YESTERDAY'S PARTY EBENSBURG'S BIGGEST JOKE

VENTGtr · Post by **VENTGtr** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

Merge wrote:Why don't all of the bands up there get together and boycott this place??

We won't be calling them to book again, this is certain.

skipisode · Post by **skipisode** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

Frank has been doing this ever since he's had the place. He did this not only to bands I played in, but many others who are friends of mine for probably 20 years now. It seems standard procedure for him to at least make some kind of attempt to either weasel the price or cancel gigs, etc.
I won't even call the place to attempt bookings. Also, the non-comp thing
ha..ha..ha.. that is bullshit. Tell him if he wants to make a contract and stick to it by the letter including no cancellations, no negotiations on pay,
ongoing bookings (consistent), etc. then maybe you'll talk. If he doesn't bite or even waivers ever so slightly, then you have your answer.

Good Luck!

Jsun76 · Post by **Jsun76** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

Don't forget the fact that they told us to stop before we ever got to our last set, and then made us leave before closing time, just as we were going to give a little money back by ordering more drinks. Doesn't make any sense to me at all. I totally should have crop dusted the guy as I was leaving :lol

rickster · Post by **rickster** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

what do you mean he told you stop and then asked you to leave before closing time?As in stop you are a horrible band ? Stop we have to close early tonight?...LOL Wtf?

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

skipisode wrote:Frank has been doing this ever since he's had the place. He did this not only to bands I played in, but many others who are friends of mine for probably 20 years now. It seems standard procedure for him to at least make some kind of attempt to either weasel the price or cancel gigs, etc.
I won't even call the place to attempt bookings. Also, the non-comp thing
ha..ha..ha.. that is bullshit. Tell him if he wants to make a contract and stick to it by the letter including no cancellations, no negotiations on pay,
ongoing bookings (consistent), etc. then maybe you'll talk. If he doesn't bite or even waivers ever so slightly, then you have your answer.

Good Luck!

Did this guy actually ask someone for a non-compitition contract??

JackANSI · Post by **JackANSI** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

rickster wrote:what do you mean he told you stop and then asked you to leave before closing time?As in stop you are a horrible band ? Stop we have to close early tonight?...LOL Wtf?

'Stop' as in 'we want to close early'. I hope

I do think that the sound guy was either very rushed, not using his equipment and thus had no idea how to run it, or just had some crappy bits here and there screwing the whole thing up.

Think of a three way PA system, now take the mids from your three-way crossover and just shut them off. Thats what it sounded like.

Then add in the fact the monitors were constantly crapping out and sounded like poop in the same way, although like he was running the send through a Boss DS-1 or something too (not really that I know of, but thats what it sounded like).

My ears were ringing in a very odd way the rest of the weekend. Like I had been listening to 2Khz and up filtered white noise at 110db.

They all can't be Zillys..

If anyone I knew showed up, I would have told them to leave because its going to sound like crap all night.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

This is interesting, How many band out there use contracts? It would be nice if we could have a list of the clubs that have abused local bands. And what to do to protect our investments. Back in the old days we had a union. It wasn't the best but it was some leverage. Deb

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

My old band used to use contracts, we only used them at places that were known for screwing bands. Most places down here won't work with a band if the band brings in a contract, which isn't all that surprising. I wish we had some type of a union down here, but I'm not sure how many bands would want to be a part of it.

VENTGtr · Post by **VENTGtr** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

rickster wrote:what do you mean he told you stop and then asked you to leave before closing time?As in stop you are a horrible band ? Stop we have to close early tonight?...LOL Wtf?

Note that we "stopped" at apx 1:30. Basically, we played through the
2nd break straight through. There were a coupla/few people there and
were, apparently, listening, but it was time to be done.

They just wanted to close and I think part of it was because he figured
that would give him more excuse to try to pull something.

Like I said, with the way things sounded out front, I wouldn't have stayed.

If "your" sound guy makes your FOH sound horrid, you have the option
of not hiring them again, or letting them go. House, you get what's there...
and like Rob said, they can't all be Zilly...and this night, for whatever
reason, it was worse than bad.

Jas' point is that a couple of us, some people there with us, and whomever
else, were there and willing to purchase, and they wanted everyone left in
the place to leave.

BDR · Post by **BDR** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

Screw that place. I spoke my peace on this topic. Take from the experience of all the people on this site that have been screwed by this dude and make an educated decision about what you want to do. I would NEVER book this place under any circumstances unless someone else bought it.

For Ebensburg crowds, play at the Castle. It's easy math.

r:>)

Jsun76 · Post by **Jsun76** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

JackANSI wrote:

If anyone I knew showed up, I would have told them to leave because its going to sound like crap all night.

