PLCB .Making Musicians Feel Like Criminals

[Billy]

Hi people. I am new to the rock page and just have to scream out!! as you may have read the plcb came in like gestapo at Matry's Pub and threatened the owner and myself.... Billy of Billy of the Inmates!! man I haven't been gigging since 1983 adn this is how i get welcomed back to the world of entertainment. The LCB not only scared the hell out of me but my wife and friends. their were older relatives of the band and mine there and one had a heart condition. the officer in charge came in like gangbusters and stating yelling, totally forgetting professionalism!!. he told me he had been there several times for noise violatins and when i told him it was the first time I played there and was not aware of it he had a definate {I don't give a damm attitude!!.I called the PLCB and spoke to some folks about this officer. I am to call the main man and complain about this officers lack of professionalism this week !! If he is not repremanded I plan on getting an attourney and getting him to understand the meaning of a pro. By the way.. we had our instruments as low as possible due to the acustics and some echo chamber effects the room caused. I am sick in my heart people. I love music almost as much as my life and now I am afraid to gig. what is the answer? how can we fight this gestapo bullcrap?somebody help me please. if you have any ideas please let me know. maybe a huge gig sponsered by the local bands to come up with some cash to get a lobbyist for us would be a help to us all.Man the LCB took my ID and wrote the name of my band down for future reference!!!!!!I felt like I was outside Anne Franks House and had a star sewn on my jacket!!!!!. Thanks for listening to me outlet. Billy, of Billy and The Inmates

[red]

Good luck!, Let us know what happens!!!

[tonefight]

It kinda made me sick just hearing about everything that happened to you , to Reddawg and in duncansville last week. So I can imagine how sick you feel.

I would definatly be up for a big gig, problem is will the " fear factor " take effect. If any given bar, club or musicians make a public attempt at something do we automatically become targets?

And it definatly feels like communism because there is no way to beat the current version of the law ........... at any point they could show up and bust almost any given band in any given local venue. I don't believe I've ever walked to the door while a bad was already playing and didn't hear anything from the outside. Basically they wrote the law to give them an open ticket to bust anyone wich may not have effected us till someone decided to begin to abuse it.

Another question I have is, are any other areas getting hit like this also or is it just the PLCB enforcing locally.

[tonefight]

Oh and welcome also, good luck on your phone call

[Jim Price]

Ron has fixed the petition link, so click and print away...

http://rockpage.net/users/jrenner/SignaturePetition.pdf

I plan on taking the petition around this weekend. I'll have some extra copies if anybody needs a sheet or two to take around. It's not too late to collect signatures and raise public awareness of the problem. If you're playing out this weekend, print some sheets and take them to your gigs, let people know you have the petition sheets with you in case they want to sign.

I also like the suggestion about the lobbyist to represent area music's interests vs. the PLCB and state police. Perhaps we should start exploring who is available as far as legal people who can argue on our behalf, and then do a fundraiser or two to raise money to pay for a legal representative - perhaps via a Rockpage jam or two.

Another suggestion is to continue working to raise public awareness of this problem. Letters to newspapers, posts on community message boards (Altoona.com, etc.) - we need to let the public at large know that this IS a problem, and inform them of the long-term impact this can have as far as putting bars, clubs, bands, sound people and entertainment infrastructure folks out of business.

[Jim Price]

Answering Tonefight's question, I did post on a Harrisburg-based message board asking if this was happening there, and the responses so far indicate that it is a problem there, also. Perhaps not as serious as we've seen around here recently, but still a problem.

[byndrsn]

okay, I am going to get back to this as soon as possible.

First, I think the idea of a petition is ridiculous!! I have never witnessed a petition making a difference for ANYTHING!! Everybody and their brother have tried to use petitions to make a change, and none of then has been successful. I’m not saying that I think any of you need to give it up, NO WAY!! It’s just that I truly believe that we are going to waste our time with a petition!!

So….. I contacted a friend I have in the legislature. I can’t guarantee he will get back to me, but I am betting that he will. He may come back and tell me that it is a lost cause – he may come back and help us out – or he may come back with anything in between. Bottom line is that we will at least have an answer.

Again, I will get back to this as soon as possible. I will be honest with all of you.. But, “honestly”, I doubt we have much of a chance of making a difference. (at least, at not now!)

