7/28: Indie Night School in Philly

INDIE NIGHT SCHOOL
Indie Night School is a music conference series hosted by the band The Black Spoons. The series deals with all the many aspects of running a band professionally, independently, successfully, and ethically. As committed DIY-ists, The Black Spoons are interested in creating a forum where people can get past all the generic/outdated info being thrown around in publications like "Musicians Atlas" (half of the listings in which are wrong) and the "music industry" books one finds in Barnes & Nobles (does a book about music promotion by the editor of Spin Magazine really speak to the average band?). The panels give people the chance to meet the real people who run the Philly music scene, and to ask them down-to-earth, practical questions.

The conference will give you the chance to meet the main booking agents in Philly in person and chat with them. It'll be a night of straight-forward questions, answers, and discussion. The panel includes:

Sean Agnew (R5 Productions)
Watch Sean Agnew make fun of former best friend and now competitor Stacie George as the two battle it out to see who dislikes the other more.

Stacie George (Hey Day Entertainment)
Supervisor of Hey Day Entertainment, a booking and promotions company which books bands and DJs into 6 different venues throughout Philadelphia including Northstar, The Khyber, Pontiac Grille, NxNW, Rex's, Barbary Saloon and one off events at Five Spot. She is personally responsible for not only overseeing, booking, and promoting certain venues such as The Khyber, but also acts as a house manager during shows. She also has history with managing bands and booking tours. Booking over 1500 local bands and DJs a year into a couple of venues in town, Hey Day Entertainment is a reliable resource for bands that want to take it to the next level as well as play in front of headlining national touring acts.

Ben Morgan (Millcreek Tavern, World Cafe Live)
Currently the head of booking and production for the Millcreek Tavern, Ben Morgan is primarily a musician. Presently the bassist for Be Careful Little Hands, he has also been in Philadelphia groups The Sand Family, Hiroshima Nagasaki, Lexicon, Slipping Into Sublimnity, and the rock musical The Broken Hipsters. From 2000-2003 Ben handled publicity and local booking for Curt Flood Booking, which since has merged with Heyday Entertainment. While at Curt Flood, Ben handled PR and local booking duties for The Khyber, The Upstage, The Five Spot, NxNW, and Club218. Past employers include Elektra Records, BMG Distribution, and Red Flag Media.

Maria Tessa Sciarrino (Plain Parade)
Plain Parade began in 2002 when Maria and partner Sara Sherr realized lots of awesome bands were getting the short end of the stick in terms of shows. Starting off at Doc Watson's Pub, Plain Parade now books its events at a variety of spaces like Silk City & Tritone. Plain Parade's unique approach to programming has made them a much-loved addition to the city, winning awards and accolades from places such as the Philadelphia Weekly and City Paper. In addition to organizing shows, Maria is the host of "Two States", a local music program on WPRB (103.3fm - Princeton, NJ). She is also a contributing writer to XLR8R and Rockpile magazines.