I don’t have a lot of information, but I do know that Gina Chung of FlipScene has been tapped to take over as the Talent Buyer at The Parish. She replaces Brynn Scott. I’m also hearing rumblings that other personnel changes are taking place.
The Parish is currently undergoing a face lift, with new lights, wall treatments, a lighting desk, and an updated sound board. I was by there a couple weeks ago to check it out, and the lighting alone will be kickass. The renovations should be completed by the first week of December.
Unfortunately, the face lift comes with a “cleaning up” of the show calendar. Several confirmed and tentative shows at The Parish are now being canceled, forcing promoters and bands to find other venues. I suspect this signals that The Parish will now be more selective in booking shows, but time will tell.
The Parish is a premiere Austin music venue with superb sound. Hopefully, it is still within reach for mid-level local bands and these behind the scenes changes are the right move.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Designed by Inspired Roots
The Parish SHOULD be more selective. It’s not the kind of venue that can successfully host local shows. I’ve been to many local shows there and they’re always pretty empty. But those same local bands that don’t draw at The Parish draw much better at Emo’s and Mohawk. Reasons for that: The Parish is too far away from Red River to be booking Red River bands. Plus, there’s nowhere to smoke and nowhere to hang out, making the place less attractive for the casual fan. The Parish only does well with bigger touring acts, like Grizzly Bear and the like. They should stick to only hosting big shows.
Almost every venue is going to do well with bigger touring acts, that’s why they are “bigger touring acts”.
While I agree that some venues do it better than others, I think any venue downtown that tries can successfully host local shows. They don’t have to cater specifically to local bands, but they shouldn’t squeeze them out either.
I don’t know the total effect of the changes, but I’d be a happy little TwoGroove if they brought in big shows and added plenty of local support for the touring band. It’s always fun to watch a band you know open for a bigger act in a packed house.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by atxhipsters, Jim Brotherton. Jim Brotherton said: Shakeup at The Parish | TwoGroove.com – Musical Musings http://bit.ly/2fJllF [...]