Though superstar artists aren’t as affected by the economy’s downslide (just ask AC/DC, which is selling out arenas with $100-plus tickets), independent bands are having a rougher go. After paying for gas, food, beer and condoms, it has to be hard to find enough cash to actually pay band and crew members. The folks behind the “Where’s the Band?” tour have figured out a pretty clever way to (borrowing a phrase from Mike Watt) “jam econo.” Instead of bringing full bands, monster Marshall stacks and a slew of roadies, the songwriters of several Pop/Punk bands have simply piled into one van with their acoustic guitars and maybe a fresh change of underwear or two. The tour — featuring Dustin Kensrue of Thrice, Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids, Chris Conley of Saves The Day and Anthony Raneri of Bayside — comes to The Mad Hatter in Covington on Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. show. Tickets will set you back $12.50 (or $15 if you buy them at the door), but just think of it as a charitable donation. Hey, Pop/Punk songwriters gotta eat, too!
Get venue info, buy tickets and find nearby bars and restaurants here.
This article appears in Jan 21-27, 2009.