We could make a difference, but that would depend on many of you committing to the cause – and I already know that most of you won’t.

I'll keep you updated!!
Urbs

[tonefight]

okay, I am going to get back to this as soon as possible.

First, I think the idea of a petition is ridiculous!! I have never witnessed a petition making a difference for ANYTHING!! Everybody and their brother have tried to use petitions to make a change, and none of then has been successful. I’m not saying that I think any of you need to give it up, NO WAY!! It’s just that I truly believe that we are going to waste our time with a petition!!

So….. I contacted a friend I have in the legislature. I can’t guarantee he will get back to me, but I am betting that he will. He may come back and tell me that it is a lost cause – he may come back and help us out – or he may come back with anything in between. Bottom line is that we will at least have an answer.

Again, I will get back to this as soon as possible. I will be honest with all of you.. But, “honestly”, I doubt we have much of a chance of making a difference. (at least, at not now!)

We could make a difference, but that would depend on many of you committing to the cause – and I already know that most of you won’t.

I'll keep you updated!!
Urbs

I know you were involved in the abate thing witht he helmet law and I feel you can help lead a similar direction on this issue so I say GOOOOOOOO Urbs

[bassist4life2004]

You know what my biggest problem is. Pennsylvania musicians are losing more and more work due to PLCB. Every single time the PLCB assholes busts a place, that is more fear added to them, until suddenly they think that its gonna happen all the time, and they don't use their entertainment licence anymore. No wonder good bands are never found in PA, they dont have a chance to play anywhere when the PLCB is up their asses. I know about martys pub, those damn cops are ALWAYS going into that place for one reason or another. They interrupted one of our acoustic shows there so they could serve an arrest warrant, then they started carding people there. It was an outrage to me, because we were all having such a good time, then that shit happens. I cant believe PA would make you buy an entertainment licence that you arent even allowed to use past 11:00. What i think should happen is, everywhere the PLCB busts, we should get our bands all together during the day, and pound the music...noise ordinance starts at 10 or 11 i believe. I'm so sick of calling bars and having them say no to an acoustic act because of PLCB...ACOUSTIC! Thats how bothered by it some of these bars are. Marty on the other hand, is a different story...they do bother him, but he keeps doing the same shit over and over again, which is pretty funny because the PLCB dudes get really angry at him. He is like, number 1 on their hit list right now, and are trying to find a way to get him out of their hair. What it is with Marty tho, there is an old man that lives down the street that cant hear the music, he comes up with his flash light on weekends and looks in Martys window to see if there is entertainment, then goes home and calls PLCB on him. The law is so ridiculous anymore, its like they are trying to outlaw music in PA altogether. I know that I am just as good of a person as the polititions in this state, i should have the exact same rights as they do. I bet if Ed Rendel put a band together and played death metal through a 30,000 watt PA system in Friedman park in the middle of Northern Cambria, not a single damn cop would show up other than to protect him. Thats what we have to compete with here, and honestly, it is a violation of our freedom. There is always one asshole in the crowd that will screw things up for everyone, and it seems like it is happening to all of us, and it is important that, as musicians, we do something about it. I bet if these people sat down and thought it through, they would realize how much tax money they are losing from making fools out of bands. Bars sell less beer when the PLCB comes in and starts laying down the law, and eventually that will catch up with the state, and they are going to realize how stupid they've been. I dont see the Bryce Jordan Center getting sued for noise past 11:00, why should Marty, or any other bar owner for that matter, have to face a penalty. What next, are they going to take away our rights to own instruments?

[Asundor]

This is Jason from the band CYPHIN. I think this is all bullshit as well. Lets face it, what the hell are we all doing that is so wrong by doing something that we love to do. Don't the damn cops have anything better to do than go bust a group of people just kickin back drinkin a few beers trying to watch a band play and enjoy their damn selves. Its really a shame. I think I have the answers why they do this. I think when they were all younger they wanted to be musicians and failed miserablly at it. Thats my theory. And I'm stickin to it. Best of luck to you all.

[tonefight]

Don't the damn cops have anything better to do than go bust a group of people just kickin back drinkin a few beers trying to watch a band play

You mean like the heroin problem and stuff.......? Well that would be great but they'd have to put some effort into that. Those guys aren't just hanging out in the bar for them to come in and harass, beer drinkers are easy to find.

