SKAGROUP: SOR4
stl-ska
> On a scale of 1 to ten, i need an honest estimate of how good you think this
> show is going to be. We have the 18th off of school this year and i have no
> plans for that weekend, so it would be kind of fun to drive over there to see
> it. (i'm itching for a road trip) But, it is quite a drive from lansing so i'd
> want the trip to be worth it. any comments?
> jenn
I don't know how many ska shows you get to in Lansing...
If you've been to big festivals consisting of national touring acts
(like the New England Ska Festival),
I'd only give SOR4 the potential for a 6/7 on your 1-10 scale.
(although this does have the advantage of being indoors)
If you've only been to concerts with 2-3 bands,
I'd rate this one much higher on your scale.
I may be biased because I'm helping with putting the show on.
Last August's SOR3 was held at the same venue and was a great time.
About 750 people in a beautiful, huge 1927 ballroom.
(The wooden dance floor itself is 5,000 square feet and a
2nd floor balcony all around.) All ages were represented,
including senior citizens and families with toddlers. It was a much
broader cross section of people than at most St. Louis ska shows.
One of the things I like about the SOR shows is the "flow" of bands.
The bands at SKA-O-RAMAs all share amplifiers and drum kit,
so there is no need for long breaks for set changes. Before the doors
open the bands and sound technicians have spent the whole afternoon
going through sound checks. Each band plays about a 25 minute set
and breaks are only 5-8 minutes between bands.
The pre-show & intermission music is provided by DJ Chuck Wren
from Jump Up records,who has one of the best ska collections anywhere.
The lineup gives a sampling of different styles of St. Louis ska and
ska-related bands. Of the 30 or so ska bands playing in St. Louis
area, this show represents some of the best of every style.
from swing to punk influences and everything in between,
Also on the bill this time is a rare "all-ages" performance by one
of the very best traditional style ska bands anywhere:
THE MURDER CITY PLAYERS.
Unlike previous SOR shows that featured only St. Louis area bands,
this time the show is also including three regional bands:
Chicago's DEALS GONE BAD,
Columbia, Missouri's THE SECRETARIES,
& Cape Girardeau's PACIFIC STREET PARKERS.
One of the acts I'm looking forward to is the re-union of
THE SECRET CAJUN BAND, a really silly band that
played a lot of St. Louis shows in the early/mid 90's and
are flying back from various parts of their homes in various
parts of the country just to play this benefit.
The other six bands on the bill:
THE KINETICS,
THE KICKBACKS,
FAT CACTUS,
ORANGE TREE,
RED STRIPE ALL STARS,
ONCE MORE ONCE
all put on a good show when their playing their own
concerts and should all work well at SOR.
The Casa Loma Ballroom is such a cool venue that
any body who plays there seems to get inspired to put
on their best show possible.
(Orange Tree, Red Stripes,and Kinetics have all played
at previous SOR shows and were well-received)
Like all SKA-O-RAMAs, the show is a benefit.
The only people involved who receive any money are
the sound & lighting technicians and the venue's rental fees.
All musicians and promoters and staff donate their time and
talent to help the local charity groups who are the beneficiaries
and because its just such a fun event.
Past shows benefited spinal cord injury research (April's SOR2)
and cancer research (August's SOR3) and the proceeds from
this one will go to the Humane Society of Missouri,
who is based here in St. Louis.
If you're considering a road trip, I'd recommend it , providing the
weather is on your side in January. There's also plenty of other
stuff to do in St. Louis while you're here that weekend.
The show was planned for that Sunday for two reasons:
The rental on the Casa Loma is half the cost on a Sunday
as it is on a Friday/Saturday (allowing for more cash to give
to The Humane Society) and that weekend is Martin Luther King
weekend when most all midwestern schools are off
the next day, allowing for more people to be able to roadtrip and
for younger folk to be able to get parental permission for staying
out until 11:45 when the show finishes.
Is there anyone on skagroup who made the roadtrip last August
for SOR3, who has anything to add to advise jenn on whether she
should make the trip or not? I met some people from Detroit,
Indianapolis, Memphis and Kansas City last time , are you out
there? Was it worth the trip?
-Paul
FYI: There are photos from previous SOR shows at the
Ska's The Limit website
SOR3 http://home.stlnet.com/~stlska/rama3.htm
SOR2 http://home.stlnet.com/~stlska/rama2.htm
SOR1 http://home.stlnet.com/~stlska/ram.htm
ps. While tthey're not officially on the bill like at SOR3,
we just found out that two of St. Louis's touring bands
(MU330 & The SKALARS)
MAY be in town that night and MAY be contributed in
some way to the show as well.
Again that is NOT official and is not being advertised.
Don't plan your trip based on that possiblility.
S.C.M.O.D.S.
On Sun, 29 Nov 1998, stl-ska wrote:
> If you've only been to concerts with 2-3 bands,
> I'd rate this one much higher on your scale.
Am I the only one who prefers small shows with "only" 2-3 bands?? Big
huge music festivals are so overdone these days... I'd rather go see 2
great bands do fairly long sets and then be on my merry way, than sit
through countless numbers of bands doing such short sets that it takes
longer to set up their equipment than they get to play. Anyway nothing
personal against the SOR4 thing, the comment just got these ideas
flowing...
--> tom p.
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h t t p : / p r i n c e t o n _________________
/ w w w . . e d u / p i l l a
-------------------------------------------------- ~ t o m ----------->
RockAKat
>huge music festivals are so overdone these days... I'd rather go see 2
>great bands do fairly long sets and then be on my merry way, than sit
>through countless numbers of bands doing such short sets that it takes
>longer to set up their equipment than they get to play.
Definitely not. My favorite shows are always small little ones (usually very
intimate) and they are "short" with only 2 or 3 bands playing LONG sets. Preach
on, Brotha Man....
Marisol
xo, pitseleh, little one that I love.
stl-ska
"S.C.M.O.D.S." wrote:
> I'd rather go see 2
> great bands do fairly long sets and then be on my merry way, than sit
> through countless numbers of bands doing such short sets that it takes
> longer to set up their equipment than they get to play.
That's one of the things that's improved upon at the SKA-O-RAMA shows:
There are two great guitar amps, a bass amp, and drum set provided
(required) for all bands to use. It's all top-of-the-line equipment so all
musicians will be comfortable using. (It's usually better stuff than the
bands
own) Bands that have keyboards set them up in advance and just move to
position when their set starts.(many bands at past shows have worked out
arrangements on their own to share a keyboard when possible)
The other big difference at SORs is that bands go thru sound checks during
the four hours prior to the doors opening. They hire the best sound people
in the area who are capable of taking notes on each band and can rearrange
mikes and settings in seconds.
All of this preparation makes for set changes that are less than 10 minutes.
Since there are so many bands on the bill, the bands have a strict "end
time".
They can, however, extend their set on the front end by starting quickly.
That motivation has made for set changes as quick as 4 minutes between
when one band stops and the next starts.
I agree with you that at most multi band shows, the preparation time is
too long. I also hate hearing that thump thump thump of someone checking
his drum mikes over and over again.
I do like the idea of shorter sets by bands..Often I go to a show where I
just can't stand one band's style of music, even if they do it well, and
anxiously wish they'd finish so the next band can start. A multi-band show
with 25-30 minute sets makes for a good sampler. If I enjoy one of the
band's performances, I'll then watch for a chance to see them play a longer
show in the future.
If I don't enjoy them, I've learned that lesson without having endure a long
set that I couldn't stand.