SCENE REPORT: ORLANDO

RECAP OF THE ORLANDO STOP ON THE EIY SPRING (INTO ACTION) TOUR

I’d heard a lot of good things about the young promoter who was putting on this show. Nikki B is only, like, 23 years old, but in the past couple of years has become a staple in the Orlando scene — and has also extended her booking help to bands in other cities, and even other states in the southeast. She’s a powerhouse — all five feet of her! She says that her long-term goal is to run her own Coachella someday, and if there was ever someone who was headed on a direct path to reaching their goal, it’s Nikki B.

This show was proof that if you know what you’re doing, and you know how to promote, and you have good taste in bands, then it doesn’t matter how old you are or whether you are a girl or a guy — you can throw successful, profitable shows, even at the bigger venues in your town. It’s all about your judgment, professionalism, and willingness to work.

But even Nikki and the venue managers were surprised by the success of this show! We had over 200 kids come out, starting with a huge meet-up that produced some great conversation topics — especially the topic of “friendships.” We talked a lot about how the success of bands within their own scene, and beyond, relies heavily on the bands actually investing in their friendships with one another — not just when they’re sharing a bill, but in their day-to-day lives. Bands supporting each other, getting to know one another, and spending time together as people, outside the rat race that is playing shows and trying to take your music somewhere. Most of the people in the bands on this show were also the best of friends, and it brought an energy and dynamic to this show (and the entire day) that we hadn’t seen at most of the other shows on this tour.

We came up with the idea to host “fan appreciation” events, where these bands who are such good friends would host cook-outs and house shows with the sole purpose of helping their fans meet each other and form their own bonds and friendships. In a scene where the bands are all so connected, there is a great opportunity to help younger music fans get involved with their scene — especially those fans who are just getting involved and not quite sure where to start.

This was definitely one of my favorite shows on the tour. And to top it off, we got to enjoy a great night of music as well:

Band: Madeira from Orlando
A hardworking pop rock band with all kinds of flash and finesse on their merch table and website, but not quite enough “umph” on stage to make it captivating. The songs and the guys are nice and approachable enough, but the whole package is lacking the magnetism necessary for these guys to stand apart from all the other pop rock bands in the world.
Check them out HERE.

Band: A Hero’s Fate from Orlando
Definitely the most involved in the local scene, these are the guys who talked the most about the importance of friendships among bands, and making real connections with their fans in their local scene. The live show was super fun and energetic, with lots of dance-y pop songs. I’d like to see them come up with their own version of the kind of music they’re playing. They’ve got the work ethic down.
Check them out HERE.

Band: The Starlight Getaway from Orlando
Despite the slightly generic bandname, these guys were the biggest surprise of the night. They were the “shy” band during the meet-up who were lamenting about being socially awkward and having a hard time breaking the ice with other bands and new fans, and then they got on stage and brought a Motion City Soundtrack style performance that made them seem anything but shy. Fun, intelligent song- and lyric-writing that will produce a really great album in the next year or two.
Check them out HERE.

Band: Crisis In Hollywood from Orlando
Another generic bandname, but another group of nice, approachable guys playing some decent, approachable pop songs to end the super fun night! There’s nothing great or terrible to say about bands like these, except maybe that there are so many bands like these in the world. See: My rant about screamcore bands.
Check them out HERE.

Remember: If you’re just doing it for fun, then who cares if you’re breaking new ground or not? Just keep doing it until it’s not fun anymore. But if you really want it to go somewhere, and you believe in your music as “art,” then your main focus needs to be getting out ahead of the curve and trying new things in an effort to bring value to the art world. We need innovators, not imitators!

We had a great time with all the bands, and we know that any of the bands would have done a good job representing EIY on the Kevin Says Stage. But there was one band whose performance really “jumped off the page” so to speak, who were able to hold the focus of the room the entire time they were on stage. We’d be honored to have The Starlight Getaway represent EIY at the Warped Tour date in Orlando this summer, and we hope all of their friends in the other Orlando bands will come out to support them!

Thanks again to Nikki B and The Social for an awesomely fun night.

Love,
Sarah & EIY

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