Let's start with your name and your site. Let's have it.
My name is John Gist with Vegas Rock Revolution
Start at the
beginning, how did you get started with this crazy idea of promoting music?
It was a gradual thing as I kept going to shows with
virtually no one attending it here in Vegas.
Many times midweek shows where the venues leave it fully to the bands in
some of these cases. Ha I will never
forget seeing Spirit Caravan/ Elder/ Mos Generator. Maybe 15 or so people there. I met a fellow concert-goer and now good friend
there (Scott Montiel). Recently bunch
of us were talking before the Obsessed show not long ago and we stopped Wino to
talk . I immediately told him we had the whole gang back together for his show
since literally we were all there that night practically. We all just started laughing. He kinda looked at us and grumbled
something. We just kept talking to him
and even took a few picts. Chill dude.
Who would have thought that he would be playing my first Weekend of shows...Planet
Desert Rock. I have a ton of respect for
him and also got to chat some as Stoned and Dusted Festival which Brant Bjork/
Ryan Jones run. That was an
experience....middle of the desert and driving down dirty and sandy roads in a
big van carting band members and gear.
Anyways this music is too good not to get it the proper attention.
The present situation seemed in need but had such potential due to the quality
of music and its performers. The world needs more new artist heavy rock......in
America
in particular. As I was pondering a
possible endeavor back into big business......People kept telling me to follow
your passion instead of going back to the real world of running departments
with millions of dollars budgets and help company get richer and richer while
disposing of you when they feel its right.
I have always been that guy who keeps up with music and is adventurous
in listening below the surface for bands while spreading the word to whoever
will listen to me...
We're all the product of our musical past. What's your musical history?
Well lets put it this way.
When I was a little boy I had a toy guitar and a baseball bat standing
in the same corner downstairs. In the
end I practically smashed that guitar like Belushi did in Animal House and
baseball prevailed along with football etc.....side note I was selected to sing
Oh Tanenbaum(Oh Christmas Tree?) in German when I was in like 1st grade or
something. After holiday show. What the heck was I thinking!
First album you ever bought?
45-- Copa Cabana by Barry Manilow with my mom
Record -- Grease ,
The Rock Album and Foreigner's first album
CD-- Led Zep 1 , 2,
House of Holy, Queensryche:Operation Mindcrime and Something else...hmmm what
was that?
Tape-- Metallica- Kill em all and Dio Last in Line
First musical epiphany moment?
When i saw The Who at RFK on their comeback tour in 1988 I
believe it was. Went with 2 of my high
school buds(John Stevens and Andrew Schell)
and got to drinking. Massive show and when the sun started going down
the guys behind me passed us a joint.....suddenly I saw an addition option at
shows I had never partaked in. The moment was something I will never forget as
the set started playing more livelier tunes.
Those windmills sure can make your arm sore later....ha....funny thing
is Joe Walsh was on lead since Pete Townsend hurt his hand supposedly doing a
windmill on the ole guitar. We later
said those old dudes were cool. Ha they
were like 30 years old.....we were 19.
First album that terrified the hell out of you?
Ok Todd. I don't what you are really asking here exactly but
I am terrified every time a damn ABBA song comes on. Fuck that not for me man! I know you dig them but I just get irritated by
them.
What did terrify me some was I ate some edibles at Temple of the Dog in San
Francisco and didn't think they were ever gonna kick
in. So ….I did what many folks do and ate some more. Not even 15 mins later a joint floats by and
as soon as I inhaled I thought to myself SHIT why did I do that. Lets just say the world got a little
hairy. Thankfully my buddy helped me get
over to sit down for a little. About 2
songs later we grabbed a beer and stood a little further back. We were only 10 to 15 away near the middle
when my blunder happened. Not gonna do
that again.
What's the last album to grab you by the throat and insist
you listen?
3 relatively new bands got me early and still are top 10 for
year.
Kaiser out of Finland has an exceptional album on
their hands. Previous EP was darn good
so it was a sign but this is just a well rounded rocking album. Heavy rock with multiple influences blended
together for damn good concoction.
Green Desert Water/ Spain on Small Stone has an
exceptional retro rock album. Got some
early attention and perhaps some have forgotten how really good it is. They too had some previous work that was real
good.
The Watchers/ Bay area on Ripple who I was already well
aware of and listed them early as my potential album of the year grabbed me
quickly with the riff from Starfire.
Thanks Jeremy you killed on that song as well as the whole album and man.
Tim Narducci is one of the best vocalist in the genre. Recently Watchers played at Count's Vamp'd
and I watched some folks in the crowd who I knew where familiar much if any of
them and they were feeling it. You could see in the body language.
I mean Witchskull/ Australia quickly assaults you with
something familiar yet very unique and
JIRM/ Sweden..
Small Stone has a magical journey kind of feel to their stuff. The singer is incredible. At least 3 people have said he has kind of a
Jeff Buckley feel to him. Each song epic in its on way...such awesome
production.
