BSTB Interview

Chances are good that if you live in Montreal and you're a fan of independent music, you've been to a Blue Skies Turn Black show. Known for bringing some of the best acts to the city, as well as helping excellent local music get its start, these storied local promoters are celebrating their 15th anniversary this year: #BSTB15. How did they get their start? CJLO's Music Director Omar Sonics recently caught up with Meyer Billurcu from Blue Skies Turn Black.

Why did you decide to start BSTB, what was the first event?

In the late '90s, Brian and I were huge music fans working dead-end jobs and DJ-ing a show on CJLO radio in our spare time. We noticed that there were a slew of bands we loved that were skipping Montreal altogether on their tours. Out of sheer desperation to see live shows, we eventually began reaching out to artists and labels using connections that we cultivated through CJLO and started booking shows that way. Our first event actually wasn't a show but a screening of the Fugazi documentary 'Instrument' at the Concordia Hall Building in March of 2000. Our first official 'show' was Sweep The Leg Johnny with North of America at Barfly a few months after that.

Is it crazy to look back and see that you've been around for 15 years?

I truly never imagined that BSTB would last as long as it has. Everything arose very organically and we never had a long-term plan in place when we began booking shows in 2000. I have met some incredible musicians over the years who I feel very lucky to know and to continue working with when they come to Montreal. It's been fifteen years of straight hustling and I look forward to fifteen more!

Why did you choose to mark the anniversary with Modest Mouse, is there a connection?

Brian and I were massive Modest Mouse fans back in college and we were lucky enough to have had the opportunity of working with them relatively early on in BSTB's career in 2004. At that time, it was definitely the most amount of money we had ever risked on a show but it ended up selling out and we were ecstatic. It marked the first time that we had sold over 1,000 tickets on our own and the first time that we had ever worked with Wolf Parade, a band with whom we developed an amazing relationship with over the years and all the projects that sprang from there (Sunset rubdown, Handsome Furs, Operators, etc.).

Montreal is known to be a bit of a fickle city in terms of its musical tastes, how difficult is it to navigate that when booking bands?

It certainly is rough to gauge where Montreal's musical taste is at sometimes. Some bands that for whatever reason do not draw huge crowds elsewhere will attract them here while some bands that are huge elsewhere will have barely any fans here. The truth is that every show we book is a risk, and sometimes they succeed and other times they totally bomb. Nothing is ever a sure thing is this city (except for maybe NOFX lol).

We're gearing up for fund drive in the fall and you guys have still maintained connections with cjlosince your early days as djs here. How important is community radio and stations like CJLO to what you guys do?

Even amidst the today's Bandcamps and SoundClouds and music blogs, I still think that community radio and stations like CJLO represents a crucial part of music promotion. Not only do most bands that we book have their music shared and heard for the very first time on community radio, but many of the people I work with, myself included, got our start in the music industry through our own involvement with CJLO and other community stations.

Why so emo, bro?

No comment!

 

Meyer Billurcu will join Omar Sonics, this Thursday, September 3rd on Hooked on Sonics, 6-8pm! Tune in for Modest Mouse giveaways, behind-the-scenes scoops, and find out what shows you can look forward to for #BSTB15- including CJLO's FUNdrive: Screening of Fugazi's "Instrument" #BSTB15/ Opening Party Sept 23 at Bar Le Ritz PDB. This was BSTB's very first event, and CJLO is excited to kick-off two weeks of fun & fundraising with this collaboration! 7pm: DJs/ Tacos/ Live Broadcast. 8pm: Film. 10pm: Opening Party with CJLO DJs.

(Maybe you saw an excerpt of this in our latest September print issue? If not, pick up a copy ASAP! Lots of CJLO fun to be had in September, and it can be your guide!)