Tom Ingram Interview
By Wanda
Tom Ingram Interview
Sunday, September 14
www.rockaround.net
What
exactly is the Las Vegas Rockaround?
It’s a weekend event in a hotel in Las Vegas, in the Gold Coast,
where we have bands going on three days – Friday, Saturday, Sunday
– in two different rooms and it’s just a mixture of lots of
different bands.
How is it similar or different from Viva Las Vegas?
Viva Las Vegas
is very strictly a 50’s-style rockabilly weekend, whereas the Rockaround
has surf, garage, and music outside the rockabilly scene – a bit
of punk as well – a complete mixture of bands
How is it similar or different from the Original Shakedown? Or
was it called the Grind?
We actually did two – the Las Vegas Grind was 60s garage, and the
Shakedown was a punk weekend, so the Rockaround does have a little bit
of both in it, but it has more on top of that. We weren’t able to
do another Shakedown at the hotel. Yes, the hotel didn’t like the
punk crowd.
Who is the audience that you hope to attend? Do you hope to capture
some of the same people or different people?
There will definitely be some of the same people from both the Grind and
the Shakedown as well as a lot of people who normally go to Viva Las Vegas,
and then there will be new people who just like to see a lot of bands
over the weekend.
Who do you think is your biggest draw as far as the bands?
You know, I don’t know. So many different people have mentioned
different bands that they want to see. We’ve actually had a lot
of phone calls from people who want to see Devil Doll. Obviously Untamed
Youth, people want to see them because they don’t play very often
– the Polecats – a lot of people want to see them –
Andre Williams and Rudy Ray Moore.
What is your goal for the Rockaround?
Just to have a good weekend that people enjoy. That’s the main thing
– so that we can do it again.
Do you enjoy the weekend or are you working the entire time?
I do enjoy these, as it goes. It’s only when you get to Monday,
and suddenly the time just catches up with me, but I do enjoy them. It’s
not something I’m going along and thinking, “oh no, not that”
– I actually really enjoy putting these together and being there,
making sure they run properly.
And there are so many things that can go wrong. I remember one
year at Viva Las Vegas you had a lot of underage people there –
there are a lot of things you’re responsible for that you can’t
control.
Yes, and you only get to see part of it. I mean, at the moment we’re
just being presented with a new law in Vegas, which is what they call
entertainment tax, and it’s a 10% tax on admission charges, but
in addition, anything that’s sold inside a venue that has entertainment,
is also subject to a 10% entertainment tax, on top of the sales tax. Anything
a vendor sells inside a music venue has to pay 10% entertainment tax.
And who does that money go to? The performer?
No, Clark County, Nevada.
Aha! Yes, my mother just moved to Las Vegas – there are
a lot of interesting laws in Clark County.
Yes, they do have some interesting laws. And some of them are very good
and I think should be adopted by other states, but some are a bit bizarre,
like this entertainment tax – it’s just ridiculous.
How
did you get started promoting shows?
Many, many years ago in England I was a rockabilly dj, and the only way
I could get shows – I mean, people don’t phone you up, so
I actually went and found the hall at the back of a pub, and I’d
dj and then charge people to come in. It’s all just built up from
there. Gradually the shows just got larger and then I got started doing
weekenders in England, and then I moved over here, and basically did the
same thing here.
What was the largest that you’ve promoted ?
Probably Viva Las Vegas is the largest show – I did some large shows
in England that had 2500 or 3000 people in one night.
What was the largest Viva Las Vegas?
It depends on how you look at the numbers. We regularly get 3,500 to 4,000
people that come for the music event, but then you’ve got all the
extra people that just turn up for the car show and don’t go in
to where the music is, and we estimate that’s probably another 2,000
people.
What has been the event you’ve been most proud of?
Definitely Viva Las Vegas. Probably the first one. You now, moving over
here with no reputation over here at all, it could have so easily gone
the other way, but it didn’t, it went very well. So I think that’s
why, because in England when I started doing shows over there, it was
something I built up to gradually – and everything that I did was
just a natural progression, but over here, going into something big like
that, so soon after we’d moved here, was something.
Have you ever had an event that’s been a disaster?
Yea, the first Shakedown and the second Shakedown! (laughs)
Well, but from what I understand, those events were not in your
control.
No the first one wasn’t, and the second one was two weeks after
September 11, 2001. We were in two minds about whether or not to go ahead
with it, and decided to go ahead with it, and it just wasn’t right.
It wasn’t in the same venue either, it was at the Huntridge Theatre
in Las Vegas
So people had to stay at separate hotels and commute or whatever
– I think staying at the hotel adds a lot.
Yes, I don’t think I’ve ever had a show that I really, really
hated that much. I mean, we’ve had our little hiccups that we’ve
dealt with, but nothing too major, so if the Shakedown was the worst,
then I’ve been quite lucky.
