John Mancuso posted on June 22, 2009 11:04
If you are a fan of local music or you listen to the Point you have probably heard about the Sunday Night Local Show. For years the Point and Pop’s have been giving St. Louis bands the opportunity to play Pointfest. A few months ago Rich Donald asked me to sit in on
the Local Show and give him my ideas on how we could bring new life to the event.
It didn’t take long to realize that the stale “battle of the bands” stench was in the air. If you have ever been to a battle of the bands you probably know the stench I’m speaking of. It’s the one where you could hear a pin drop and the crowd has segregated themselves into little clusters surrounded by other people that are there to see the same band. As the night progresses people slowly file out of the building as soon as the band they came to see gets off stage.
My initial thought was that we needed to get more going on and we also needed to get the crowd involved. Here are the results of a few brainstorming sessions and a lot of note taking.
For the crowd
The SNLS Crew (Rich Donald, Cornbread, Jason Rottler, & myself): welcomed the addition of the Point’s Lux. Lux has brought her style, professionalism, and her positive attitude to the table and we are happy to have her working with us. She has many duties with the SNLS, but hosting the event is her top priority.
The Live Broadcast: Cornbread and The Point broadcast live from Pop’s between 8:00 and 10:00 PM. Come out and meet Cornbread and talk to the Point interns for all kinds of free stuff.
The Pop’s Prize Wheel: It’s kind of like the Wheel of Fortune except you never go bankrupt. At the very least you’re going to walk away with a free soda. However, a few lucky SNLS attendees have won $100, a pair of tickets to six Pop’s shows, and even VIP seating for some of Pop’s biggest shows. FYI If the cash prize is not won it rolls over the next week! We call it the Pop’s Stimulus Package… everyone else has one why can’t we?
For the Bands
The Grand Prize: Playing Pointfest is one of the biggest accomplishments a St. Louis band can achieve. With the SNLS it is possible for a local band to achieve this level of rock stardom.
Welcome to the big time, you’re on the radio! Three of the five bands on every SNLS will play live on the radio. It’s great to hear your recordings on the Local Show, but it’s even better to play them live on the radio!
Recording Time: It’s something a band can never have enough of especially if they want to do it right. If you play the SNLS you could find yourself recording at Trailer Studios. Do some 
research on their credentials… they are the real deal.
The Merch Mall: Even if your band is not playing you can come set up a merch booth and sell shirts, CD’s, tickets, or just promote your upcoming show. Networking is the name of the game and the people who make things happen in STL frequent the SNLS. (merch space for small local businesses is also available)
The Photo shoot: Tired of the promo pic your girlfriend took of your band on the train tracks? I’m not saying anything bad about her ability to take the perfect shot; I’m just saying maybe it’s time for something a little more professional? Playing the SNLS can get you the promo shot of your dreams. High Skeptical Photography will be donating their creative services so that you can replace that old pixelated default MySpace image with something a little more polished.
If you are interested in playing the Sunday Night Local Show you can e-mail popspromo@gmail.com or archfrontbooking@yahoo.com
Helpful links:
www.popsrocks.com
www.stlpunk.com
http://www.myspace.com/archfrontmedia
Contact me directly www.myspace.com/johnmancuso79
- John Mancuso
Archfront Media