Broward Community College - Silver Sands Yearbook (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

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Silver Sands: tick Bowen: 7il ver Sands: lick Bowen: Why not incorporate more local groups in your concerts and production activities? Well, the biggest problem that we have is that there are a number of record companies with whom we deal who would like for one reason or another to have us manage groups that they've already signed to the label. Basically, in the record industry, there's far more talent around than there are managers, backers, supporters. There are many more groups that record companies have signed who are very good and have a lot of talent, but they don't have all of the other things that it takes to make a group happen - like the managers, the money, the gigs, the direction, and the production, and all of those things. The record company can go and put a record out and, by some sort of a freak happening, the thing just takes off. What do you do with the ones that don't take off? Now, you ask why we did not get involved with local groups. Simply because there are enough of these types of groups that have already been signed by the labels that have records out whom we could manage if we wanted to, By virtue of our position with having a lot of concerts, we can put these groups on and get them exposed and therefore, do a good job of promoting the group, promoting the record, and making the whole thing happen. ls the promotion and direction that you people provide more important than the actual talent of the group? Unless it happens to be a fluke, ninety-eight percent of what happens is not generally because of talent, but because of the way it's promoted, the way it'spresented, and the way that it's handled in every manner of speaking. Realistically, from the way the manager of the group has a relationship with the president of the record company, on down. Silver Sands: Rick Bowen: Are the groups that make it the ones who realize this? Pretty much so. l'm not saying that we're in any great power position because we take our product and throw it out there, just like everybody else. But ours has a little better chance than some of the others simply because we're able to expose the groups. And whenever a group starts to happen, we're in a position to make it happen a little faster than the next guy because we're so broad within the concert business itself. That gives us a little headstart, a little bit of an advantage over most others. I mean, right now, if you were to come to me and you were to say, l've got this great new group for you to listen to. They're as good as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, whatever, and I would go out and listen to them and, if in fact they were as good as the Rolling Stones, I would have to consider a number of things before I would say, OK, I want to manage your group. I want to produce your group. I want to take them into a studio and gamble producing a record for them and gamble that I can take it to a company and sell it. All of those things I could do for that group, but I would have to consider some very important things. Basically do I have the time for it? Can I devote the time that's going to be necessary to make this group happen and still maintain the relationships with the groups that I'm already involved in? Would I be slighting them, or is this such a good thing that I should jump right into it and take a chance on it? And my anwver to that would probably be 'no', because even as good as this group may be, their chances of making it are so remote, even with us pushing it, that I probably wouIdn't take it, Unless there were a few other things that were evident there.

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Il Bowen Brings Concerts With A Bong y Photos by Peter Paige Oakland Park Boulevard is saturn with businessmen who operate ougil rented offices and risky dreams. rl of those who has survived 'l hazardous process of finanr! extinction is a 28-year-old conili promoter, Rick Bowen. Bowen, who owns East Coast Concia and produces two hit rock groups, Q recently become an important namn the music industry around the couni Usually glued to the telephone in ig second story office, the promoterl already catapulted a threeman rci group into instant stardom al controls much of the concn presentations in this area. Last November, Silver Sands writ Bill Jacques and photographer Pell Paige spent a considerable amountl time interviewing Bowen both in ali out of his office. He is primarilyil businessman, Jacques tells i loading himself with responsibilit and gambling with incredible su l both financial and psychological Supplementing their office visits w backstage loafing, both Silver San staffers further observed and record the young businessman's activiti Here, they conversed with the play of the financial rock community a sought to understand Bowen's positi within the complicated hierarchy. lt is almost as if Bowen is introvert in a competitive a egotistical world of rock promotio Jacques says. He avoids associati his personal name with his shows, seems less anxious to socially inter with the performers and spectat than other promoters. What follows is a partially edi conversation between Bowen a Jacques. The promoterfprodu discusses the different facets of industry in which he's involved.

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Silver Sands: Rick Bowen: Silver Sands: Flick Bowen: I-'Ili Like wha t? Number one, the group itself has got to just plain and simply have a lot of guts. I mean, they've got to live, eat, breathe, and sleep their music twenty-four hours a day. Theylve got to be willing to eat peanut butter and ketchup sandwiches for the next three years and take a chance. They've got to believe first of all in themselves and their music has to be the most important thing in their lives. They have to forsake their families, their personal wants, needs, and desires. They have to forsake all of that for music. Period. If they're not willing to do that, they're not going to make it in the business, because the competition is too tough to do it any other way. How did you get started with your two Capitol groups, Skylark and Bang? Skylark was already signed to the record company, they already had an album produced. The album was about a month away from release when we took over management of the group. lt's an outstanding group musically and itls an outstanding group performance-wise, but the group has a lot of chemistry problems within itself because there are a lot of great artists in the group. And when you put a lot of great artists in one band, you've got a lot of problems. I don't think an apology has to be made for itg thatls just sort of a fact of life with artists. Bang is a whole different trip exhibited that gutsiness and did an almost overwhelming way initially met them. When we Bang on, they didn t have a r deal or anything. I was doing a Stewart and Faces, Deep Purple Matthews Southern Comfort co at the Orlando Sports Stadium to the building very early in morning and I no sooner walked the office than these three kids walking into the office and Look, we re Bang. We Philadelphia. We drove all the down here and we want to pla this concert you re prom tonight I said, Well, you know, I have of people who would like to pla our concerts, but its impossible realize that. We already have groups on the show and they thi fool with you guys, you know split They said, Listen, man, we d fifteen hundred miles and we down here and we re just the band around and we want to pla that concert. Now, the least you do is let us audition for you out h You re already here They said, Alright, come out in minutes I went out into the arena and they a great big concert sound system had all their own equipment, a trailor that they carried all their in. They were all set up, ready to I heard them playg they played kind of music I like, raunchy gutty, hard rock stuff. They see to me to have a lot of potential was there to be developed wanted to make it more than other group of musicians that I laid my eyes on. I mean, they nothing for granted. They want make it in the worst way I I ,I I Il I I re I l I ll II N Il I -l sold out. I really don't have tim ll - I l ll . I ll so, I said, ok, i'li listen to I I ll ll ll l l. 'I