Written by Gemma Marshall
Photo by Madison Boyce
Anybody who is involved with their local music scene knows that COVID-19 is negatively affecting not only the bands, but those that book the shows as well. There have been endless fundraisers and livestream shows to try to keep music alive, but it seems, in some cases, it’s not enough.
With venues permanently closing all over the country, local music needs our support more than ever. I had the pleasure of interviewing Nick Lowney, a booker/promoter in Massachusetts and Rhode Island as well as Joe McKay (who you may know as "Joe Hardcore") who books in Philadelphia.
Gemma Marshall: First, can I have you give me a brief introduction of who you are, what you do, etc.?
Nick Lowney: Of course! I'm Nick Lowney, and I own The Hammer Collective, which is a show booking and screen printing company. Basically, any service that can help out bands, I provide, whether it's booking shows, promotion, making merch, or something else. I spend 90% of my days on my laptop answering emails, using photoshop, or planning shows.
Joe McKay: I am Joe Hardcore, or Joe McKay. I've been booking hardcore shows in Philadelphia for over 20 years. I book and run This Is Hardcore Fest as well as booking with the Philly Hardcore Shows group. I also just started the This Is Hardcore Podcast!
GM: As we know, music and live entertainment everywhere have been severely impacted by the global pandemic. How has it affected your local scenes specifically? Were you forced to cancel any planned gigs or other events?
JM: We [did] cancel a few shows. This Is Hardcore Fest 2020 was canceled. Pretty disappointing overall.
NL: It's had a drastic impact on the local MA and RI scenes, and I'm going to go ahead and assume most scenes local to anyone who is reading this. It seemed like almost overnight we went from a fully scheduled spring and summer worth of shows to absolutely nothing for the foreseeable future.
Of course, at first, we had that initial thought that "things will be back in two weeks", but here we are, almost seven months later with close to nothing. Venues were forced to close immediately, leaving shows either completely canceled or up in the air.
I, personally, had most of 2020 planned, from local headliners to festivals, and so on. At the beginning of the year, I was in talks with the folks down at Alchemy [venue in Providence, Rhode Island] about working alongside their seasoned talent buyers to learn the ropes and hopefully start pulling in more current pop-punk/emo national acts to the club. That has been unfortunately put on hold, and I think that's probably the biggest bummer of the entire pandemic for me.
In terms of impact for most of the local scene, I think this has kind of put a halt on the local scene "ecosystem." Bands aren't playing shows, venues are missing out on events, promoters (and many others) have lost their jobs.
The list goes on. I think in the world of DIY we tend to forget the importance of finances, but all of these things cost money, from being in a band to owning a venue.
If there is no money circulating in this ecosystem, people have no other choice but to close their doors for good or hang up their instruments entirely until there's some sort of word on when it'll be 100% safe again. It definitely sucks, and everyone in the creative industry (even stretching beyond live music) is suffering from it right now.
GM: For a lot of venues, big and small, the clock is ticking. Have any venues closed in your area? Was or is there any fundraising being done to help? If there are any crowdfunding campaigns you’d like to plug, here's a good place to do it.
NL: I know that Great Scott in Boston is either closed entirely or having a bit of trouble with staying afloat while there are no shows. I also know that Patterson Creations in Attleboro is gone for good.
It's a bummer. I've hosted some killer shows there and that venue actually allowed me to get the feel for real-life booking after leaving The Shop in Taunton.
I don't think that the government and the people in charge of determining relief packages really understand the importance of bailing out small venues and bars around the state.
These closings are detrimental to creatives around Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and not only in a sense of unemployment but also in the sense of a community. Going to shows and interacting with like-minded human beings is therapeutic to so many people, and once this shit actually blows over and live music is a thing again, we will have nowhere besides punk houses.
It's super important to donate directly to the venues that are still open. I know Alchemy is experimenting with live streaming their seated events, so if you're uncomfortable attending small gatherings right now, you still have the option to donate to them via their Facebook. I'm not sure if there is a designated site to donate to these local venues, so just find your favorite venue's Facebook page and see what they're up to. Most of them are broadcasting (quite loudly) ways you, as a patron, can help out.
JM: There will definitely be a few venues that close their doors [for good], but opportunity will arise and new ones will come out of all of this.
Editor's note: a few days before this was published, the iconic Chain Reaction in Los Angeles, California announced that they were grappling with the decision to close permanently. If you don't want to see this happen (and we certainly don't), you can pitch in by picking up some gear made in collaboration with Violent Gentlemen (shirts were also made available, but sold out yesterday).
GM: Many places are experimenting with pandemic-appropriate shows. Do you think more socially-distant shows will start to happen as we enter the winter months? What will you do as a promoter to keep the shows as safe as possible?
JM: I don't book shows that would work with [being] socially distant, but I'm not opposed to it. I am [moreso] waiting to see how things will work post-election.
NL: I don't necessarily think that there will be more, or like a surplus of them, but I think that they will continue. Venues are going to continue to keep losing money unless they host these shows following the CDC guidelines.
Most of these shows are not profiting, but just keeping them from slipping under while the pandemic stays relevant. Personally, as a promoter, I will not be hosting in-person events, but that's because I do not need to.
I understand and respect everyone who is hosting socially distanced, CDC-regulated shows right now. Like I've explained, these places need to do what they can to stay open.
