Comments on: Lab report 2007-2009: how to run an improvised music club

By: Lab reports 2008–2011: an index – Stet Lab (a space for improvised music in Cork, Ireland)

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:23:13 +0000

[...] Han-earl Park, January 30, 2009: ‘Lab report 2007-2009: how to run an improvised music club’ [...]

By: Lab report 2007-2011: signing-out as curator – Stet Lab (a space for improvised music in Cork, Ireland)

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:50:03 +0000

[...] BTW, some of my observations about running this space around the half-way point of my tenure as curator are at ‘Lab report 2007-2009: how to run an improvised music club’. [...]

By: performance: final Stet Lab as curator – buster & friends’ d’da

performance: final Stet Lab as curator – buster & friends’ d’da — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 06:38:19 +0000

[...] to all who’ve supported the Lab. Here’s hoping the next three years are just as fascinating. [Some thoughts from the midpoint (2009)…] This entry was written by Han-earl Park, posted on January 27, 2011 at 6:32 am, filed under gigs [...]

By: Lab report October 12th 2009: a conversation with Eliza – Stet Lab (a space for improvised music in Cork, Ireland)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:42:50 +0000

[...] already done that elsewhere so no, not [...]

By: Méadhbh B

Méadhbh B — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:39:15 +0000

This is interesting, and insightful, indeed it is not easy to co-ordinate events, especially on a regular basis. I am one of those ‘newcomers’ you spoke of, can I just say that people like me are not to be ‘feared’ or judged or whatever….I merely put it on the (very) long finger to get involved…Personally, I have felt (in my little experience) that these process-centred music events/gatherings are very exposing of oneself, perhaps I am reading into it too much, maybe I should just be more ballsy? I have been playing music for many years (not that that matters..), so have a certain ‘performance’ or ‘composition’ background I have grown accustomed to. I am an avid listener of music, so we can rule out the notion of me being a music-nazi…I went to a sound walk put on by Frakture in Liverpool 3 or 4 years ago, I will always remember it. I am rambling, and looking forward to tonight….perhaps I’ll bring the old fiddle….

By: Han-earl Park

Han-earl Park — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:37:19 +0000

Killick,

Thanks for the kind words and thanks for reading. (My guess is that you’d have a story or two to tell…)

By: Killick Hinds

Killick Hinds — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 04:30:21 +0000

This is one of most thoughtful and though-provoking articles on the topic I’ve yet seen. Thank you so, so much! Cheers from Athens, Georgia.

By: Han-earl Park

Han-earl Park — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:41:18 +0000

I suggest a survey should be drawn up so that we can find out where to focus our efforts from the findings?

Veronica, that’s a great idea. Hint: would you like to draw one up?

By: Veronica Tadman

Veronica Tadman — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:15:07 +0000

This is a valuable and eye-opening insight into how much work goes into Stet Lab.
On the Publicity section of the article: It all boils down to consistancy: we have been getting alot of publicity in the local newspapers and online websites, I agree that it may not be drawing in the majority of punters but if we were to pull the plug on these valuble forms of publicity then people will forget about us – after all we’re not exactly a ‘mainstream’ event. It could just happen that one day a group of friends might be at a loss as what to do one monday and because they have seen regular articles in the press, that they may decide to take a look; it is then a domino affect with a hint of marmite: either love it or hate it but they’ve experienced it and will talk about it cosequently widening out the population that know about Stet Lab.
As for posters, well I think that they work as reminders and have a sub-conscious affect on people.
I had a French guy call in Opus2 before Christmas enquiring about the ‘Saxophone gig’ advertised in our window… it was the Stet Lab poster that he was referring to and he was disappointed that he wouldn’t be in the country to attend ‘the gig.’

If there are worries about publiity, may I suggest a survey should be drawn up so that we can find out where to focus our efforts from the findings?

By: Han-earl Park

Han-earl Park — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:40:20 +0000

Hey Nicki,

What did you mean by ‘bruising’ about the Jan 08 ‘juggernaut’ StetLab?

I didn’t mean much more than the “tug-and-pull I experienced during, and immediately after, the January 2008 Lab”, and that the event didn’t adhere to Stet Lab’s purpose.

As I said, sans mission statement, that was perhaps due to a communications breakdown between myself and Tony, but that event only half-heartedly encouraged newcomers to play (despite delegated the curatorial duties to Tony, it was I who had to run around trying to engage people to perform), nor was there much pro-active interaction between old-timers and new.

My feeling was that the old-timers were there to perform with each other, and any engagement with the newcomers was, at best, an afterthought. Stet Lab isn’t supposed to be an “exclusive space for performers and practices already catered for by existing clubs, venues, festivals and concert series”. (Besides, although I consider myself a club-runner by necessity, I have no interest in being a promoter for someone else’s music.)

Additionally, and I don’t know if these comments were recorded in the Cork Music Collective minutes, that was also the point at which Stet Lab became something a little ‘scary’ to other members of the collective. After all, the January ’08 Lab—its participants, its audience—didn’t exactly give David Backhouse, who performed after it, a wonderful time (or a fair chance).

In my opinion rookies who might be interested in improv are put off by students due to their own fragile egos…

Wonder what the solution might be…

You don’t mention the change of day from Thursday to Monday….

Necessity is the mother of invention. We could get a venue for free on Mondays

Thanks for the questions and comments!