I was on stage and I wanted to leave.

slackin@dabass · Post by **slackin@dabass** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

i was onstage the night we played there... and i did leave. well... not the venue... but mad tv was on the big screen within easy view of my side of the stage. not my favorite, but it was kinda late for the simpsons to be on...

RobTheDrummer · Post by **RobTheDrummer** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

What is fucked up, is that we were booked there and given sound, but had no sound man. That wasn't frank's fault, but he did come over and turn down the vocals at one point. After the set, we jacked it right back up because people were bitching that you couldn't hear vocals.

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Monday Apr 20, 2009

Not only is the owner a savvy businessman, but's he's an experienced soundman, too. Is there anyting this guy can't do??

gibson980 · Post by **gibson980** » Tuesday Apr 21, 2009

One thing he can't do is use the restrooms inside! Between every break we had that night; that douche went out back and pissed on his building by a dumpster. Haha that kind of fits his setting there if you ask me! Maybe we should all go piss on his building during set breaks... Just a thought

VENTGtr · Post by **VENTGtr** » Tuesday Apr 21, 2009

Merge wrote:Not only is the owner a savvy businessman, but's he's an experienced soundman, too. Is there anyting this guy can't do??

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Tuesday Apr 21, 2009

RobTheDrummer wrote:That wasn't frank's fault, but he did come over and turn down the vocals at one point. After the set, we jacked it right back up because people were bitching that you couldn't hear vocals.

We use to often play YP on Saturday and then Pellegrine's on Sunday. Rob's voice would be all tore up on Sunday from trying to project through that PA at YP the night before. Anyone who's seen Rob perform knows that he really projects and has a lot of power in his voice. The PA situation at YP is another thing that sucks. I understand the need for sound control due to the LCB Nazis, but it's difficult to get a good sound when you can't run any effing gain through the system. I also love walking into a venue and seeing Behringer as the in-house FOH.

JackANSI · Post by **JackANSI** » Tuesday Apr 21, 2009

bassist_25 wrote: I also love walking into a venue and seeing Behringer as the in-house FOH.

Hey watch it

I actually like their stuff a lot. (except for most of their speakers)

You probably do too, you just don't know it. Just about everything Mackie makes from 2005 on, is built by the same chinese company. Same with QSC power amps, except back to 2001.

Edit: to clearify as to not tick off any sensative people, the QSC models in question are the RMX and PLX power amps.

The upper level THX stuff, their digital controls (some of their DSP units are made by the chinese company too (the same DSP effects unit that are built in to most behringer mixers)), and all but their smaller and plastic speakers are made in the USA, AFAIK.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Tuesday Apr 21, 2009

Good points, Rob. But there is a reason why names like EAW and Community are associated with professional sound reinforcement and not the backwards engineered stuff like Behringer. It is true that Behringer makes some good stuff. Kenny's MIDI controller is a Behringer. However, if you're serious about having live entertainment and you want to have an in-house system, then do it right, IMO, or don't do it at all. Of course, bands bringing their own production means that Frank can't control the sound.

But I'm getting off on a tangent, and I said I wouldn't do that in an earlier post. Bottom-line, our experience with Frank was one in which it seemed like every other gig was cancelled last minute, even after we'd accomodate him. It doesn't matter if I'm going through Behringer or a high-end line array. I love the club, but the owner can FOD.

JackANSI · Post by **JackANSI** » Tuesday Apr 21, 2009

The sound guy looked like he was packing everything up to take it with him oddly enough...

moxham123 · Post by **moxham123** » Tuesday Apr 21, 2009

gibson980 wrote:One thing he can't do is use the restrooms inside! Between every break we had that night; that douche went out back and pissed on his building by a dumpster. Haha that kind of fits his setting there if you ask me! Maybe we should all go piss on his building during set breaks... Just a thought

So, what your saying is that nobody should ever shake hands with him or let him serve you food since there is no soap and water next to the dumpster.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Tuesday Apr 21, 2009

Hey Rob, from what I understand, the normal system wasn't there when you were playing. Anytime we played at YP, there was a house system with EV tops and Behringer subs. The sound engineer would always have to run around trying to get the thing to work...while of course, Kenny and I were running around trying to find power outlets that didn't make our rigs hum like bees nests. I wonder what crazy frequencies were going through my cabs' horns there due to the filthy power.

JackANSI · Post by **JackANSI** » Tuesday Apr 21, 2009

Yeah these were unknown subs (must admit I didn't bother looking) and plastic EV tops..

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Tuesday Apr 21, 2009

It's amazing, after reading all of these posts, that someone has snapped and killed this guy.

Colton · Post by **Colton** » Tuesday Apr 21, 2009

Merge wrote:It's amazing, after reading all of these posts, that someone has snapped and killed this guy.

Wait, who killed him?

This thread is definitely epic.