the far out son of a lung and the ramblings of a madman

tinseltown takeover tour overview/wrap up

2009-10-14T00:06:58Z

Alright, so I've been saying I'd write this for awhile.

We got back from the Tinseltown Takeover tour a little less than a week ago, and we've been catching up since then, so it's taken me longer than I'd like to blog about this.

The tour was a success in many ways, and I'm going to outline a few things about it.

The buildup to this tour was a LOT of work, more than I think I'd have expected, but at least as hard as I'd think it'd be to book a tour on a shoestring budget. I'll go into some detail about how we booked it later on in this post.

We left on Thursday, Oct. 4th, for Phoenix AZ, where our friend Dave Strand of Industrial band The Strand lives. We played that night at Chaser's, a venue we've had the pleasure to rock before. We played with a new local band called Human Experimentation; the crowd was not huge, but Dave took good care of us, putting us up, feeding us, and getting us ready for our next night in Long Beach. At some point in our set this night, the new Keytar we'd build crapped out; the next morning, we wrenched on it to find that it's sending incorrect MIDI signal between two of our keyboards. Unfortunately, the Radium 49 keyboards are not easy to factory reset, which is a serious design flaw. Dave sent us off with an Alesis Micon, "just in case". That was a good thing, we'd find out.

On the 2nd we drove to Long Beach, CA, for a gig at Que Sera bar with locals Crush, Slomo Erotic and Shitting Glitter. The venue was quite cool, with a nice staff and a fairly well sized stage. Nice sets by everyone led to us closing the night to about 20 or so heads. We found that our keytar was indeed not working correctly at this time, and had to go it without Jeff on Keys. This was disheartening, but we pressed on.

We moved on that night to stay with my friend Zach, who was kind enough to put us up for the entirety of this trip in his apartment in LA. Take heed, folks; this is not an easy undertaking. We were VERY lucky to have this support.

The next day we took on the challenge of two shows in one night; the first, at The Anarchy Library in Downey, CA, was the most punk of venues and shows I've played in awhile. Rolling up to the front of the venue to find guys wrenching on cars in the front lot, to the back, where I was greeted by a grip of punkers smoking and arguing, I knew this would be one of the more memorable gigs of the tour. The interior of the venue was a black cave with a few tables, a bar, and a tiny drum riser; the stage was the floor. This was a true punk bar. We all cut down our stage footprint to the bare minimum for this show; I played my kit in four piece (as opposed to usual six piece) configuration, Chris played with only one guitar effect pedal, Kenny went straight into his amp, and Jess and Jeff played one keyboard each, and we stuck to a distinctly punk and heavy set. Those in attendance enjoyed what we did, which was nice, being that we were so different from their usual house band. It takes a lot to impress punkers; I should know, I'm one of them.

We packed up the van and moved on to our second gig of the night at Mr. T's Bowl, a converted bowling alley in LA that now houses music shows. The venue was by far one of the coolest that I've ever been in; it had a feeling like I was stuck in the late 60's or 70's, with just the right darkness and air to it, as if I was in the Big Lebowski for rock bands.

Unfortunately, not much of anyone was around for the show. We were informed around 10pm that all bands would have to cut their sets, due to the bar being slow, and so we did. However, just as we ended our set, LA's hipster elite began to show up to the venue, and of course, things went back to normal, with the following bands being allowed to play full length sets. This was pretty annoying, as the two touring acts, that being ourselves, and the awesome Warren Tegarden from San Francisco, were given the opening slots of the night. At that point, all we could hope for was that we'd be paid a little money from the door. Sadly, we found, after waiting around for the entire night, that we were being paid nothing. The best thing I can say about this gig is that Mr. T's sound guy, Arlo, is indeed one of the best. I'd read about him on the internet, and his reputation stood up. The man could probably make a wind up toy sound awesome.

Sunday the 4th's gig was one that I approached with much trepidation; I'd booked it via Myspace with a venue called TRiP in Santa Monica. The kicker? We'd be following an acoustic singer/songwriter themed night. Awkward? Yes. However, we stepped up, and canvased the crowd with stickers, asking them to stick around. We had a fairly good crowd, despite the change in pace, and met some promoters who said that they would be interested in getting us on as the supporting act for Right Said Fred on an American tour. This made it all worth it.

Monday the 5th was our only day off, and we spent it in Santa Monica, bumming at the beach a little, and hanging out.

Tuesday the 6th was a gig in East LA at a venue called the Airliner, in MexicoTown. I wasn't sure how to feel about this gig; the stage reserved for us was RIGHT in front of the bar, and was more like a runway stage; too long to have us all in usual formation, and so we had to make due and twist ourselves around it. The night was called TANK!Tuesdays and was an electro themed night, with DJs upstairs and in the outside patio - it made it hard to get people in one place all at once. We again didn't play to many heads, but those we did enjoyed what we brought. Luckily, the night's promoter, Vince, was kind enough to understand that we were a touring act, and passed some money our way. We also shared the stage with a great band called Antique Imp, who reminded me a lot of my friends Model A from Sacramento, mixed up with some David Bowie. I was glad to have played just to have met these guys.

