David Cassidy on the Web
EAT'M Alive!
May 17, 1999
www.lasvegassun.com
At first glance the Emerging Artists and Talent in Music conference seems to encompass everything an aspiring, Bohemian-fringe contemporary music artist would disdain.
It's carefully categorized. It's driven by corporate dollars and bolstered by recording industry execs -- the men in suits, in other words. It's massive and unwieldy, showcased at sprawling themed resort casinos instead of cozy local pubs (Tommy Rocker's being the lone exception).
It's also an invaluable opportunity for undiscovered singers, songwriters and musicians. And that is the festival's pervading quality.
In its second year, EAT'M kicks off 9 p.m. Tuesday with a show by actor Keanu Reeves' band Dogstar at Boulder Station. What follows, beginning Wednesday and running through Saturday, is a meaty and diverse series of conferences relating to the industry's varied nuances.
Sessions include an examination of music marketing trends, tips on song writing, drafting and understanding recording contracts, how to best utilize the Internet and (of course) dealing with the media. The tutorial sessions begin Wednesday morning and conclude Friday night, all at the Mirage.
EAT'M flexes its muscles Thursday with a noon keynote address by Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who has signed musical icons such as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Ray Charles, Cream, Buffalo Springfield and Led Zeppelin. He and Motown legend Smokey Robinson will receive lifetime achievement awards (the keynote luncheon is scheduled for noon in the Mirage's Antigua Room and is open to the public at $175 apiece).
Also, approximately 200 bands (35 from Las Vegas) will perform on 15 stages spread over a variety of hotels and clubs, including the Mirage, Treasure Island, Bellagio, Desert Inn, Imperial Palace, Hard Rock Hotel, Hard Rock Cafe, GameWorks, Gilley's and Tommy Rocker's.
The idea, on a considerably grand scale, is to mesh the music industry's creative and business forces. The concept was brought to life by Lisa Tenner, a former business manager who has been associated with Toto, Korn, Soundgarden, Jane's Addiction, The Monkees, The Vandals and Guttermouth.
Tenner moved to Las Vegas from Los Angeles three years ago to start her own production company, Tenner & Associates, and soon met Sue Shirfrin-Cassidy, an accomplished songwriter who has penned songs for Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Heart, Robinson, Al Jarreau, Cher and Olivia Newton-John, among others.
Shirfrin-Cassidy is also the wife of singer/actor David Cassidy. Once Tenner became associated with the Cassidys, her entrepreneurial mind went to work.
"I was a working business manager in L.A. coming to Las Vegas, and I sat back for 30 seconds and thought about it, and thought about what Las Vegas is," Tenner said. "It's the only 24-hour, seven-day-a-week city in the country and it's the entertainment capital of the world, but it was not synonymous with developing music.
"I thought the lights and atmosphere would make the perfect backdrop for a music conference."
By using Tenner's industry connections and Shirfin-Cassidy's contacts among musical artists, the ying-and-yang tandem was able to organize a festival designed to benefit both business and creative interests.
"We wanted both elements in the conference, the business side and the creation of music," Tenner said. "I've never been to a conference that addressed the entire industry as a whole. Sue had a handle on the creative process and I knew the other side and it's a strong coupling, because between the two of us we know everybody."
About the music
EAT'M's entertainment focal point will be the vast array of bands showcased at the 10 venues. Nearly 900 acts submitted recorded music and assorted press material hoping to draw a coveted EAT'M invitation. The EAT'M selection committee, headed by Shirfin-Cassidy, lopped the list of invitees to a relatively manageable 200.
From there, EAT'M will be a networking free-for-all, with young acts vying for the attention of powerful industry reps.
"Our main focus has been to approach record executives before they get here and we'll be passing out press kits during the conference," Sharay Larsen of the Las Vegas band Inside Scarlet said. "We've just tried to generate some sort of a buzz about the band beforehand."
That seems to be the most reliable method of making contact with the various industry executives in attendance. Bands play for just 20 or 30 minutes, one time only, and the chances of landing some sort of record deal are remote at best. Last year, out of 170 bands, just nine were given some sort of record deal as a result of EAT'M, Tenner said.
"The idea is to get your foot in the door and establish relationships," Larsen, a guitarist and vocalist for Inside Scarlet, said. "They've done a good job of providing the people and climate where you can make contact."
EAT'M officials have attempted to categorize and compartmentalize the acts, preventing the awkwardness and confusion of hip-hop acts precluding country, for instance.
An example of EAT'M's attention to classification: Imperial Palace features pop and rock. Mirage's Lagoon Saloon showcases eclectic (or undefinable) artists and the Baccarat Bar spotlights singers/songwriters. Hip-hop and rhythm and blues acts hold court at the Desert Inn, and The Joint at the Hard Rock is home to rock 'n' roll. Acoustic and jazz music is featured at Bellagio. Alternative music can be found at Tommy Rocker's, and Gilley's offers country music.
"We wanted very much to make Mirage the hub," Tenner said, referring to EAT'M's chief sponsor. "We wanted to make it easier on the people coming in to move around and see as many showcases as possible. We wanted it to be more accessible."
