No Big Deal Uncovered: Making The Switch From Cover Band To Original

By Bob Payne

Photo by Andrea Waters

No Big Deal is a local Chattanooga band that may be on its way to becoming a big deal. Known for many years as a tight cover band, leader Dennis Massengale wanted more. He knew that a festival with over 500,000 in attendance could be his springboard. But, like most festivals, there were hundreds of bands competing for the paid slots at Riverbend. It would take originality and “thinking outside the box” to win over the fans.

Massengale secured his position at Riverbend by doing just that. In order to entice the Riverbend artist selection committee in to picking No Big Deal, he added a caveat – The Chattanooga Boys Choir would accompany the band on four songs in its 75-minute set. It was just the type of thing to land him one of the coveted positions. Riverbend knew that bringing 25 10-to-14-year-olds onstage would be an interesting angle and most likely result in a couple extra tickets being sold to the young men’s parents, siblings, grandparents and friends.

Next, Massengale went to the studio and recorded a CD with all original tunes he had written during his 30 years in the music business. The next part was timing, luck, and readying himself to pounce when opportunity came knocking. Public Broadcasting had aired a special in 2007, called The Road to Riverbend. It received an Emmy nomination and won several awards. In 2008, Video Performance Systems decided to produce The Road 2 Riverbend, a follow-up to the highly acclaimed 2007 show. In it, they would follow three bands and chronicle their road to the Riverbend Festival. Massengale volunteered his band and was shadowed by a professional film crew for

several weeks prior to the festival.

The award-winning crew filmed the band at gigs, in the studio and at practice. No Big Deal was rewarded with a slot on the second main stage right before Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad). The video production company was so impressed with No Big Deal that it ran the CD through its production facility so the band was able to have it for the festival. To top it off, a sales tent touting the new Road 2 Riverbend DVD was placed right in front of the main stage at the entrance to Riverbend. Naturally Massengale was there with his own CDs to sell. And sell they did. Many artists come to a festival hoping to sell 50-100 CDs. Massengale came with an initial stock of 1,000. For you artists without a calculator, that translates to an extra $10,000 in revenue! He also sold T-shirts and did rather well on that front, as well.

By thinking outside the box, you can get yourself into these festivals. Many of the larger festivals are starting their selection process right now for next year. Get your media kit done and send it to the festival officials early. Follow-up. Make an appointment to go see the people who select artists. Develop an angle that will set you apart from the other artists. Contact local radio stations and try to set up an on-air interview or to play cuts of your music. Don’t get discouraged if a few stations turn you down. Most large festivals are sponsored in part by radio stations. Be sure and go to those. If you know a popular regional or national artist personally, ask them for a favor in assisting you with your quest. Do a “meet and greet” at a local restaurant before the festival. Have your CDs ready and find an interesting way to market them. T-shirts are always a seller as well. It is possible to turn a $500 gig into a show that brings in thousands of dollars.

www.nobigdealband.com