Organising Battle of Bands

Arddon

I am interested in organising a battle of the bands and would be interested in hearing the advice of people who have been involved in organising and playing at one previously.

I have never actually been to one, but intend changing that in the not too distant future...how do they work? how many bands needed and how long per set?

I am involved in a GAA club and we have an excellent facility in which to host this...large modern hall venue with reasonably good acoustics...bar (discounted club prices)...full disabled access...the battle of the bands would be a fundraiser for the club, and to bring some people out to view our facilities...

We dont however have a PA - is this a pre-requisite or do bands bring their own? (i'd imagine where multiple bands are setting up, one common PA would be best?) Getting one would not be an issue

All advice, hints, tips, do's, donts much appreciated!!

Fandango

Hey,
Ive been involved in a good few, mainly playing. The PA would always be provided by the organisers and also mics (enough for most bands so about 3 or 4, 3 would be enough for most but my band has 4 vocals so 4!!! hehe), DI boxes if the venue is big but for a GAA hall id say you would only need one for acoustic guitars so one would do. Most battle of the bands supply amps also but if its a small enough affair, you could ask bands to bring their own. changing amps etc is time consuming on the night tho so ya would need to have a house drumkit as it takes longest but just the basics, as in bass drum, toms and stands so drummers can throw their snare, basspedal and cymbals on quick. Also, going by my own GAA club, you wouldnt need a huge PA system. Especially if the bass and guitars arent going thru it. Also, check the Emergenza thread in the bands and musicians thread and make sure you have a fair judging process. Best way is independant judges that arent tied to any band. Dont make it a crowd vote cos that pisses alot of bands off as it turns it into a popularity contest. What GAA club is it for btw? Big GAA fan myself so would love to play it. Gimmie a shout if it goes ahead.

Fandango

Forgot set length! 25-30 mins per band is plenty and about standard for competitions. Its enough for them to throw out their best 5 or 6 songs and wouldnt have it going on till all hours.

maccored

try and interest a local band in playing and ask if you could use their backline, including PA if they have one. Otherwise, look up your nearest music shop and ask how much a pa and engineer would be to rent for the night.

Arddon

thanks for the replies folks

so far I've gathered that at least a PA and 4 mics is required...and a basic drum kit...

set length is 30mins max - how many bands is advisable - six?

In terms of luring decent bands, and a decent crowd, what kind of prize should be up for grabs? I got a brilliant PM and it mentioned a days recording...what does this equate to approximately in terms of cash??

do you advise on a cover charge and if so how much - 5euro...i guess the crowd will depend on the bands...

this may sound silly but what night of week...i would always assume friday/saturday but i know from organising events before that this is not always the case...in terms of raising funds from this we (GAA club) will be relying on people to use the bar...any potential takings on the door will be swallowed up by hiring equip/prize money...

keep the advice coming...much appreciated

maccored

if its a fundraiser I would look for 3 or 4 sponsors and have them all contribute to a large cash prize or around a grand. then charge a tenner in the door if its a once off, or preferably, charge a fiver in the door and run four gigs - 3 as heats and one as a final. not all bands can be bothered about cheap recording, but everyone likes cash.

odonopenmic

I agree with Fandango re the mics - we use 4 too and it's always a pain when we can't get them but think you're WAY off with 1 DI!! Sorry

There's more to life than 1 acoustic guitar! :eek: I know our band has used up to 4 in the past. Obviously this is quite a lot but I think you may be caught on the hop with only one. Maybe the best thing to do is ask the bands in advance what their set-up will be. That way, either you can accommodate them or let them know in advance that you are going to have only 3 mics, or only 2 DIs or whatever and try and figure out some solutions in advance. I think you'll be flexible or they will be or whatever so long as people know what the score is.

In terms of set length and number of bands, again this depends on the bar times etc. Don't reckon you'd want to put a band on before 8.30 - let a few punters come in first and then kick off. I think though if you go with 6 bands at 30 minutes, you're going to have a tight squeeze, just my opinion now but the way it'd look with a nice laid back changeover (15min - what do the rest of ye think? too long?):

Band 1: 8.30-9.00
Band 2: 9.15 - 9.45
Band 3: 10.00-10.30
Band 4: 10.45-11.15

Now you'd have to bear in mind what time the bar is closing etc. as you'll need to leave time for judging, prizes etc. Maybe others will disagree but I'd say if you haven't run one of these before, make sure that you have enough time for bands to switch around. You could shorten the changeover and shorten the set lenght if you wanted more bands but if you were looking at 6 bands doing a 30 minute set.... well, I think it's ambitious!:)

In terms of a prize, if you could get a studio to sponsor you a day's recording (I reckon you might be able to, a small studio or maybe one starting out?) it means that you're not forking out for this. If you go with a cash prize, this will eat into the fundraising unless you can get someone to donate the prize cash. I love an aul pot of gold myself but from your point of view, I agree with others - look for sponsors!

