A Scene of One’s Own: A Punk Rock How-To (With Todd P)

Does your town suck? Are you bored as hell? Got a band but no place to play? Or maybe you live in a city where the only venues to see live music are greedy, stuck-up clubs that make local bands pay-to-play and hate you for being poor and/or under 21 (you dirty little criminal). Through exhaustive research, I have compiled a list of tips to help you and your clever, creative friends build your very own D.I.Y. scene using only a second-hand P.A., your dad's guitar, some punk rock chutzpah, and several un-bent paperclips. 



I asked my friend Todd Patrick, better known as Todd P, to advise me on how it's done. He's been putting together shows since high school, and at 32, knows a thing or two about doing it yourself. After throwing events in Austin, Texas during college and then running an all-ages club in Portland, Oregon for a few years, he made his way to New York and single-handedly built an energetic, eclectic scene in the crumbling neighborhoods of North Brooklyn. Through a combination of charisma and reliability, Todd can make people open their ears and give his weird line-ups a chance. Or, as an anonymous denizen of the scene put it, "He could put his name on a polka party and people would show up."



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The crowd at one of Todd P's shows (photo courtesy of Impose Magazine)

Patrick is at an all-ages punk show in New Brunswick, New Jersey when I call him on the phone. This might come as a surprise considering that, as one of the premiere curators in the Brooklyn underground scene, he's known for his impeccable, avant-garde taste. He'd never book a straight-up pop punk, ska, emo, or hardcore band. And yet there he is, rocking out to those very genres alongside the kids. "It's a rowdy, awesome rock and roll show," he shouts above the noise.

Patrick respects the people who make fun happen, regardless of whether their tastes align with his. "Local shows are the last vestige of real, straightforward community art for middle class people in this country," he tells me. "Everything else is controlled by an industry…music is the last one where people can literally put a band together, start playing, and the community votes with their feet and their dollar to see who they endorse and that is who the industry has to pick from. There's no other form in this country that's like that anymore.”

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Deerhunter at Market Hotel (photo courtesy of Impose Magazine)

His desire to make this community mojo happen is sincere, and it shows. The myth that Brooklyn's avant-rockers are too cool to dance is shattered as soon as you step inside one of his sweaty, raucous warehouse operations. People get all up in your shit, in a good way. It's a visceral respite from the cold, corporate city in which we must all behave in order to make a living. Patrick has presented a laundry list of great musicians over the years: Aa, Deerhunter, Xiu Xiu, the Dirty Projectors, Dan Deacon, YACHT, and High Places are just a few bands who have graced his stages and subsequently gained increasing recognition, thanks in part to him. "That makes it fun," he says with no small amount of pride. "You have an impact on your community, spotlighting people you think have talent and helping make certain people rise…that's how you improve the national culture." A culture which, let's be honest, is in need of some serious rehabilitation at the moment. 



You need to put in a goodly amount of time before you can go about improving the national culture, but the good news is that anyone can do it. "It does not involve anything you can go to school for," Patrick says. So here it is, a list of advice gleaned from the master for building a happening D.I.Y. anti-empire from nothing.



Locate a Location



This can initially be tricky. Luckily, you are tricky too. Drive around looking for un-used spaces, investigating anything that looks promising. Warehouses, backyards, basements, and empty lots can all be put to good use. All you need is electricity, or barring that, make it an acoustic show. Find out who (if anyone) owns the space you fancy, and be persistent. Todd P's first show was in an abandoned lounge above a coffee shop in Austin: "I asked the owner, and he said no. I asked manager, and she gave me the keys." And once you've put on a few good events, he says, "the offers come out of the woodwork." A house here, a rooftop there, and before you know it you're drowning in rock love. This is especially helpful if you need to move a show at the last minute for whatever reason.



Find Talented Talent



It might make sense to have your friends' bands play; scenes are all about friendship, right? That all depends if you want your shows to actually be good. If you're into your friends' tunes, by all means give them a shot. But don't be afraid to cast a wide net in search of that perfectly bizarre band to play your party. Patrick recommends "random MySpace checks; search for bands who sound like bands you already like, or check out their friend lists.” Also, get to concerts on time and “see who opens for your favorites…those are people you can probably get.” He continues, "Put your heart and soul into it…stuff you find interesting, and sooner or later touring bands are calling. You do a good job, people appreciate it. Learn by trying."


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Matt and Kim get happy in a temporary warehouse space (photo courtesy of Impose Magazine).