Finally, on wednesday the 5th, we took some time to walk Hollywood blvd. and pass out demos, visit some local shops, and get some pizza. We closed our tour playing Hollywood's Dragonfly Bar; a great venue with an impressive stage, we again shared the stage with Slomo Erotic and Shitting Glitter. again in the closing slot of the night, we played probably the tightest set that we've ever played, in my opinion. We did show that we have what it takes to blow some Hollywood heads on their asses, and did it with style. I was also glad to see many of my old friends come out to this show (thanks to Angus, Oyuna, JJ, Leah, and Elektra), as well as some folks we'd met at our other shows. We finished the night hanging out at a house in Hollywood Hills, and then took in a little much needed rest, before beginning the 14 hour trek home.

Overall, I can't complain about this tour in the slightest. It allowed us to make some good connections, meet some good people, and get some music out. It was an experience that can't be forgotten, and was still more fun than doing nothing but working and playing music sometimes.

So, how did we do this tour? I'll tell you.

Firstly, as to booking shows; we were lucky to have help from Devin of Shitting Glitter, who got us onto a couple shows with his band. Secondly, we used Myspace HEAVILY. Say what you want about Myspace, it is still one of the best networking tools at your fingertips. We spent night after night adding people as friends in the LA area, and booked two of our gigs this way, thanks to random Myspace adds. We also used Indieonthemove.com , byofl.org, and Yelp.com (to get information on venues)

We promoted heavily; we printed 11x17 tour flyers and made demo CDs to send to those who booked and promoted us. We got these packages out no later than two weeks before the gigs. We sent out press releases to local newspapers and blogs about the tour, and contacted any and all radio stations we could. The internet is your friend, plain and simple. It can do more walking for you than any other tool that you have, save for getting street team folks to walk the streets for you. When you don't have that, lean on the internet. We stayed in constant contact with those who booked us, checking in, and making sure things were good to go.

How did we raise money for this tour? Firstly, we worked, a lot. We played gigs and saved money. Secondly, we asked our fans to donate money to our tour fund, and we're lucky enough to have some very good fans who helped get us on the road (thanks Che, Adric, Leah, Jason, Maggie, Massimo, and others). Finally, we of course poured a lot of our own money into this venture. We printed a lot of Tshirts, made Demo CDs to sell, buttons, stickers, patches and more. Jeff built a great Merchandise stand, probably the most creative one I've ever seen, and did it to get attention to our merch while on the road. Jess pushed her calendars heavily, selling a lot, and promoting like crazy. Chris and Kenny got the word out, promoted and booked. We all did everything we could to make this thing happen. We sent out email blasts, bulletined like crazy, and used Twitter to its max; I was on Twitter constantly with updates and photos, and it allowed me to get the word out about shows very easily.

Oh, and one other thing; get yourself a phone that connects to the internet. You'll thank me. My Googlephone (the Tmobile G1) single phonedly got us around LA and into every nook and crannie that it had. Using Google maps as a GPS, combined with a compass App and other tools (as well as being able to browse the internet via phone), was a huge help. Also, running Twitter on my phone was a very viable tool for what I needed to do to keep fans updated on what we were doing. You may not like the cost associated with a "smart phone", but it's well, well worth it.

In the long run, we probably spent about $700 on merchandise, and about $400 or so on gas for our van, as well as some other money for new tires and van tuning. We didn't sell much merch, but we did use our stickers and demos like crazy. We came home with no demos left, and very little stickers. Remember, the point is to get them out there, folks. Get them into people's hands and begin the process.

After the tour, I suggest you follow up with everyone you met, and the promoters you worked with; keep your connections alive, they are all you have sometimes.

The final thing I can say about touring is that you will find yourself learning more about yourself and your bandmates/friends than you ever expected. You'll get frustrated, be happy, confused, ecstatic, and about a million other emotions under the sun, while you're doing this, but you have to remember that you're doing it because you can't NOT do it. There's no way to get your music to more people than to tour it around; even the internet can't always take the place of that. Remember why you're doing it, take everything with a grain of salt, work to be calm, and remember that the people you're in that van with are some of your best friends, and probably some of the people you'll ever be closest to. Treat it well, and soak it in; not many people or bands get to do this, so the fact that you even do counts for more than you'll ever think.

/brian

support NM female musicians!

2009-09-12T19:30:37Z

today @ the NM state fair! Meet the girls of the New Mexico rocks pinup calendar @ the NMSF pavillion. Calendars are only $10 and feature NM's finest female musicians, all proceeds benefit warehouse 508, ABQ's newest youth arts program. Jess Crockett (of my band, Vertigo Venus) is ms November, so show your support and come out. Calendars may also be purchased thru the bands, or at http://www.myspace.com/nmrockspinupcalendar

Post from mobile portal m.livejournal.com

Oh, my

2009-08-10T00:14:17Z

The changes in my life have been many, many.

I don't really want to go into particulars; if you're someone who'd like to know the bulk of what has happened to me recently, you are free to call, or email me. Suffice to say, I have effectively rebooted my life. Leaving behind many things, I am in search of the happiness that I feel I deserve. I have found much of it, strangely, without having to search very far.

The only thing heavily paining me right now, strangely, is missing my dog and cat. I know that I will not have them in my life again, and that saddens me greatly.

