Live Music at ClubTSI
05/31/07 • Posted in: Activism, Downtown Jacksonville, Interview, Music by Adrienne Moore 18 Comments »
Text by Adrienne Moore, photographs from clubtsi.com
ClubTSIdiscotheque is an underground nightclub and live-music venue that hosts major local, national and international shows each week. I e-mailed Brendon Clark, TSI’s booking and promotional manager, to find out how he books the larger acts as well as their impression of Jacksonville. In an attempt to create an article with the information, I realized I was cutting out great quotes so I have included the full interview. Be sure to check out the show this Friday!
1. Who are you and what do you do?
Brendon Clark, booking and promotional manager for clubTSIdiscotheque, which means I’m the talent buyer, designer, promoter, sound engineer, PR person and occasionally DJ when I get the urge.
2. How did you begin working for TSI? Describe your job responsibilities.
This can be traced back to the old location three years ago. I was in a band called hor d’Oeuvres that formed specifically to play shows at TSI. That faded after a good run during the summer TSI was in transition. Along came the new place. I was a DJ for Electric Cowboys and then I did the Sonic Underground on Thursday nights. I was already doing a lot of freelance design work for TSI at this point. I began running sound on occasion for the shows. A window opened up at the club when several people loosely holding responsibilities moved out of town. When the opportunity arose, I submitted my proposal for what I could do for the club in terms of maintaining an aesthetic on all fronts. From that point, it’s been full time. I now direct everything aside from business pertaining to the bar and general ownership. Mainly, it’s deciding what goes on at TSI and making sure the club is presentable in the eyes of the public.
3. How do you decide on and find bands to play at TSI?
Connections. Over a year ago, I searched hard. Now I have to turn away bands. I search if I really need something specific.
4. What kind of music do you look for?
This has gotten much more refined within the year and a half of business at the new location. Because we are mainly a nightclub, we cannot be a venue that lets anyone play. There are other places in town for that. I go for bands and performers who are unpredictable, spontaneous, on the outer edges of what the majority of people are into, yet familiar enough for those people to appreciate. I book bands that give outlandish and memorable performances. Word of mouth is the best promotional tool. Hearing your friend say, “Last night, I saw a guy in a wig playing really happy synth pop light his crotch on fire!” will spark way more interest than, “Last night, I saw this indie rock band that sounded like all those other indie rock bands.”
5. Do you find it difficult or easy to get larger acts to play in Jacksonville and at TSI?
This is a grey area. They are easier to obtain but harder to follow through with. The market is sparse (but growing) in this town when it comes to what we shoot for. The majority of Jacksonville either has really bad taste in music or is outdated with their taste in music. The larger acts I want are huge hits in every major metropolitan area of this country but not Jacksonville. I’m speaking in terms of acts riding just below the mainstream radar, the ones with a strong twenty-something crowd. There is a very young and savvy contingency of TSI patrons who are making these bands, DJ’s and parties a greater possibility.
6. What are some of the biggest shows played at TSI? Were they successful?
My favorite, Bonde do Role (Brazil) was amazingly fun. They said that seeing everyone in the crowd dancing made it their best show on the tour. They’re blowing up right now with the support of Diplo. They’re coming back to TSI Wednesday, October 10, 2007.Other successful shows were ADULT with Dan Deacon, Elekibass, MONO, Black Lips, Ruben Wu from Ladytron, Tommy Sunshine and Thee Harmonious Fists.
7. Describe the show at TSI this Friday.
Dan Deacon! If you have come within the vicinity of the internet, you’ve read this guy’s name or seen a video. Look him up on youtube. This guy is a prime example of unexpected and unpredictable originality and he’s super nice. Everywhere he plays, he receives full crowd interaction. Last week, Mates of State cancelled a huge show in NYC. They got Dan Deacon to fill the spot. He’s one of the headliners at Pitchfork Fest this summer. Roargan is opening for him. You go to this show and you will have a smile on your face for a good day or so afterward.
8. What band were you most excited to book? Is there any band in particular that you would really like to book?
I’m in the works of bringing this band Dandi Wind from Montreal sometime in early July. Keep your eyes peeled on that one. They’re a personal favorite of mine and the music blogging world. I’d rather not list who I want. I don’t want to get any hopes up. False hope is the down fall of this town. Don’t hype it up if you’re not too sure it’ll even happen. Get all your ducks in a row and then really throw people off guard. People in Jacksonville have low expectations. Wow them with the actual happening rather than your ideas and aspirations.
