Prog Spring
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He pooled resources with a handful of fellow prog fans to present Present with an acceptable figure, and, after getting no response from the Empty Bottle, his first venue choice, he persuaded Ray Quinn, who owns Martyrs’, to host the show. “The turnout was decent considering that there was a Bulls playoff game that night,” says Eisenberg. “We had about 60 people. I really enjoyed myself too.” His next show grew out of the first: the drummer in Present, it turned out, was friendly with Chris Cutler, who was drumming for singer-songwriter Peter Blegvad, formerly of prog behemoth Henry Cow. Blegvad was coming through in September; would Eisenberg like to put on that show as well?
But though Eisenberg was happy to help, he didn’t get serious about booking until November, when his marriage of five years ended in divorce. This year so far he’s already booked or helped present six shows–all at Martyrs’–and coined a name, Outre Music, for the operation. “I do have more spare time now,” he says. “When I was married I probably wouldn’t have been able to do this. I’m channeling a lot of energy into this when I could have just been wallowing in my divorce or bad days at work.” Or putting a down payment on a Miata.
Eisenberg is helping Quinn promote his shows as coproductions of Outre Music, but when he books a show himself, he’s still the one fronting all the money. Friends pitch in to spread the word with mailings and phone calls, but the Internet is Eisenberg’s most effective tool. “It really links the audience together–and it’s a very fanatical, but geographically scattered group of people,” he says. To get on the Outre Music electronic mailing list, write to Eisenberg at meisenberg@earthlink.net.
