Free Week kick-off @ Red 7
Graham Williams explains the thinking behind the concept -- "About 5 years ago or so, I was working Emo's in downtown Austin, booking the bands and managing the bar at the time. Looking at the calendar, January was always a painfully slow time of year for us...I came up with the simple concept: We make it free for the 1st week of January. Everyone takes a New Years gamble. Bands all forfeit getting paid, but in return, they play to huge audiences at free shows (and hopefully gain a lot of new fans), the venue eats its club costs, staff fees, etc, knowing they'll make up for it at the bar and can afford to pay the staff and employees out of their sales. Everyone gives up a little something to have a GREAT time and packed shows...making that week one long party. After the 1st year, every year grew and more and more bands wanted to be involved with the week of shows that unofficially became known as Free Week."
On Friday, Red 7 hosts Summer Of Blood, Deadly Companions, The No No No Hopes, as well as the perennially underrated local outfit The Ends, on the outside stage. The Ends have been peddling their brand of melodious punk rock for many a year on Red River but they continue to fly under most radars. Check out their video for "Pucker Up" (from 2004's Concrete Disappointment) on YouTube and then catch them live on Friday! Meanwhile, enjoy fine punk 'n' roll from Capital Scam, Blank Generation, Spittin Bullets, and Sleezus Fist and the Latter Day Taints on the inside stage.
Saturday's menu at Red 7 features Broadcast Sea, Camp X-Ray, We'll Go Machete, Beta Valentine, and Monuments outside, and The Gospel Truth, Love Collector, Bottle Service, Black Panda, and Autons inside. We recommend Camp X-Ray's noisy post-punk, Beta Valentine's experimental dissonance, and Black Panda's snotty punk ditties on this Band Slam friendly bill.
Wrap up the first weekend of Free Week at Red 7 on Sunday with The Measure (SA), The Anchor, Stallone, Saw Wheel, Unwed Fathers, and Crows Feet (outside) and Lowdown Shaky Chill, Los Hispanos U.K., Al Shire & The Henchmen, and The Kickback (inside).
[Red 7 MySpace]
[Transmission Entertainment MySpace]
[Transmission Entertainment Free Week]
Check out flyers for various Free Week shows at Red 7 below:
Images from MySpace / provided by entity.