I took a trip to LA in the past week, and enjoyed it greatly; escaping the streets of ABQ is a good thing. I was quite impressed by how well I was able to survive off of my G1 phone and its browser alone; the thing is a workhorse. It directed me over thousands of miles of driving, and many free apps made life even easier. I am also impressed with my car, which took the 3,000 plus miles very well, giving me no problems, and rocking along the whole way. VWs are amazing vehicles.

Music is going pretty well, working on the new Vertigo Venus album. Unfortunately, with my life as it is right now, I have been unable to work on new material of my own. I hope to change this soon.

As I recently read somewhere, as I go along, I realize that life is not about growing up, but learning to grow. I think this is more true now, than ever. Onward, ever onward.

Live set tonight on KUNM radio!

2009-05-21T19:43:04Z

I'll be doing a live PA set tonight (5/21) on KUNM radio's "Fresh" show in Albuquerque from 11pm to midnight MST. This is the first time I've done a live set in awhile on the radio, and it's the easiest way for you to hear me play live, without even having to leave your house! Tune in locally at 89.9 FM, or on the net at http://www.KUNM.org - feel free to get in touch with me before, after, and even during the show via Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/brianbotkiller - hope you are all well!

Reminder: My life with the thrill kill kult this SATURDAY!

2009-05-01T07:06:21Z

Just a quick reminder, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult will be here in Albuquerque on May 2nd, this saturday! My bands, Diverje and Vertigo Venus, will be opening this awesome gig! The show is at the Launchpad (6th and Central ave, downtown ABQ), Doors are at 8pm, and the show is all ages. Tickets are $20 at the door, but only $15 if you buy directly from the band, which you can do by emailing me, or finding us outside the venue between 5pm and 6:30 on the day of the show. This is sure to be one of the best shows of the year, so I encourage you to come out and see it! Vertigo Venus will be debuting a number of new awesomeness (including a visit by the ladies of Burlesque Noir!), as will Diverje. Please come visit us!

event.myspace.com/index.cfm click here for the Myspace event page!

www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php click here for the facebook event page!

www.twitter.com/brianbotkiller follow me on Twitter

www.twitter.com/vertigovenus follow Vertigo Venus on Twitter!

-brian botkiller

http://www.reverbnation.com/brianbotkiller

Plenty of stuff...

2009-04-22T14:59:22Z

I know, I know; we ask for your vote more than a politician; the difference is, we'll actually DO something once we win :)

The Fender Road Worn Contest continues!

Vertigo Venus is in the running to reach the top 10 in Fender's national contest, and we have a few more days to get as many votes and friends as we can at the contest's webpage. If you can, please take a moment to click http://tinyurl.com/d56wgt , vote and add us as friends on the site. If you'll spread the word to others, too, we'd be grateful. We could really use the winnings from this contest, and since we've beat out thousands of other bands to get here, we're pushing hard! Thanks for your support.

Vertigo Venus Live This friday in Santa Fe!

And, speaking of Vertigo Venus, we'll be playing at Warehouse 21 (1614 paseo de peralta, santa fe NM) this coming friday the 24th, to mark the anniversary of W21's demolition of their old building, and continue celebrating their brand new, awesome one. We'd love to see you out! Everything starts going down at 7pm, and includes entertainment by Mantis Fist, Savage Wizdom, CassoVita, and of course, Vertigo Venus.

Get your Thrill Kill Kult Tickets now!

Finally, Vertigo Venus is opening for My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult on Saturday, May 2nd at the Launchpad (6th and Central, Albuquerque), and we've got tickets to sell! We're selling 'em for $15, which is a $5 discount over the door price. If you pay $20, you'll get our CD, "Run for your lives", and a ticket to the show - The Vertigo Venus Combo meal! If you're interested, click the Paypal Button below for what you're interested in. Your support means the world to us, it's the only way we can be successful at this!

Click this to buy the Combo Meal Deal! We will contact you to send you your Ticket and CD after your purchase.

Click this one to get just the Ticket, we'll need your address so we can mail it to you.

-brian botkiller

http://www.reverbnation.com/brianbotkiller

why didn't i mention all this earlier?

2009-04-13T21:40:01Z

I was recently voted best electronic act and best drummer in Albuquerque, and my band, Vertigo Venus, garnered Best punk band. I especially like the fact that the Alibi makes me sound like only a marketing guy by the time they get to Best drummer; never mind the fact that I played over 100 shows last year with Diverje and Vertigo Venus combined, or that I work my ass off for what I do... nah, that doesn't matter. They also mention that my music makes you think you're in a "Bush re-education camp", and that I have an "evil sounding voice". My bet is that they listened to "Welcome to postwar USA" once, and decided that En Esch's voice was mine. I guess that's all ok, but I would have liked it if there had been even a mention of all the work I do as a drummer, because it is a lot.

either way, thanks to all those who voted, your support means the world to me!

Check the specs:

Best Punk Band
Vertigo Venus
vertigovenus.com • myspace.com/vertigovenus
It has the quick chord changes, rapid tempo and antiestablishment attitude of a punk band, but there’s more to Vertigo Venus. The band could also be considered an industrial act or an electronic outfit. Punk is a genre that embraces change and encourages the defiance of convention. That’s exactly what Vertigo Venus has done with synthesizers and metal riffs.