[plumcrazy]

The PLCB's on going harrASSment, makes me as a musician feel that I just sold 1oz. heroin or a 8 ball of coke to a 10 year old kid..... AND I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE IS STILL PUTTING UP WITH THIS......EVERYONE BITCHES AND COMPLAINS, BUT NO ONE HAS THE BALLS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, EVERYONE HAD IDEAS ABOUT WHAT TO DO BUT ONCE AGAIN NO BALLS, I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT ALL THE PEOPLE I KNOW ON HERE DON'T HAVE THE NERVE TO OPEN THEIR MOUTHS OR ACT ON THIS. IF IT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT BADLY ENOUGH YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN OR DOES YOUR MUSIC NOT MEAN THAT MUCH TO YOU? I KNOW IT MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME, SO I INTEND TO DO WHAT EVER IT TAKES. DAMN IT PEOPLE WAKE THE HELL UP AND MAKE THE SACRIFICES FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN. OR ARE YOU GOING TO PROVE ONCE AGAIN THAT YOU ALL HAVE NO BALLS!!!


IS THIS WHAT THE MUSICIANS OF THIS AREA WANT

Lets get off our asses and get this attenened to NOW...

BUST YOUR SENATORS, CONGRESSMAN ASSES
YOU KNOW THESE PEOPLE HAVE PHONE NUMBERS


CALL DAMN IT......
CALL NOW AND ALOT
BE RELENTLESS
BE A THORN IN THEIR SIDE
BE A NUISANCE
YOU WANT PHONE NUMBERS???
YOU GOT IT....

1. Hot line for liquor control enforcement 1-800-932-0602
2. Rick Santorum Senator 814-946-7023, D.C.202-224-6324
3. Arlen Spector Senator 717-782-3951, D.C.202-224-4254
4. Robert Jubelirer Senator 814-942-5495
5. Rick Geist Representative 814-946-7218
6. Larry Sather Representative 814-684-7640
7. Jerry Stern Representative 814-695-2398
8. Bill Shuster Congressman 814-696-6318
9. Penna. Attorney General 717-783-5048


People.... We have the power to change !!! Use it....

[Jim Price]

I just posted a list of mailing addresses (and some email addresses) for area senators, congressmen and representatives. It is in "The Law" section under "Write a Letter!," or click this link:

http://rockpage.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=4876

I also dug around and came up with some mailing addresses for PLCB and BLCE. This first one is the local Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the state police enforcement arm of the PLCB. I would suggest addressing complaints about state police enforcement and harassment of venues locally to this address:

BLCE Altoona Office
930 Route 22 East
Duncansville, PA 16635

For those affected in Indiana and Jefferson Counties, this is the address to write:

BLCE Punxsutawney Office
PO Box 497
305 Sutton St
Punxsutawney, PA 15767

In searching on the PLCB’s own website, this was the only mailing address I could come up with. If you write the PLCB itself, focus on the issue of changing the Liquor Code regarding noise violations, since the PLCB doesn’t handle enforcement.

PLCB Bureau of Consumer Relations
514 Northwest Office Building
Harrisburg, PA 17124

Until we can organize efforts further and take unified actions, I think letter-writing and the petition can be effective in our preliminary overall effort here. The letters - if enough people take the time to write them - can send the collective message that we don't approve of what is happening. The petitions can be effective, first in raising public awareness about the problem (a lot of people weren't aware of this situation or that anybody was doing anything to try to change it); and, when sent/presented as part of a collective, sustained effort, is just another avenue to let the powers that be know that a number of people do not like what is going on.

It has been suggested on here previously, but I think what our effort needs the most at this point is organization. Perhaps establishing an official group or organization of musicians and concerned music fans/business owners, through which organized actions can be implemented, funds raised, etc. might be a logical next step. Something along the lines of what Blair County Collective attempted two years ago, but more organized and sustained.

[Mackovyak]

I know when my brother and I were strong in Ted Nugent United Sportsmen of America, we offered on our website a downloadable pre-written letter.

We broke down the hyperlinks by region and by clicking the appropriate format (I think we had word, wordperfect, and wordpad) you would download a letter to the appropriate legislator. All the individual had to do was put their name in the closing, print, sign, and send.

Just a thought for you guys, because a lot of people just aren't good letter writers or don't have the time to write. The simplier and easier it is for people to help, the more they will.

Good Luck!

Justin