Final final point! The bands will probably bring varying crowds with them. A newer or younger band might have more enthusiastic friends who'll come along and support as opposed to a band who've been on the scene for longer and who's friends might be tapped out for heading to gigs. To reduce the risk, I reckon there's also a big onus on you and yours to promote this as much as possible. Inviting the bands to play mightn't magically generate a crowd so you guys organising should be spreading the word as much as possible too.

odonopenmic

Oh yeah! And for a cover charge - personally, I think 5 euro is a proper bargain. I reckon you could charge up to 10 but I suppose you'll know best what you reckon the GAA gang will fork out for a night like this.

If you're running raffles or any of that thing at it as well, I'd probably leave it at 5 - there's only so much I'd spend between the cover and stuff like that. Or maybe I'm just a big scab

Fandango

Yea, as its a fundraiser i would charge a small amount at the door. A fiver would be perfect. Also, as someone mentioned, try and get some local companies on board to sponsor it and provide prizes. If there is a local music shop, you could see if they would provide some backline in return for advertisement. A day recording is a good prize once it is in a good studio but that can be costly. I would agree with Maccored that a cash prize or a voucher for a music shop etc would look better than a day in a lower standard studio.

As for what night, that would usually depend on factors like venue costs as they would be cheaper midweek, but if you have the club hall anyway then i would say a friday night would suit best. No work the next day and less people with plans made as you would get on a saturday.

odonopenmic, we only use 1 DI for keys so once were sorted its advantage to us if others are short hehe, me and my scheming mind

discobeaker

Have judges vote for the winners and dont make it as who can bring the most people and get them to shout loud enough. Make sure the best band wins. Im a Judge for a battle of the bands thing in the next few weeks. I think its the best way to judge it rather than getting everyone to shout for their son's or brothers or sister band.

If i can help in anyway just PM me. Im happy to help

Bands love cash as most bands can do their own recording in their own studios and stuff. At least with cash they can pay for mastering,CD's designed,photoshoots etc. About 500 to 1000 would be a great prize.

Fandango

discobeaker wrote: »

Have judges vote for the winners and dont make it as who can bring the most people and get them to shout loud enough. Make sure the best band wins. Im a Judge for a battle of the bands thing in the next few weeks. I think its the best way to judge it rather than getting everyone to shout for their son's or brothers or sister band.

If i can help in anyway just PM me. Im happy to help

Bands love cash as most bands can do their own recording in their own studios and stuff. At least with cash they can pay for beer, drugs, girls etc. About 500 to 1000 would be a great prize.

Fixed for ya

FewFew

Get a proper engineer on board with the PA. This doesn't have to be madly expensive, but will make all the difference on the night. The engineer will also have an idea of what's needed and will bring along DIs, mics etc. A lot of PA rental places will do a package for ya.

Really what you're going to do depends on what sort of bands you're going to attract. If you get young bands they'll be happy with recording time etc and will usually bring a good crowd of their friends. This won't usually bring in a lot at the bar.
Older bands, well, depends really. If they're at the level where they're going to play a battle of the bands then they probably wouldn't say no to some recording time.
The best attended battle of the bands I've been at were all focused on younger bands. As people get older the better bands won't bother with battle of the bands and you're left with the dregs, not hugely entertaining usually.
If the fundraiser is for the club I'd aim at some of the more naiive bands out there, over 18, and hope to clean up at the bar.

Keys and korgs are trendy these days = more than one DI.

Source two reliable guitar amps and a decent sized bass amp. No need for vintage tubes and full stacks or any such nonsense. You want something that sounds decent and isn't delicate. Changing amps is messing around, don't give bands the option.

Get a decent drumkit. Drummers should bring cymbals, snare & kick. A good drummer will get these changed in no time. The danger is the previous drummer may be acting like an arse and going rather slowly. Maybe explain that the judges will be taking everything into account, including attitude. It's at least representative of the real world.

If you're focusing hard on the fundraising element then €10 is ok, but otherwise you should aim for a fair bit less. €7 is a good figure. With some touring international bands charging €12 and some of the mid-level Irish bands charging €10 at a push... you're taking the piss if you're expecting to charge €10 on the quality of the acts alone.

An idea for a prize might be a day's recording + a photoshoot + a gig in the GAA club.