Best Electronic Act
Brian Botkiller
brianbotkiller.com • myspace.com/brianbotkiller
This guy can compose a symphony with a synthesizer. Sometimes you feel like you’re inside a video game or a George W. Bush re-education camp; but Brian Botkiller’s ability to transport you into a different realm is a gift. His evil-sounding voice, danceable beats and frightful keyboard create a beautiful nightmare of strange sounds.

Best Drummer
Brian Botkiller from Vertigo Venus
brianbotkiller.com • myspace.com/brianbotkiller
Beside banging the skins with the greatest of ease, Brian Botkiller is a regular Svengali at pulling for BoB votes through the Internet's many spidery arms of networking. Way to drum/organize, Botkiller!

http://alibi.com/index.php?story=27233&scn=feature

botkiller @ 2009-04-13T00:36:00

2009-04-13T06:59:16Z

I haven't been a good blogger lately, that's for sure.

So, where do I start? Well, march was one of the worst months in awhile, that's for sure.

It started off with me losing my contracts with Keytosound and Koblo, leading to no steady cash coming in. My friend Jason decided it was time to close The Agency, and so Albuquerque lost the best all ages venue its ever had, and a great resource for the arts. I found out that my dog has either failing kidneys or diabetes insipidus, and in general, I was a wreck for most of the month.

The good things? Vertigo Venus took best Punk band in the Alibi's Best of Burque, and I took best electronic act, and best drummer. We also scored best theater production for our stint in Hedwig and the Angry inch, as well as a slew of other little things. That was all quite nice.

So now, I'm nearly halfway through April already, and I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing, in some ways. Luckily, I'm not a person who spends outside of my means, and so I have a good amount of money to fall back on at this time. However, I don't wish to spend all of that money, and so I'm not resting on my laurels. I've been working hard to find new clients in any capacity that I can, but as of late, I've mostly just dealt with a lot of people who say they want to do things, and then don't call me back. I have a little bit of video work to fall back on, and a couple I/T clients, but not much beyond that. I'm unsure what to do with myself because, honestly, Albuquerque doesn't exactly have a big need for people who do what I do; multimedia work isn't in high demand in this city. I'm very lucky to have what I do have, though, and I know that.

I can't decide what I should do, though; I don't know if I should be sucking it up and going back to Trader Joe's right now, or if I should be taking some other job, or if I am on the right path. I do believe that if I could get just a few consistent clients, I would be ok. My monthly overhead isn't much, and honestly, what I'm going to make at most jobs right now isn't going to be a lot more than where I'd be with only a few clients. Of course, the steady money is the issue in the long run. If I can't keep a steady stream, I will start to falter; but I am telling myself that that won't happen. I'm telling myself that I will get a few steady clients, who will put me on retainer, and that I will pay for what I need in life that way. There simply isn't anything for me in this town - what there is is likely already filled, or will be filled by friends of friends. Getting hired for anything that isn't everyday bullshit in ABQ is most certainly painful.

So, I dunno. Life is what it is, and I'm glad to have it at all times. I'm working to not blow out of proportion the small things, and to pay attention to what is good. All I ask is that the Universe do the same.

final show at the agency tonight!

2009-03-28T01:19:41Z

A treatise on why customer support is more important than your business

2009-03-24T20:07:59Z

I deal everyday, in some way, with customer support. Whether it's the store I go to, or the cell phone company I call, everyday, I put faith into the people who work for a company that they will address issues I have, and treat me correctly. We all do it. The problem is, even in today's economic climate, most companies simply do not understand the importance of quality customer support.

Which, of course, is what makes it even less surprising to read an article like This one, wherein Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg states that "successful companies rarely listen to their customers".

Well, I have news for you, Mr. Billionaire. We DO matter, and what we say to you NEEDS to be listened to. Whether or not you would ever change the new look of Facebook (which I, and 94% of other FB users agree, is horrible), the fact that you treat your users with such disdain is absolutely atrocious. I find it rather amazing that I am now looking at Myspace and their customer service and public face, and seeing that in terms of support and communication, they are actually proactive, and at least seem to have some care about what users say. Say what you will, but to see Myspace's Tom Anderson actually replying to user's comments on his blog (whether or not it's really him), is still something of a welcome surprise to me.

With all-online businesses becoming more and more prevalent yet again in today's world, it's sad to see the absolute lack of customer service that comes with this growth. It's a great thing that an online company is able to be worth millions and billions of dollars - but when that company treats its users like trash, one must wonder how long it will be until another dot com bubble bursts.

I again reference Facebook, a website which, as with many, generates huge amounts of money from advertising revenue. Months ago, upon joining the Visa business network group on FB, I was given a $100 coupon towards FB advertising, and I decided to try it out before it expired. I set up a spending plan which would not use over my $100 limit, and I set my campaign to end when the coupon was up. To my surprise, nearly a week after the campaign ended, I was charged yet again for advertising from Facebook. A misunderstanding, I assumed, and so I went to find FB's customer service email - and was greeted with the usual runaround FAQ list, which didn't address my issue. Why? Because I need a real human!. Facebook is notorious for having almost no customer support, and in this case, it is quite true. Emails are not returned, and there is no such thing as a customer support phone line. In calling the company's number found thru Google, I somehow managed to talk to a woman who sounded quite angry that I had gotten her on the phone, when she answered it "FACEBOOK." In explaining my problem, I was, of course, told to "just email, and they'll get back to you".

