Hey friends, I've been getting a lot of inquiries as to why my weekly HOB shows are no longer on my calendar at ListenLocalRadio.com so here's the story. Again. :)
In June of 2015 I was informed by interim GM Brian Carp that my monthly Kid Shows were being cancelled and that my Tuesday night shows were being renamed so that people would not confuse them with Local Brews Local Grooves, our larger multi stage shows that HOB had adopted in their other markets. As for the future of my Tues weekly residency, I was told that if a private party needed our stage on a Tues night they would no longer move my show to another stage or night as they'd been doing for the past 6 years, they would just cancel them. Heartbroken at that and the loss of the Kid Show, I changed Tuesday's name to Listen Local Radio Showcase and hoped for the best.
HOB's cancelling of my Tuesdays continued on the 1 per month average for the next few months and although I tried to move the cancelled shows to other venues, it proved to be too difficult. I lamented to my HOB contact Casey that some of these bands I'm forced to cancel were using these Tues nights as CD release parties and other special events, not to mention, they're playing for FREE as an audition for our All Access Fests. Casey then told me, face to face, that they were not doing any more LBLG all access fests in 2015.
Although I found it hard to believe since the last event sold out over capacity (fire marshals were called in, even), I decided based on that information, it was in everyone's best interest if I gave notice. I used the last date I was fully booked on a Tuesday as my last day, September 8th.
Less than a week later I found out the big show WAS happening, 3 days after my last show in September. I was heartbroken and super pissed at having been lied to. Calls and emails to Casey and Brian Carp went unanswered. My other contact Jerry told me it was a last minute decision (?!) and so, in an effort to keep the remaining shows I had (both b/c I needed the income and because there were over 60 bands counting on those shows) I kept my mouth shut and showed up every Tuesday. By the final week, last Tuesday, I was so emotionally drained that although I was sad to leave my Tuesday crew I couldn't wait to leave this new HOB.
I would have preferred the honest approach. "Hey, thanks for this successful series, we're gonna take it from here" ...instead of the shady way they pulled the rug out from under me and then ignored me. That having been said, I have nothing but love for the time I shared with the musicians and the REAL people who give venues like that soul.
I had 6 years of weekly posters I didn't wanna toss out so I made t his video... all the amazing bands who played Listen Local shows at HOB since 2009. The audio is my interview with Matt Parsons, the GM who hired me in 2009 and started Local Brews Local Grooves.
Thank you for your concern and continued support, friends! What's next for Listen Local? <---- I'm gonna keep on trucking.
Cathryn Beeks
ListenLocalRadio.com
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