On that note.....

A member of a 'Northampton rock/funk/soul 4 piece called Cousin Avi' has a go at us for not booking them for a R*E*P*E*A*T gig
Printed as we recived it...


I mean i have to say to start off, as a band we have more trouble getting gigs in Oxford and Cambridge than we do in the most established venue's in London, Sheffield and even Buenos Aires, Argentina, due to constant run ins with pretentious promoters who have their head stuck well and truly up there arses.


to quote you: "we're not likely to put on any alt
country, r'n'b soulsters, retro metal or twiddly muso wankers."


To say that we havent done our research is not only patronising but would imply that you consider us to be one of those privileged genre's that you mentioned. Its that lack of musical knowledge that is killing British music and makes so many people in this once highly rated musical country think they can call themselves a promoter and then have the nerve to turn bands away or have them pay to play....This is why for bands it is harder than its ever been, and because of it you have all these half-witted labels who are not even independent label quality, as they have no platform or avenue for progress for bands. The bands or acts you mentioned on your nights i have never heard of so that says to me that although you may consider yourselves to be dealing with "established acts" or ones that are "suitable" (as oppose to us) it actually means you are not. All it says is that you stick local, because they bring the crowds. This is very sad, as to me it shows no actual love for good music, but more for profit through music.

Don't they look great?


I hope that what im saying is not confused. I have no disillusions as i am aware that our project is not established either. hence why i emailed in an attempt to see if Cambridge could provide a platform for us to share our art and/or if it had any culture away from its famous university and british pompousness. But with responses like yours becoming a regularity i'm seeing that it does not, heaven forbid Cambridge showed to love a bit of Funk or Soul or a bit of Rock hey!


I dont know how you may have interpreted our music, but from the email you strike me as a person who probably didnt bother even listening to it.


You express this support of attitude and not quality in music but i struggle to see how the email that we sent in any way expressed a wrong attitude? i would have to say it is in fact yourselves who responded unprofessionally i believe. If the email you replied with is a generic one, i think you may want to revise it and/or reword it.


Anyway i just hope that it will become clear to you very soon that in music there can be no room for prejudice. You can have a preference sure, but to label people, (whose talent or art may well be being a twiddly muso) as a wanker shows a huge lack in appreciation, from someone who probably tried to be a twiddly muso but was never good enough and probably took that as the reason to start a label from there garage and make a profit from those who worked at it and got good.


i wish you the best although as advice if you continue to reply to bands who dont fit into your square the way you do, you will find yourself struggling. You never know where that band maybe one day. The music is the product with which you make your money from, so it surprises me that you would turn away acts or the people that actually know how to create the product in the way that you do.


good luck

Francisco, Cousin Alvi

www.cousinavimusic.com

E-mails like this suggest that we're still doing something right!