The Daycare Swindlers Crush Warrenton!

Welcome to my first blog! (I had to write that line after looking at a few dozen sample blog pages.) I'll be covering the rock music scene from Front Royal over to Fairfax and from Gainesville down to Madison and beyond. As the now former owner of the Culpeper Rock Academy, I know a little bit about local rock bands and the local scene -- or what's left of it after our venue was shutdown by people who are apathetic to local music and this community. (And that's all I have to say 'bout that.) So, if it rocks, I'll be covering it -- as long as there are no:

Before I get into the headline topic, let me just reassure you that I welcome your opinions and feedback. You see, i want this blog to become popular, so I'll need to keep a pulse on the local rock scene. With your help, I can accomplish this. Become active here and we'll get along just fine. I promise. 

Finally, I want to thank the Culpeper Times for this opportunity - and for the nomination as one of Culpeper's "Citizens of the Year." I am happy that I made it to the top cut - and happier that I didn't actually <i>win</i> the #1 spot!

The Daycare Swindlers reunion concert at Warrenton's In Motion Sport & Dance facility was held over one month ago, but when you host and promote a show that still has people talking about it 30 days later? Well, it's obviously blog-worthy.

Doncha think?

First, I should explain that I had never seen the Swindlers before. I moved to Culpeper from Martha's Vineyard shortly before their break-up and never got to experience their dynamic stage performance.  So when Swindlers drummer, Mark Reiter called me to say he was putting together a show with DCS and a few other great bands, (NY's Two Man Advantage, Culpeper's Eclypsio and Warrenton's Lucky So Far), I nearly jumped right out of my Levis. 

I was already looking at vocational alternatives since I knew the Rock Academy was running out of cash and my best option seemed to be that of getting into rock concert promotion. Landing the Daycare Swindlers was a major score for me and I'm indebted to Mark and the band for allowing me the opportunity.

Rather than going into an in-depth, band-by-band report of this fantastic night that I shared with 600+ other DCS fans, I'd like to share with you how incredibly complicated it is to stage a full-scale rock show at a soccer arena.  It seems one can not just drop a band onto a cold concrete floor and call it a concert. You'll need a stage, lights, incredible sound and a very good security team. When the Swindlers took the stage, i had all of the above, plus a pretty decent spread of food and beverages in the band's waiting room.

In the weeks prior to the show, I printed tickets and flyers, then put out the word on MySpace that I needed street teamers to distribute the flyers in every town withing 40 miles of Warrenton. I lined-up carpenters to build the stage and haggled for a few weeks with a local sound and light outfit before finally giving-up and going with another company altogether. I addressed and stuffed envelopes with tickets and mailed then to the advance sales customers. (Thanks goes to Ellen, who addressed hundreds of envelopes for me.) I ordered the food and stockpiled the beverages and worked on the show almost full-time for the weeks leading up to the big event.

On the night of the show, there were hundreds of young adults and teens lined up inside Terri and David Fitz's In Motion facility to see the Daycare Swindlers. The line of humanity ran back to the doors and outside into the cold evening air. Security was given a schedule and walk-through. Ticket takers and cashiers were posted and the bands began arriving at their designated load-in times.

As the support acts took the stage, there seemed to be a non-stop deluge of people who just had to get up those stairs to the second floor where the Swindlers band was relaxing before the show. It became a game of cat & mouse for us and it consumed far too much of my time that evening. The guest list proved to be useless, and the facility owner, David Fitz (a very cool guy by the way), was becoming concerned about just how many people were crowded into the upstairs rooms. It came to the point where I was forced to ask people to leave and I had to lock the door to the stairwell.

When Two Man Advantage finished their set, you could almost feel the electricity in the air. The crowd spent the breakdown and set-up time building itself into a frenzy. I was standing outside the entry door with the band as 600-plus people clamored for their arrival onstage. When it was time to go on, I think the guys wanted to see if the crowd could whip up even more bedlam - which they did - so by the time the Daycare Swindlers hit the stage, it was more exciting than anything I've ever witnessed before.

Because I promoted the show and therefore had access to all areas, I was able to view the show from many different perspectives, but no matter where I was situated, there seemed to be one common factor: everyone in the audience was smiling and everybody knew the words to all the songs. This wasn't just a common rock concert, (no, nay, never!) this was a family reunion... wihout the arguing.

As the show wound down and the people began to file out, I was spun in many directions by people who were tugging at me and thanking me for putting this show together. Some people claimed it was the "best night they'd ever had," while others hugged me. One girl was in tears as she thanked me for sponsoring the show.

But in all honesty, it wasn't me. SUre I coordinated the show, but without the Daycare Swindlers -- who came together after a long hatus to benefit my rock school -- all of it would have never happened.

So, thanks to DCS and thanks to all those people who worked behind the scenes, but most especially, thanks to all those who came to see the show! 

 Look for DC's fabulous ska, soul, rock legends, The Pietasters to return to warrenton with Sperryville's incredible Rude Rock Family on January 12th at In Motion Sports!