THWOMP Interview: On Gigs Past, Present and Future

In Part Five of this originally-published-for-Suite 101 exclusive interview, Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall of the Nintendo® cover band THWOMP discuss gigs past, present and future.

Calgary-based Nintendo® cover band THWOMP is gearing up for two exciting projects. They will rock Edmonton on August 6, 2010 at Animethon 17. In the fall, they will release their debut CD. Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall stopped by to discuss gigs past, present and future.

THWOMP's Take on Bar Gigs

The band has had its share of bar gigs over the years, which the guys are glad to put behind them. "We used to play around town a lot, actually," said Brad. "It’s kind of easy to play Calgary out. There just aren’t that many decent bars to play at."

Bars and clubs tend to attract regulars and only occasionally draw in new patrons, while family and friends go only so far. "Once it’s your fifth gig in three or four months, it’s harder to get all of your friends to come out to it," explained Brad. "They’ll all come out to the first few, because they love you."

The other downside of bar gigs is the low return on investment. Dave said, "They pay almost nothing and the people who go to the bar don’t go to the bar and expect to spend $50 on merchandise, so nobody buys merchandise either."

THWOMP members made a conscious decision to stop doing bar gigs and focus on conventions. They have not looked back since.

THWOMP on Cool Gigs

Dave recalled one of their favorite gigs, "One of our funny, semi-regular gigs is at the Canmore Hotel, which is a heritage building. I think it’s 120 years old, at least, and you can tell…We turn it into a pretty big party and there’s some band stories from those gigs that I don’t think we’ll share with you."

"What happens on the road stays on the road," added Brad.

THWOMP's Current Gigs

Anime conventions, gaming conventions and comic conventions are ideal stages for THWOMP. "The conventions really have our exact demographic – sitting there – already dressed up," said Brad. "We have made some crazy fans over the last two summers."

THWOMP plays regularly at Otafest, Calgary's annual anime convention and Edmonton's annual anime con, Animethon. In 2009, the band gave its debut performance at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo.

The last gig had some bumps. "We were they only band they’ve ever had and you can tell," said Brad. "They had no idea what to do with us."

THWOMP on Dream Gigs

"I think we can all die happy if we played the Penny Arcade Expo," said Dave. The Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX for short, is held semi-annually in Seattle, WA. It is a gaming festival that hosts tournaments, freeplay areas, concerts and panels over the span of three days. "It’s probably the biggest gaming expo in the world, now that E3’s gone," added Dave.

Another dream gig for THWOMP would be MAGFest, held in Alexandra, VA. MAGFest is a video and computer gaming festival. Concerts by video game bands and jam sessions are featured prominently. "Too bad it’s about 3,000 miles away," said Brad.

Transcontinental gigs are hard for bands. "It’s not about the money but not losing money to get there," explained Dave. "Once you’re carting gear across the continent, it becomes very expensive."

Plus, being a niche band doesn’t make it any easier for bands like THWOMP. "It’s hard to stop at bars along the way and play to pay for your gas and food money," said Dave. "A lot of bars don’t want bands that don’t have singers and for good reason. That’s the world we live in. Ultimately, the more conventions we can regularly play the better."

Touring Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia is another "ultimate dream" for the band. "Getting paid to wander around Japan and play video game music would be really nice," added Brad.

THWOMP is a Nintendo® band comprised of Calgarians Brad Stanton (lead guitar), Colin Mitchel (lead guitar), Scott Munro (bass), Scott Moffat (drums), David Marshall (keyboards/percussion) and Kirk McVean (keyboards). For more information about THWOMP, the band or to listen to audio clips, visit their website and Myspace page.

Full interview series: Part 1 – THWOMP’s Origins | Part 2 – Band Names & Niches | Part 3 – Songwriting | Part 4 - Hey! Listen! CD Release | Part 5 - On Gigs | Part 6 - Convention Gigs | Part 7 - Video Games | Part 8 - Fun & Food

Excited About My New Accompaniment Gig

I can see why my friends and colleagues who gig regularly enjoy playing with different groups of musicians. The easiest way for me to explain how it makes me feel is to use an analogy from anthropology:

The Tamil Indians believe that all living and inanimate substances are fluid essences. That is, me typing on studio computer keyboard, staring at my computer screen make up a new "joint" substance. Every music ensemble and every project is akin to this.

This week and next, I am working with a school choir in preparation for their in-school music festival. I've worked with the music teacher before but with a different choir. Different context. Different ensemble. Totally different music.

The pieces are simply charming. I'm having a great time learning the music. It's energizing as it's different from what I've been working on lately.

