While interviewing (via google talk) Sin City Sinners manager Jason Green a few weeks ago, I was blown away by the large role social media plays in the band’s success. I found it so interesting, I wanted to expand on my earlier post. If you live in Las Vegas or even visit for an extended period of time, you are at least somewhat familiar with the Sin City Sinners. In 2009, they were picked as runner-up in Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Best of Las Vegas local rock band category, just behind The Killers. They participate in every charity event that their schedule permits (they’ve even auctioned off dates with themselves to feed the homeless). The Sinners have also appeared on every local morning radio and television show possible and have presented the weather forecast during nightlife program 702 Scene. It is true that the band is advertised in weekly and monthly paper publications such as Las Vegas Weekly and Vegas Rocks! Magazine. The Sinners’ faces could even be seen a few months this year on a billboard while driving along the I-95 expressway.
However, according to Jason Green, each of the four band members — vocalist and guitarist Todd Kerns, guitarist Brent Muscat (of Faster Pussycat fame), drummer Rob Cournoyer and bassist Mike Ellis — felt that though they sampled many advertising vehicles in traditional media, “they weren’t personal enough. You see, the Sinners just started out jamming at Dive Bar one day. The next week they were asked to come back so they just told all of their buddies on MySpace to come out and support. They did and the band realized how powerful social media stuff really is.”
With a new album on its way, I spoke to frontman Todd Kerns about how his band is using social media to promote album sales and themselves. You can check out the interview on YouTube by clicking the link below.
Now, the Sinners play four solid gigs a week, and each band member posts their own bulletins and personally invites people they’re networked with to come out and rock. They like to do so, but they must also do so to keep attendance up. This is probably going to be a model others will follow. As bands and live entertainment continually get cut from casino and bar budgets in Las Vegas due to a depressed economy, entertainers must learn to make themselves more valuable than ever before. Talent doesn’t cut it anymore. Talent doesn’t necessarily draw people. Or bar sales. A belief that a venue in which a band is contracted with should bear the costs and weight of all advertising and promotion is flawed. Once the contract is up without history of good attendance, the band just becomes dead weight and will bear the costs of not working.
When asked for an example of how a local band can stay afloat, Green offered, “Some nights, when we know it’s going to be slow, we buy hundreds of dollars in drink tickets to give to the people we bug all of the time. It’s kind of a thanks for not dropping us as friends on Facebook even though we may over-promote ourselves,” said Green.
After typing ”Las Vegas foreclosures” into the google search engine box today, the query produced six million results. The first three pages of such results were filled with companies involved in the sale of home foreclosures. I was actually looking for statistics on foreclosure rates, but decided I didn’t really need them. All I had to do was look around me, and only in my neighborhood’s vicinity.
You see, I live in a hipster atomic-aged neighborhood filled with fabulous mod architecture and fabulous mod people. However, due to the downturn of the economy, some of the hipsters lost their hipster cocktail, bartending, promotion and marketing jobs. They couldn’t afford to continue to make payments on their hipster (Prius-like) vehicles, let alone their hipster pads. Each day I drive around the neighborhood, I cringe at the sight of another hipster loss; a foreclosure sign.
This foreclosed home was sold by Jack Levine at veryvintagevegas.com, just to be flipped and sold through Century 21
Now, I’ve gotten to know my neighbors quite well the past year, and they told me the uber-hipsters were the first to go. It wasn’t because they were younger, didn’t save or got into something they really couldn’t afford. In fact, the hipster-est were the first to spend their money wisely; they poured their money into their houses in way of renovations and restorations. Everyone from bank lenders to financial advisors suggested they do so, for it could only build equity and they’d get that money back and then some.
But then, something happened. Their mortgages coupled with home improvement loans began to cut off their air supply as the value of their homes plummeted. They began drowning in debt without any equity. And then the hipsters had to make a choice: Drown or Swim the seven-year bankruptcy/poor credit relay. Most of them decided to live, but left remnants of their near-death experiences all over my neighborhood. Consider my recent photoblog a memorial to those brave enough to attempt the seven-year swim.
I adore downtown Las Vegas. Drinks are cheaper, the $1.99 shrimp cocktail still exists, unique entertainment can always be found and its businesses embrace a sense of community. Much effort and press have been given to promote the artsy and cultural Fremont East district. Mayor Oscar Goodman and his public relations consultants strive to make downtown appeal to tourists and locals alike by holding many ceremonies and events on location. Just as I’m hooked on good deals and a taste of culture, so are small business owners looking to start up by way of tax incentives. Fremont Street glitters with promise and effort for revival. Why then, don’t the Web sites belonging to downtown’s casinos and hotels reflect such effort? They all possess the same general errors.
