Sin Nombre, Powered by a Norlin!

[Jason]

Originally Posted by The_Sentry

Yeah....I hear that.

Ironically enough, we're one of the first bands to do that in the area we live in. There's a event publication that hits 3 counties...it comes out once a week. I saved my money...and bought out 3 solid months of advertising.

I'm of the opinion that any money left over has to go back into promotions. I think the band's pretty good and all...but unless it's marketed it isn't going to matter....

Very wise. Put as much money as you can right back into the band, mostly with promotional stuff. Feed the band, man!

[The_Sentry]

Originally Posted by Jason

Very wise. Put as much money as you can right back into the band, mostly with promotional stuff. Feed the band, man!

Oh man...I want to. We argue about stuff now and then (and there's always some elements around the band that are sore bits of contention) but we're all pretty much in agreement towards marketing and merchandise.

This month there is a local battle of the bands....winner gets free studio time. I really want to win that are re-cut our demo....

Anyways...here's our spot this week...the publication told us we were the first band ever to do this with 'em...

[The_Sentry]

Hahahhaha....

YouTube - Geartalk 9

YouTube - Geartalk 9

Band related.

Subjects...(and I do need help!)

Merchandising....booking...selling...voodoo dolls...and asscream!

[The_Sentry]

*bump*

UPDATE: Sin Nombre just won the local Battle of the Bands!!! Free Recording time!! WOOT!!

(and the guitar? Yup...the Norlin FTW! )

[Purple Radar]

Originally Posted by The_Sentry

*bump*

UPDATE: Sin Nombre just won the local Battle of the Bands!!! Free Recording time!! WOOT!!

(and the guitar? Yup...the Norlin FTW! )

Hey Sentry Congrats on the battle of the bands win!
Love the Norlin

[The_Sentry]

Originally Posted by Purple Radar

Hey Sentry Congrats on the battle of the bands win!
Love the Norlin

Thanks!

I didn't know if we were going to win or not. There's a couple of badass metal bands in the area we had to go up against....we ended up going old school on 'em....I guess people were ready for a change.

[djwilbanks]

Very cool, Sen!

[The_Sentry]

*update*

Well, the flyers are getting better...I asked for more T&A in our ads....and here it is...



I'm also pissed at the local rag...they didn't even make note of our Battle of the Bands Victory....so....here's my letter to the editor...

Sirs,
I will admit that as a disclaimer the reason for writing this letter is not based in altruism: Nevertheless, I still feel I have a valid point to make concerning coverage of local events and entertainment, and how this affects the local music scene in my area.

My band Sin Nombre won the 2009 Amador County Battle of the Bands. In light of how many announcements were made for that event, I was certain that once we won it we would at least get a congratulatory note in print, or some recognition that we did win this event. But after 2 weeks of no such mention or reference, I have concluded that the event itself was not warranted newsworthy enough for a follow-up. I will admit that from a business perspective this hurts my band as any journalistic write-ups done on us would have been used in our portfolio for the purposes of pursuing additional dates both in the county and the greater region.

But, Sin Nombre and the Battle of the Bands aside…I have noticed something rather interesting about not only the Ledger Dispatch, but its sister publication the GoldMine: In terms of announcements, or events concerning arts and entertainment, I have not noticed any mention at all of not only the local bands in this area that play here week and in week out, but the establishments and local businesses that host these groups. What I have seen in its stead is more interest towards offering superior coverage to musicians who only come from out of town, or towards events that happened so long ago that it is of marginal interest to most readers, including myself. I do not know if this is intentional or by careless omission, but as the end result I can’t help but lay claim to an argument that when it comes to the LOCAL business of music, both publications have made an editorial decision to pass on either mentioning local groups, announcing where local groups are playing, or mentioning the establishments that these groups play at.

If I was reliant upon either publication to get a schedule in terms of where local groups are playing in this area, I would probably not find any information. This is unfortunate too. Amador County has a vibrant music scene with great artists and entertainers such as John Covert and Crystal Image, It’s All Good, Erin McKinney, Wingnut Adams, Electra Road, the Leather Souls, Out of the Blue, Freezeout, Blacktooth Grin, and a host of others that not only play this area, but live here as well. There are also other acts such as Hero’s Last Mission which consistently draw hundreds of patrons in the regional area as well as recording studios that also go to great pains to promote music in the local area.

To my knowledge I don’t know if the staff at the Ledger Dispatch is even aware that Amador County has a local music scene since it is extremely rare that any of these groups, artists, or entertainers are offered any mention at all except in passing. It’s also been noted that if a local group opens for some established out of town act, it often isn’t even mentioned in either publication. I find this unfortunate.

In conclusion, I truly hope to see more coverage of local artists and musicians in Amador County. I think that local endeavors should be covered by the publications, and music is no exception.

Regards,
(The Sentry's real name, aka “Gilligan Strange” of Sin Nombre)

PS: If there is any consolation to this, it may take some steam out of the running joke that the only way a local can make the paper is to commit some sort of crime.

[benjammin420]

no wonder newspapers are going out of business left and right

[The_Sentry]

Yeah...it's definitely aggravating.