Broaden Your Taste



No one is going to stop you from booking the 1,000th Black Flag clone your high school has produced, but for a bit of artistic freshness, look to Todd P's shows as an example. There's no obvious commonality between the bands he picks; in a single night, you might hear the curious, tinkling loops of High Places, the incantatory ghost punk of These Are Powers, and the pounding electro-metal of Genghis Tron. None of these bands sound like each other, but none of them sound like anything you've heard before, either. "You can be really great at what you do," says Patrick, "but if it doesn't strike my ear as fresh, I don't care about it. If it's a new idea, I usually like it. I'm easily bored." If nobody likes your oddball choices, they can throw their own damn shows. Some bands take warming up to, but assuming your selections are intelligent, people will come around. "There's a lot of bands that a few years ago would have been too weird for people to appreciate who are getting big now," says Patrick with the joy of a man vindicated. In time, the world will catch up with your genius. 



Don't fight the law, 'cause the law will win

When I ask how to deal with the cops, he says it’s simple, really: "Don’t attract them." Choose an out of the way place where either the neighbors are chill with parties, or there are no neighbors. This is harder in big cities where everyone lives on top of each other, but even New York still has under-used or abandoned sites. Of the last 400 shows he’s thrown, Patrick says maybe seven have been shut down. Use your common sense to determine where people should not be allowed to go. “Make sure your patrons aren’t destroying the neighborhood. Don’t drink in the street, piss, etc. The kind of stuff you wouldn’t wanna see in your front yard.” And don’t be afraid to get in their faces about it; a few assholes should not be allowed to ruin everyone’s good time. If the cops do show up, be polite. Arguing with them won’t get you anywhere but jail, and wouldn’t you rather go to an after party at someone’s house than jail?



Keep it all-ages

“It’s classic discrimination to say someone who the government calls an adult isn’t allowed to see music because it’s wrapped up in alcohol,” Patrick says, pointing out a logical inconsistency that’s become the norm. There’s beer everywhere at baseball games, and that’s ok, “but if you’re watching shows, someone bad’s gonna get you.” Though it may be a slight added hassle to worry about having minors present, it kind of defeats the point if you don’t let them in. “Rock is youth culture, it always has been. To exclude under-21 pretty much kills off the scene.” And giving kids things to do is constructive to the community. “They take away the right to congregate, kids turn to things that are worse than drinking or going to a rock show.” Think back on all the dumb shit you did as a teenager that got you in trouble. Don’t you wish you’d been too busy rocking out to stick those fireworks in the cat’s butt?

Don't rape wallets

“Places seem to bleed money,” says Patrick. “I think you should make shows cheap, and keep them quality.” Try to keep the cover charge under $10. If you keep a low overhead, you should be able to pay the bands a decent amount after covering the cost of your crappy PA rental. “The majority should go to the bands, because that’s why people pay to see shows.” Take only a celebratory pittance for yourself. You’re in this for love. “It’s not good for grassroots culture” to exclude poor ass college students and other people who can’t afford high ticket prices. If you want piles of money, become an i-banker or open a horrible club that charges eight dollars for a Budweiser, and see how much fun you have.

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No Age fucks up Silent Barn (photo courtesy of Impose Magazine).

Don't write off NYC

Despite lawmakers’ best efforts, New York still has one of the most exciting scenes of anywhere. It only took me a few stops on my recent tour to realize there’s no place quite like Brooklyn in terms of energy, turn out, and general joie de vivre. Sayeth Todd Patrick: “There are amazing musicians here, a lot of really good vibes. People are hungry for new things. They love to absorb and enjoy art forms of all kinds. Everyone is interested in culture.” This benefits promoters and musicians alike. “If you are talented and you’re putting your stuff out,” Patrick says, “you will find some level of success in New York. You can be an awesome person in small towns and find nobody to care. If you are good in New York, you’re a national band.” Suck it up, get a job, find a place, work to party.



Don't write off East Buttfuck, USA, either

If you are stuck somewhere that’s not New York or any other place with a thriving scene (L.A., Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore, Austin, Portland…the list goes on), chances are you are still in high school (if not, perhaps it’s time to move out; it’s nice to be able to have sexy time without worrying your mom will hear.) But even if your local culture is legally dead, you can still attract talent. Don’t be afraid to ask bands from nearby cities to come out; you’ve got the mystique of the unknown on your side. Your shitty town is an exotic adventure in the countryside to them; they will come “because it sounds interesting.” And a town that was previously a cultural wasteland will appreciate you much more for your efforts. “You can really make an impact,” says Patrick. “I won’t say it’s easy, but it’s something anyone is capable of…and people will respond because there’s so little shit of any consequence happening in America.”



Have fun!


There’s no need to be a perfectionist. "If it doesn't work out, it's just a rock show,” Patrick reminds me. “No one's gonna die if you can't hear the vocals. Ultimately, the stakes aren't that high. Everything's got a learning curve.” So grab your friends, make some fliers, and see how far you can take it. You’ve got nothing to lose but your crushing suburban ennui.


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Dan Deacon at Todd P's birthday show (photo courtesy of Impose Magazine).

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A rare snap of the man himself (photo courtesy of Impose Magazine).

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