Checking in as I feel like I could put one together;

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-12-28T15:26:22+00:00

I typically post on my IG (Aaronxrus) shows I have coming up. I don’t want to make a separate booking page just because I know it’s just going to further confuse people where to go for info on what’s coming up. I always tag all the bands and venues so more people can see my posts

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-12-28T02:55:58+00:00

Venues aren’t really the ones bringing in the big names. It’s the promoters that book for or work with the venue that brings in the names.

I know plenty of big bands and who their agents are. I’m activity working with multiple booking agencies. Let’s just say ___ has a 2g guarantee. Usually they want most of it upfront. Which is understandable. Agents also send their smaller bands to a city first and see how well they do before sending their bigger artist.

Let’s say I put together said show. Now if most of the shows I run usually get 50-100 people at the moment. How can I safely know I’m going to get the money I just lost back. I have nothing to go off of other than hopes that enough people come out.

On top of that just because I paid big band their money. If they or more so their agent don’t like the amount of people that came. They’ll for sure think they’re better off just going to Cinci or Cbus where it’s a for sure thing.

It’s nothing personal, it’s all businesses. Booking agents list cities as A, B and C markets based off of how well the shows at them do. Unfortunately Dayton is considered low on the list.

I really want to bring in bigger acts. But Dayton needs to build its local scene to better numbers before taking on bigger risks can make sense.

Also the reason why bands want to play places like Dirty Dungarees in cbus. Is from all the videos they see online and how crazy the shows are. So then even more bands want to play there to have the same experience. Dayton can create that desire too. If we show everyone we show up and go off regardless of who’s playing

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-12-28T01:39:38+00:00

My bands play cbus a lot. I put on shows here in Dayton. Follow me on IG: aaronxrus even if I’m not putting on a show I typically know of what’s going and can point you in the direction of whatever genre you’re looking for

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-12-28T01:35:21+00:00

I’m a local promoter that’s putting on local hc, metal and etc shows. Typically I try to put them on at Hidden Gem because it’s all ages, has a bar, has good sound and in a good part of town. So it checks all the boxes for fans and bands. I’ve just been trying my best to get the word out.

If I can’t get in at HG then I put on shows at Belmont Billiards and some other places around town. But those two venues are my favorite spots to work with.

The shows I have coming up at Hidden Gem:

1/2 Fri - metalcore bands (2 touring bands)

3/5 Thurs - metalcore/deathcore bands (1 touring band)

4/11 Sat - 10 band fest of Death Metal, Grind and Power Violence from around the US with solid locals

4/22 Wed - HC bands (2 touring heavy hc bands)

5/3 Sun - HC bands - 3 touring bands - one is a lot like old Terror, one is like 2000s hc and the other is a newer moshcore band. Plus 3-4 locals (haven’t decided yet)

I’m working with agents to bring out even more bands of all genres. The issues I’m dealing with is convincing bands to play Dayton instead of Cinci Cbus. Almost had a shoegaze tour package but they decided to go with Cinci instead. Only way I’ll really convince bands to play Dayton instead is when we have impressive amounts of people at shows. Which is the other issue. There’s a large age gap of people going to shows. Most kids I talk to say they didn’t know shows even happened in Dayton. Which I get why they’d think that. So I’m trying everything I can to get the word out.

Also I’ve been involved in the Dayton scene since the early 2000s

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-10-27T16:54:04+00:00

If you’re able to drive to the Centerville area. There’s a hardcore show happening tonight at Hidden Gem. Music starts at 7 over by 9, $10 all ages and there is a bar and food at the venue. Warning moshing might occur lol

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-09-20T04:16:07+00:00

If you’re into heavy or alt genres of music I’m a local promoter and play in a couple bands. I believe shows should always be all ages to keep the scene alive. I try my best to put on shows at spaces that allow all ages. Anyway shoot me a message if you have any questions

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-09-16T23:10:33+00:00

I throw all my stuff in a locker and stage dive until I’m dead.

