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To Anyone Who Is Interested,
I have kept quiet about this for too long. I cannot keep quiet about it anymore. Oh I am sure that most of you will feel this is pointless whining, there is a good chance this will be deleted, but I need to get something off of my chest.
I have had many people emailing me and calling me lately, asking me when my band and I will be performing again. Specifically, I am almost always asked when I will be performing at popular Columbus nightclub Skullys, which seems to be the Columbus venue I am most often associtated with.
I will not be performing any more shows in Columbus, either by myself, or with my band.
Not because I do not want to play in Columbus.
Not because there are not people who genuinely like the music that I make, or enjoy the unique hybrid of dance music that I make, that Ray Gunn, one of the best guitarists in the city, lends his considerable talents to, and that friends like Marvin the Robot and many other over the years have helped me bring to the stage.
No. We simply will not be doing any more shows in Columbus, because, effectively, it has been made very clear that we are not welcome in any of the cities venues.
You would think that after playing concert after concert and having art shows in Columbus for the better part of a decade would somehow make me a somewhat welcome presence in they city.
You would at least think that after self releasing an album that recieved good reviews in the local papers, got me and my music two cover stories in the Alive and the Other Paper (the two major arts papers in Columbus), that I would be able to easily book shows in my hometown of Columbus.
You would even think that after opening up for national acts such as Adult and Shiny Toy Guns, you could easily book shows.
That is what logic would say. Buth logic is wrong.
I cannot book a show at the High Five. The Rhumba Room is not interested, I do not fit in with the Ravari Room's well known and respected tradition of booking quality metal acts, I cannot play at the Carabar because its owner, Rob, hates me. He hates me for half drunkenly mentioning a show at Skullys to five people on a Monday night during a Kareoke song....four years ago.
The one constant place I have played over the years is Skullys. It has been my favorite place for a number of reasons.
First, it is has an excellent bass heavy sound system that is perfect for live electronic music. Secondly, It has a nice big stage and a wonderful lighting rig, as well as a video projection screen, making it easy to incorporate a more visual element into the show, which is something I like.
Over the years, the majority of the shows I have played at Skullys have been successful. Of course we have had nights where the crowd wasn'tt so great, where we had tecnical issues and fucked up and played badly..
But we have also had many nights where there were a couple hundred people in the club,there was a good bill, and everyone had a good time. Anyone who knows will tell you that performing electronic music with a live band is not very easy to do. A lot can go wrong.
Over the years I have even played last minute shows at Skullys to make up for cancelled acts, and I have proudly served as a weekend Dj at Skullys for the better part of the last three years. I have even helped other people get hired to DJ at Skullys....and at one point last year I freely gave a lot of my DJ nights up to help another DJ who needed the money more than me out.
In all the times I have played at Skullys, I have never broken any equipment, cussed anyone out, insulted the staff, put graffitti in the restrooms, vandalised the property, taken drugs on the property, gotten drunk and offended audience or staff, or even promoted shows at other venues at Skullys.
Thru my record company job, I have even put on many listenting events at SKullys.
And over the years I have valiently defended the reputation of Skullys, its owners, and its employees to many critics, and to many people in general.
Despite the success I had with the positive press for my album, with my album selling really well at shows and actually selling okay at the local stores (Magnolia and Used Kids have both sold out of it), I have found it increasingly difficult to book shows in Columbus over the past six months.
Which didn't bother too often so long as we could do a well attended Columbus show at Skullys every so often.
Even though since the summer I have not been allowed to play weekends at Skullys, I have always been happy to do a Wednesday show.
Most recently, I filled in for a cancelled show at Skullys on Friday January 25th, and as anyone who was there will tell you, it was a superb, well attended show.
As of this morning, I have been informed in no uncertain terms that, for absolutely no reason, I am no longer allowed to play at Skullys.
As Skullys was the only place in Columbus that would book my band and I, this means no more shows in Columbus.
I have tried to organise local shows in the past 6 months, in vain. It is clear to me that I am not wanted in any of my cities local venues anymore.
So this is it. No more Columbus shows.
