Twenty-three-year-old Ric Leichtung attended his first SXSW this past year, and while his stay there most probably included a near-overdose of the requisite Austin trifecta—beer, bands, and barbecue—he wasn’t on vacation. As a booker for the Secret Agency, a promotional outlet that organizes all-ages music and arts events in Brooklyn’s DIY music scene—a culture that circumvents conventional, age-restricted venues in favor of an emancipated, self-starting ethic—Leichtung knew he needed to represent.
“Matador, Panache, Siltbreeze—all these excellent tastemakers and purveyors of independent music had their showcases,” Leichtung said. “We needed one.”
Priced out of downtown venues, where spaces off 6th Street can command rental rates of $1,500 per evening during SXSW, Leichtung picked an unorthodox “venue” that doled out enough cool and street cred to attract some buzz-worthy underground bands, and their subsequent crowds. Over a hundred people crowded the Lamar Boulevard bridge south of downtown Austin. The powder keg of an impromptu venue, a raucous crowd, and rising talent exploded into punk-rock heroics.
“We had Tyvek. We had Psychedelic Horseshit. We had Kurt Vile, who just signed to Matador. It was crazy. The bridge—it rocked—it swayed. You could feel it,” Leichtung said.
New York is a city of dream seekers: The promise of opportunity is a siren’s song as old as the city itself, and fortune favors those who hit their stride hard, fast, and young. While one might expect that the challenges of surviving in a highly competitive environment may foster ruthlessness, the path to success in the DIY scene is—and has always been—more collaborative than cutthroat. Like many of his peers in Brooklyn’s young underground, Leichtung has hustle, but he’s also got heart.
“DIY is about forming relationships, having people put their necks on the line for you, and doing the same for them. The dudes at [Williamsburg DIY venue] Death by Audio, for example: It’s their house. If cops show up, they’re responsible. If there are tickets, or if someone gets hurt, they’re responsible. Logistically, it’s somewhat dangerous, and it’s hard finding people who will trust you, and vice versa. Trustworthy people, honest people, are hard to come by, especially in New York,” Leichtung said.
A native San Franciscan, Leichtung moved to New York to study music technology at NYU, and became involved in the DIY scene as a volunteer for iconic promoter Todd Patrick. Patrick, better known as Todd P, has built a reputation for throwing well-organized, all-ages shows of edgy, independent, and up-and-coming bands in Brooklyn and lower Manhattan. Many of New York’s best young DIY promoters—Sleep When Dead NYC, entertainment4every1, to name only a few—got their start with Patrick before budding off and flourishing on their own. Their success contributes greatly to the diversity of the scene, providing all-ages outlets for both local and touring acts, as well as empowering youth to get involved in throwing shows. Because shows are generally held at unlicensed locations—ranging from lofts to parks to vacant lots—there are little overhead costs. This allows DIY promoters to take a smaller cut of the revenue—around 10 percent—leaving most of the profits for the bands that play.
“Most of the promoters here that are decent dudes, they don’t really take too much,” Leichtung said. “If it’s a really good promoter, like Todd P, that 10 percent will also pay the staff [kids who work at the show]. He’ll pay them fairly, and he’ll pay them well.”
From free shows to new friendships and a little pocket money, involvement in the DIY scene has its perks. Kids as young as 15 have put on their own events—promoter STFO ran an eponymous venue out of her parents’ house while still in high school—but they do not just land in Brooklyn and start booking overnight. Dues must be paid, and sometimes it’s discouraging.
“The first time that I worked for Todd was Anti-CMJ. It was the Slits reunion tour. A ton of people were there, and the show changed locations three times. I spent most of the night out in the cold, telling people to go to a different spot. It really sucked. It blew. And I almost was never going to come back,” Leichtung said.
However, he did return, and his diligence—combined with the fact that he knew how to run a mixing board—eventually paid off. Contrary to what one might expect from a New York scene, dependability and know-how trump hipster attitude in determining who gets work and who doesn’t.
“Knowing sound is the best tool that you can have for starting to do DIY. Not a lot of people know how to do sound, and because DIY is very stripped-down and barebones, the sound guy ends up having to manage the whole event, direct everybody,” Leichtung said. “I started doing sound for Todd, and then eventually running shows when Todd was out in Mexico, or when he double-booked stuff. And eventually, venues started reaching out to me independently, and it kind of went from there.”
Although Leichtung is very active in the Secret Agency, it’s not technically his—it was started by a friend that has since moved abroad. While Leichtung is considering branching out to do his own promotions, he’s not specifically thinking of doing it in New York. While not as huge as the scene in Brooklyn, the Bay Area also has an active all-ages scene. Venues such as Artists’ Television Access and 21 Grand, and collectives like Club Sandwich, consistently put on all-ages events in San Francisco and Oakland. In light of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s recent vendetta against venues with all-ages licenses, Leichtung, out of a sense of duty and community, is considering a move back home.
“I feel weird, because here I am in New York, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m so upset about what’s happening in SF—I’m going to go in there with my New York dick and fuck the shit out of that!’—I feel really awkward saying that. But to be honest, it really pisses me off. And there’s a lot of people around that are very passionate about all-ages shows, because it’s really important,” Leichtung said. “I have a lot of enthusiasm, and ultimately, I don’t look at myself as a booker or a promoter or whatever, because I love this music. I just want to be a part of it, and foster an environment where it can happen.”