What would you tell young promoters who are trying to get started?
That’s a difficult one – there are so many things. Basically
just really think things through beforehand, be sensible in your expenses,
and if you want to listen to other people, listen to suggestions, then
be careful who you listen to, because there’s a lot of people out
there who are willing to give you lots of bad advice.
Who do you listen to?
I’ve got a number of friends who I talk to, and I’m lucky
because they’ll tell me what they really think, and if something’s
a bad idea, they’ll say “don’t be an idiot!” And
my wife. But at the end of the day, I’m the one that’s responsible
for everything, so at least if I don’t listen to too many other
people, I’ve got no one else to blame if something doesn’t
work. But then, as you probably know, on the website, we’ve got
feedback, where people can send us suggestions and ideas, and I always
like to hear from people after an event, with what they really thought
– I don’t want to get lots of e-mails saying “It was
great” – I want to hear how we can improve it, what was wrong
with it, and what can we do for the next one?
I go to a lot of professional music festivals – CMJ, SXSW
– and yours run pretty smoothly as far as check-in, registration,
how the events run, and yours are on time, which is an amazing feat. I’ve
been at music festivals where they are hours behind schedule.
Wow. We try to run it quite strict, because I have this idea, I look at
everything I do, and then think, “would I want to go there?”
and if I was a customer, what would I want to happen? Then if I see something
I wouldn’t like, then I try to change it. I mean, I go to some other
venues and festivals and I just feel that the way people get treated,
having paid all that money to go in, is very bad. For starters, water
– I really object to the prices some places charge for water. I
mean, that’s not a luxury, that’s something the body has to
have. Not being able to able to take cameras into venues, I object to
that because people want to take photographs, and any photographs that
get taken really just help your event. There’s so many things like
that which I object to. Drink prices are another one – when you
see places that are charging $7.50 or $8.00 for a beer – and they
could sell that same beer for $3.00 and still make a profit.
Yes, I was at a show – the Sex Pistols reunion show –
and beer was $11.00!
Wow! $11.00! I couldn’t run a show that charged that – I couldn’t
promote a show at a venue that charged that much money, I would just think
to myself, I haven’t got the front to do this.
Now this isn’t your only job – is that correct?
No, it’s not, because I was doing a full-time job until earlier
this year, but my wife and I have some apartments that we own, so I’m
always fixing them up and looking after them.
Well, a lot of people think, because these events are so large,
“Wow, Tom’s making a ton of money” but perhaps if they
knew what went into an event of this size, they wouldn’t say that.
It’s not enough money to live on. I couldn’t make it my only
job.
Where
do you see yourself going from here?
Um, that’s a difficult one. I often wonder that, because nothing
lasts forever. I tend to think of my future life as probably being the
apartments, looking after them and running them. When it comes to anything
to do with music, I don’t have that planned out at all, just what
happens, happens. I think if you – if anything you do with music
– if you start looking at it just as money – then you lose
touch of what you’re really doing the show for. This isn’t
just promoters, this is anyone in the music business, and one day perhaps
if these weekenders come to a finish, something else might happen for
me, or that might be it.
Well, you’ve diversified with the different events –
do you see the rockabilly scene waxing or waning at this point?
No, not at all. I think it’s still very strong. But what is good
– I’m glad it never became a big scene or a quick fad like
the swing scene did, because that exploded and then died a death just
as quick. The rockabilly scene not getting any commercial success in the
charts and on the radio, the people who are into the scene, they are really
into the scene. They’re not people who just jumped on it for five
minutes, which is what happened to the swing scene. So, there are advantages
to the scene not becoming commercially successful.
And how about the psychobilly scene? Do you see that picking
up steam?
Um, I think so, yes. I think that will have a bit of an increase. I mean,
it was massive, and then it died out – I think it’s coming
back a bit. I think there’s more people looking for more types of
music now.
I see more people willing to cross over now – people are
more willing be open to different genres.
Yes, which is good. Because when you put on a good show, a good show’s
a good show no matter who it is. And, I don’t know if you know I’ve
got this show in Long Beach on October 11 with Ruth Brown and Janis Martin
and I’m getting a big reaction to that from all sorts of people
because they just recognize it as being a good show. And these are people
from other music scenes, especially with Ruth Brown – she’s
the one they know – and they realize it’s their only chance
to see Ruth Brown.
Well, let’s talk about the Rockaround – there are
still tickets left?
Yes, there are no hotel rooms left at the Gold Coast but there are some
rooms in other hotels around and in fact I found one – there are
some motels close to the Gold Coast that have some good rates.
Well people can check that out at the web site, www.rockaround.net
I love that you give a timetable! So people can figure out who to see
when instead of getting there and not knowing when anyone is playing!
