While you can indeed still follow my regular updates on Twitter here:

http://twitter.com/DoctorRaven

And my Facebook updates here (as they are fed from my tweets):

www.facebook.com/doctor.raven

I recognize now that I’ve been neglecting my updates here which I am sure people read more than my “Tweets”.

So.. Let’s get to where The Doc has been for the last month of August.

Some stories to share;

I finally landed a job interview at a respectable cancer research institute.  As per usual, I ran out and trimmed and redyed my hair (You can’t show your grey at an interview), polished my wing tip loafers, pressed my ties, my slacks, my button down Oxford shirts, and showed up fifteen minutes early decked out in my spot on “Hire Me” suit.  Sadly only to find as I went in to the interview that the Manager had “No Intention of Hiring me” because apparently I was “Too overqualified” for the position based on my resume.  Apparently, she was required to interview ten people for the position and she just wanted “Verify my Resume was correct”.  I could have done this from home…

I received a letter informing me that our industrious imperial leader had approved additional college funding for people out of work.  So in a mad dash, I ran down to the local community college admission office to beg for a chance to be admitted.  Only to find that because I made too much money last year working for my former employer, I don’t qualify for financial aid.  I’m “too rich” they say.

Let’s sum up….  I’m “overqualified” to get entry level office work and “too rich” to go back to school.  Make no never mind of the fact that I’ve been out of work for nine months and have been applying for every position listed on every employment site county wide.  There are times I love living in Oregon and there are times when my patience is truly tried to the breaking point.

Kitty and I have been volunteering more and more with Hosea Youth Services:

http://www.hoseayouth.org/

It’s a fun place to lend some time and ensure that homeless and at risk kids are receiving essential items they need, Food, clothes, showers, laundry facilities, and fresh new items to help them get off the streets and into better locations.

A new item I am going to try my hand at is to try to recruit some of the great acts I’ve reviewed over the last few years and see if I can get them to come to my town of Eugene to play.  Yep, Doc is going to dig a little deeper into music promotions.   As it turns out, the music market in Eugene is huge but clubs are folding.  Largely in Eugene because many club owners make the classic error “If I turn it into a Sports Bar, the fans will come”.  Yes they’ll come, break your stuff, and trash your club.  Instead of being a unique and fun place to catch live venues, it becomes one of hundreds of sports bars.  The current state of the U of O team right now says our team probably isn’t going to go well this year anyway.

http://www.kval.com/news/57163947.html

Eugene also currently is one of the last markets in the Northwest that isn’t pay to play.  Currently in Portland, Salem, and Seattle, most clubs have adopted a pay to play strategy where all bands are required to pay the club a fee for tickets and then are charged with selling their own show.  If they make money back, great they break even.  If they don’t sell enough tickets, the band folds from lack of funding.  No one wants to go broke for their art.

So…  I’m going to network with the best live clubs in Eugene and refer the bands planning Northwest tours in order to bring more of the best in Dark Rock to the Patchouli stinking town of Eugene.  Currently, one of the last best live venues in Eugene is still Diablo’s Downtown Lounge.  I’m convinced after catching several live shows there that they have a better set up than other live clubs in town.  Better seating, better atmosphere, and they actually want the attention that live music offers. 

With that in mind if you’re a Goth, Industrial, Psychobilly, Horror Rock, or just strange act wanting to plan a tour through Oregon, drop me a line and I’ll connect you to the best venues in our town.

Now.. It’s back to projects as usual as I continue to write up information on your and my favorite acts.


Just as soon as I find my mind…














Music in my head:

Where is my mind by The Pixies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zP1IjgSO_E