THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER

FULL PROJECT REPORT by MATTHEW MIDDLETON
JANUARY 2007

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1. THE PRESENTATION:

The Manhattan Transfer project was, essentially, a presentation and
promotion of 3 things:

1. the live performance art of Crude.
2. the current suite of recordings available by Crude.
3. New Zealands' internationally active avant garde music scene.

Each performance not only highlighted my work but that of several
other very talented groups and individuals from this country. Any New
Zealand artist who 'makes it' to New York is, in the mind of
NewYorkers, instantly compared, contrasted and referenced against
other New Zealand artists they can recall. In my case people would
mention The Clean, Birchville Cat Motel, The All Blacks, Antony
Milton, The Dead C and Bailter Space.

2. GROUND ZERO.

Through unforseen circumstances the itinerary provided to Creative NZ
had to be slightly adjusted. On arriving in the USA some events were
added and some cancelled. A full explanation of this is provided later
on. In all I performed 4 intense, highly concentrated concerts at 4
different venues. On the 4th of November I performed in Washington DC
as part of a group show at 911 Florida. This particular venue has been
and will be frequented by other New Zealand experimental acts such as
Birchville Cat Motel and Eso Steel. Please find enclosed a poster from
this event, and also an edited Cd-r recording of parts of my
performance. On the 6th of November the second performance ensued,
this time in Manhattan at Cakeshop, one of New Yorks' few specialist
experimental venues. As is typical for this Lower East Side
stalwart-of-the-scene-venue the turn out was great. I will talk more
about the audience micro-demographic and what went well below. The
Third presentational event, on the 9th of November, was a group show
at a curious 'makeshift' venue in the industrial area of Brooklyn
(just over the road from it's sewerage treatment plant no less). My
set was strewn amongst those of 4 other local and national artists. A
very large crowd attended this show, and again, I managed to sell a
handfull of cds and t-shirts. The last performance took place on
Saturday the 11th of November at Tonic, another of New York's
specialist experimental/improv venues. In fact, this one is mildly
famous. I performed alongside two touring acts. I had an excellent
reception, a good time was had by all.



3. SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGY OF AUDIENCE PARTICIPANTS.

In New York City I had a job to do, and an audience to nurture. And so
it was done. The socio-economic status and lifestlyes of the attendees
were quite similar to those I had anticipated. In Washington, the show
was attended in the main by 20-somethings, 30-40 somethings in the
minority. The attendees I conversed with
all worked or attended colleges in Washington DC. They were also avid
collectors of underground music, highly IT literate and in the main
Caucasian. There was one Colombian woman who came along. She left soon
after I started. In New York, at the show at Cakeshop the audience was
made up of local Lower-East Side residents, professionals (designers i
think observing their aesthetic..) Most who came to see Crude were
alternative music enthusiasts always on the look out for new and
interesting stuff. Also, other NY musicians and their friends/partners
turned up. Of those I talked to, they sincerely enjoyed my
performance. When a later act (Pete Nolan) played he thanked me from
the stage and the entire audience looked over to where I was sitting
and smiled and clapped...like i had just graduated. Brooklyns' show
was a more calculated affair owing to its organisation and marketing -
Todd P is a very proficient Brooklyn based promoter and he has a large
mailing list. So, the band 'O Death' had a big contingent of fans
there. O'Death played a kind of folk/americana/mississippi/country
set, and to my horror the audience proceeded to
have a 'ho down'. I came to New York to escape that, not see it
reworked and post-modernised. Folk, at present, is the de rigeur. My
set juxtaposed the others nicely. A representative from Kim Gordon's
(Sonic Youth) 'Kill rock Stars' label attended the show and 'liked my
set the best'. Again, the audience was predominantly white and 20
something. The final show at Tonic attracted Tonics locals, again a
Lower East Side establishment. The audience was comprised of 'doom
metallers' from brooklyn, another bunch of what looked like designers,
jazz buffs and several other musicians. I kept an eye out for talent
scouts and A+R men from big labels. Must have missed `em.


4. THE PLAYAS.

Several individuals lent a hand with the project. The primary US
collaborator was Ian Thomas, who was mentioned in the application. Ian
had put some of his money into the venture and provided me with
accomadations throughout the tour. It was quite a hike every-day
getting in from New Jersey, but his house proved to be a comfortable
environment. Much was discussed regarding the shows, American politics
(the US mid-term elections were held on november the 7th) and
marketing techniques. Secondly was one Scott Verrastro, a Washington
based musician and booking agent. He organised the jaunt south to
Washington, provided accomodations for me there, shouted me a lovely
brunch the day after the gig and showed me around Washingtons central
govermental sites. Washington is indeed a very old city. Ex-pat New
Zealander Fiona Campbell assisted me with securing a show in Brooklyn
on the 9th. This show was also in conjunction with Brooklyn
underground enthusiast and promoter Todd P. Scott Verrastro also got
me the gig at Tonic with his psych/rock/improv band 'Kohoutek'. Ian
Thomas actually failed in the end to secure shows for me, owing to
personal strains and distance issues. Luckily other folks came to the
party.

