(Not So) Big Idea Friday #3: INTENSITY IN 10 CITIES TOUR

Before I dive into (Not So) Big Idea Friday, here’s a bit of housekeeping: In the “SUBSCRIBE” section, I’ve now made it possible for you to sign up to have my blog posts delivered straight to your e-mail inbox. Huh.  :)
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This Friday’s big idea is one that is actually happening:
THE INTENSITY IN 10 CITIES TOUR 2010

The indie music scene in Ontario used to be incredible. I first came onto the scene in a legitimate way in 2002, playing with a band called Prophecy 1:27. (Don’t laugh.) When we played shows, it was always with the same group of bands. Straight Edge. Our Pure Country. Reason Being (who went on to become Hawk Nelson). Lucerin Blue. Skateyate. The first thing we noticed when our parents would drop us off at the church basement (venue) was the camaraderie. Bands shared shows. Helped unload each others’ vans and trailers. Went out to eat together after the concert. Often drove to shows in the same van to save gas! There was a super-tight community and every show was (dead serious) like a family reunion.

After a year of university, I started Hello Kelly and, to my delight, the “scene” was still intact. The bands would swap members around a little bit (Hello Kelly was no exception!) but still, every show felt like a family gathering. Fighting the Fall. Trouble with Ferguson. One Way Out. Worthless Without. If I looked through my closet right now, I could find a T-shirt for every single one of those bands – and I’m sure I got most of them for free. (I’m sure those guys could all do the same with a Hello Kelly shirt, too.)

Eventually though, something shifted. The scene started to disintegrate. Suddenly it was every band for itself. Churches, once SO eager to put on shows, closed their doors. Other bands were no longer friends but “competition” whom you had to defeat in merch sales. I heard that a couple people blamed Hello Kelly – because we over-saturated the market and charged so much for bookings – and I could see that playing a factor.  We were hungry.

That’s what inspired the INTENSITY IN 10 CITIES TOUR.
The idea is to revitalize the music community in Ontario. 10 Exclusive Dates Across Ontario. That means when we book 10 shows, we stop. Hello Kelly headlines. To Tell supports. For the openers, we pick 5 good bands from across Ontario and put them on 2 shows each – their home town (local band increases the draw for us) and one other city (exposes the band to new fans, and the fans to a new band). And that’s what this tour is all about: Exposing Ontario to the kind of community it used to have.

Teenagers need to have enough balls to try promoting a show in their church’s basement. Churches (and other places) need to once again open their basements to dirty, smelly, sweaty rock shows. Kids need to start saving their lunch money so they can afford $5 for a Friday night show. Bands need to start working TOGETHER to help each other stay busy.  I haven’t touched on the ministry potential here if these are Christian bands working together.
Wait, one band plays hardcore and the other plays pop-rock so they can’t share the same stage? Emo kids don’t wanna chill with metal kids? Um, never stopped us back in 2003.

The coolest idea for this tour is the INTENSITY 2010 SAMPLER:
Every kid who buys a ticket to the show is going to be given access to a website where they can download a FREE(!!) music sampler. 10+ songs. One song from every single band on the tour (even if they just play one show) and then songs from other Ontario bands too. Absolutely free. This means that the band who played Ottawa gets exposure to the kids at the Windsor shows. Then the band that played Welland gets exposure to the kids who went to the Kingston show.
This helps generate ticket sales for the tour. It helps generate album sales for the bands. It helps out-of-town bands get exposure to promoters all across Ontario. Wouldn’t it be amazing if, after the tour, every single band on the tour played the same 10 venues over the course of the year?? Could be amazing.

The scene may not be what it used to be, but with a little heart and elbow grease, maybe it could get there again. Hello Kelly. To Tell. Sincerely Beloved. The Breaking Lakes. Beauti. Light Division. Check these bands out. They may not all be sensational NOW but, with a bit of a community to support them, every band has the capacity to be pushed to excellence.

I mean, Hello Kelly used to be … Prophecy 1:27.  I believe I’ve made my point.

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francy