M3 Festival

Just 2 weeks away from the Saint John, Rip Rokken, AR summit.

Wow ... where do I begin?!? First off, a HUGE amount of gratitude goes out to Ed, Lori (Ed's wife) and Rip Rokken. I usually keep things under my hat, but I really want to extend my profound gratitude to all 3 of them. I have a pile of medical bills and was ready to cancel this trip. However, Ed was kind enough to open up his home and save me a few hundred dollars. And Lori absolutely dazzled us with her cooking. Holy shit was it phenomenal! Maryland crab cakes, shrimp on the barbie, pork chops, scalloped potatoes and homemade soup awaited us the first night. We had drinks, ate until we almost exploded and shared stories all night, every night. Lori's cooking, on a scale from 1-10, was about a ... 36!

Rip was kind enough to wait for me when he arrived at the airport and we carpooled there and back. Huge, huge thanks to him as well. Again, without "subsidies" from Ed and Rip I would have politely bowed out. The thing is, they did NOT know this. They volunteered their assistance freely and unconditionally. Thanks again, guys.

As for the show itself, my first piece of advice is to throw away the HDNet recording of the fest, as it does the bands and crowd NO JUSTICE.

A couple of points of interest:

-Don Dokken should NEVER sing again. He got booed from a VERY forgiving crowd and was just atrocious. He appeared to be drunk and had no voice. None at all. Embarrassing.

-Quiet Riot has found a phenomenal replacement. They put on an awesome show.

-Skid Row has some of the tightest musicians I've ever heard. The music was so clear and album-like that it was scary. Excellent stuff. And their singer is great, too. 13 years he's been there now.

-Bango Tango, Loudness and XYZ all suck. lol ... nothing more to say about them.

-Ratt needs some vocal training for Stephen Pearcy and they're ready to roll. Juan Croucier played his first gig on bass in OVER 20 years and added so much energy and intensity to the show. He was a maniac. Just a ball of fury and intensity. Pearcy was smoking cigarette after cigarette outside the hotel after the show, but he was VERY kind to the fans. Ratt can still bring it.

-Night Ranger is one of the 5 best live acts in the WORLD right now. Again, fuck the HDNet recording. It sounds good, but nothing like the live performance that I experienced. They were just A M A Z I N G. EVERYONE was buzzing after their set ... and still talking about it the next day.

-Members of Journey needed to attend this show and see bands like Night Ranger and Ratt perform. Night Ranger had all FIVE members singing harmonies and backing vocals and were completely live. Ratt had 4 guys singing harmonies and both bands worked their asses off (though Pearcy seemed a bit detached at times). These bands WORKED HARD. As a fan, that's good to see.

Kix always brings it home. Good, solid show, from a very underrated band. And they were gracious enough to admit that they knew they couldn't top Night Ranger. But, boy, it wasn't from a lack of effort. They really work hard, too.

Factoring in price, the billing, the crowd and the convenience of shuttling from one stage to the next, I'd give this fest a 97/100. Dokken accounts for the 3 point deduction. Though I should say it was funny sitting on the lawn with Ed, Sting (Ed's brother) and NIG ripping his shitty performance and listening to other people complain. One funny comment from Sting came from when he was in the bathroom. He comes out and says some guy screamed in the bathroom, "Jesus Christ, Dokken even sucks from inside the bathroom!"

Some other important points, in conclusion:

It's worth reiterating ... thanks again to Ed, Lori and Rip. You have NO IDEA how much I appreciate what you all did for me. Your kindness was humbling and your company was amazing. Thanks for the memories.

It was GREAT to see Pam, NIG and Sting again. We had some great laughs together.

Ed's dog, Raven, is a fucking nut! What a GOOD dog. I couldn't stop petting that little bastard all weekend. Such a fun dog!

Ed and Lori have a wonderful little girl (Kristen), and she sure loves her mom and dad! What a well-behaved, intelligent little girl. Beautiful family.

Back to work now. Ugh ...

First of, Welcome back bro! Youve been missed!

Glad you had a great time and thanks for the review. Hope you're recovering well from the weekend !
Did anyone take pictures !? Is yes please share. If no, then you guys suck !