5. THAT WHICH WORKED WELL, THAT WHICH DID NOT:

The long and the short of it: the Manhattan Tranfer project was a
success! I believe i did my best, performed to the best of my ability,
networked to the best of my ability and promoted both myself and my
countrys' underground music scene as best i could. The 2 weeks were a
crash course in NYC and when it was time to leave I was just starting
to get a feel for the place: its subway system, the climate, the food
it's beautiful cultural flavour(s). Next time, i would plan a longer,
more out-stretched tour.
2 weeks in the USA is not enough time to ensure a collected,
empathetic and targeted performance. It is also not enough time to
secure good recording time, and so my `documentation regime' suffered.
I had bitten off more than I could chew, but I put this down to
unfamiliararity with the city.
One mistake I made was not purchasing the correct current converter
and plugs. I now tell all who plan to play there – `BUY YOUR POWER
CONVERTERS HERE! `
I could have done a better job selling/distributing my merchandise.
Setting up a stall at gigs works alright, but much more needs to be
done to make an impression. Maybe I should have connected with a radio
station while there. Having several people booking shows was good but
i feel if I had one ubiquitous tour-manager the event could have run
super-smooth.

6. THE PROMOTION

The Manhattan Tranfer project was marketed in a variety of ways:
1. Via the internet - myspace, email and online direct marketing.
This was an obvious success because several of those who attended my
show learnt about it through the net - my myspace bulletins, my
web-page, emails to new groups. I swear by it.
2. Magazine References
A preview of the shows was printed in 2 or 3 weekly NYC publications.

3. flyers, posters
Please find enclosed the poster designs i used - you can't post up
posters per se in New York because of its sheer size but you can drop
flyers into suitable cafes, diners, record stores and net-cafes. I
spent a good day doing just this.
4. Cd demos sent to venues.
The venues I played at were all sent a CD of my music.
5. Cds to stores.
Cakeshop, both a venue and a record store bought 20! cds off me. These
cds will act as subtle promotion for Crude and New Zealand for many
months to come.

7. RESULTANT OPPURTUNITIES.

I have identified the following oppurtunities:
1. The project helped to amass a solid adress book of US booking
agents and performers who ARE happy to work with any acts from New
Zealand from the sound art/ electronic/ psychedelic/alt-rock
tradition. This has to be positive for audience development.
2. Several audience members have joined my mailing list, and so they
are always kept abreast of developments and happening in the New
Zealand Music scene.
3. I have a long distance recording project now on the boil as a
result of performing in the United States.
4. I have been invited back to perform with Washington DC band
Kohoutek at any point.
5. I can and will market other local acts to those US citizens who
joined my mailing list through my new Label.


8. VARIANCE:WHY.

A certain amount of flexibility is always necessary when booking shows
internationally. Doubley, tripley so with the organisation of
experimental musics. The Manhattan Tranfer project was no exception.
The main variance to the application was the DATES and VENUES .
I only had the oppurtunity to apporach one record store in New York.
This store was not listed in the original 4 found in the application.
The amount of in-house recording - both audio and visual was limited
because of technical difficulties. Earnings were not as predicted, in
fact I earned less. This is the harsh reality of the experimental
music scene...not only here - but THERE TOO. Had to go there to find
out huh…?



9. SUPPORT MATERIALS :

Provided for your perusal are copies of the promotional flyers/posters
I designed, and a recording of the first performance in Washington DC
on Cd-r. At each performance an oral reference to Creative New Zealand
was made. Please enjoy. ( I do not require these items back).


TO CONCLUDE:

I sincerely thank the board at Creative New Zealand for furnishing me
with this wonderful grant. I now know one of the world's most
important cultural centres that little bit better, and I fully
aknowledge and appreciate the department for giving me the oppurtunity
to do so. I feel that November 2006 was an excellent point in my
career to perform internationally. Good, solid contacts have been made
and plenty of New York ears now tune into my work. That being said if
it turned out the tour only managed to attract one soul to the
subtleties of New Zealand experimental musics, my job was done.