Mr. Bison/ Italy
and Lonely Kamel/ Norway … Freedom Hawk/ VA Beach on Ripple deliver
another stellar album. Lonely Kamel
really switched some stuff up and it still kills!
I could keep going ya know but I will say for pure good hard
rock that should be on the radio it would be Spacelord , King Chiefs and Dirty
Streets. All 3 very different from each other but very good.
What do you see happening in the music scene today, good and
bad?
Well I see amazing potential but it feels like an active
freeze out campaign is really hurting heavy rock. The labels and everyone didn't keep up with
the times as far as streaming sites, YouTube and heavily smart targeted
advertising once the reach or fanbase as increased. Seen TV shows on this and
they stayed incredibly engaged with their fan base and grass roots culture.
Fans just simply shifted to hip-hop , EDM and pop music which now more than
ever involves very few long haired aggressive rock and roll bands. Watch tv....commercials, programming,
highlights , end of shows as credit roll etc
are using less and less rock and has shifted to high percentage of hip
hop/ pop trash music.
For a full 10 years the flow of hard rock hitting the main
arteries that hits the mass population FM radio/TV/ Spotify/ YouTube /ITunes or
whatever all are geared to these other styles.
Kids barely know anything about hard and heavy rock. Many stereotype all of it into the "Hair
metal" insult blindly without realizing they are suppressing music purely
due to being lazy and ignorant. We need
more people to hear this music and must be inventive and dedicated to expansion. Tons of people have given up on the current
rock music being shoved down their throats by FM radio bland-ass programming
where the DJs barely even can add things like it used to be. That is how many a rock band broke out in the
past in rock. Octane and the rest of
Sirius XM simply don't even believe the heavy rock world deserves a station for
this type of new rock and rarely any get played....hmmmm weird.
What's been your all time greatest "Find"?
Finally learning about Stoner/heavy Rock while checking out
some music on Amazon. Had zero idea it existed as I was just in a limited
window of music in my hemisphere at the time.
Basically stoner rock is heavy rock influenced by mainly 70s
and early 90s rock/metal with a touch of early 80s before Hair Metal and the
pitiful big labels screwed things up.
Good thing is for some of us open minded rockers Soundgarden and Alice in Chains
transitioned us to Nirvana , Pearl Jam and many other amazing artists of the
90s. I love 90s music the best of any
except 70s which is basically the birth decade/maturing of heavy/hard rock..
you know like Black Sabbath , Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Judas Priest...on and
on and on.
That band you "discovered" before anyone else and
started the word spreading?
You know that's the thing there is always someone else
hearing the amazing songs you are so I just try to help the very best bands I
hear. I have been immediately enamored
with Spacelord who is just amazing. Got
that familiar vibe but just rocks so good and catchy.
Well I have been in early on Void Vator out of Hollywood. Super good band with all the things necessary
to propel themselves to the next level with some help. Produced by Grammy
Winner Ulrich Wild so I sure the fuck didn't find them! Really great guys who are pros and oh yeah
the girls seem to dig them. Have had
them to Vegas like a handful of times.
Mezzoa out of San
Diego was passed along to me by Kip Page (formerly of
Ride the Sun). Kip knew Nacho Maldonado
(frontman) from many years in the Diego scene.
I remember looking them up on Facebook.
They had like 30 followers. I was
like oh ok...Popped the album in and was blown away. The accent on songwriting was so distinct and
in particular the lyrics. When I was
driving over to San Diego
to see them for the first time I had the album going. All alone in my car just
listening ….I could hear true emotions and story telling. Gosh the rock world needs more of that. Plus a killer Smiths cover. Live they kicked ass and eventually we got
Nacho and the boys to come over to Vegas as part of the Sasquatch/Avon
(features Alfredo Hernandez of Queens of Stone Age/Kyuss) show this past
spring. And recently with Brant Bjork at
Vamp'd. I expect more good stuff from
them. They have around 760 followers
now.
What's the hardest thing you encounter in promoting shows?
Hardest part has been .....getting people to give bands they
may never heard of a chance . I have had
to learn basically everything on my own so I have been learning as I go. Getting the proper deal in place where the
venue doesn't put all the risk on the promoter who seemingly is put in a
position to barely pull even. Many times bands want too much to play this
market and you have to try and work through that as Vegas scene is very set in
its ways at times... Adjustments have
been made and I tell you what ...I am so honored to be able to work with Korie
Koker at Count's Vamp'd on some shows. Early on I sent over several bands to
give her a feel for the styles and such of what we could bring in. She was excited after hearing some ...and she
is known not to be so easily impressed. Korie is simply an allstar in every
word possible for the heavy music scene.
Her rock venue in Vegas goes un-paralleled as far as rock venues
anywhere. 1st class all the way. The
place has good food too! On any given night you don't know who might show up to
catch some music.
If you could write a 1,000 word essay on one song, which one
would it be, and why? What makes that
song so important?
What in the hell kind of question is that Todd? Just kidding man.....Whole Lotta Love........
music and my childhood are so dramatically interwoven that I will never forget
hearing Whole Lotta Love in the car with my MOM when I was really young. I recall hearing the guitar shifting from
speaker to speaker and Lord have mercy the moaning LOL ....such a sexual song
and I have to think about my Mom for a moment when I hear it....LMAO....doubt
she knew what the hell was going on even.
