Mozzapalooza

I was invited last month by some Chilean contacts to check out Lollapalooza held over two days in downtown Santiago. It was a week before I was heading that way anyway so after a short detour I was locked in to my first trip on this continent.

Not only was I looking forward to catch up with some of our olds friends from R&V including Boys Noize and Empire of the Sun, it was a chance to connect with the Chilean industry and show some support for our southern hemisphere neighbours.

It was also a great chance to witness behind the scenes world class festival. With 50,000 people, five stages and this was one hell of a beast. Having AAA passes meant I could hop from stage to stage with ease.

Lollapalooza started as a touring festival by Janes Addiction frontman Ferry Parrell in 1994. After a short break it has since been reincarnated as a three day fest each August in Grant Park, Chicago. Promoters C3 (who also run Austin City Limits) have been looking for an alternative venue for the festival for some time, and settled on Santiago. With a burgening local music scene, a developing festival market and stunning down town park overlooked by the city skyline - this was the site for the debut of Lollapalooza Chile.

It is funny at a festival trying work out who is with who. The attractive tattooed Goths, who I thought might singers with Jane’ Addiction, were just girlfriends of the roady from Steel Pulse. The short black man who looked like a hip hop star from Def Jam label was actually the bassist for hardcore band Deftones. Me - well I could have been the drummer for the Flaming Lips for all anyone knew.

There was also this short man with a goatee and aviators who sat right in front of the stage during Cypres Hill’s set. He looked like a prize winner as he danced like a mad man whilst wearing a Hawaiian shirt. I later saw him push his way in front at Edward Sharp much to the bands disgust. It was only til he turned up the next day looking suave in a dapper jacket and skinny tie that I realised his star power. It was none other than David Arquette, obviously enjoying some relatively anonomity away from the bright lights of LA.

My trip was a good chance to sow a few seeds with potential artists for R&V this year. I got a lift back to the hotel with CSS who giggled and grinned at the thought of another NZ soujourn. I met the Cold War Kids back at the hotel who seem dead keen to get out to NZ. What about a summer holiday I asked or do you like to try and play as many shows as possible? Have you seen a spider crawling out of my room the singer dryly responded. No I replied. ‘Good cause we are not here to fuck spiders’. I took that as a yes.

Staying at the same hotel as many of the support acts, it was interested to witness the behaviour of different stars on the road. Relatively new kids on the festival circuit Edward Sharpe were still at the hotel three days later, loitering around the all you can eat BBQ. Alex aka Boys Noise was in and out first thing back to LA to record and prepare for his closing set at Coachella. The Drums were happy with their own company, keeping each other entertained with what looked like frat-boy humour. The EOTS dancers sunbathed in the hot Chilean sun.

In all was a great festival, held in a city I would well recommend spending time in. Headliners Killers showed the depth of their back catalogue and why Flowers has developed into one of the best front men around. Kanye West show was but the verdict is out, I still find it difficult to watch one man prancing around on stage for 90 mins. In saying that Fat Boy Slim kept my attention. The National I now understand the hype. The reincarnation of Sublime bought back some memories of my youth. How good would they be in Gissy!

As I left the hotel on Monday I saw crowds of groupies outside, not to wave me good bye but waiting the arrival of the next star in town - Slash! Would be great to hang around but this circus needs to keep moving.

Next stop – Coachella!

Audacious Launch

Last month I was invited to speak at the NBR online Challenge at Otago University. The Audacious program in association with School of Business were giving away $60,000 in prizes to start your own business. Around 350 students gathered for free beer and listen to my wise words.

There was nothing like this in my day. Mind you being a Law and Arts student I didn’t venture into the Business Faculty much.

It fact we had little mentors for our business when we got started apart from my partners the Witters family.  I had done a little bit of entreprenuering since my school days mowing lawns before playing in pub bands at Uni to get beer money.  As my family lived in Thailand I used to head over for the uni holidays. I was blown away by the shopping potential and decided to bring back as many fake Diesel and Polo $5 tshirts as I could fit in a Samoan suitcase.  I would then sell them down at Market day for $20, ($25 to the Asian students). Thursday night were also a roaring trade in my bedroom before a night on the town.  ‘Good for me Good for you’. was my motto.  That was til the t-shirts were returned two washes later, half the size!

Tom Gibson said to me one night at the Steinlager over a late night nitchy session that we should get all our Dunedin mates together for NYE my band to play for some friends.  We were sick of seeing everyone heading to Sydney for NYE, why couldn’t we meet up in NZ to celebrate the new year?  The penny dropped for me.  What a great idea.  Lets meet at Gardies on Saturday after the Muddies v Matadors game to talk this through.

This party could really go off we discussed over a few cold Speights.  If I got my friends from the Bay, you got your mates from Massey, we get the Chch crew, half of Dunedin mates, we could put on quite a show. The ideas started flowing. Stumps got a batch in Waimarama, or what about Nelson? Riversdale? Wanaka? Lets get AJ and Bonners bands? What about a big name DJ. Hey if everyone put $100 in the hat I bet we could convince Dave Dobbyn to play?

Anyway I returned back to the flat to see a photo of the venue on my flat mate Andrew Witters wall,.  It wasn’t half bad, all landscaped and lush.  Gisborne sounded like an ideal summer location.  And a decent road trip to get people to.

Having run summer fruit truck operation successfully back in Gisborne. Andrew was never one to shy away from a good idea.  He encouraged us to write to Dean Witters. I wish I still had a copy of the letter but we worded it in such a way that we were saying all the things he would want to hear. 200 young New Zealander whose parents come next year will be drinking your wine. NZ best acts coming to your venue.  Making sense of the investment you have put into Waiohika etstate.

It must of worked as next thing we were on a plane up to see Witters senior in Gisborne. We had little in the way of planning and as Gibbo sat across from each hungover other at Wellington airport trying to think of a name for our proposed party. Before I left Adam Matson had said to me get the 'Vines' involved. So we had that aside. We looked at various words that  went with vines, settling on Open Vines – with the selling point being ‘the one day the vines open up and let the party begin’. It was all a bit hippy, trippy, enchanted woods for me and I swayed back to the music connotations.  Bass. Melody. Rhythm . Rhythm and Vines.

After shaking hands on that little ditty we went to the coffee shop and bought a post card to send back to our respective flatties. 'See you at Rhythm and Vines – New Years Eve 2003’ we wrote. And that was our name.

On the short pencil train to Gisborne we decided we needed some action points to move on. I was set on booking up and coming funk band the Black Seeds.  But we would need some capital to do it.

We walked into Deans office pitching Black Seeds. Give them a call ask how much they are then offer them 2k more and lock them in. One of my first lessons in business. Action.  There is no time like the present.

We awoke the next morning to Dean having created a full spreadsheet of how the intial plan would roll out. We would start a company 50/50. Revenues lines for ticket, sponsorship, beverage sales. Outgoings for artist cost, production, venue. We would move to Gisborne for summer. We were away.

Tom and I flew back to Dunedin with a spring in our step.  We used to meet feverishly promoting our new idea to anyone that would want to listen.  Andrew put some money up to print out posters and we dropped them around the library.   We gathered friends at Gardies shouted them crates and asked them support our idea.  We pursued our idea with vigour and audacity.

And that is how it began.

I told these stories to a group of students at the launch last month.  I told them there was no better time to start an idea.  You are young, keen, enthusiastic and energetic.  Being at University you have direct connections with people from all over NZ. You are naive enough to not realize the potential risks and pitfalls. Just have a go like we did.

Audacious weren’t we?