Welcome back!

Behshad wrote:
Did anyone take pictures!?

Rip ALWAYS takes pictures! Rip and Pam have some good photos.

So how you feeling today !?

Behshad wrote:So how you feeling today !?

I think Rip, Ed and Pam can attest to my drinking and behavior. I had about 8 beers Thursday, 8 Friday and 0 (yes, that's correct) on Saturday. I volunteered to drive both nights of the fest. This medication (Coumadin) just slows down my drinking. I *could* drink like a fish, but the pain the next day(s) just isn't worth it. I choose moderation 90% of the time, and I'm digging it.

Very proud of you ! Keep it up!

Saint John wrote:

Behshad wrote:So how you feeling today !?

I think Rip, Ed and Pam can attest to my drinking and behavior. I had about 8 beers Thursday, 8 Friday and 0 (yes, that's correct) on Saturday. I volunteered to drive both nights of the fest. This medication (Coumadin) just slows down my drinking. I *could* drink like a fish, but the pain the next day(s) just isn't worth it. I choose moderation 90% of the time, and I'm digging it.

I wish I could say I kept it in moderation, although I did alternate with water quite a bit. The entire weekend was a blast. Dan I am glad you were able to make it especially now knowing the circumstances. We couldn't have asked for a better house guest.

Also great to finally meet Rip who is a really cool dude.

You all suck. The End.

Andrew wrote:You all suck. The End.

I would have put you up as well. Standing invite next time you are in the states.

I'll need to find a broom to fly over on first.

Andrew wrote:I'll need to find a broom to fly over on first.

Want to borrow my wife's? (Just kidding Lori if you see this post).

Andrew wrote:I'll need to find a broom to fly over on first.

Reinstate Phyllis, in exchange for use of her broom.

A thought. If there is ever another MR Fest consider this venue in Baltimore:

http://www.ramsheadlive.com/

or this one where Steve Augeri played this week.

http://www.baltimoresoundstage.com/

Kix would most likely be available, Frontiers with Jeremey's Journey connection aren't far away and Steve A isn't far either. I'm also friends with an 80's cover band The Reagan Years whose lead singer is pretty tight with Eric Martin and Tony Harnel. Just a thought. I know you aren't really looking to do another show but these clubs are sandwiched in between New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC

I talk to Tony all the time. He'd love to be involved. EM also. But lineup isn't the problem. Money (as always) is...

Not really mentally up for the challenge at this stage.

M3 does highlight a problem in that the USA is running our of name acts and Europe is flooded with them. Yet getting those bands to USA is almost impossible.

And smaller melodic rock acts still have no big stage to play on.

Andrew wrote:M3 does highlight a problem in that the USA is running our of name acts and Europe is flooded with them. Yet getting those bands to USA is almost impossible.

And smaller melodic rock acts still have no big stage to play on.

M3 has wanted Krokus but they can't afford to come over so I completely understand what you are talking about.

Andrew, here are a few of my thoughts on another MR Fest. Also, if you remember correctly, I was able to predict, within 50 people, how many people you would draw each night at your last fest. However, it's only fair to preface what I'm going to say by stating that both of your fests were absolutely dynamite, from a performance and depth of talent standpoint. But it's not (ultimately) about either. You need to do a few things for another fest. My suggestions are:

-Communicate with acts that draw *and* are willing to participate, and pick the most geographically convenient area for those artists.

-Cut the "fat" from the lineup. Eden's Curse, Farcry, Talon, Bombay Black and Crown Of Thorns, regardless of talent, probably drew less than 25 total fans and were a colossal waste of money. That's what this is about ... making money. Nothing more. Bands like this are anchors. Don't confuse quantity with quality. Quality always wins.

-Follow M3 and make it 2 days. Make the first night about a 4-5 hour night, maximum. 3 bands playing a 30-40 minute set and 2 bigger bands playing for about an hour.

-Seek outside assistance and look for grants. They're there, but you need people that know how to find them. If I were you, *my* fest would be in Los Angeles and I would get on my fucking hands and knees and beg Cyndy Poon and Lora Beard to help promote and run it. They have connections and have offered to help in the past. I can't imagine PAYING for better help, let alone getting their services for free.

