Flyers and a Good Weekend I'm Missing

Hey Folks,
I keep starting this blog post and having to stop it for something else getting in the way all week now, it's pretty frustrating but what can you do? By the way, if you want the weekend roundup just scroll down a bit. I wanted to talk a little about flyering, which I've considered talking about for a long time now but it seemed particularly pertinent this week. I got wind from a friend of the Librarians that they are having a problem with flyers disappearing. I was around town today and I noticed specifically that I didn't see any flyers for their show Saturday with Dayton's insane indie rock duo Swearing at Motorists and sultry Pittsburgh post-punks the Sexes (unfortunately it coincides with the date I'm going to see Belle & Sebastian in Philadelphia, I'm out tomorrow night). Apparently Ryan spent $30 getting some nice flyers made and they all got torn down lickety split. Now, there are plenty of possible reasons for this that affect everyone, but if there is someone specific tearing down flyers that is really shitty. Even if you had some beef with the band, it's a disrespect to the other bands on the bill and a shitty thing to do to the promoter (who in this case I think is LJ) and the bar itself.

That said, I thought it would be a good time to tie this in with my Athens visit from last weekend. Athens, Ohio that is. Ohio U. is in Athens and it has a roughly similar student population to Morgantown, but the town is a lot smaller in and of itself. So in terms of the student population they have a similar opportunity to us but in terms of the town not nearly as much. One of the big things I noticed is that there were a TON of flyers all around town and a lot of locations for them. Most local businesses including bars and retail shops offered a bulletin board that was right by the entrance where everyone could see it. Fat telephone poles beckoned to be flyered all around town, and not the metal ones we've got, nice soft wooden ones. You can see an example there on the right. I recommend clicking it just to enjoy Dance or Die's slogan "Surrender the Booty," with their pirate themed flyers.

The Blue Moose does a decent job of offering bulletin boards, although until recently I felt weird putting things there that would compete with the Rosewood. Black Bear has a bulletin board but it's way in the back and a bit hard to see. The Pita Pit and the Tomb of the Unknown Fanboy don't have boards but will allow you to put your flyers up in the safety of their store if you ask politely. The Den does allow ample wall space but as Rob was telling me the cleaning dudes tear flyers down on a regular basis, despite all his efforts (which include getting the landlord's go-ahead). I've also heard tell of some private citizens who despise flyers and routinely tear them down all around town. Please note that you can get a fine for plastering flyers up on telephone poles and on the the PRT pylons and so on. That said, I don't know anyone who has, and I'm not saying I've never done it.

The university is a lot better, providing good bulletins in the Business & Economics building, the Mountainlair (which you have to get stamped, be warned, but they're easygoing) and the Life Sciences Buildings, as well as scattered places in some other downtown buildings. The CAC has good bulletin access but Evansdale is much trickier. I used to put flyers up in Towers but you're supposed to get permission there too, and recently I discovered they won't let you flyer there if your event is at a bar (though the Side Pocket would probably be ok) even if you don't mention drinking. You could put some up and not ask but they'll probably get torn down fast.

Other colleges and other cities provide public access places for flyering. I'm of the opinion that it might be worth trying to find out if the city and the university would be willing to do this. It would cut down on the vandalistic flyering and allow people to organize cultural events more easily. ANyone else ever looked into this?

I just wanted to add that I have definitely seen a lot more flyers lately, which I think is a good sign that the live music scene (and the DJ scene) in Morgantown is healthier than it has been in a while. I can't emphasize enough, though, bands, DJs, promoters, please remember to devote some energy to flyering. I have been lax in the past when I'm busy (and I'm only in town three days a week) but it will really help attendance if you do this. I love Brian Connelly and Bombscare (I would be there right now if a severe allergy attack hadn't left me coughing and wheezing and asthmatic) but I don't see a lot of flyers for it and I think the turnout would be a lot better if there were a few regular-size, non-handbill flyers out and about. It's time consuming but if you've got time to put on a show, you've got time to flyer.

Just a reminder, I guess it's too late to plug Bombscare but tomorrow night is Bica-fit at 123. Lots of flyers with Corey's face plastered on them are all around town. Please go, the bands are great and the cause is a very real and close to home thing. The D.A. had a nice writeup and I hope it helps. I also noticed the D.A. covered a hardcore show at the Waterhouse which is interesting. I know it's a specifically Christian venue, and I haven't been there. Has anyone checked it out?