I would like to also take this moment to say thank you...
I want to say thank you to the many other Columbus bands that I have played with over the years.....in some cases, I put those bands on a bill for thier first show in Columbus, thier first show at an 18 and up venue, or thier first show ever...
I want to say thank you to all of those bands for NEVER asking me to play with them after I asked them to play with me, for NEVER returning the favor and booking me to play with them after I booked them to play with me, for USING me to get thier foot in the door at Skullys when they needed a new place to play, for USING me to secure them weekend and week bookings, only then to have me thrown off of the bill, for being totally willing and even volunteering to play a show with me when my face was in the newspapers, and then completely shunning me afterwards..........
Thank you. Thank you so very much. Really, it was my pleasure to get used by all of you. You have all showed me how ugly, back biting and backstabbing and opportunistic the local Columbus art and music community is.
In my defence, I maintain that I have always been friendly and courteous with all bands and artists that I have worked with, that I have always aplogised if I played too long or made some kind of mistake....and despite what certain people have said, I have never cheated a single band I have ever played with out of a dime. I have always payed people equally.
I stand firm by my words and actions.
Over the years, I have done more than my part help out other Columbus bands with shows and promotions in every way that I can.
In return, those bands and certain venues have used me, kicked me off of bills for no reason, and basically stabbed me in the back.
I have kept my mouth shut about this for a long time, but in light of just being banned for NO REASON from the one local venue I was allowed to play, I can no longer sit quiet.
This is not a case of being martyred, its not a cry for attention, its not whining, its not wanting people to feel sorry for me...
But the way I have been treated by nearly every venue that I have played at, by nearly every band that I have asked to play with me over the years because I actually really did like what they were doing...
Well thats just wrong. I cannot keep my mouth shut about something so wrong anymore.
In spite of this, I bear no personal grudges against any of the bands I have discussed...
I have nothing but respect for the owners of Skullys.
Skullys is one of the best places to see live music in Columbus, and 80s Night at Skullys is hands down the best night and place to go out dancing in the entire city. Skully the man is a higly intelligent man, and I admire his drive to build something from nothing. I also have a lot of personal affection for the wonderful staff at Skullys, from the booking agent to the bartenders to the floor guys. I am dissappointed that I cannot perform there or anywhere else in Columbus anymore, but life goes on.
For those of you who do like the music I make and the perfomances that my band and I put on......I guess you are just going to have to come see us perform in Cleveland.
I find it funny that I cannot book a show in Columbus.....but I have no trouble booking weekend gigs at nice nightclubs in Cleveland....especially as I am an independant artist and Columbus is supposed to be "the Indie Art Capital of the World."
Also...funny thing....when we play in Cleveland....people always dance, we always sell lots of CDs, and no one complains about my hair, the way I sing, or that I make dance music.
I suppose it must be something in the water.
For myself....
I am working on a new record that will hopefully come out next fall. It will be a collection of short, poppy electronic dance numbers. My critics will be delighted to know that in addition to me writing shorter songs, my singing voice has improved dramatically, and I believe that the record will be superior to "Solitaire" (which I again remind my critics was in fact well reviewed).
Since I can no longer play at venues in Columbus, I will be having the CD Release Party for the Record at Buckeye Donuts. You can pick up a copy of the record with your gyro.
Despite the many accusations that have made against me that I am angry, I am not an angry person. I am merely confident in my ideas and my views. I am not mad now.....but the way I have been treated is not fair, and I had to tell someone. I make music this is as expressive and valid as anyone else's in this city. I am repeatedly condemned for promoting it, but I only promote it because I want people to hear what I am writing. This makes me no different than any other band or musician in Columbus.
Now its time to move on.
As David Bowie says:
"It's too late to be hateful. The European Canon is here."
Actually, I don't know about the European Canon part....but I definately agree with the first line.
Best to all,
Zachery Allan Starkey
Launched in August 2010, TheMetropreneur.com is a local online resource devoted to small business development and entrepreneurship. Its aim is to tell the stories of Central Ohio's business community, foster regional economic development and assist entrepreneurs with its resource-heavy focus.