fits in better with your plans.

If you don’t get back to the booker for a couple weeks, chances are you lost your spot. Keep in frequent touch with a booker if you are working out show details together. A booker’s job is to make sure the club has a calendar filled on time, with great bands. Deadlines mean a lot in this biz.

If a booker allows you to set up a show, you should stay in contact with them frequently so that they don’t offer your date to someone else who is quicker on the draw. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

dani doesn’t consider a show confirmed until all bands have said yes to the date offered (this means communicating with the BOOKER, not the other bands!), the booker has all contact info & a package for each band, & the date is still good for the club & all musicians.

Once that is all set, she will send out an official confirmation email with load-in times, ticket price, all the logistics. Please do not send mailings or make posters for shows that weren’t officially confirmed. Please make sure you have talked in person with (or gotten an email reply from) the booker to confirm your show. Phone messages aren’t reliable!

Don’t be afraid to be anal.

When you confirm a show with dani make sure you know the following things:

1. the exact date & day of the week of your show

2. the venue & its costs- never assume. dani books at multiple venues, so double-check!!!

2. ticket price

3. load-in time

4. sound check time: depends on venue & day of the week!

5. what your specific payment is

6. bar telephone number

7. how to get to the club

When dani confirms a show with you, you also need to tell/give her:

1. how many people are in your band/group

2. your guest list

3. roughly what the stage plot is (typically “guitar, bass, drums with two vocal mikes up front”)

4.any special arrangements you will need for your set (ie. “we’re sharing a drum kit with the opening band” or “we need a direct box for our electronic gizmo”).

5. a full press kit & the name of your publicist (if you have one).

Things to know after you are booked, before your show and for the night of your show

Many clubs in the Bay Area have no “foot traffic.” (ie.no one will hear you from the street & come inside). This means your band (and the others that are playing with you) have to have the “draw” to attract people into the club. You MUST promote your show. That’s why clubs book you. Promotion! Promotion! Promotion! Use an email list of fans, make flyers, contact the media, go to other shows & talk yours up!

Come at the specified load in time. If you are late, you may be giving up your right to sound check. Most shows, we sound check one band & do line checks for the others before their sets. If more than one band wants a sound check, an earlier load in will be nec essary, AND YOU MUST REQUEST ONE IN ADVANCE. If you are late, you are knocking into club patrons with your equipment (not nice!).

Please be as flexible as you can. Realize that unexpected things come up all the time so you may need to go on at a different time than you expected. When problems arise with the logistics of the show, it’s best to be patient and as flexible as possible. Work whoever is stagemanaging (usually the sound person) that night to come to a suitable compromise if these situations arise. All our staff want you to have a great show & care about the quality of the night.

Your band should stay for the whole night, not just your set. Encourage the people you bring to see you to stay for the other bands & check them out, too. Some bands feel like it’s a good thing if they’re on a bill and their crowd shows up just for them and don’t watch the other bands on the bill. Not so. The most important thing for any band is to be associated with a good night. dani typically has three bands on the bill per night. If each band’s crowd only comes for their set, then we only ever have 40 people in the club at any given time and the club looks like we’re holding a wake. The best thing is if your crowd comes early to see the opener or stays after your set to watch the next band. How will we ever build a scene if we do not support other bands that are playing?

dani’s cancellation policy for performers

Don’t do it. A show is a commitment. That means every single person in your band has made a commitment to the club, the booker, and every member of all other bands playing that night. When you cancel, you are disrespecting all those people & making their lives harder. That said, there are a few reasons when you may need to cancel a show. Valid reasons can include death, vehicle trouble (for touring bands), serious illness, or birth. Think I’m kidding? I’m not.

Cancellations for the following reasons are super-uncool:

double-bookings (this will get you in deep shit with bookers everywhere. never do it! bookers talk to one another! it shows you are untrustworthy & have no respect for the clubs you play.),

“we lost our drummer/guitarist/whatever” (that person committed to the show prior to their departure),

“our plans changed” (change them back),

“my guitar broke” (borrow one).

Promotion tips.

As a general rule, you should promote the heck out of any show you play in a public venue. Start an email list now if you haven’t already. Get people to sign it at every show. Make flyers, distribute them at shows, put them up on poles, & send out your listings.

Promotion, if done as a team effort between a booker & a band, can be a win-win. While bands tend to do a mostly grassroots effort with their fans, they should also talk to the media. Bookers spend a lot of their time writing press releases, doing interviews, & doing general PR for our venues. Your job is to promote your band specifically. One thing to keep in mind is the more people you get to a show, the more a booker notices you are hot & have a following. If you have a following, you will be promoted by others as well as yourself (a club wants people to know a popular band is playing their venue), & are more likely to be booked in coveted slots (weekends, headlining,with touring nationals, etc).

Which shows should I take?

You should not take any and all shows that come your way. Be smart about the shows you take- this applies to shows offered by other bands as well as shows offered by bookers.

In the beginning, it’s not wise to be too choosy. You will have to play Sundays thru Wednesdays if you are just starting out.

However, if you are too choosy, you become known as a pain in the ass. (Honesty hurts!) That reputation is not too helpful, either- most bookers talk to other bookers all the time! The trick is to be balanced. Do what’s best for your band & keep in mind the club’s perspectives about curating a great night of music & draw issues.