But, with that said, most of these events are in-house. The venues themselves are hosting these events.
Most outside promoters and promotion companies are taking time away from hosting shows right now, whether it's for moral reasoning or simply because no one is touring right now. For me, it's a mix of both.
Most people are unwilling to play right now and, to me, it's not worth gathering people into a room right now for them to play to what would most likely be close friends and families. No one is growing a fanbase right now unless it's via the internet. It's just not worth the potential risks.
GM: What’s the most important thing to you when it comes to booking shows?
NL: Definitely safety and quality. I've always tried to create a safe space at every show, including keeping my notifications on for all social media so anyone can contact us if they're in danger.
I feel like a lot of promoters kind of just throw together shows nowadays and sit in the shadows of the room until the event is over. I'm always trying to be present at my shows, whether a band needs help loading gear into the venue, on and off stage, setting up, whatever.
I also like to interact with bands and meet the people that I chat with online. I think being personable as a promoter kind of enhances the quality of each show.
I want people to leave gigs feeling like they are welcome there or like they have an escape from the shitty reality that we live in. Booking shows is far more than just "booking a show."
It's that sense of community or togetherness that has always attracted me, and I just hope that other people feel that way when they come back. I put everything I've got into each show and try not to get discouraged, whether the crowds thin or sold out. That's how you have to play the game.
JM: In the booking process, [I make] sure that I am not in over my head with a show offer that is risky. In the promoting process, making sure we have locals to help broadcast the show beyond social media. Overall, I want to see the culture continue to prosper and help new bands get out there whilst not forgetting about our past.
GM: Have you done any livestream shows? Were they successful, is there anything that you wished went better?
NL: Yeah, I've done one. It was a casual little thing via Instagram live, mostly just acoustic sets of all of my friends' bands.
I want to say it was successful, though it wasn't really meant to be like a big event. We had like 40-50 consistent viewers throughout the stream.
It's tough with internet culture and short attention spans. There are definitely things that could have gone better.
JM: I haven't done one, but we are working towards a livestream [of] This Is Hardcore Fest 2020, which will be out in November.
GM: As a promoter, is there anything you hope to accomplish before the end of the year, any announcements you’d like to share with our readers?
JM: This Is Hardcore will have a livestream on November 14th. Details are forthcoming and [it] will be a one-day [event].
NL: Eh, yes, but I've been trying to ease my stress and workload by not setting crazy goals for myself anymore. I used to do it a lot when I was early into the promotion game, and I'd consistently bum myself out.
I think I just want to keep trying ideas, creating with my friends, screen printing, and hoping that I can make enough to continue to pay my rent and bills without worrying about it. I know it sounds like a lame goal, but it's more realistic and will keep me in a better headspace for the next couple of months.
For announcements, I just announced The Hammer Collective Presents, which is a virtual "live" show project that will be debuting in November. This is going to take the place of Hammer shows for the time being.
Basically, two to three times a month, we will be airing shows on our website for $10 (or subscription-based via Patreon). Bands will perform live sets that will be recorded by our team, and the bands will profit off of these $10 "door" sales that come in each show.
I'm trying to keep it almost identical to the way that I would host a show at Alchemy, but just kicking it back to those core DIY routes of throwing together whatever we have for gear in the studio and making it work. I'm excited (and quite anxious) about it, I think it'll be dope.
GM: Is there anything music fans can do to help in this difficult time?
NL: Buy merch and music from bands, share (or retweet) music from bands, and do the same for businesses and companies that work within the music industry. Donate to small venues in your area.
The best thing you can do is give your money to creatives in exchange for their goods and/or services, it helps keep creatives and small businesses employed. Shop local always, fuck corporate.
JM: Remember that despite the restrictions we are still alive, and with the internet, we are still far more privileged than we are disadvantaged. Watch some videos on hate5six, buy merch from your favorite bands.
Check out old bands, look for new ones on Bandcamp, and buy some stuff from Bandcamp when they have those royalty-free days. When things open up, if you don't feel confident or secure going to the show, don't go, but don’t go on social media and chastise the folks who are going to stick their necks out and make the first things happen. You can absolutely sit out [until] you feel good and then jump back in.
GM: Anything else you’d like to add?
JM: Hardcore punk is going to be fine. The world view is skewed by social media.
Remember to check-in and have phone or Zoom calls with friends. Take this time to appreciate what became routine and is now missing from your life.
You can follow Joe McKay on Twitter @TheJoeHardcore, and you can find his podcast on their website; you can keep up with the shows he books on This is Hardcore Fest's Twitter and website, as well as the Twitter and website for Philly Hardcore Shows. Huge thank you to him for his time and for sitting down to talk with us, in addition to all he has done and continues to do for the local and national hardcore scenes.
NL: I think I've said my piece.
You can follow Nick Lowney on Twitter @NameEqualsNick, and you can keep up with The Hammer Collective by following them on Twitter @TheHammerCol and checking out their website. Big thanks to him for letting us take up some time in his busy schedule to chat, and for everything he does and has been doing for the Massachusetts and Rhode Island local music scenes.
We hope you enjoyed this interview, and that you will start to or continue to support your local/favorite promoters, bands, venues, and so on. If there's anyone you'd like to see us pick the brains of in the future, tweet us @lgndsoftmrw!
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