Well, guess what? They haven't. And likely, they won't. They have no reason to, as outlined by comments from Egotistical Zuckerburg - and, to boot, they can take your money, and not provide you with customer care when they do. I understand not wanting to answer Joe Sixpack's phone call about his profile image not displaying correctly - but when you take REAL, tangible money from a user, YOU MUST provide a way for that user to talk back to you and ask for support. But, FB doesn't have that, and never will, I'm sure. My experience might be a fluke, but even if it is, my one experience can, and will, put others off from advertising with Facebook.

And that, my friends, is why customer support is more important than your actual business. Regardless of what you are selling, if you do not treat your customer with respect, and especially your PAYING customer, you have no business model to speak of, and you will lose money.

There are those that will say, "Yes, but these sites have millions of users, they can't support everyone!". This is not true, for two reasons.

1. Any company which generates income from a customer base MUST have customer support, regardless of size. If you are a sole proprietorship, or a billion dollar company like Facebook, you MUST provide your users a way to address and clear up their issues. There is no excuse for not providing this, plain and simple.

2. With the technology available today, there is even less of a reason to not provide a way for your customers to reach you. An email address is step one. A phone number with a real human, even if only for specific issues, is step two. The next steps are utilizing services such as getsatisfaction.com, a crowd-sourced support ticket system which companies can opt into, or having a forum which is moderated by people associated with the company.

Do not tell me that financial and staffing issues stop this from existing. No matter your company size, you must take care of your customer, first and foremost.

Take, for example, Zappos.com - a company founded on the sale of shoes, handbags, and other accessories. The company is worth many millions of dollars ($840 million in 2007), and has a list of their core values right on their website. Their first core value? "Deliver WOW through service". And they do - with a return business rate of 75%, the company has it right. CEO Tony Hsieh was recently on The Celebrity Apprentice, challenging contestants to create a customer support mascot for the company. This is a company that gets it right; and while their business model, and products, are quite different from Facebook, the same thing remains true; treating your customers right leads to more business, and a robust company.

Having been at the forefront of many company's customer support systems and programs, and having provided some of the best customer support in the world, nothing makes me more upset than being mistreated as a customer. There is no reason, with today's technology and many streams of income, to not treat your customer with respect. They may not always be right, but they most certainly pay your bills - and when your venture capital runs out, or when you don't sell your company to Google, you will see how important this is, when your customers aren't willing to buy from you, no matter what you're selling, or how much you were the hottest thing ever. Facebook will fall prey to this, if they do not begin to provide some iota of customer support. Someone can always do it better, and they can damn sure provide better business, and your user base, and moreover, your returning userbase, will decline, and your ad revenue with it. Don't believe me? It's happened to numerous online companies, and it will continue to. No matter how cool it is, it's not cool to mistreat the buyer, even if most of your services are free.

In closing, I offer this list of values any company should work on when it comes to how they interact with their customers.

1. Be open. Today's marketplace is more about transparency than ever, and it won't change. Tell your customers who you are, who runs your company, and who their money benefits when they pay you. They will be more apt to give you money in this case.

2. Make information easy to find; don't bury it in FAQs, auto-answering robots, forums with nothing but questions, and dead-end webpages. Provide a support email. Use crowd-sourced support to let users answer other user's issues. Most of all, if you take money from a user, you MUST provide a way for them to contact a human being. DO NOT mess with the customer's money. You'll never see it again, if you do.

3. Be humble, and understand that no matter how cool you are, it doesn't matter if your customers don't want to buy it. Check your ego, because if you don't, one of us will. I assure you of that.

4. LISTEN. When you say, "Give us your feedback!", you damn sure had better not say things like "Successful companies don't listen to their customers". Your feedback form is about as useful as an ice cube in a forest fire at this point, and we, as customers, will remember it.

5. Do not underestimate your customer. Today's consumer is MUCH more well-educated than you think. The internet has changed all that. Do not believe that your customers are idiots; they will quickly put you down in flames in today's crowd-sourced world. No matter what your size, remember that you cannot grow if you do not build a solid foundation. If your foundation is your user base, you must treat them right. Without that, you will eventually crumble, and someone who does it better will rise above you.

I hope that you've found this useful; I know that for me, these are the values that I strive to give those that I work with, and that I expect back. Sadly, companies big and small don't get it. If you know of one that doesn't, comment about it. If you know one that does, please laud them; they deserve it. If you do it, give yourself a pat on the back; you're one of the few.

Come say bye to the Agency - first of farewell shows 3/11

2009-03-10T06:46:34Z

We tried, really, we did. Unfortunately, we just can't go on anymore. Thanks to everyone who supported us in our run. Please consider coming out to this wednesday's show (march 11) for Diverje, Vertigo Venus and Yoko Ono's Revenge - all money at the door goes to help the "Jason Wolf busted his balls for ABQ" fund.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9th, 2009
Press Contact
Jason Wolf
contact@the-agency.org

THE AGENCY ARTS AND MUSIC SPACE CLOSING ITS DOORS MARCH 31, 2009

(ALBUQUERQUE, NM) It's time for renegade event space, The Agency, to pack up its live recording and production equipment and close its doors after one year of art openings, music shows, performances, and production work. The last show at The Agency will be the "Farewell Party" on March 28th, starting at 6pm, and everyone is invited to attend.

