HISTORY-HOWLING WOLF

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HOWLING WOLF AMPHITHEATER

The Rock & Roll Round Up™ was designed to find then further invest in the absolute Best of the Best and playing ability wasn't the only consideration by any means. Conduct is just as much if not more of a factor at this level since the Artist already had acknowledged playing abilities to get to this level in the 1st place.

I was to lease Howling Wolf for the Summer but the Owner didn't want to sign the Lease I proposed & we never presented one of his own. By show's end I was glad he didn't because for us Howling Wolf was an incredible waste of time & money. We entered, learned & will never return.

NEVERTHELESS, I was able to isolate more conduct problems with one of my Bands, hence eliminate said problem making room for the others to continue to advance. Our Lord forgives 70x7 so who am I to forgive any less? I'll consider further investment in certain individuals but they must correct some serious conduct problems within their organization first! It just takes one to blow it for a Band but that doesn't mean I don't wish the Band would either kick the jerk(s) out or for some of the members to start a new Band of Artists, leaving the slackers & non-hackers behind.

Part of my Business involves absorbing the cost of Producing shows not arguing with a totally hammered member of a Band, much less with two members from two Bands at the same time. Especially about letting a small hospital shuttle bus packed with their "Friends" in for free. That isn't just taking from me & mine, but on this particular show everyone was paid on a percentage basis so it was taking from everyone in the show, including themselves. I'm reasonable and allow 10 people per Band counting performers in for free to each show, not a bus worth.

I'm into quality of life and find it best to steer away from conflict. Legitimate issues may be addressed & differences can be resolved but regardless of the situation, be it with Bands or anyone else, it is easier and much better for me to simply never hire such Bands or the like again than to argue with just one of their members about anything whatsoever.

Well, this one Band member apparently had an excellent argument with the former Theater Manager, who ironically was also now the Band Manager of the other arguing Band Member from the other Band. This Manager had admittedly dogged the one Band out of their pay from their last show, the Summer previous mind you. Part of her re-payment was to book the one belligerent leader into my show while trying to bump my guys in Broken Temple, without even telling, much less asking me. I was & will noy bump ne of my Bands for anyone unless the Law shuts us down. And now this guy also wanted his money as well as all of his friends in for free or he was refusing to play. My position was fine, get out, I don't know you and didn't hire you, that wannabe Manager who hood winked me into this situation and still owes you money did! GOOD-BYE!

That's when the Manager's own Band's Drummer sided with the Bus full of Friends with his own threats & demands. As if I was going to pay her debts. Understand, the Manager's Band was also running Sound & Lights that night so if they went so did their equipment was the threat. My position never wavered, "Fine! Take Off! EH!" We'll do it without them any ways!

I already had a history with this 4th Band, their toasted leader in particular and would never have booked them. I went to see SUFFERGAUGE at Club Broadway in Everett, WA. for their Halloween Show 2001. I hadn't been away from my children, out of the house and at a club in years so was feeling awkward & out of place from the get-go. I knew I recognized that bus full of Party Animals, the Band arguing with me was the Band that opened for SUFFERGAUGE that night. I never saw SUFFERGAUGE, an absolutely phenomenal Band, because this hammer head who was supposed to be "ON" at 8:00 p.m. was still doing a Sound Check at 9:38 p.m. when I finally thanked the Show's Producer for his time and walked out. Its hard to do a sound check with any one who is so loaded &/or burned out that they can barely navigate their own thoughts enough to remember how to bathe or walk a straight line, much less sit through such ear wrenching crap for one minute. And to think I lasted an hour and 38 minutes from the curtain call because I wanted to see SUFFERGAUGE that bad.

Well, it was less than a week after The Rock & Roll Round Up™ & I was so fed up I hardly responded. People, "Friends of the Band" as well as mass amounts of friends of the Theater Owner's son simply walked in through the Owner's back yard. The Owner's house is situated right on the fence line, balcony & all, so the kids just poured in from there instead of paying. Even though I jacked up the kids sneaking in until the end, it got to the point that I started telling the Bikers as well as the Old Timers to spend their money on Pizza & watch the show for free with me on the top of a partially balconied slope which was the entrance.

My Bro Armond & his wife Laura lived near-by & came through as Security for "Parking" but that too was a lie and the local stores didn't run out Theater Parking Revenue as the Theater Owner and Former Manager repeatedly insisted the stores would (one of their selling points to me, "Parking Revenue"). So, all but $11.00 worth parked for free. I couldn't help but apologize & let Armond keep the cash. By example, as much as anyone John & Bo Derek have taught me integrity so, like The Rock & Roll Round Up™ & all of our other shows, everyone got paid what they were promised. I went home disgusted with $2.90 in my pocket. Thank GOD I was smart enough to fill-up when I first got there!

I had enough of this Manager as it was but when her Drummer aggressively argued-threatened to "Walk" if I didn't let his friend's Band's bus sized entourage in for free nailed their coffin shut for that Band. I like the rest of the guys a lot and would work with them again, but only if they replaced their Drummer & Manager. Their Manager means well, is nice but I like her more as a big sister that I can party & gossip with, the business deals between us turned out disastrous.

Eventually, she was ran out of the Theater, replaced by the Manager of the Band I had the conduct problems with at THE RE-BAR then again at The Rock & Roll Round Up™. That Manager Produced 1, maybe 2 shows at Howling Wolf & was never heard from again. Eventually Howling Wolf took my advice and brought in a local bunch of hammer heads to start Producing shows there. I heard of 1 show then nothing more. As a Producer I consider Howling Wolf the absolute worst investment I almost got contracted into to.

As to the 4th Band & their bus of "Friends", the chaps from the UK are great but their inebriated leader needs to go if they ever expect to quit spinning their wheels. Maybe that is why Clive Davis' recruitment of them as they put it never manifested into them becoming household names throughout Our World!

In the end, the 3 Bands I booked were survivors, each a Winner of some degree of The Rock & Roll Round Up™ and this was their next test as well as a reward. The one Band's Drummer just cut their throats for advancement so I was down to two Bands with only 1 opening for The Rock Hard Halloween Ball™. Instead of Broken Temple I invited TuT to open for The Rock Hard Halloween Ball™, hence our Rockumentary, "A Pair of Rock Hard Balls™"

It was an excellent show unto itself, our best quality to date and the last performance of TuT with the outstandingly stylish Guitarist Scott Cohen, But The Rock Hard Halloween Ball™ would also be engulfed with conduct problems, controversy & intrigue. Footage & the Glass Masters are currently buried in the bottom of another box in the back of one of our closets full of boxes, but some of the material will be included in, hence WILL BE RELEASED once the project is complete.

I don't discuss TuT's performances much after this point, what happens with TuT next is so profound that I did not include it in my review of The Rock Hard Halloween Ball™. TuT is tentatively targeted as part of our opening for A Pair of Rock Hard Balls™, will really hit home for most of you, may even be sobering for a few. It'll be provocative & I have no doubt deep in the back of many minds, at the front out of the mouths & off the tongues of others, by the time you're done viewing TuT in A Pair of Rock Hard Balls™ many will likely hear compelled responses in the form of words such as "WHOA!"

FAMILY HISTORY THE RE-BAR The Rock & Roll Round Up™ HOWLING WOLF

The Rock Hard Halloween Ball™ The Rock & Roll Round Up 2003™

The News Our Own Reviews History The Cost of Doing Business

The League of Rockers™

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