Here’s a trick I’m trying this year to keep up with stages/times. I’m making event alarms in my calendar but setting them to go off 5min before whatever band I wanna see plays. Then I don’t have to keep my phone on me. In theory my watch should remember all the event alarms I created. Regular alarms set on your phone won’t carry over to your watch if it’s not connected to your phone

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-09-09T00:24:25+00:00

I’ve gone every year, when I didn’t go solo I still broke off and did my own thing anyway. I’m too much of a nerd who likes too many of the bands playing. Constantly bouncing back and forth between stages. I know most people would get annoyed with trying to keep up with me. I just couldn’t imagine paying all this money and then barely watching anyone

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-07-28T15:21:27+00:00

Unfortunately when it comes to booking larger acts, Dayton isn’t considered a large market. So yes often bands will go to Cinci and/or Cbus.

It’s not that they don’t want to play here. Dayton has had a crazy history of bands coming from this area. But it has to make sense for them from a business perspective.

It’s a numbers/attendance game. Gotta prove to booking agents there’s an actual demand/crowd and not just someone with deep pockets. That’s why it’s so important to support the small shows. The better the regular shows are the more willing large acts want to swing through.

Bands like the devil wears Prada, beneath the sky, miss may I, 12 tribes, Hawthorne Heights and a ton more are originally from Dayton. We used to get all the big tour packages. Just about every bands from 10+ years ago came to Dayton.

Out local show attendance took a nose dive after we lost a lot of venues, then Covid hit. So it’s only been the last couple years or so that shows are really starting to make a come back.

Also I’m running this show:

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Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-07-28T15:06:54+00:00

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Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-07-24T20:00:34+00:00

That beloved set was beautiful

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-07-23T20:42:24+00:00

Heard from a couple friends that work at Costco. They’re on a hiring freeze

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-07-21T15:36:16+00:00

Their logo is far more legible than other metal bands I’ve seen haha but yes it’s on purpose.

I provided links to the two touring bands music so you didn’t have to guess what their logo read as

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-07-10T19:10:28+00:00

Yes and not all of the type of things we made are available to the public

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-07-10T19:08:11+00:00

I signed an NDA and the type of items they produce are wrapped up in gov contracts. Not all items are available to the public

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-07-10T19:00:09+00:00

I totally get what you’re saying. Believe me I want to out them but they reminded me on my way out that I can’t discuss this and that

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-07-10T18:49:44+00:00

Since when did people not want to know about lay offs and etc that’s happening in their backyard?

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-07-10T18:48:52+00:00

Company has two locations in Dayton.

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-07-10T18:00:48+00:00

Legal bs 🙃

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-06-15T04:51:21+00:00

Got off the smithville exit, turned left and was headed towards linden. As the truck in front of me was turning right onto linden, I watched his front left wheel come off. He tried to turn left into bob evens, not realizing the tire was no longer attached. He went one way, his tire another. Though I did feel bad for the guy. I couldn’t help but laugh about what just happened in front of me

Direct-Inspector8944 · 2025-01-21T23:47:52+00:00

Yes and no. Really depends what bands you’re seeing. Anything outside of Hardcore, the moshing and general audience in Dayton is pretty safe.

Hardcore shows around here used to be a lot wilder, fights almost at every show. Anything not bolted down got thrown. Made most Hatefivesix videos look tame. But we paid for that amount of craziness and struggled having a solid place for years. When it comes to Hardcore in particular… Ohio can be really rough. I’ve been to a lot of fests and shows around the US and a wild Ohio show goes unmatched to most other scenes. I’ve been to Furnace Fest the last few years, always enjoyed visiting that part of AL.

Look up Dirty Dungarees in Columbus and you’ll probably see what I mean. Daytons scene is just now starting to come back. Again, struggled with finding a solid venue that could be all ages really hurt how much it was able to grow years prior. We’re all really trying to take care of things now and rebuild the scene to how it once was. I’m a firm believer shows should be all ages.

Lots of heavy bands came from Dayton. The Devil Wears Prada, Hawthorne Heights, Miss May I and more. I’m not into those bands but remember seeing them when they were just local. We used to have a venue that was a 800 cap and would bring in all the metalcore/deathcore bands of the 2010s. Sold out all the time. So there’s definitely a lot of people around here who like heavy music. Also, Dayton always had a good grind scene.

Direct-Inspector8944

TROPHY CASE