Welcome to Local Music 'Mericans, where we meet some of the people behind the local music scene -- those who aren't necessarily members of local bands, but more the people who make the scene move.
When you consider all that Lance Yocom does for local and regional indie music, you have to wonder where in the world he finds time for his family.
Then it all starts to make sense.
Spune Productions, Yocom's all-things-Texas-indie-music operation, which finds him backed by only a few staff members, is wrangled like only a family man could. It is, for a lack of a more affectionate term, a one-stop shop for practically all things local-indie. Shows, artist management and booking, record releases -- you name it, Spune does it.
And it would seem that Yocom's secret ingredients for Spune's enduring success are the same that go into being a good father -- persistence, tirelessness and lots of patient nurturing.
You see, since 1997 Spune has been quietly working it's fingers to the bone behind the scenes of some of the area's most prominent and successful indie acts, and some of its more interesting and lovingly-assembled live shows.
Yocom's operation started out innocently enough on the radar: First, on campus in Abilene, then eventually based out Arlington to work with a few area artists and national tours; then, focusing on filling a variety of metroplex stages, some of which would have seem risky to try and generate patronage in at the time -- like Frisco, for God's sake. Then again, it kind of makes sense: Bringing indie culture to remote suburbs should most certainly be left up to someone who puts a lot of human touch into their work. A family man, too.
Yocom clearly puts care into his work, and Spune's past and present artists roster shows off as much. The company's worked with the likes of Record Hop, Red Animal War, The Chemistry Set, Telegraph Canyon, Doug Burr and Seryn.
We couldn't resist picking the brain of such a tastemaker. So, after the jump, let's do just that.
Spune's been around for nearly 15 years at this point. First off, congrats. Second: Are you feeling all 15 of
those years, or was there so much happening that it kind of zipped by?
It does not feel like 15 years at all. I'm happy with how things have
progressed, but I feel like I'm just getting going! In 2012, for our
15th year, I'm sure we'll roll out, and bring back, some fun things to
celebrate.
Was there one particular event/band/show/artist/song that sort of
launched this whole chapter of your life at the helm of Spune?
It would be hard to pin it down to just one. I think it's been all the
various things I've been involved with, worked with. It's what I have
learned, and the people I've met over the last decade that's really
shaped what Spune is today.
Do you find that being so close to the action makes it tougher for you
to just lay back and be the music-loving-guy that started all this
madness in the first place?
It is madness, isn't it? Yes, the music business can easily become more
about the biz than the tunes and can suck you in if you're not careful.
Also, there's just not enough hours in the day, or days in the weekend,
to get what all you want done. Sadly, as simple as it sounds, that
includes just listening to music.
Your crew at Spune wears an awful lot of different hats. How many of you guys are over there doing all of this?
When you're independent, you do feel like your hat collection is often
bigger than your record collection. That's just normally how it goes.
It's always basically just been me. Until recently. I have four qualified
people who now assist me in specific areas of Spune -- marketing,
booking, production, ticketing, finance, business development, etc.
Among other things, I handle the label, our management and development
artists, book most of our venues, concert series, events and other junk.
I still wear lots of hats, and I'm still very much involved in every
moment of Spune. This assistance, though, has relieved a lot off my plate
and allowed me to focus on where Spune needs to be in two, five and 10 years.
I'm thankful for that. As far as the various things Spune does, I don't mind that at all. I
never wanted to be locked in a box. I like that we can offer clients a
variety of services. It's what makes Spune work. Venues used to just ask
me to book their room. Now, I have a team of people who are able to
handle the marketing and operations as well as book their shows. On the
artist development side of Spune, we can typically provide most of the
tools needed for a band to mature and be positioned firmly with a
chance to make a hard go at making music their career.
Now, in addition to everything else, Spune, sort of, has a label going too.
Yes, "sort of." Spune is not a traditional label. I don't know if that
makes much sense! This one takes more of an artist development approach
to releasing records. Some of those releases have also been for artists
we manage, so I can see how it may be confusing for some. But the
record label branch of Spune is growing strong and we're planning our tenth release soon. I get almost as many inquiries about the label as I
do the booking or management services. I'm excited about where the label
is headed. It's not unlikely that we'll roll out our 15th release by
next year alone.
Clubs and venues come to you guys to draw a certain kind of local music
consumer into their place of business. Is that as
dicey/risky/pressure-laden as it sounds from the outside? What all goes
into trying to draw people out of their homes in a certain neighborhood
to come to a place and see live local indie music? Do you just shoot
from the hip with great bands, or is there complex strategizing?
Some clients are looking to reach a specific customer. Some just want
people in their bar. We try to help them accomplish both however
possible, whether it be a weekly concert series, a day party or booking their
entire calendar. I think there has to be some strategic planning to
each room. Most venues are set up differently and reach a different
demographic. What works at a room in Dallas may not work in Fort Worth.
Denton shows are very different than Frisco shows. A coffee shop in
Abilene requires a specific approach. Same goes for a bar in Lubbock. We
try to book what makes sense for each room, but also push the envelope a
little when possible. I wouldn't say it's pressure-laden necessarily,
but it can be more difficult than one might think. Getting people out of
the house to do anything is hard sometimes -- much less getting them to
drive across town, or to another town, and pay a cover charge to see a
band they may have never heard of.
To expand on that, one Spune booking client, Lochrann's in Frisco,
seems to be a case of special interest. It seems like the area's
potential patrons would present a special challenge in trying to get them "hip" to great
indie music. True? How are things going with the mission to bring cool
indie music to Frisco?
Yes, we book a series of shows at Lochrann's in Frisco, but really it's
Frisco itself that has been of special interest this past year. It's a
slow process, but we never went into it trying to change things
overnight. There are people there who come out to the shows that
frequent Granada Theater and Dan's [Silverleaf], and are making the drive to Dallas
and Denton on a regular basis. It's just a matter of reaching those
people and letting them know there is good music right under their nose.
There are plenty of people in Frisco alone to support a music
community, but it's going to take more than Lochrann's to get it going.
Main Street is growing, but it will take more venues, bars, coffee
shops, independent retail, events, etc. bringing the live music fans that
live around there all together. That "community" will not start or end
just with Lochrann's. It will develop throughout the city over time. It
may be a few years from now, but I do believe that day will come.
Whats tougher for you? Accommodating talented, sensitive local artists or making club/venue clients happy?
They both can be equally challenging in their own way. Most of the time,
it's one or the other, but juggling the two at the same time makes it
tougher, for sure.
Is there an artist from your expansive past client list that you
feel is the one that got away? Like an act that just looked to be
aimed right for the stars but then broke up. Or an artist you
miss working with the most. Or look back on working with most fondly.
There was a band from Dallas called Lewis that broke up in 2002 after
not being together for all that long. I only had the opportunity to work
with them for a short time. If they got back together, they would, for
sure, be welcome at a Spune Family BBQ.