| JULY 4th Eastney |
Sun 24 Jun 07 |
Tickets are going fast for the above date @The Cellars at Eastney
Address: 56 Cromwell Road, Eastney, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO4 9PN
Call Phone: 023-9282-6249 (venue) ot go to ticket link on
www.stiffpromotions.co.uk or see GIG DATEs |
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Posted by DB |
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| Derrin Nauendorf |
Sun 17 Jun 07 |
| Just to say hes such a good mate ,I must apologise - I need to change my glasses -I spelt his name wrong!!!! |
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Posted by DB |
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| 21SEPT-EARLY DEC TOUR! |
Sun 17 Jun 07 |
Hi All
I have started to put dates on the gig guide section. I will be adding
addresses,box office numbers etc. in more detail in due course.
The aim is to have at least 3/4 shows Thur-Sun every weekend.
Our good friend DERRIN NEURENDORFF will be on most shows check him out on Myspace/DERRINNEURENDORFF.
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Posted by DB |
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| THE PACS A BUSINESS MODEL! |
Wed 14 Mar 07 |
The Boys in the BrandThere are plenty of theories, models and abstractions to help us understand the shifts happening in the world of work, but sometimes it’s a living metaphor or a snapshot of reality that brings the truth into sharp focus. Look at the world through the right pair of eyes, and you’ll find examples that illuminate business issues in the most unlikely places. Which explains the link between an ex-Bonzo, a Tex-Mex septet, and virtual organisations…
Neil Innes is a genius. Most of his fans think so because of his music; I think so because of his innate understanding of market segmentation, asset exploitation and branding.
You may not know Innes’ name or his work. He’s been around a long time. In the late 60’s he was a member of the art-student Bonzo Dog Band; in the 70’s he worked with Monty Python, then on his own ‘World of Records’; in the early 80’s he created ‘The Rutles’, a note-perfect pastiche of the Beatles.
The Rutles recently toured – Innes probably thought ‘if McCartney can, why not me?’ He didn’t play Red Square or Earls Court, but I saw him in a club that holds 300, and it was full. He repeated that around the country.
It was a terrific evening. First class musicianship married with very funny, very clever songs. The band played most of the Rutles catalogue, from the early Hamburg rock-and-roll to the multi-layering of St Peppers.
At the interval, the guy next to me said:“I hope he does some of his solo work. Everyone in the club was probably thinking the same thing. Of course, Innes didn’t play any solo songs at all. Because Innes ‘gets’ segmentation.
He has a catalogue of assets that generate his living. That evening – and that tour – he set out to exploit one part of that catalogue. A particular proposition delivered by a particular organisation (the band) under a particular brand.
The target customers for the Innes solo proposition are probably the same people. But rather than provide too many features at once, he knows just how many to include to satisfy his audience so that they leave wanting more. Then he has a second opportunity to sell to us again.
(Go to his website www.neilinnes.org and see just how many songs he’s written. His product portfolio is vast; that evening he delivered a fraction of it. Yet, had they been asked, every one of his customers would have ticked ‘delighted’ on the survey.)
Even with the Rutles’ name, the fan base will still associate the material they performed with Innes. The group is a sub-brand, and couldn’t exist without him. That’s not the case with Los Pacaminos: Not only are they a brand very distinct from their parts, they are also a living example of a virtual organization, and a model for how many of us will work in the future.
Another introduction: Los Pacaminos are a seven-piece Tex-Mex band. They cover and write Spanish ballads and Cajun dance songs, and party while they do. You’re even less likely to have heard of any of them then you are of Innes – except one: Paul Young, a big star in the 80’s (and the first voice on the Band Aid charity single).
The first really interesting thing about the band is that it is NOT Mr Young plus six others. This is a genuine group of equals. They share the spotlight and the lead microphone. Of course, they don’t hide his light under a bushel when attracting a paying audience, but it’s not the Paul Young show.
He does pursue a solo career. Like Innes, he has assets that he needs to exploit, and his distinctive soul singing voice means that he can make hay while the revival sun shines. And like Innes, the two never cross-over. Solo Young sells nostalgia. Los Pacaminos are slowly building a new brand and reputation
The second striking aspect of the line up is that it isn’t permanent. The organisation is very fluid; several of the members have other musical lives. Take Jamie Moses. He is an extraordinary guitarist, and another of LP’s front-men. But follow his website links and you’ll find:
- he’s a touring session musician who’s currently working with Phil Collins
- he’s a member of SAS Band
- he’s the driving force behind the World Famous Red Sox, a party band who play for the stars
- he performs his own shows, and is available for masterclass lessons
So for some of the time he’s anonymous, a support player for a bigger solo brand. On other occasions, he’s a lead player in a collective brand. And in a third guise, he’s built his own brand doing solo work and teaching.
Now, I very much doubt that Moses or Young or Innes have ever thought about themselves and their ventures in these terms. They don’t have to – because that’s just the way things are in the music business. If you don’t operate in this fluid way, constantly shifting your role and association with brands, you don’t eat.
OK – sometimes you hit the jackpot and become part of a brand that gives you lifetime employment (will the Rolling Stones ever stop?). But for the likes of Innes and Moses and Young – talented professionals that they are – the application of their skills, the retention of their customer base, and their participation in different brand combinations, are the way you earn a living.
Normality for musicians – a wake-up call for the rest of us. It’s not news that there’s no such thing as a job for life, and it’s an HR truism that we have to keep training. But how much time do you spend defining and developing your brand?
You can ask yourself the same questions you would as of organisation:
- What do I do?
- What do I stand for?
- Why is it different?
- What value do I bring?
Even without seeing him perform, you could have a good stab at guessing Jamie Moses’ answers. Finding your own is much more difficult.
Whether you run your own company, are part of a vc-backed start-up or are in a FTSE 100 company, you are a business of one. In some of your projects (gigs) you’ll be lead, in others you’ll be an anonymous session. But it all adds to the value of brand you. And that will be the asset that you can exploit in the coming years.
This 5 Minute Memo was written by Paul Rutherford. Paul heads up Optimentum - a Saffron House marketing partner. If you are interested in this or any other article, contact Paul via email mail@optimentum.com
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Posted by DB |
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| Website down |
Wed 14 Mar 07 |
Hi
Sorry for anybody that was inconvenienced by our hosts redirecting our site! Aa s you see they have reset it.
We have a myspace site also under construction but in the meantime check out:www.myspace.com/lospacaminos_fanclub.
The other news is that we have a plethora of dates (a tour!) from 22/9- 1/12! which will be finalised by the end of this month.
Finally why did the Mexican push his wife over a cliff...........
TEQUILA! |
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Posted by DB |
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