Damian at the PACKED, Triple Nickel Fourth Anniversary Party.
"You are wasting your life away at the bar. Your shows are not that cool, and the triple nickel is boring. You are afraid to do more with yourself" -Anonymous
I received these fine words in the form of an anonymous message sent through the bowels of Myspace via the TRUTH BOX application.
I laughed when i read the above message. I have come so far in this great charade of life and have people ridicule the choices I have made. I LOVE what i am doing, and as i wrote in my Article in The Independent, Nothing feels better than a packed room and knowing that I am responsible for it.
It has been about 8 months since i have received this message and as I looked upon it today, it was not with laughter or humor, but sadness. Here is a person who thinks i can do great things, but sees me wasting my time at a dive bar I call HOME.
I wish no disrespect to the people who did the job before me, but When i first took over the bookings and promotions of the Triple Nickel Tavern, it was an absolute shithole. I came in HUNGRY and ready to buckle down and work my ass off and that's what i did.
For the first year I had to beg and plead with musicians to come and play at our little venue. I was constantly on the computer, listening to and emailing bands. I went out and found the bands that i loved and admired and brought them to Colorado Springs. It was hard work, but no where near the hard work that came once i got these bands into town. The hardest part was getting the crowds...
Colorado Springs is a notorious town for having a music scene that people do not support. People do not want to leave the comfort of their homes and Xboxs to venture out into the great unknown for adventures and live music. They visit their chain restaurants and comfortable chain bars. They venture very little off the beaten path. They have very little imagination or thirst for adventure and because of this, the town suffers greatly because of it.
It may seem easy. Sit at the computer and write a few emails, post a few bulletins online. The Reality is, I had to bust my ass to attract more and more of these people and get them into our little bar that could. Sure I didn't do anything to drastic and crazy. I mostly did what other did before me in the days before Social Networking. I got out there and Flyered and networked. I went to shows. I met new people and spent countless hours talking and talking to people. I bought and consumed many, many beers. It was hard work and even some of my closest friends chose not to support me and my efforts, choosing instead to sit at home and watch countless hours of MTV Reality Television. Through it all, and against all odds, I prevailed.
Our bar just celebrated its Fourth Anniversary to a PACKED house! In a time of economic uncertainty, we had one of the most successful years in the bar's history. I can't take all of the credit of course. It was a group effort and we all pitched it. I booked the bands. The people started coming. The Bartenders took care of the patrons and guests. JJ, the owner, built a new stage. Joel (Aka Ski) set up a new sound system (that JJ bought.) and as a result, we've created the best sounding, small venue in town. Most bands tell us we are now their FAVORITE place to play in town!!! A far cry from the time i spent on my knees....
We ALL worked hard to get the bar to where it is now, and not with out my help of booking the shows, and getting the people to acknowledge what we are doing. The Nickel may not be the premier bar downtown, but we're at a point now, that even on show nights we can pack the fucking house with ease, a super rarity before I took over.
The person who wrote to me telling me that i am "...Afraid to do more with myself," Might not see how great an accomplishment that packing that place can be. I'm the backstage guy. I'm the man behind the curtain making the magic happen. Its a very unrewarding job for most, but not for me. I've sought my reward and claimed it.
I have so many more GREAT people in my life now. If not for the nickel, I wouldn't have met my last three girlfriends, and I'm sure the next unlucky girl i will have met there as well. I would not know my last two roommates, had it not been for the Nickel. I would not have found the roads i am currently navigating... I wouldn't have become this current incarnation of Damian.
Less than two weeks from now, I'll be hitting the road with one of my all time favorite bands, DRAG THE RIVER. I'll be their Merch Bitch/Roadie/Driver on this next adventure and I've never been more excited. If you had told me 2 years ago that I would be going out on the road with Drag, i would have laughed and wished dreamily at the prospect.... Now here i am about to embark on a killer trip, with some great guys. They're not only my friends, but my brothers in arms. I STILL can't believe it.....
And its all because I've "wasted [MY] life away at the bar."
I may not get paid cash for all the work I've done in this town, but The Nickel has given me more than I ever could have wished for.
I don't want people to think I am selling myself short. You don't rush a stew. You have to let it sit and simmer and cook to deliciousness. I'm taking it slow and easy and soaking in the sights, sounds and smells. Its not about the destination, its about the journey. I will sit back and enjoy this wild and crazy ride that I'm on and when the time comes, I'll head off on my next great adventure.
So to the person who wrote the above statement, I want you to know, I'm HAPPY. I'm not wasting away. I've accomplished more than i could have imagined. I appreciate that you think i can do more, and I can, and I will, but for now I'm going to keep hanging out in the Dive bar, booking "boring" shows and entertaining the small mass of loyal patrons to our bar. I am going to keep enriching this town. I am going to keep plugging away. One day, I will move on to greatness, and one day you'll tell someone, "I knew him when."
No comments:
Post a Comment