Berklee today is the official alumni publication of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a forum for contemporary music and musicians.
Issue link: http://berkleetoday.epubxp.com/i/67927
THE WORKING MUSICIAN Takin' It to the Sticks By Ryan Fleming '03 Many musicians feel big cities are the only places to launch a career, but the members of the group Marbin are selling CDs and building a loyal grassroots following in rural America. Dani Rabin '07 has learned a thing or two about thriving with a band on the road. As the coleader of the group Marbin (www.marbinmusic.com), his life over the past several years has virtually been one nonstop tour. While it's true that many ambitious young groups are hitting the road pretty hard, what's unusual about Marbin is that the group plays its brand of original instrumental music 300 nights per year in 46 of the continental United States. Rabin and company took up the challenge of going deep into the American heartland, book- ing gigs at clubs that have never hired a jazz-fusion group, and winning over both the crowd and the club owner. Through the years the group has built its own circuit and fan base in places that other jazz-oriented musicians often overlook. Others in their field have duly noted the musical abili- ties and business savvy of this hard-working band. In 2011, the band shared the bill on a tour with fusion guitarist Scott Henderson, and recently they completed a series of dates with their labelmate, guitarist Allan Holdsworth. Marbin's most recent album on MoonJune Records, Breaking The Cycle, features Pat Metheny Group veterans Paul Wertico (drums) and Steve Rodby (producer), as well as Paul Simon band member Jamey Haddad (percussion). Marbin has its origins in Rabin's home country of Israel, where he returned the summer after his graduation from Berklee. He met up there with saxophonist Danny Markovitch and the band began as a duo. (The group's name comes from joining the first three letters of Markovitch's name with the last three of Rabin's.) In 2008 the two moved to Chicago, where Marbin added a bassist and drummer to make the duo a quartet. "Our intention was always to be a touring band," says Rabin, "so I didn't want to move to New York or Los Angeles. They're great cities if you want to be a sideperson, teach, or play private functions, but they're not ideal if your intention is to tour with a band playing original music." Taking the Reins With this in mind, Rabin and Markovitch have chosen to han- dle all of the band's business themselves and be methodical about every aspect of the band's touring operation. The cen- tral key to the band's success is being organized. A closer look at their system reveals a solid formula for keeping the band working and managing the costs of the road. It's a method that Rabin hopes others can learn from. [See the sidebar "Maximizing Effect, Minimizing Expenses" on page 21.] One of the secret weapons is a tool in Rabin's laptop many musicians might overlook: Microsoft Excel. "We have a gigantic Excel spreadsheet of every venue in America that we've been able to find, and it keeps growing," he explains. A spreadsheet from Rabin's laptop is indeed a colorful sight: every venue has an entry with all relevant information, and each is color-coded according to category, with choices such as "not called," "made contact," or "booked," and he con- stantly updates it. Before a venue lands on his spreadsheet, however, Rabin's job is one of full-time researcher. "It's a pretty simple process, but it takes time," he says. "You have to be patient and per- sistent, and be willing to get your hands dirty. I find the name of a prospective venue, go online, and call the club to find out as much as I can: the name of the person who handles book- ing, his or her e-mail address, the best phone number to call, what other types of acts they book, the seating capacity, and pay structure. It all gets documented." In addition to doing a lot of online research, Rabin spends a huge amount of time on the phone. "It sounds simple, but the phone is an invaluable tool. There's a myth that every- thing is done online now. Bookers would have you believe that, but when you get them on the phone you make a per- sonal connection that can't be made through e-mail." He con- tinues, "Many booking people hate their jobs. It's a headache, so when you catch them on the phone, if you're lucky their calendar's in front of them. If they see an open square on it, chances are they'll book you rather than going back to their e-mails and listening to band after band." When he's in the cold-calling stage and he reaches a manager for the first time, Rabin immediately begins vet- ting the venue as a possible gig locale. "Playing every venue in America at any cost isn't our goal," he says. "We only take a gig if it's financially viable and offers us a real shot at increas- ing our fan base." In fact, Marbin has never lost money tour- ing, in part because the band keeps a close eye on its mar- 20 Berklee today