So, What's With This "BOTB" Thing?

Some of you may have noticed a whole bunch of "Best In Utah - BOTB" entries in the show listings - and maybe you're wondering just exactly what it all means.

Here's the deal.

Dave from Happy Time Music got me on the phone, and outlined a pretty major and ambitious plan. He wants to make a big, very positive impact on the local music scene by way of starting a new, first class, all-ages, treat the bands like actual human beings, music venue.

Was that a run on sentence? Probably.

Oh well.

So, Dave wants to do that, and he also wants to get bands playing shows ASAP - you know, make some noise and get attention.

The vehicle for this is a series of shows (a BIG series) in a battle of the bands format, with hopefully a pretty major kickback to the winning band(s) at the end. Of course, the even bigger hope is that there's a kickback for the entire local music scene when Dave is able to finance his main venue - but that will be a little ways off in the distance (not necessarily a long way, just not "right this very second").

Now, normally, I'm a bit leery of Battle Of The Bands thingamajigamas. In this case, though, I'm on board. The reason is that this isn't just a scheme to make money, so that a couple of folks can buy cars, videogame consoles, and HDTV's. No - this is an idea from a guy who wants to make a difference in the scene. I'm willing to take that at face value.

Here's what I need from you, the reader - most likely a person in a band. Please remember that I speak only for myself:

1. Forget about all this competition stuff. Forget about prizes and winning, or who is better at this or that, or who might or might not deserve to do well. Put it out of your mind, because it will just end up making you unhappy. When you're done with that...

2. View this as an opportunity to play sets with other very cool bands. Network like crazy. Get each other's business cards and Myspace pages. Exchange CD's. Set up shows at other places together. Get to know people - as many as you can. Make as many friends as you can possibly keep track of. Use this as an opportunity to build the scene at a grassroots level. Make this thing work for YOU, whether you win or not.

3. Be ready to do everything "festival style." With a lot of bands per night, the sets will be short and so too will be changeover time. You can bet that I will do my best to represent you with the PA, but soundchecking is going to be nonexistent. Sing loud, and get close to the mics. Stay calm. Be excellent to each other. Know your stuff. Be flexible.

4. Help the other bands. This ties in to #2. Be ready to lend picks, straps, cables, amps, kick pedals, etc. Help people load and unload. Go to other people's shows and cheer them on. Tell your fans that this isn't just an excuse to hear you play for 20 minutes - it's a show with multiple bands that they should stay at and enjoy to the fullest.

5. Be patient. Stuff happens. Also, protect your hearing.

There. I've said my piece. Let's see what happens. If you're interested in participating, Dave is the contact guy for this. He's at 801.867.9388