9. In your opinion, what impression do most bands have of Jacksonville? Is it accurate? Is it often changed after they visit?
Bands will tell me within the first 10 minutes of them being in town that they are skeptical of Jacksonville. It’s been called a wasteland and backwards. It was getting to the point where bands and agencies considered it pointless. I don’t blame them. I’ve opened for bands that should have nearly sold out or do in other cities, but in Jacksonville the only people at their shows are there for the opening local band. It’s pathetic. I can always sense a bit of nervousness in out of town acts before they get on stage. Nine times out of 10, the nervousness is squashed by the end of their set. I owe it all to TSI’s crowd. They really make the shows worth it, which ultimately puts a good taste in the mouths of the bands, tour managers and agencies. Treat a band right in all respects and it will pay back in the long run.
10. Anything else you’d like to add?
Local music is a joke in this town. Aside from a handful of really fresh acts, the rest are hung up on something or completely washed up. Get with the times, take a bold step, do something you enjoy doing, do something else! We need it. Just take a look at what is popular these days, read the music blogs. Pay more attention to music and art in general. People don’t want to see a group of people that take themselves way too seriously, especially when they’re just a local band.
I love contributors!
Check out Brendon’s stinging comments on local bands (question 10). That should generate some discussion. Thanks for having some balls and saying what you feel Brendon.
i appreciate the honesty and candid talk but local music is a joke in virtually every town (outside of a handful of musical hotbeds throughout the country) and it’s silly to think jacksonville should or would be any different. the same can be said for people’s overall music tastes…the majority of the people in the world, not just jacksonville, listen to what’s on the radio, and to be quite honest, everyone’s music taste is at least 80% a product of the media coverage they choose to follow (for some, that’s the radio, for some it’s billboard, for some it’s bloggers, for some it’s pitchfork, for some it’s more obscure - but it’s ALL media driven.) but to say that the majority of people have bad music taste just reeks of elitism. i shared these views when i was younger only to realize with age that people just like what they like. just because i don’t like it doesn’t mean it sucks. i have absolutely no beef with brendon as i do not personally know him, but to be as candid as he, this sort of elitist mentality (especially when the majority of the music played at TSI just barely breaks the cusp of the perceived “outside of the mainstream”) is what keeps alot of people, such as myself, alienated from TSI the majority of the time. that said, i hope they keep bringing shows like the Mono show last month and support the forward thinking local acts like The Yusge and Blood Mtn as i would love to be able to support TSI on a more permanent basis. it’s an absolutely terrific space and i think the direction it’s going is a good one…my only suggestions would be continue to diversify and lose the hipster elite vibes.
“People don’t want to see a group of people that take themselves way too seriously”… like most of the regulars at TSI?
I would hardly call Brendon’s comments stinging. In most regards I think he is right, but in the end, having an opinion on the local music scene is much like having an opinion on the war in Iraq.
However, what doesn’t really make sense to me is his advice on how to make it.. right?
‘Get with the times’ and ‘take a bold step’ are in my mind, completely contradictory statements. How is doing something that is with the times a bold step? Furthermore, suggesting research, like looking at music blogs and popular culture seems more like history homework than a means to create something as natural as music.
Great interview, and I think Brendon does a great job at TSI. More music topics on Urban Jacksonville, please!
When you take a step back and look at the business as a whole, you will see that TSI offers a very broad range of entertainment. It is however, specific in format. I can understand how this would seem elitist. But when it comes down to our actual business, we are very inviting and accepting to all patrons. But ultimately, we have a business model that we will always live by. This will always alienate someone, the crowds will always alienate someone. But the things that push certain people away attract handfuls of others. To change our standard would change our identity. A rough example… Burrito Gallery is not going to all of a sudden start serving prime rib just because a few customers didn’t like the fact that the menu excluded prime rib. They will however continue to provide their services for whomever chooses to frequent them. And those who don’t want what Burrito Gallery offers, can take it or leave it, but they will still always be welcome.
