Comments on: Curating a Live Event: Never Settle For Less Than Greatness.

By: Steve Lawson about Antwerp Live Looping 2010 | Antwerp Live Looping Festival

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:34:26 +0000

[...] http://www.stevelawson.net/2010/03/curating-a-live-event-never-settle-for-less-than-greatness/ steve [...]

By: Brenda K

Brenda K — Wed, 19 May 2010 05:53:55 +0000

Steve,

HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH ALL THESE BRILLIANT IDEAS????!!!!!　　And thank you so much for sharing them, by the way. I’ve been wracking my brain over the past couple days trying to figure out an efficient way forward in booking more house concerts since I’ve got rather brassed off lately at the gig scene here in L.A. (Background: we just did our first house concert early last month in San Diego with good success, but my next attempt at it just blew up in my face last week.) So I found your post here and followed the link to the Microgigs page, et voila! That’s it! Thanks a trillion for a highly relevant and perfectly manageable concept that’s dead-simple to explain to people!!! Many thanks also for heading me off from paying yet another $100+ to sign up for a house concert networking site here in the US that our music most likely wouldn’t have been a good fit for by sharing that information!

Blessings to you and Lobelia!

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:23:00 +0000

and combat it you do! Good work, Stevie G, good work.

By: Steven Guerrero

Steven Guerrero — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:14:52 +0000

“London pubs are overflowing with REALLY bad acoustic nights, where talented people are buried under an avalanche of mediocrity…”

It’s not just London, that’s for sure. However I’m combating this by inviting and showcasing musicians I feel are great and so far it seems to be working for a venue that suffered from a once horrible open mic night.

By: Paddy

Paddy — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:44:44 +0000

yeah i did, and it was EVEN more awesome

By: Steve thack

Steve thack — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:17:33 +0000

I’d expect one hell of a lot of greatness from miriam.

By: Paddy

Paddy — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:04:52 +0000

“give people more greatness than they had any reasonable right to expect”

that pretty much sums up how i felt about seeing miriam jones at your place steve.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:34:23 +0000

Kevin, I think that Steve Thack’s quote says it better than I did:

” Give people more greatness than they had any reasonable right to expect”

that’s easier to quantify in any given situation, I think

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:31:34 +0000

‘Never Settle For Less Than Greatness’ should be the motto used by all independent, unsigned and lesser known musicians for everything they do to promte themselves and their music.
Too often things have a ‘That’ll do’ approach, which never creates a good first impression.
The problem then, is that one person’s greatness, is another’s ‘That will do’
How can you define a standard that all should aspire to?

Kevin

By: Steve thack

Steve thack — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:21:13 +0000

Possible to draw up a rule of thumb that applies to all events. Give people more greatness than they had any reasonable right to expect. Totally new to gig organising but i’ve no intention of ever booking anyone for a twenty min opening slot i wouldn’t happily pay good money to see do an hour. Next gig i’m going to see i know head liner will be fantastic but knowing venue / promoter i’m expecting 4 students with guitars doing half hour sets to their mates for the first half the night. Prob all worth seeing two songs by. Now if bar had decent beer at reasonable price that would be fine as it is i avoid the venue unless head liners are bloody fantastic. City centre bars often seem to go that way.
On the other hand i know local promoters doing nights i’d happily pay for with no idea who is on simply cos track record is so good.