Take the Four Queens Resort and Casino for example. The property is located smack-dab in the middle of tourist destination Fremont Street. Great location, right? There’s much opportunity to take in guests and gamblers from passerby. And there’s always money to be made from those brave or frugal enough to stay downtown despite of its bad reputation. However, there is unlimited potential and opportunity to reach people through their Web page. I mean, doesn’t Four Queens want to snag people before they tour Fremont Street? Even with the current economy, a Las Vegas hotel with a small capacity should still be booked to capacity on New Year’s Eve. I called the reservation desk. It’s not. And with the current Web site, I’m not too surprised.
When first entering the Four Queens site, a pop-up appears. A tourist searching for a place to stay for an upcoming vacation is probably instantly turned off, especially if he or she has no interest in the game Texas Hold ‘Em. ONE CLICK.
After discarding the pop-up, twenty moving images come at the potential customer at once. Seriously, I counted them. Search tabs, page dividers, text, logos, images of the hotel’s amenities all move. Very showy and expensive-looking. Very annoying. Even the links move and seem to emit strange sound when the arrow runs over them.Another pop-up appears and states, ‘download this video.’ Which video? More importantly, why? Discard that. TWO CLICKS.
A banner states that Halloween festivities begin October 2nd. Interestingly, it’s rounding the second week of November. Ignoring that, a customer simply has to wade their way through the moving images and find the ‘hotel’ tab on the left, which probably leads to room reservations. Or, once the eyes become used the video, they will be able to find an online reservations icon in the upper left corner.
THREE CLICKS. But wait. The page needs time to load. About eight extra seconds on high-speed internet. The site is cordial enough to communicate that it’s loading, though. Unfortunately, that is about all an average potential customer is going to want to handle. Forget about that shrimp cocktail. The tourist is going somewhere else, and probably not downtown. FOUR CLICKS and lost forever.
As you may know, I’m a big fan of anything mid-century. This goes for architecture, furniture, film, books and even foodstuffs. Because I live in a neighborhood which prides itself on such representation, it is no surprise that 50’s Diner Omelet House has found success while planted in its center. Even though situated in the corner of a strip mall, from the outside the breakfast joint still screams legitimacy, for its posted hours are 7:30 am – 3:00 pm and its parking lot is packed. In addition, the restaurant’s wall of windows are covered by blinds. Only one thing comes to mind: ”Must find the treasures inside!”
Upon entering, I noted the elements of the usual diner spread; menus, sugar canisters, and single-serving jellies on tables, seating for 50 people not including the bonus room, a sign directing me to seat myself, a blackboard listing of-the-day specials and a black and white checkered floor. However, it was super clean, the walls were painted pink, valuable vintage records lined shelves, oldies music filled the air, and eclectic period memorabilia adorned the walls. The most interesting part of the collection was perhaps a 60-year-old candy machine brimming with weekly magazines.
Even though I entered the diner right before closing time at around 2:30 pm, I was still greeted kindly by the host, server and cook. I sat in a booth made for six and started analyzing the menu. It offered up the usual diner fare, like sandwiches, burgers, chili and breakfast items. But there was an entire page dedicated to 39 specialty three-egg and six-egg omelets, served with house-recipe-spuds and choice of bread. Because ‘omelet’ is included in the diner’s name, I decided to go for it, and picked a meat lover’s omelet ($6.50) listed as one of the blackboard specials, along with the risky cream of cilantro ($2.00) listed as the soup d’jour. I also ordered a ‘Doo-Wop’ soft drink ($1.70), which consisted of picking a flavored syrup to compliment a soda. I decided on a vanilla Coke.
The soda arrived in less than a minute accompanied by a small cup of extra syrup which wasn’t needed but appreciated. The cream of cilantro soup arrived a minute later and I was surprised at how layered the flavors were. It was light and broth-y, yet there was a hint of onion and cream. The fresh pieces of cilantro melted in my mouth. I finished my last spoonful just as my meat-lover’s omelet arrived with fresh spuds and homemade pumpkin nut bread. The omelet was massive, for it was made with six eggs and filled with applewood smoked bacon, crumbled sausage and cheddar cheese. The spuds looked like and had the consistency of kettle-cooked potato chips, which complimented the soft and cheesy omelet. I enjoyed the pumpkin nut bread the most, and the kind server even shoved an extra slice into my take-home box which I didn’t discover until the next day.
If you’re a fan of diners, omelets or both, 50’s diner Omelet House is a must-visit. I’m hoping to become a regular, for it is centrally located in my neighborhood. Moreover, I want to make the owner an offer on some of that vintage vinyl.
50’s Diner Omelet House is located at 3050 E Desert Inn Rd. #140 Las Vegas NV 89121. It is open seven days a week 7:30 am - 3:00 pm. Directions
