Book 'em, part 2

The Met Cafe gives locals a chance

by Bob Gulla

Jesse Blair

Not big on décor, but big on vibe, the Met Cafe has a long tradition of great music in Providence. It has to. It inherited its name from the infamous joint torn down almost 20 years ago. Now owned by its adjacent neighbor, Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, it's easy to look past its sparse furnishings and, er, indistinguished appearance in favor of its friendly staff, agglomeration of music enthusiasts, and all the effort the club invests in making the Met a worthwhile destination.

Jesse Blair and Jeremy Senser are responsible for booking the venue. The Met, located at 130 Union Street, holds 220 patrons. Blair accommodated the Phoenix with the following information. This is the second in an ongoing series of profiles of local venues. Clip and save!

Q: Does the Met provide sound and lights?
A: We've got a 32-channel board, a three-way system with flown high packs and subs under the stage, and four monitor mixes.

Q: What is the age group?
A: Most shows we get 20 to 25 year olds, some shows above that age and some younger, depending on the act.

Q: What type of talent do you book?
A: More than 50 percent of our talent is local bands and two-thirds of that comes during the winter. About six bands a month are regional and another six are national.

Q: What kind of local bands do you book?
A: Pretty much everything. There are certain things we tend to book more. Hardcore more than blues. I prefer to book more toward hardcore and punk because it works better in this room, but I'll book any good act.

Q: How do bands get paid?
A: Local bands get a percentage of the door. We take the first $100 to cover a few of the expenses of running the show -- audio engineer, door people, etc. The bands then split 75 percent of the remainder of the door.

Q: In your opinion, what makes people connect with a band?
A: It's a mystery. The quality of their songs, energy, emotion. An old hardcore band has energy and emotion, not because they are wonderful musicians. It's about emotion, anger, how it makes you feel. Some of my favorite bands I like because the songwriter is miserable and I want to feel miserable. Some make me feel up and some make me feel down. It depends.

Q: What are some of the biggest mistakes that bands make performing?
A: Long breaks between songs. If they can't make a connection with the audience, talking between songs is not the way to go. There are some bands who have made a strong following that can really be entertaining in their "between song banter" -- sometimes it's the funniest part of the show. But blasting through your set is key to a good connection with the audience. Noodling is bad.

Q: To your mind, what is the sound of the Providence music scene?
A: Here the most pervasive style is really heavy hardcore born out of late '80s and early '90s New York. Boston bands are all pop-punk and alternative. Providence has that, but a lot more heavy hardcore, like Shed. That style has become very ingrained here. That scene is very much alive. The pop-punk bands are not doing as well here.

Q: Are you getting the talent from the local scene that you need to successfully book your club?
A: We're getting the talent, but we are barley getting the audience. There is a lack of audience which is why I will book hardcore first, because it brings people in.

Q: Is the talent drawing?
A: The talent is drawing, but not to the degree it should be.

Q: When you have to choose between good talent and beer sales, who wins?
A: 50/50. Sometimes I have to go with beer sales to make money. Most of the bands are pretty good and do well at the bar. It's kept in the back of my head, but it doesn't affect what I book a whole lot.

Q: What do you think of the indie-band sarcasm, "We're nothing but over-glorified beer salesmen?"
A: It's not true here. Cover bands have more of a right to say that because they are there to entertain. This club doesn't make very much money. We might have a good night, but we do it because we like music. It's not always about profit.

Q: If you find talent that is really hot, but completely unknown, how would you develop them?
A: Basically, we do that. I always try to put one band on the bill that will definitely draw some bodies. 10, 50, 100. I rely on that one band to help the draw of other bands. I book bands that don't have an immediate draw if I like them. I'll give them a few shots on an off night. If I can see that they are making an effort to bring people in, I will move them to a better night. If it's a local band booking a month in advance and come the night of the show no one shows up, I will be less ready to book them again. Bands have to put in an effort. There is no built-in crowd here at the Met. If you've got a Saturday night show and the band doesn't get the word out, no one will come.

Q: How much responsibility is on the shoulders of the band to draw?   
A: A lot. We advertise, we do fliers, but most of the draw is on the shoulders of the band. If every band member got 5 or 6 friends to come to see them each, that's 25 people!

Q: Why is it so hard to break a scene?
A: Apathy. People don't come out for live music as much as they used to. More people are going out to see DJs. Of all the [popular] albums to come out in the last few years, how many were live bands?! The vast majority were hip-hop and R&B and Britney Spears, not "live" bands. Not even big "rock star" bands sell as much as "canned" electronic or "producer" artists these days.

Q: What would you do for the local scene in your club if you had the budget?
A: Definitely more radio advertisement. Lowering door charges doesn't seem to make a difference. Whether it's three bucks or seven bucks, people will come out for a band they like.

Q: How might you go about strengthening the scene here?
A: We are trying to avoid booking nights that conflict with other clubs when we can. If I see that the Century Lounge is advertising a certain type of act on a given night, like a punk act, we'll try to book something else here.

Q: Where is the music scene heading?
A: Heavier. Judging from radio, there's a lot more little Limp Bizkits these days than anything else. That seems to be the trend right now.

LOCAL MUSIC HEADS UP. John Fuzek, good-guy coordinator of the Hear In RI Music Festival, let us know that now is the time for local bands and songwriters to get their shit together and their packages in. Fuzek and company are wrapping up booking for the festival and if there are any last-minute kits to be sent for consideration send them to the below address, like now. Send a bio, a recording, and a photo to receive serious consideration. Of course, no phone calls! E-mail is preferred if you need semi-communication. John will call you if your stuff measures up.

The fest is in its seventh year and will takes place on June 10 and 11 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Roger Williams Park 's Temple to Music in Providence. Admission is free. It showcases music by artists who are based in Rhode Island or have a significant connection to the state. Between sets spoken word will be performed by some of the area's best poets. And you have your requisite arts, crafts and food vendors on the festival grounds.

Very important! This year, the festival will be present an "unplugged" style show. All music -- heavy or otherwise -- will be presented in an acoustic format. So if you think your tunes stand up to an acoustic/unplugged treatment -- now there's a challenge -- send your goods to the following address and cross your fingers: Hear In RI, PO Box 367, Harmony, RI 02829-0367. The e-mail address is hearinri@ids.net and the Website is at http://users.ids.net/~ hearinri.