First, there's Antonio by Jay Broeker:

Antonio

By Jay Broeker. For 2-part voices and piano. Concert. Octavo. Published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing (SB.SBMP-873)

...more info

It's the trickiest of the bunch. The lyrics are funny and tune sticks in your head for hours.

Nick Page's Fairest Lady is a beautiful ballad:

Fairest Lady

((No. 7 from The Nursery Rhyme Cantata) CME Beginning). By Nick Page. For Choral, Chorus, Piano (UNIS). CME Beginning Series. 8 pages. Boosey & Hawkes #M051471799. Published by Boosey & Hawkes (HL.48004859)

(1)

...more info

Spirits by Douglas Beam is deliciously spooky. The fourth piece is Pirate for a Day by Roger Emerson:

Pirate for a Day

By Roger Emerson. For Choral (2-Part). Youth Sing Out (Choral). 12 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.8564233)

...more info

It makes me giggle whenever I practice it. Every. Single. Time.

I am enjoying my work with the choirs so far and look forward to hearing what kind of music we create together onstage.

Gig Musings

I played background music at a corporate function last week. It's been a while since my last one. Sometimes, the crowd is low-key, while sometimes, they are a rambunctious crowd.

Last week, they were the latter. I could barely hear myself. In my 25 years of gigging, I have learned that in those situations, it really doesn't matter what you play so long as 1 - you don't stop and 2 - you play fast songs.

I improvised. I repeated songs. I sight read. Other than my ears ringing afterward, it was good.

My friends and I were supposed to be in Japan for Spring Break (as in, right this minute), but our plans fell apart, well before the March 11 disasters. Since we can't be there to help, we have been helping out from home. We've made cranes for Japan and have also signed up to help with the Calgary Japanese Community Association's Earthquake and Tsunami Relief efforts.

Which brings me to this week's challenge. My sibling and I (both being musicians) have offered to perform at some of the upcoming CJCA events. This means rapidly re-learning some insanely fast Jpop and JRock songs on piano, learning how to sing two new Japanese songs and getting more coordinatedwith accompanying myself on piano while singing with the songs I do know.

It's a case where practicing is just much more fun than bookkeeping. However, I did promise myself that I'd deal with the not-so-fun aspects of managing a business (administration) before practicing today. Wish me luck.

(c) 2011 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

Musings on One Fun Gig

Today I had the pleasure of performing background music at a 90th birthday party. The "birthday boy" is looking very hearty and hale. Both he and his wife could easily be mistaken for being 20 years younger. When I first spoke to the couple, they requested that I play a wide range of music as the youngest family member is 3 months old, while the "birthday boy" represents the top end. I really enjoyed putting this program together, which had everything from All of Me and Fly Me to the Moon to Avril Lavigne's Breakaway and Super Mario Brothers; with some improvising thrown in.

The great grandchildren came to chat with me about music, Guitar Hero II and karate while I played the Inspector Gadget Theme and Willy Wonka's Welcome Song. One six-year old asked if he could play with me so we jammed on a boogie pattern while his cousins bopped to the music and "comped" when the inspiration struck.

They said my hands moved pretty fast. Meanwhile, I was thinking, "I need to practice my scales even more!" I stayed to chat afterwards with one of the grandchidlren, a former coworker of mine whom I haven't seen in years. It was a pleasant surprise to see her there.

The gig wasn't without its glitches. My break was used up over a dropped key. When the party moved to the venue's dining room, I found the piano locked. I went to get the key when it fell into the piano. Three gentlemen (four if you count my six-year old assistant) tried to pull it out because it fell in the most inconvenient spot.

I also think perhaps the Heritage Park ghosts decided to play a practical joke on me as my pages kept flipping on their own during my Beatles songs and Breakaway. Perhaps it was their way of saying that they wanted more ragtime and boogie? Who knows?

With a bit of tweaking and revising, I think I can reuse the program at future gigs.

(c) 2008 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Busy Season

As merchandisers will tell you, there are only 32 shopping days left before Christmas.

Any musician will tell you that right after Halloween, we have mere weeks before we are up to our eyeballs with Christmas concerts and party gigs. I'm currently working my Christmas gig repertoire back under my fingers, along with some of the songs from Conservatory Canada's Contemporary Idioms syllabus. Well, I'm finding that it's one thing to stay a couple of pages ahead of my students. It's a complete other story getting their songs up to performance standard.

In the end, some of the new songs won't make the cut this season. They'll be replaced with old standbys with a twist. For instance, I've discovered that God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen sounds very nice with a Latin pattern or a Boogie Woogie pattern and that Blue Christmas sounds neat with a Honky Tonk bass.

Be brave. Next time you practice your holiday music, add some zip to your songs by changing it a bit. You'll find it entertaining and quite enjoyable.

(c) 2007 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.