Give us three bands that we need to keep our eyes out for.
Well I have rattled off some earlier but I will say lets see
what happens with the new Rival Sons.
Will this be the one where they get increased radio play and reach? They just did like a year and half with Black
Sabbath on tour. Jesus that had to be
surreal. Now they are on a big label and
most would tell you they are better than Greta Van Fleet who currently is fueling
some rock flames which albeit they haven't "earned" the notoriety it
is still good to have younger people paying attention to 70s influenced
rock.
I think Reignwolf is on the verge if only they could get an
actual album out. They are a band that
is huge on YouTube etc and are doing a tour right now in the USA. No Vegas....not that I didn't try and still
will, I have seen live action of Jordan
Cook. This is a true rock star waiting
to bust to the next level.
Whatever Sasquatch puts out will be captivating as they have
put out top level everytime. Not only
exceptional recordings but fantastic live band. Honored to have them as part of
Planet Desert Rock.
Speaking of Planet
Desert Rock Weekend
. John Garcia is back in rocking
action. The man can sing so damn good
and his new stuff is excellent. He had
help from MR. Chris Goss who also produced Kyuss and Queens
of the Stone Age. Yeah like the frontman
of Masters of Reality ...I am truly honored to be collaborating with John on
our show at Vinyl in Vegas. His only
electric show in America
in 2018! Such a cool guy.
Tell us about your personal music collection. Vinyl?
CD?
Tons of cds but I am pretty digital nowadays (MP3 and more
Spotify). Stopped buying vinyl in 1989
but wow the artistry nowadays is so amazing. Glad to see Vinyl doing so well.
What makes it all worthwhile for you?
2 main things
Helping hard working bands in whatever way I can and it be
for a bigger cause....I call it the Revolution or The Movement. Collaborating
with other professionals towards the same goals is truly a thing of art. Being part of something is very important to
me as is succeeding at what I do.
Second would be the actual shows themselves. I treat each show like I am the host of the
party while driving various aspects to fine tune a well produced shows for all
parties (Fans, Musicians and the venue). Love the energy and build up to the
headliner.
How would your life be different if you weren't spreading
the word about music?
I would likely being
dating more...LOL... just kidding kinda . Guess I would be watching a lot more
sports and working a more conventional style of job.
In the end, what would you like to have accomplished, or be
remembered for?
Musically I hope to create something sustainable to help
rock long term also while helping drive attention to it quickly in this fast
paced world. Big believer in
legacies.....yes I have an ego....not out of control but admittedly have one so
my drive to succeed is always on my mind.
Many people may not realize the hours you devote to what you
do for little or no pay. Is there a day
job? If so, how do you find the balance?
I worked for 25 years in the resort business doing marketing
and sales. In the last year or so I was in the digital advertising world for
some of that time learning something that was really new to me. Other than that I am exploring potentially
some new opportunities to gain revenue
to live on but truth be told this passion is a driving force in my life.
What's next? Any new
projects?
Planet
Desert Rock Weekend is
full focus right now. The ticket is
built with bands of old and new intertwined showcasing heavy rock. The need is to get more people to support it
and then things can grow. Sin City
is a year around location with long weekend crowds swelling up the city every
weekend..... timing isn't always right for everyone to make one weekend but if
killer weekend of shows are set up periodically people can plan a Vegas trip
while also being able to enjoy other things in Vegas besides music. We have zero plans to do all day festivals etc. Want to keep it user friendly. Rates of hotels can be very cheap and flights
if timed right can be inexpensive as well since we are such a big inbound city.
We need to give 30-50 somethings options as far as rock and not just the same
ole same ole. The music is out there now
and the people need to hear it and experience it.
John Garcia of Kyuss leading things off my very first
attempt at this should be a good start.
Wino the next day with 5 hand picked bands that rock on so many
different vibes and levels. And Night 3
with Wo Fat headlining. Rare west coast
show and trust me I saw them at SXSW.
They bring that thick blues drenched psychedelic Texas boogie blend live like no ones
business.
These shows other than the John Garcia show at Vinyl Hard Rock,
have maybe a 300 cap at most. Meaning cool intimate vibe hanging with like
minded rockers and musicians.
Saturday night show is practically a Ripple Fest. Wo Fat , Freedom Hawk and Blackwulf along
with 2 bands that have done stuff with Ripple (Red Desert and Powered Wig
Machine/Fuzz Evil)...Friday even has War Cloud along with King Chiefs who
appeared as part of the split series).
Finally, other than the music, what's your other burning
passion?
Football...........I am a loyal person therefore I stick by
my teams forever. So Dallas Cowboys
football is usually a must watch for me along with my college East Carolina
University. Both of those teams have been
disappointments of late but at least my team finally won the World
Series........Houston Astros.
Travelling is my other passion....love seeing new places.
Perhaps a trip to Europe for a big festival is
in order ?
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