In response to Jeff’s comment. I should have been more specific. People in Jacksonville taking a bold step outside of what they are comfortable with (in Jacksonville) could be as simple as taking a step up towards what is already the norm in other cities. It’s the fact that it is completely new to our community that makes it bold. You are totally right as far as the absurdity of schooling yourself on something that should be natural. But just as it applies to a developing city, reading up on what is happening, or has happened elsewhere in this world can be a huge inspiration. I would never suggest somebody follow the exact formula of what is successful for someone else. But understanding how it made them successful or how their idea worked, can only help you become more successful in your attempts.
Well put, Brendon.
in response to brendon, i completely understand and don’t necessarily disagree with your viewpoint. i didn’t intend to suggest the business was elitist so much as the “everything that’s not what i like = bad taste” attitude, which i fully believe IS elitist. i’ll fully give credit where credit is due that TSI has tried DJs that would spin a more eclectic set, and unfortunately to little avail. i just hope that won’t deter you from continuing to book acts outside of the indie/electro pop mold (as you did with Mono and Grails.) i fully understand that you have a business model, but i don’t see anything wrong with (and furthermore think it’s bad business practice NOT to) expanding the horizons of that business model. ultimately it’s a fine line in your business to walk when balancing catering to your long time, loyal folks and trying to expand to bring in new crowds, and i understand that, just hope that the effort is continued. tsi is for the young, and alas i’m just not that young anymore! still, i’m selfish. cater to me. bring in more mike bands. i will bring everyone i can.
A little more specific on question 10 would be nice. I mean, I’m just curious. Who’s fresh, who’s hung up, who’s washed up?
“Do something you enjoy doing” and “take a look at what’s popular” - Couldn’t these be totally antagonistic? The popular line is throwing me for a loop. Why?
“People don’t want to see a group of people that take themselves way too seriously, especially when they’re just a local band.” Is this the business of knowing what people want? Telling people what they want? Or caring what people want?
The only reason these comments aren’t ’stinging’ - is because they’re too vague. You can have easy critiques the same way you can have easy answers.
tsi has really expanded on their range of musical offerings. hip hop a la The Royal Treatment on thursdays and even a monthly d&b/techno/electronic night. consider your other options. for the record, tsi is the smartest nightclub in the city. shouts to brendon. dude knows what’s up.
DJ CAZ aka Prince Rainier
(The Royal Treatment)
Ditto to what Mike said. Calling the population’s taste in music bad is just kind of lazy.
I’ve been to TSI a couple of times and enjoyed the location more than the crowds or the music. I guess it’s just my bad taste in music, though. Hopefully my money didn’t offend anyone when I was there. :)
The Burrito Gallery shouldn’t serve prime rib, and no one is saying it should. This is more like the operators of the Burrito Gallery calling anyone who doesn’t enjoy their burritos an idiot with bad taste in food. It is elitist.
Furthermore, I’m extraordinarily tired of the mentality of “this town’s (ART SCENE, RESTAURANTS, NIGHTLIFE, WHATEVER) sucks, it should be more like other places… they are real cities.” I’m not talking just about this interview, but it’s something I hear recurring quite a bit locally and it’s just boring.
To quote Henry Rollins:
“Life is full of choices, if you have the guts to go for it. That’s why I get immediately bored with anyone’s complaining about how boring their life is, or how bad their town is. Fucking leave and go somewhere else. Or don’t.”
ive relocated from nyc after almost 20years of music based in manhattan. noli (my wife) and i were signed to a german indie, spv. we did 2 european tours one opening for fishbone. this really doesnt
mean much, maybe we’re old farts, but just in telling my own personal experience, the bigger cities arnt really happening. nyc in particular is just too damn expensive for artists like you all to live. i like to think this explanation of the success of the seattle scene in the late 90s.
i do find jacksonvilles artistic scene pretty exciting and vibrant, i know i may hear some hard sighs out there, but ive just experienced watching the wind fall out of nyc scene and find the music and vibracy (sic) so refreshing down here.
brendans comments are well meant and directed— if ones taste are not met at tsi there are many others in town (not an option IN NYC!!!)
but ultimately brendan needs to bring patrons to tsi to make money so ryan can keep his business running on that level. thats not even considering those other elements public outcry, aggravation, when the novelity wears out, ect which inevitably will
close down tsi— i do believe clubs should have a (very) limited life, from which others will arise.
With every business there is (or at least should be) a balance between concept and actual business profit. I, along with the owners, know plenty of things we could do to make that business become total profit. But with that, we lose integrity. It will no longer be the TSI everyone knows. And by then, you really won’t appreciate the crowds or the music.