What will you offer me?

when dani books smaller or beginning bands, she starts them early in the week on a complimentary bill or in an opening slot. Often, she asks a band to set up the bill. Why? It gives her a better idea of the scene you are trying to foster soundwise, as well as helps you not get stuck with bands you don’t like. it also gives bands you like an opportunity to play. (trading shows is the way to go!) Please realize there are tons of baby bands out there vieing for the same limited number of slots. She may not be able to give you a show (even if she likes you a whole lot) right away. Be patient.

Here’s the basic baby band plan: If you do well on a show earlier in the week (dani checks the door and bar totals after your show), I think about having you as an opener on a “better” day (later in the week on a bigger show). The plan is to have you foster your music & your scene until you are ready to headline on a Saturday.

In general, you should feel ready to play when you’re confident that on a Monday night, with some thoughtful booking each band will be playing to a crowd of 50 to 60 their friends and fans.

After you have played out a while, you should start turning down shows that don’t make sense soundwise. Realize playing a show for its own sake will not help you in the long run. Any show you play associates your band (in the minds of the audience) with the other bands on the bill (and with the venue, and with that night). Do you want to be known as the band that has no identity & ill play with anyone?

Scheduling a show with dani in relation to other gigs around the Bay Area

Local bands: If you play out too often (more than 1-2 times per month for local acts), you are diluting your audience. PERIOD! Less people will come out to see you at each show, and the clubs will not be exited to have you back. Our policy about this issue is similar to those at the Starry Plough & Bottom of the Hill:

IF YOU AGREE TO PLAY A SHOW AT WITH dani, YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY OTHER LOCAL (SF, Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda) SHOWS TWO WEEKS BEFORE AND A WEEK AFTER IT. AGAIN, PLAYING MORE THAN 1-2 TIMES PER MONTH IS EXCESSIVE. WE MAY NEED TO CANCEL YOUR SHOW IF YOU SCHEDULE ONE TOO CLOSE TO YOUR daniland DATE. YOU MAY NOT BE WELCOMED BACK VERY QUICKLY IF YOU DO OVERBOOK SHOWS AROUND YOUR daniland DATE.

Touring acts: It is OK to play a show in SF and one in the East Bay when you come through. Do not try and play two East Bay shows, however. Take your pick between venues that exist in Albany, Berkeley, Oakland, or Alameda.

When we play a daniland show, how do we put a good bill together?

If you have an affinity with other bands already, then our job is so much easier when we put a bill together for your first night with dani.

Who have you enjoyed playing with? With what other bands have shared good bills with you? What artists do you feel have the same draw as you? Of those artists, which would consider playing a Monday or Tuesday night with you? These are the people we would approach to play with you for your first time.

It’s important to build bills that make sense. If we (the bands & the bookers) don’t put thought and effort into each show, no-one will come and the clubs will go out of business. Nobody wants that!

I spend a lot of time listening to demos and try to build bills that are complimentary. I can’t know all the bands that are out there, however. Who better than the musicians to know the other bands out there who would go well?

When thinking about a bill, try to make it fresh. Playing with bands that you are friends with is excellent (indeed these are the best shows!), but your list should be big enough to not repeat the same lineup month after month.

If you can’t answer these questions, your band has some work to do- you need to get out there, see some shows, meet some musicians, and then approach The Stork about setting up a show. Playing great music is not enough. Still stumped & can’t find the final band that will round out your bill? The booker will help you with suggestions and will fill in holes in bills where necessary, but your suggestions on who YOU would like to play with on your first time with dani are always more than welcome.

“It’s impossible to get through on the booking line during your booking hours!” “I left a message/email about setting up a show & you never called me back!” Etc.

There are hundreds of bands who want the same thing you do. I do not accept unsolicited phone calls from bands (but i do from agents i have a relationship with). When you call & leave a message (when my voicemail & website clearly says not to) i will not return the call. when you email, i may or may not be able to get back to you. baby bands and mid-sized acts should read the booking page to increase their chances on getting a show. i book a few shows per month, so proposing a bill with an established & confirmed headlining act will increase your chances.

Look at this from a booker’s point of view: bands are all calling and leaving messages all the time. Bookers cannot return all the calls or emails people leave, & we cannot answer all the calls placed during booking hours. Sorry, we’d like to, but it’s just not possible.

Unfortunately, dani cannot (and frankly, should not) book all bands that want to play on daniland shows. This does not mean you aren’t “good”, or “in the right crowd”. It means she is specializing & doesn’t book anything and everything. It may mean she may not have the dates you want, or the day of the week you desire isn’t appropriate. (See “What will you offer me?” section.)

Sometimes, dani does want to get back to you, but you didn’t leave her the right info! In an email, tell her WHO you are, WHAT your band’s name is, WHEN you are looking to play (or the date we talked about), and all contact info. Make sure to mention the complete bill you are proposing.

Out of town bands:

dani is happy to host out of town bands if they play the type of music she focuses on. She is pleased to help out of towners, because she has an indie focus. Hosting good touring bands ultimately makes the music scene here in Oakland stronger. Meeting bands from different areas helps our shining stars book their own tours in the future.

How should you be considered for a show with dani? First, keep in mind she books 2-3 months in advance. So don’t approach her about next month, please. Next, send her an email. Read the booking page for complete details. Please write the date parameters you are looking for on the envelope. It helps!

Couldn’t my band just play for one of the big nationals or locals coming through your clubs?

Possibly. Those slots go to bands that have paid their dues, have a good draw, and have a sound that goes well with the headliner. Does that sound like you? Check our calendar & see if we have any TBAs.

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