But tying the festival to large hotel-casino properties on the Strip makes some members of the local music scene cringe.
What about us?
Veteran Las Vegas musician Mark Huff took part in the inaugural EAT'M festival in 1998 but didn't make the cut this year. Instead, he's performing at The Kind festival at Legends Restaurant & Lounge, scheduled for May Friday and Saturday.
Huff's band, the Mark Huff Four, performed at The Beach last year during EAT'M.
"The slot was great and the venue was good," Huff said. "We played at 10:30 p.m. and had a chance to play in front of a lot of people who normally wouldn't have seen us play."
But Huff found the microwaved 20-minute set too confining.
"It took us 20 minutes to set up and 20 minutes to play," he said. "That's kind of backwards. I can't even get my feet on the ground in 20 minutes. I can't clear my throat in 20 minutes."
To Huff and inhabitants of the local music scene, what's more bothersome are the resort casino venues.
"I've lived in Las Vegas since I was 2 years old and I've never been in the Mirage," Huff said. "It's so cheesy to do this at the hotels. It's a very uncool vibe to walk into a hotel to hear music, in my opinion.
"A rock club is supposed to be a rock club, where it's a little bit dingy and you can get a draft beer for a buck."
Huff said he's going to attend a few select seminars to seek out specific industry representatives and make himself known on a one-on-one basis.
"I'm gong to approach a few people and see if I can send them something down the line," he said. "These people will have 80 CDs they've been given to listen to, so I don't want to add to that."
Legends owner Rudy Jalio was so entrenched in his opposition to EAT'M a year ago that he organized a rival festival for local bands with the laconic title, "EAT THIS."
But Jalio, whose club is a haven for local acts, has softened his barbs this year.
"I think it's a worthwhile thing, as a whole," he said. "I'd like to have shows (at Legends), but they want everything on or near the Strip. I do think they'd be much more successful if they didn't charge for the venues, if they just sold drinks and made money that way."
A $20 wristband allows fans to visit any and all musical showcases.
"For $20, you can see anyone you want," Tenner said. "To me, that's a good deal."
More than music
Determined to make EAT'M a wholly positive festival, Shirfin-Cassidy has arranged for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest bus to make an appearance at the Mirage to promote the relief-effort single, "Message to the World."
The Cassidys co-wrote the song to raise funds for War Child, an international humanitarian organization dedicated to supporting child victims of war-torn Kosovo.
Such efforts are common for the Cassidys, who raised $2 million in less than a week to help rebuild Los Angeles in the aftermath of the 1992 riots after the Rodney King incident.
The unique song is being recorded in part on the Lennon bus, which houses a fully functional recording studio. The bus is set to depart from Central Park in New York on Friday and work its way throughout the country en route to Las Vegas.
On the way, the bus will be opened to average citizens who wish to add vocal tracks to the song's chorus. More than 20,000 voices are expected to be recorded for the song, which should be completed in time for a June release.
The John Lennon Songwriting Contests bus will be stationed outside the Mirage. Along with recording "Message to the World," amateur and professional songwriters are invited to submit original songs in 12 categories for a top prize of $20,000 for "Song of the Year." Winners in each division receive $2,000 in cash, $5,000 in recording equipment and a $5,000 advance on a publishing contract from EMI Music Publishing.
The Lennon project was launched in 1997 by music executive David Sonenberg, in agreement with Yoko Ono.
And no prominent convention would be complete without a charity golf tournament, and for the second straight year David Cassidy hosts his own celebrity tournament benefiting Special Olympics of Nevada.
The tournament is set for 7:30 a.m. Friday. The event is not open to the public, but celebrity players such as Alice Cooper, Susan Anton, Shaun Cassidy, and Alan Thicke have donated $700 each to participate and all proceeds will go to the Special Olympics.
The positive aura -- or vibe -- is something even occasional EAT'M detractors applaud.
"I think anything positive that happens through music is a good thing," Jalio said. "Music is blamed for a lot of negativity, and any time you can remind people it's a positive part of society, that's good."
Fast facts
What: Emerging Artists & Talent in Music (EAT'M) conference.
Where: Mirage (festival headquarters), Bellagio, Treasure Island, Imperial Palace, Gilley's at the New Frontier, Hard Rock Hotel, Hard Rock Cafe, Desert Inn, GameWorks, Tommy Rocker's and Boulder Station (host of Keanu Reeves and Dogstar only).
When: Keanu Reeves and Dogstar, 9 p.m. Tuesday. EAT'M shows, 7 p.m.-midnight, Wednesday through Saturday.
Cost: EAT'M wristband (good for all shows except Dogstar), $20. Dogstar tickets, $24.75.
Tickets locations: Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs), EAT'M registration room at Mirage convention area and the individual venues. (Wristbands for shows at Bellagio and Treasure Island must be purchased at Mirage or through ETMs; Dogstar tickets can only be purchased at Boulder Station.)
Information: Call the EAT'M hotline, 837-3636, or visit the EAT'M website, http://www.eat-m.com.