That’s another thing that annoys me about some shows – when
you get there you never know who’s going on when and what’s
happening when and I like people to have that information before hand,
so if someone can only make it for two days, they can choose which two
days.
Are any of the stages free for viewing?
No people need a wristband for both of the stages. The side stage is something
we’ve never done before, in that we’ve taken the vendor room
and split it in two, with the wall coming down the middle, so that only
half is vendors, and the other half is a smaller room with a smaller stage.
Both rooms are upstairs and something else that’s going to be new
is that both of the music room are now going to be non-smoking –
with the area in between the two rooms as a smoking area. We tried it
at the vendor room at the last Viva Las Vegas, and people really like
it. We had a lot of positive comments about it. The hotel has just put
all this new carpet down, and traditionally, they’ve always had
a lot of cigarette burns in the carpet, and they asked if we could do
this. I’m a non-smoker, so it doesn’t bother me (laughs) but
we’ve always had a lot of people commenting on the cigarette smoke,
especially the Californians. So, we thought we’d try it and see
how it goes. People don’t have to leave the venue or go outside,
it’s just that area outside the two rooms – there’s
a bar, and you can hear the music, you can even see the bands if you stand
in the right place.
How many are you anticipating for this event?
I don’t know. I’m hoping we get a couple of thousand –
we’d be very happy with 2,000. We’re not looking for anything
massive, we put the whole event together working on those numbers. Even
if we only get 1,500 in total, we’ll be happy. It will be a nice
show. And obviously, when we’re doing a new event, we’re showing
the hotel what we can do with this new event, so they’re not necessarily
looking for numbers, they’re looking for people that they’re
happy to have in their hotel.
Let’s
talk a little bit about the bands – Deadbolt, the Gore Gore Girls,
Andre Williams, the Dragons, Saturn V, Los Straitjackets, Flametrick Subs,
Johnny Legend, the Neanderthals, the Guana Batz, the Paladins –
all on the main stage. How would you define primitive rock n’ roll
and garage music?
The primitive rock and roll could be just about anything – I don’t
think that’s an easy one to define. Garage music actually covers
so many styles as well, that’s a difficult question! (laughs)
Well, it seems like garage is having a resurgence right now in
these new bands like D4, Detroit Cobra, Hot Hot Heat, etc. – did
you ever think of having any newer bands?
We didn’t, because we don’t want to overspend on any one band.
The events have to be an event that is an event rather than a band’s
concert. It’s the same on the rockabilly weekend, we don’t
go for Jerry Lee Lewis, we don’t go for Chuck Berry or people like
that because they would want too much money, and if they cancelled the
day before the event, there goes the big headliner! Gone! And it would
have a bad effect on the event. That’s why we don’t go for
the big name acts.
Now a lot of these bands – Los Creeper, James Demons,
Dulcie Younger, Deadbillies – these are California bands. And usually
you put together an international bill – do you see this as a US
bill, an international bill?
Well we do see it as an international bill, but not to the extent of Viva
Las Vegas. When we started putting the bill together, we did lean more
towards California, as in where we expected people to come from, then
we started to add to that as people asked to play. It became more varied
as it progressed, but originally it was set out as a California show.
Usually people come from Germany Spain and Japan for Viva Las
Vegas, but I don’t see any bands on here where people would say,
“Oh, I have to go!”
Yes, that was deliberate. We’re not going for as big a show as we
had done with Viva Las Vegas, and especially with it being the first one.
Perhaps with the second one we’ll expand a bit, and get bands from
other countries. We do have the Polecats.
Well, I’m looking forward to it – people can’t
believe how big it is, and how much is going on. You really don’t
have to leave the hotel.
Yes, it’s surprising. I mean, it surprises me! And it will be the
same with this weekend, the music will be going until 5 or 6 a.m., and
of course, some of the bars never close. I say to people, when we get
there, and there’s someone I know standing by the bar, and I say,
“were you here last year?” and they say, “yea”
and I say, “think of this: since you were here last year, this bar
hasn’t closed – it’s been open non-stop since then.”
What would you say is the average age of the person attending
your event?
I would say mid- to late-twenties.
And how do you reach those kids who are just twenty-one and twenty-two
to come to an event like this?
I don’t know! That sounds a strange answer, saying I don’t
know, but I guess it’s just a matter of getting out there with flyers
and hoping we find them. I think when it comes to promoting, you can promote
as much as you like, but at the end of the day, word of mouth is the number
one thing that gets people to a show. Many, many years ago when I was
just getting started as a dj, I got to know this promoter who asked me
to dj at some of his clubs, and he said, “look, I’m not going
to tell you what to play or what to do – I just want to give you
bit of advice: play to the girls, because wherever the girls are, the
men will follow.”