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Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Listening PARTAY!

Posted by on November 29 at 15:47 PM

This just arrived via email:

Hey Ya’ll—I’m the local street rep for Atlantic records. Sorry this is so last minute, but if one of you is still holed up in the office, can you possibly throw up a SLOG about [BAND’S NAME DELETED] listening party tonight? Their new album is out today & we’re having a shin dig at The Whiskey Bar from 6pm - 10pm. Giving away copies of the album, stickers, some other swag. Thanks so much!

Gee, I don’t know what to say. There are places on the website where Street Reps can plug their bands and their swag and their listening parties until their fingers fall off. And Stranger editorial staffers can plug basically whatever they like on the SLOG. But the SLOG isn’t a bulletin board for lazy street reps that want to attract swag-o-philes to bars for listening parties.

Am I being overly sensitive here? Or is there something that’s vaguely offensive about this request? Isn’t it just a little presumptuous?

But in case I’m wrong, Ms. Street Rep, here’s your email up on the SLOG—minus the name of your band. If folks want to head down to the Whiskey Bar, they can. But let’s leave the band a mystery and let the party rise or fall on the intrinsic appeal of a listening party. There’s swag to be had, SLOG readers—OMG! SWAG!—does it matter whose?