"I am very happy to announce that we are closing The Agency on a good note," said Jason Wolf, owner and manager of the gallery / studio / event space / venue. "We have had a very successful run with the space by offering an outlet for artists, musicians, and performers to express themselves. We are not closing the space due to bankruptcy, illegal activity, or corruption, but rather because it's simply that time and we are proud of our community service and track record," added Wolf.

The Agency has hosted opening receptions for over 35 local artists, provided professional stage, lights, and sound system to over 60 live bands and recorded and produced over 40 live performances. The Agency has also welcomed full-eature and independent film crews to work and shoot in the space, screened a handful of short films, and provided space to yoga instructors over the past year since the Grand Opening on March 29th, 2008.

"It's been a great run and I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has played, performed, worked, or attended events at The Agency. It was not possible without your support. I especially want to extend my greatest sincerity and gratitude to those who joined me in running the space as a labor of love and never expected a single cent of compensation for their work", added Wolf. "I will personally miss the space and the people that made it into what it is known for - a great place to hear, see, and appreciate all types of art, performance and music."

The Agency is Albuquerque's only "Live Recording Venue" and has a string of shows and performances scheduled for the rest of March followed by its "Farewell Party" on March 28th, 2009, which will feature Live music from Agency E, IRSglitch, and more. The event is open to the public, and is all-ages.

The Agency is located at 111 4th St. SW. ABQ. NM. 87102. For more information and to view the archive of past events at The Agency, visit www.the-agency.org.

###

keep the NM film incentives program

2009-03-03T18:30:47Z

Hello all,

In the case that you don't know, there is currently a house bill set to possibly pass as early as today (tuesday) which will 100% kill the NM state film incentives program, effectively killing the NM film program with it, and taking a ton of jobs along for the ride. I ask you to please take a moment to email the below people (I've glommed them together from a blog post) and ask these representatives to not support HB 725. It seriously will only take you a minute, and it might save a lot of jobs.

Here is a blog post where you can read more:
http://www.dukecityfix.com/profiles/blogs/another-hand-about-to-be

Here are those emails, copy paste, email.

josephs@plateautel.net, gardners90@yahoo.com, donagale@zianet.com , jpandp@comcast.net, eliseoalcon@msn.com, ocate@hotmail.com, debbie.rodella@nmlegis.gov, askdennis@denniskintigh.com, tom@tomtaylor.net, jimtrujillo@msn.com, sntyler@valornet.com

lost dog, help appreciated!

2009-03-02T20:38:04Z

Hi everyone, I'm reposting this for a friend of mine, if you have any info, it's much appreciated. Thanks!

live noontime set tomorrow @ UNM SUB main campus

2009-02-25T04:42:45Z

I'll be doing a last minute set tomorrow on the University of New Mexico main campus, just outside the Student Union Building in the plaza area near the metal statues, tomorrow (2/25/09). It's free! Come out and rock if you have time! I'll be playing from noon until 1PM. Thanks to Dan for getting me this gig!

tonight

2009-02-21T02:20:21Z

It's time to vote again

2009-02-19T03:35:40Z

The Weekly Alibi has finally added a "best electronic act" section to their best of Burque, so, I feel that it is my duty to rightly take it. Therefore, I ask you to again do your civic duty and vote in the 2009 BOB. You have until March 12th, but I ask you to vote now, and pass this onto friends.

I can't tell you how to vote, but here's the SUGGESTED voting list, you're free to vote as you see fit, of course. Either way, please VOTE, and tell others!

(Click the image to be taken to the voting page. You'll need an Alibi account and need to be logged in, PLEASE don't let that dissuade you)

5 BEST LOCAL RADIO PROGRAM: CYBERAGE RADIO

20 BEST DIVE BAR: BURT'S TIKI LOUNGE

32 BEST WEEKLY BAR EVENT: KGB KLUB

33 BEST DJ: JUSTIN GEORGE/DJ KENTIFYR (sorry guys, I can't choose between you)

35 BEST HIP HOP/RAP MC: DARBSTAR

36 BEST ROCK BAND: DIVERJE

37 BEST PUNK BAND: VERTIGO VENUS

38 BEST NEW/EMERGING BAND: TRIPPING DOGS

44 BEST ELECTRONIC ACT: BRIAN BOTKILLER

45 BEST AVANT GARDE: ALCHEMICAL BURN

47 BEST GUITARIST: CHRIS CANNON

48 BEST DRUMMER: BRIAN BOTKILLER

49 BEST BASSIST: KEN CORNELL

50 BEST VOCALIST: JEFFIE CANNON

52 BEST LOCAL MUSIC STORE: NATURAL SOUND

55 BEST THEATER PERFORMANCE IN THE LAST YEAR: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH

57 BEST ART GALLERY: THE AGENCY

58 BEST THEATER SPACE: THE VORTEX

62 BEST THEATER TROUPE: BURLESQUE NOIR

66 BEST COMIC BOOK STORE: NOBLE BOOKS

BEST ANYTHING WE FORGOT:
BEST LOCAL PRODUCTION COMPANY: FWANK!PRODUCTIONS
BEST MUSIC FESTIVAL: OSCILLATION
BEST MASSAGE THERAPIST: TAVIA SCHWARTZ

I'm looking for work

2009-02-16T22:23:00Z

Hi everyone,

I hope it's ok for me to advertise myself, this is not an easy economy, I know, but we all need to help each other out if we can, right?

