Andy GaribaldiAs part of our "Talking about music" series, we catch up with Andy Garibaldi, a real-life legend on the Dundee music scene. You may know him through Dead Earnest, or as part of Mermaid Rock Promotions, or you may have read one of his many gig reviews. If you're looking for an informed view of the Dundee music scene, I reckon Andy's a great place to start, so here goes...
Questions + Answers
Q1 - You've seen many gigs in Dundee the past few years... How does the scene feel now as we head into 2009?
A - The bands themselves are still out there - from new to established, from unknown to popular, we still have, for the number of bands in the city, the greatest range of talent of any city in Scotland. The problems come in several aspects - where the bands can play, who, if anyone will pay them to play and how to get an audience in front of which they can play. This has meant an ever-increasing number of Dundee bands looking outside of Dundee for success - and getting it, too, which is even more alarming for the local aspects. But I still hold that there are a lot of bands in the city who do have the potential to be much more widely known, and that's a good thing.
Q2 - I've bumped into you a few times at gigs, on the door or at the bar, or writing notes for a review - your enthusiasm is obvious, so what really excites you about music?
A - Ever since I first started buying music I have constantly had an open mind. I listen to anything and see if I like it - that's my only criteria by which I go - do I like it or not? Apart from classical and, I guess contemporary rap and soul music, which just leave me cold, there's nothing I wouldn't give a chance to hearing. It's still incredibly exciting when I hear a new band for the first time that I really love - you get that buzz of excitement that makes you grin inwardly for the whole set. Yet I still never tire of hearing some bands that I've been following for aeons on the Dundee Scene. I guess I'm just open to anything and that's what I like about music - there are always going to be bands out there that excite you. But when it comes to reviews, I will try to be constructive about a band even if I don't like them, although I will make it clear that I don't like them as it would be dishonest to a reader to say otherwise. If I can't be constructive about a band I'm not into or who've played what I'd regard as a poor set, then I don't say anything.
Q3 - A peek at our gig guide reveals the busiest live music venues currently to be: The Doghouse, Dexters, Fat Sams and Hustlers, do you have any others to watch out for?!
A - Depends - if you're talking original bands, then you have to include the Balcony Bar, even though it's the size of a shoebox - but that's pretty well the lot. The likes of Lyrics, The Bond, McDaniels, etc, all have the circuit of general pop and rock covers bands playing weekend after weekend, but that's a whole different thing. So, you've really just got the four main venues - all working under different principles, but all still managing to keep going, thank goodness.
Q4 - For the second half of 2008 you've revived 'Dead Earnest' to promote gigs once more: can you tell us more about that?
A - Yeh - in autumn 2007 I stopped doing Dead Earnest Gig Promotions at Dexters, mainly because there were others doing it better than me and I'd run out of steam with it anyway. I was still doing the rock gigs as Mermaid Rock Promotions, with Marina (ex-bassist for SAZ) who does the lion's share of the work for Mermaid, and we'd needed a change from our run at Dexters in the first half of 2007. Dave, who runs Hustlers (next to the Westie), had been suggesting we do a gig there for ages, and we eventually relented saying that it had better be a good sound of we wouldn't do any more. It was - and we did. So, throughout 2008, Mermaid set up a gig a month for its rock gigs. As things were going well, Dave had started doing some indie gigs again, but it was taking up too much of his time, so he asked me if I'd like to do every Fri and Sat night gig as Dead Earnest from Aug to end of year. Since the venue had its own kit, amps and PA, I thought I'd give it a shot as there were a number of gigs I wanted to see that no-one else was gonna put together (self-indulgence and the desire to hear new bands play live, you see!!!), so I said I'd do it (once we'd arranged certain "terms" as I wanted the bands playing to get a lion's share of the door take, bearing in mind that I wasn't taking anything out of Dead Earnest gigs financially). So, I did it. It's been harder than I thought, a lot of bands have pulled out last minute, and a number of bands refused to play at all, but largely it's gone OK and I've seen some great concerts.
Q5 - Punter or Promoter: which do you prefer and why?!
A - Punter - by miles and miles and miles. I hate promoting - and I'll tell you why. First, I'm not a professional - however, that's balanced by my utmost respect for the bands playing the gig and the fact that I do know what I'm doing, and do whatever publicity I can for a gig. When you promote a gig, you have a responsibility to the bands that play and owe it to them to do what you can to promote it. But you also rely on the bands doing what they can too. When it works, it's great - altho' sometimes I don't always get to see my own gigs as I do the door. But I just hate the idea that three bands will play to one man and his dog and that despite all my efforts, the audience hasn't materialised. The bands are incredibly professional about this and you have to admire them. But I feel that I've let them down and that hurts. Of course, it's a chance you take as a promoter and that's why I'll never be a professional - I care too much about the bands!! However, that's why Jonathan and Sarah at The Doghouse are so well respected - they care for the bands, too, but they do it all the time and manage to get it right, by and large - I take my hat off to them.
As a punter, while you can be at gigs with the one man while the dog has gone off for a drink, or jammed in like sardines, you don't have that thing that gnaws away at your soul that blames yourself for the bands playing in front of sod all audience. But, as a promoter, I'll keep on trying, as long as the bands are willing to keep on playing.
Q6 - If things weren't busy enough, you're now also promoting Paula Knight - how's that going?
A - I was so impressed with her debut album - it's professionally recorded, professionally mixed, etc - not to mention the fact that it's so immediate, that I wanted it out on Dead Earnest. But I realised that Paula couldn't do what needed to be done to promote and publicise the CD on her own, so I promised to help her. We do have a UK distribution deal in the pipeline and I'm talking with the distributor about a deal to start in the spring, so once that goes ahead then we'll be really starting our campaigns to get Paula's songs better known. She's done a few concerts so far that have gone down well, and we'd love to get some more support slots at The Doghouse and Fat Sams, but it's a question of getting her potential and live appeal across to other promoters who may not be into what she's doing. Persistence!! My role is more to get her talent sufficiently know that a real manager or label, or both, will realise the commercial potential she has.
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