-Start a Facebook Army of volunteers from your site and get the word out. You need to create a "buzz" when making such a monetary commitment.

-You need a radio station to REALLY commit to promotion. LA surely has a shitload of radio stations, and landing even a second or third tier rock station would be huge.

-You may have to loosen up your definition of what "melodic rock" is and open it up to some popular local bands. Throw in a few bands that *don't* really fit under "melodic rock" and that also DRAW WELL. Give some of us strictly "melodic rock" fans a breather. My feet hurt so fucking bad during and after your last show because I liked too many of the bands that I *didn't* take a break! Open it up, man.

-Here's the biggest and potentially toughest idea that could *also* see you rolling in $$$. Supply and serve the food and liquor YOURSELF. Being able to find a venue and acquire the proper licenses to potentially profit from the alcohol and food would be WELL WORTH IT! Liam has bartending experience and so do I. You just found 2 bartenders ... and we won't even drink too much on the job. This is one area that I think is the potential "game changer." If you're able to buy (for example) 100 cases of beer for $20 a case (for the sake of round numbers $2,000) and sell those beers for $3 or even $4 each, you're looking at 5 to 7 THOUSAND in profit. You'll have enough volunteers to do so and the tips made will be more than enough to get people to work for "free."

These are just a few ideas I've tossed around and I think that serving your own liquor, and the profit it would generate, would allow you the proper finances to get a bigger name headliner and make some serious cash. And I think that's something that hindered the first two fests, as good as they already were.

Appreciate the input SJ.

All comments taken under advisement.

I will say one thing as far as the second level acts - these guys rarely get a chance to play and are so into the opportunity, most of them played for free, or for expenses and hotels etc. So it wasn't a great outlay to fill up the roster very quickly and turn others way.

Still - the main problem right now is my mental fitness to take on such a challenge again.

Andrew wrote:I will say one thing as far as the second level acts - these guys rarely get a chance to play and are so into the opportunity, most of them played for free, or for expenses and hotels etc. So it wasn't a great outlay to fill up the roster very quickly and turn others way.

That's great to hear, and I obviously spoke erroneously. I say that's it's great to hear because if you were able to find some local bands in L.A. willing to do the same, you might make a nice profit, while providing them with some nice exposure.

Andrew wrote:Still - the main problem right now is my mental fitness to take on such a challenge again.

I can't even begin to imagine what an undertaking that has to be. Perhaps Charlie Sheen could give you some advice on mental health.

Put it this way - if I started this subject up with my wife now or the immediate future....well, I wouldn't have one here on my return

2nd...first show I paid too much for the venue....2nd show I spent too much on bands.

Live and learn (and pay later....and then keep paying for it...)

I had a phenomenal time at M3! Thanks to Ed who supplied the ticket & Rip who smuggled me in & out of VIP all weekend long!! It was good to see everyone. Rip has all the photos. I took some, but with his camera. It has taken me all week to recover as well. Too much standing, gave me hellacious charlie horses in my legs!! Worth it though!!

Sunshine wrote: It has taken me all week to recover as well. Too much standing, gave me hellacious charlie horses in my legs!! Getting to see Dokken made it all worth it though!!

Saint John wrote:

Sunshine wrote: It has taken me all week to recover as well. Too much standing, gave me hellacious charlie horses in my legs!! Getting to see Dokken made it all worth it though!!

Ha,ha!!
YIKES..... My ears are still bleeding!!

Andrew wrote:I talk to Tony all the time. He'd love to be involved. EM also. But lineup isn't the problem. Money (as always) is...

Not really mentally up for the challenge at this stage.

Don't blame ya Andrew, I can imagine it's a helluva lot of work. I hope some day though you think of having something in California....maybe LA. I think you would get more people there than any other place, as the area is pretty much rock central. If you could somehow time it around (January) NAMM weekend or week........I would think you would have hordes of music fans, not to mention the artists/bands already in town for NAMM that could participate. Considering most live in and around the area, voila, you could save on hotel and flights. But then I guess finding a venue around that time might be kinda hard.