My name is Brian, I am a multimedia professional, working in the fields of IT, Tech support, Video and Audio production and multimedia services.

I'm currently looking for more folks who need my services, and if you're one of those folks, I want to talk to you!

I provide IT/tech support for businesses and individuals, including instruction, networking, etc. for the mac, pc, and any other format you might throw at me. My rates are affordable, much better than the Geek Squad, and more personalized.

I provide video production/editing and more for advertising, documentation, and beyond. You can view some of my work here:

I also provide web and graphical design, audio mixing and editing, and production of many kinds. I have a network of talented folks I work with as well, and can take care of your needs. Now is, despite what many think, a very good time to promote your business and to keep your business local. Promoting with a website, social networking, video and other formats always yields a good return in addition to the average advertising of print and word of mouth.

I have provided my services to the following folks (not limited to):

http://www.koblo.com - IT, support, design, promotion
http://www.keytosound.com - IT, support, design, promotion
http://www.quadrahealth.com - IT, support, networking
http://www.frescoharmony.com - video production, design, promotion
http://www.zukdesigngroup.com - video production, design, promotion

My portfolio and other work can be viewed on my website, and you can contact me at brian at fwank dot net. I am available for long and short term contract work, retainer services, consulting, and just about any other format you could think of.

I appreciate your time in looking at what I do, and if you don't need my services, please do tell anyone whom you might know who would!

Live electronics @ Launchpad this Weds the 11th

2009-02-08T18:19:18Z

Welcome to Postwar USA now in mp3 stores!

2009-02-04T02:38:48Z

"Welcome to Postwar USA' is finally in mp3 retailers. Please consider buying a copy from iTunes or Amazon.com, you can also find it on emusic and many other retailers. Every purchase helps to push me up ahead of Katy Perry and her onslaught of shit music, so please support REAL MUSIC!

GO HERE:
http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-to-Postwar-Usa/dp/B001OF7R4M/ref=dp_rti_0

OR HERE:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=300909459&s=143441

tonight 2/2/08 @ burt's

2009-02-02T19:52:19Z

DIVERJE
NANOCRACK
SOME OTHER BAND (sorry, I don't know)

LIve @ burt's tiki lounge (313 gold se) NO COVER 9PM

The past... three weeks or so?

2009-01-24T07:40:49Z

The time was three weeks ago, and I went to see one of my favorite bands in the world, the Gluey Brothers, at the Launchpad. As always, the boys threw a great show, and to my surprise, before their final song, they called me onto the stage to sing "Donut Quota" (which I did a cover of) with them - which was perhaps one of the most awesome things that's ever happened to me; I grew up listening to the Gluey Brothers, so being on stage with them, and singing one of my favorite songs, was unlike anything I would have expected.

Time passed, and then it was time for me to go to NAMM in Anaheim - repping for Koblo, who I work with, and working to score contacts and contracts in the music/virtual instruments industry.

Well, the trip was good - I saw the new version of Ableton Live, saw Alan Parsons play, shook a lot of hands, handed out a lot of business cards, and saw Richard Devine and Jordan Rudess battle in a keyboard showdown:

Unfortunately, I'm still unsure about many, many things. I did a very good job selling much of the new direction of Koblo and ideas that I've dome up with for the service, but I'm yet to know if they're going to be accepted, and if I will still have my contract after February. That's not to say that I haven't been hustling. I've been doing a lot of video editing, which adds some money on, and looking to pick up other gigs where I can.

The uncertainty of things as of late is definitely a motivator to kick as much ass as possible, and has me thinking about things constantly. I wish that I could say that I was in any way at all interested in a normal job, or anything like that - but, I'm not, at all. In fact, I'm so NOT interested, that the thought of a normal job again makes me seriously feel sick. Sadly, the thought of school does about the same thing. So, I'm unsure about a lot of things right now. If all my contract work falls out from under me, I'm in shit job land if I can't score more contracts. There's no job that's going to meet the needs of what I want to do with my life, at least, not here in Albuquerque, and probably not in the US. If I lived in Berlin, I could work with companies like Native Instruments or Ableton. In the US, my choices are to be an IT "professional", or work as a gopher in a music studio to start engineering, or something.

I don't know. I'm not sure what to do. All I know is that, I will never, EVER go back to an office job, ever. I can't bring myself to have to work retail, or some shit that wastes my time just to make me less than $1,000 a month. No.Fucking.Way. I also know that I'm being stubborn by refusing to get a degree in some shit, or adhere to a normal job - but at this time in my life, I feel like this is more than right for me. How I will make sure I have enough money at all times, remains to be seen - and especially since I need to drop $1300 into my car for a new clutch and motor mounts, I'm none too excited about money at this time in my life . Of course, I'm never excited about money.

All I want to do right now is work on the new Vertigo Venus album, send that music to a lot of people, and play it for a lot of people. The universe needs to listen the fuck up. I'm here, and i'm not going to stop being a noisy son of a bitch who wants his way.