Listen: “Salt” [at myspace.com]
Tags: Ric Leichtung, Secret Agency, all ages, booking
Read past installments of Introducing:
Michael Bailey: Behind the Booking of the Fillmore
Jill Newman: Concert Producer for the People
Everyday Visuals Ride the Pop/Indie Divide
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Ric Leichtung and Brooklyn’s DIY Underground
by: Andres Jauregui
“Matador, Panache, Siltbreeze—all these excellent tastemakers and purveyors of independent music had their showcases,” Leichtung said. “We needed one.”
Priced out of downtown venues, where spaces off 6th Street can command rental rates of $1,500 per evening during SXSW, Leichtung picked an unorthodox “venue” that doled out enough cool and street cred to attract some buzz-worthy underground bands, and their subsequent crowds. Over a hundred people crowded the Lamar Boulevard bridge south of downtown Austin. The powder keg of an impromptu venue, a raucous crowd, and rising talent exploded into punk-rock heroics.
“We had Tyvek. We had Psychedelic Horseshit. We had Kurt Vile, who just signed to Matador. It was crazy. The bridge—it rocked—it swayed. You could feel it,” Leichtung said.
New York is a city of dream seekers: The promise of opportunity is a siren’s song as old as the city itself, and fortune favors those who hit their stride hard, fast, and young. While one might expect that the challenges of surviving in a highly competitive environment may foster ruthlessness, the path to success in the DIY scene is—and has always been—more collaborative than cutthroat. Like many of his peers in Brooklyn’s young underground, Leichtung has hustle, but he’s also got heart.
“DIY is about forming relationships, having people put their necks on the line for you, and doing the same for them. The dudes at [Williamsburg DIY venue] Death by Audio, for example: It’s their house. If cops show up, they’re responsible. If there are tickets, or if someone gets hurt, they’re responsible. Logistically, it’s somewhat dangerous, and it’s hard finding people who will trust you, and vice versa. Trustworthy people, honest people, are hard to come by, especially in New York,” Leichtung said.
A native San Franciscan, Leichtung moved to New York to study music technology at NYU, and became involved in the DIY scene as a volunteer for iconic promoter Todd Patrick. Patrick, better known as Todd P, has built a reputation for throwing well-organized, all-ages shows of edgy, independent, and up-and-coming bands in Brooklyn and lower Manhattan. Many of New York’s best young DIY promoters—Sleep When Dead NYC, entertainment4every1, to name only a few—got their start with Patrick before budding off and flourishing on their own. Their success contributes greatly to the diversity of the scene, providing all-ages outlets for both local and touring acts, as well as empowering youth to get involved in throwing shows. Because shows are generally held at unlicensed locations—ranging from lofts to parks to vacant lots—there are little overhead costs. This allows DIY promoters to take a smaller cut of the revenue—around 10 percent—leaving most of the profits for the bands that play.
“Most of the promoters here that are decent dudes, they don’t really take too much,” Leichtung said. “If it’s a really good promoter, like Todd P, that 10 percent will also pay the staff [kids who work at the show]. He’ll pay them fairly, and he’ll pay them well.”
From free shows to new friendships and a little pocket money, involvement in the DIY scene has its perks. Kids as young as 15 have put on their own events—promoter STFO ran an eponymous venue out of her parents’ house while still in high school—but they do not just land in Brooklyn and start booking overnight. Dues must be paid, and sometimes it’s discouraging.
“The first time that I worked for Todd was Anti-CMJ. It was the Slits reunion tour. A ton of people were there, and the show changed locations three times. I spent most of the night out in the cold, telling people to go to a different spot. It really sucked. It blew. And I almost was never going to come back,” Leichtung said.
However, he did return, and his diligence—combined with the fact that he knew how to run a mixing board—eventually paid off. Contrary to what one might expect from a New York scene, dependability and know-how trump hipster attitude in determining who gets work and who doesn’t.
“Knowing sound is the best tool that you can have for starting to do DIY. Not a lot of people know how to do sound, and because DIY is very stripped-down and barebones, the sound guy ends up having to manage the whole event, direct everybody,” Leichtung said. “I started doing sound for Todd, and then eventually running shows when Todd was out in Mexico, or when he double-booked stuff. And eventually, venues started reaching out to me independently, and it kind of went from there.”
Although Leichtung is very active in the Secret Agency, it’s not technically his—it was started by a friend that has since moved abroad. While Leichtung is considering branching out to do his own promotions, he’s not specifically thinking of doing it in New York. While not as huge as the scene in Brooklyn, the Bay Area also has an active all-ages scene. Venues such as Artists’ Television Access and 21 Grand, and collectives like Club Sandwich, consistently put on all-ages events in San Francisco and Oakland. In light of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s recent vendetta against venues with all-ages licenses, Leichtung, out of a sense of duty and community, is considering a move back home.
“I feel weird, because here I am in New York, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m so upset about what’s happening in SF—I’m going to go in there with my New York dick and fuck the shit out of that!’—I feel really awkward saying that. But to be honest, it really pisses me off. And there’s a lot of people around that are very passionate about all-ages shows, because it’s really important,” Leichtung said. “I have a lot of enthusiasm, and ultimately, I don’t look at myself as a booker or a promoter or whatever, because I love this music. I just want to be a part of it, and foster an environment where it can happen.”
Listen: “Salt” [at myspace.com]
Tags: Ric Leichtung, Secret Agency, all ages, booking
Read past installments of Introducing:
Michael Bailey: Behind the Booking of the Fillmore
Jill Newman: Concert Producer for the People
Everyday Visuals Ride the Pop/Indie Divide
by: Andres Jauregui
published: October 15, 2009
in column: Introducing
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