Don’t lose sight of the fact that the original interview along with the me responses were pertaining to the bands that play there and how their perception of this town relates to mine.
You will never be personally criticized for your taste at TSI by a TSI employee for your personal tastes, you will always be served and asked to come back. This most certainly doesn’t happen in NYC, one lost patron doesn’t mean a thing. That void will be filled instantly.
I may have a certain standard and expectation concerning the live music format, but it doesn’t mean we’re chasing you out the doors if you don’t like it. The term ‘elitist’ is very exclusionary, and when it comes down to business and our patrons, we are far from it.
Time will eventually take it’s toll, but time in Jacksonville is really slow, so we’re in the clear. Comparing TSI now to TSI a year ago, we’re definitely on the up and up.
so what was up with dan deacon last night. i stayed for about the first 20 minutes of it, but he kept stopping and bitching about the sound. when he played music, it sounded good, and it was really fun, but he kept stopping and came off as a major asshole.
I only caught Roargan and Dan Deacon, but the show was awesome. And I agree with you, Adam, Dan Deacon seemed pretty uptight, but I guess you have to be as a performer. The stuff I did get to hear was so fun. I’d totally see him again.
I guess not too many people think TSI is elitist because the show was pretty packed. That says something, I think.
pretty uptight, coming off like a major asshole. Sounds like a performer who “takes himself tooooo seriously” ;-) sorry i couldnt resist.
My impressions of TSI, after my only visit, seem validated by the commentary on this thread.
I’m sure that the negative perception can be partially attributed to my age and my creeping domestication. (..Gonna Find You…)
Evaluating a scene or a club with a perspective cultivated in exclusivly southeastern cities is hardly cosmopolitan, perhaps irrelevant. I am far from the target demographic.
However, in this city, concerning the culture and history of our clubs and streets, I can speak with some measure of confidence.
I came up at Einstein’s-a-Go-Go, mostly on the sidewalk out front. Experiences on that corner define my expectations of a scene. Friends (and enemies) I encountered there helped to challenge and define my adult sensibilties. Every spot since, (be it Fusion, Milk Bar, Moto,the myriad incarnations at Club 5 and 17 South, LFP in Atl, Ybor City, etc…) has been measured against that unconventional oasis.
Looking back, I am able to appreciate the unique circumstances and personalities that coalesced there. I have yet to encounter an enviroment that cultivated such creative experimentation and yet somehow minimalized overt judgement and ostracization. I am not asserting that we were without puerile melodrama. There was plenty. But the musical, racial, social,and economic distinctions somehow enhanced the experience. The rag tag throng assembled nightly, alternately encouraging and attacking the Other’s aesthetic.
This outpost of youth, music, diversity, and weirdness, situated as it was in the oppressive culture of our Bold New City, demanded a minimum solidarity. It was a reaction against the apathy and elitism that pervades our city.
Had it become overly pretentious, insular, elitist, it would not have survived. How could it?
And had Einsteins not survived..well…the ground would have been found fallow for spots like TSI.
Maybe it is unfair to gauge the relevancy and viabilty of a professedly narrow young set against an august local institution.
My recollection is surely clouded by nostalgia…
Has our city has changed more than I think.
Musically, I HAVE seen a lot of diversity at TSI–from lo-fi local no-name singer-songwriters to hipster-blog wet-dream bands. I don’t go there much because I’m not into people trying so hard to embody an image which I think they think is elitist. To me, TSI culture is to Fuel/Hot Topic what Banana Republic is to Old Navy–same sweatshop, different price. But even the most organic DIY culture quickly gets appropriated and becomes a scene, a spectacle.
Brendan is a nice guy and provides a great service for the white-belt tight-pant crowd (assuming that’s still cool) just like Joshtank is a nice guy and serves the vegan-belt tight-pant crowd. As elitist as it sounds, as I am, I’m just happy we have people like them and (a few) places like TSI–otherwise we’d all be left with Club Paris and The Pit (not Tim Massett’s original Pit, I mean The Non-pit, The Cheese-Pit, on Beach blvd).
PS–I agree, though, that “popular” was a vague and/or poor word choice; “popular” for Brendan might mean the new, obscure indie band that he or his favorite blogs heard of before you, as opposed to the “popular” hard-core DIY band that someone else heard first (or the latest hit-single from Lindsey Lohan, which I’m sure is very “popular”).
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