[The_Sentry]

*bump*

Well, funny thing...write a letter and what happens? They sent a reporter! We did an interview on Wednesday. (As a favor to her I'll probably learn "Cover the Rolling Stone" by Dr. Hook). Funny thing...I wanted to tell her a lot more than I did, but I didn't. What the hell...we're only getting a 1000 words anyway. That goes fast.

On a side note...2 shows tomorrow...the first one is a freebie, but I'm nervous as hell about it...it will be opening for a touring band at a Toys for Tots benefit. We're really trying to get off the mountain, and this place is a big stepping stone for that. It's the only reason we agreed to do the show in the first place. (I think we're opening for Kelli and the Shadowmen...apparently they played Sturgis last summer.)

I'll also admit I haven't been on MLP as much lately...reason being is that I'm really practicing my ass off at night, and daytime login sessions have become limited.

Jeez...I really want this.

And it's funny...I worry about myself, worry about the other guys when I'm not onstage...not so much about whether or not they're doing their jobs...that's not even a question...the guys are badass...it's more of a case of whether or not I'm doing everything to make 'em happy, I hope they're healthy, all that fun stuff.

Sucks getting older...

[The_Sentry]

Our article! Front page of the Lifestyles section!

Ledger-Dispatch.com | Sin Nombre takes numero uno spot at BOTB

Sin Nombre takes numero uno spot at BOTB

They used to be a band without a name. That's not the case anymore for blue collar rock-and-rollers Sin Nombre, who made a name for themselves by winning the Amador County Recreation Agency's third annual Battle of the Bands Oct. 17.

"(Winning BOTB is like) opening a crack in the door and we're gonna kick it wide open," claimed Sin Nombre's guitarist/vocalist Gilligan Strange.

As the winning band, Sin Nombre was awarded studio time at Jackson's Temple Sound recording studio, as well as a $200 gift certificate for Guitar Center in Sacramento. The final feather in the winner's cap is a 30-minute set at ACRA's Blue Moon New Year's Eve Bash to be held Dec. 31 at the Amador County Fairgrounds in Plymouth.

"It was actually a very close competition," said ACRA executive director Tracey Towner-Yep. Five bands competed in this year's competition. She credits Sin Nombre's performance savvy as their reason for taking the number one spot.

"I think what won it for them was that the guitarist scoped out the competition last year," she noted. "They played familiar tunes; playing popular songs helped them move to the top. Their showmanship was very good as well."

Sin Nombre, a Spanish term meaning "nameless," is comprised of Strange from Pine Grove, bassist Dan Hirsch of Jackson and Wilseyville-based drummer Rob Brant. The group formed this past June when Hirsch and Strange played the OK Corral in Pioneer with the Wingnut Adams Band, and Brant was playing with the Steve Capitanich band. The first time the three of them jammed together, they knew they had a special chemistry. Within 30 days of their first jam session, they were already playing together at local venues.

Music has always been a part of the guitarist's life. He grew up in Amador County listening to his father, who was a regular in the Dixieland band scene back in the 1960s. The patriarch died from alcohol poisoning when Strange was 10 years old.

"He didn't leave me a whole lot, but one of the things he left behind was a guitar," Strange recalled. The left-handed youth flipped the instrument upside down and restrung it to fit his needs. As time passed, he found himself living on an Indian reservation in Wyoming, where the culture heavily influenced his style of playing. Strange also spent several years as a civilian working for the United States military in the war-torn Middle East. Music was the one thing that helped him through the hard times.

"I found myself trying to hold on to my sanity," he recalled. "Music is like a light switch, like a transformation." Brant started his musical career as a tyke in the Bay Area, banging on empty coffee cans with wooden spoons.

His father was also a drummer, and his grandfather played guitar. Other family members were frequently playing one instrument or another. When he discovered hip-hop as a teenager, Brant found his calling.

"There was a steady drum to it," he said. "I'd try to emulate it."

In addition to his drumming duties, Brant handles the band's promotions and other business functions. He holds a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Nevada Reno and owns a graphic design company in Calaveras County called Wonderful Trash. Besides the usual flyers, T-shirts and graphical materials, Brant has created miniature voodoo dolls of the band members as promotional items.

Hirsch is a Chicago-born musician who plays a Fender Precision bass named Betsy. Although blues was a big influence on him, it was the Beatles's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album that enticed him to sneak into his brother's room and start playing his sibling's guitar. Today he enjoys improvising and playing all genres of music.

"I just grab 'em all and throw 'em in a big pile," he notes.

That grab-bag of musical genres is what gives Sin Nombre their unique sound. Their sound is reminiscent of George Thorogood, Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker, resulting in what their Myspace page describes as a blend of Americana, roots music and rock.

"They deserved the first place they got," said fellow musician Dennis Davis. Davis is part of the regular crowd of Wednesday night performers at open mic night at the newly opened Red School House in Pine Grove. Sin Nombre is the hosting band.

"It's fun to watch them grow into what they've become," Davis noted. For more information on Sin Nombre, visit Sin Nombre on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads.

Yup...

[Ride on a Pony]

"Robust Rob"