Welcome to post war usa mentioned in 2008 best of industrial round-up

2009-01-09T18:53:20Z

Hey everyone,

I'm happy to announce that Brian @ WZBC's The Industrial Factory mentioned "Welcome to Postwar USA (feat. En Esch)" in the his 2008 best of Industrial round-up. Check the blog here:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=38548657&blogID=461512832

Thanks Brian! Thanks to Tommy T for getting my music out there! Listen to the song now: http://www.myspace.com/brianbotkiller

Tonight 1/6/08 @ Burt's - we break stuff

2009-01-07T02:11:49Z

Come out tonight to see Vertigo Venus, Diverje, and Tripping Dogs @ Burt's Tiki Lounge! This is our last show until we go into hibernation for awhile and write our new records. Your attendance would be appreciated! 9pm, no cover, 21+. 313 Gold SE. Albuquerque NM. Happy new year to you!

Want some impetus to see us tonight? Here's how hard we rock:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EtrOKtFPBc

Now is a better time than any to support art

2009-01-02T04:43:15Z

Despite the declining... everything, I ask you to consider that Art is still an amazing resource, and to offer it some of your time, if not your money.

Art Opening with Nick Harmon @ Chroma Studios, 1/2/09

Chroma Studios is at 1606 Central Ave. Se. Ste. 102 - park on Central - near to the Souper!Salad. Art opening is 5:30pm-8:30pm - and will unveil the brand new floor treatment art Nick has done to the space. Free to the public, of course! Read Below for more info.

(I produced this video for Nick, if you need such services, please contact me)

Come see Nick Harmon's unique Fresco art style transform Chroma Studios with lighting installation, a one of a kind floor treatment, and awesome wall hanging art. You need to see this!

In the gallery/studio today, yes, on a holiday, to get the January show up and the gallery ready for tomorrow’s opening reception. The First Friday reception will be open from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. The show will be up for the entire month of January.

Our January featured artist, Nick Harmon, is showcasing 8 new pieces including the entry way floor, and an amazing 7 piece backlit acrylic series that’s sure to please.

Nick Harmon is owner of FHAB Concepts, and developer of Fresco Harmony, recently he decided to take a tour of newer galleries affiliated with the AABA (Albuquerque Arts Business Association) to show art and pollinate networks. Not only does he create, original media fine art, he also creates innovative patented wall and floor surface applications.

In conjunction with the opening at Chroma Gallery, we were privileged to be able to finish a section of floor in the gallery in his patented technique. This floor system is not a stain, it’s a coating, and it’s 100% original, and green. Both the wall and floor concepts were accepted into the International Green Ideas Show in Oct where they were a hit. The artwork is where Nick researches new ideas for other, more practical, applications, ie, counter tops, tiles made from moisture resistant hardy backer, transparent window coverings, glass block and more.

See more at Chroma's website: http://chromastudios.wordpress.com/

Techwatch: Myspace

2008-12-30T19:33:47Z

While I know that ramdomly adding people like crazy on Myspace rarely leads to anything, it's still something you end up doing sometimes, because there can be some traffic out of it. That's why I'm quite interested in Myspace's new total subversion of their own user controls. As of the past couple days, the big M seems to be filtering all friend request traffic, and requiring you to answer a CAPTCHA for nearly every friend add. It seems that it will go away sometimes, but if you are adding too many people, you'll be hit with a CAPTCHA request. This happens regardless of if a user has chosen to turn CAPTCHAs off or not (Unless I'm being fooled, of course, and I don't think I am).

While I understand the want for Myspace to filter out bot traffic and auto friend traffic, there's something that gets me about this, and that is that in forcing a CAPTCHA on an account which doesn't require it (I've tested with my other accounts, where I don't have CAPTCHAs turned on, and myspace is overriding my own account's settings and adding CAPTCHAs), Myspace is nullifying yet another bit of its already slim personal privacy rules.

While a service provider may filter traffic as they see fit for advertising and data needs, to override the settings of a user's account, without asking, is blatantly disrespectful. If a user doesn't want CAPTCHAs turned on, they are allowed that preference.

If Myspace wants to change this, they need to issue a statement to their users about it, and let them make the decision. In addition, if they're going to do this, MAKE YOUR DAMN CAPTCHAS WORD BASED, AND NOT WORD JUMBLES. Word Jumble CAPTCHAs are perhaps some of the most annoying, hair ripping applications on the web. I don't care if they stop spam. They stop me from using a service, period. They're annoying, take forever (especially myspace's - 10 random number/letter characters? C'mon), and they break my user experience down to annoyance and uselessness. Being constantly pestered to prove I'm human to a website that's overpopulated, poorly built, filled with spam and horrible advertisements makes me want to use it about as much as I like chewing on rusty nails.

Now, people are going to say to me, "Well, they can do what they want, and besides, it's a CAPTCHA, it's supposed to help!" - but that's only half true. An internet service has an obligation to deliver a user experience that is useful and well designed. Moreover, it should respect the settings of a user's account, especially when it is those users who pay your hosting bills. Why is this a big deal? Because if you start to turn features on and off with a user's permission, you might as well change their personal information on their pages, delete photos, and trash their information. Personal privacy matters, no matter what it stems from.

Myspace is well known for overstepping their bounds when it comes to how they use and deliver data, but something seemingly small, like this, is really just another slap in the face to a bunch of users who deserve better.