Davit Souders, Curley's, IKON 2.0, & The Hive

Oklahoma's underground music scene had some legendary venues, and this one went through several changes.

May 11, 2006.

The Hive.

But before it was The Hive, it was Curley's.

Then Davit Souders took over and turned it into IKON 2.0.

That did not last long.

Maybe six to nine months.

Then it became The Hive.

The guys remember how Davit tried to bring back the magic of the original IKON, booking industrial acts and underground bands.

But something was different.

The original IKON was a smaller room, several blocks away.

IKON 2.0 was huge.

And as the guys explain, you do not book up-and-coming underground bands in a massive room.

You put them in a smaller club where the crowd and energy fit.

Davit also worked closely with Larry Schaefer, who helped provide a place for shows that were too big for IKON.

After IKON closed, Davit continued working with Larry at The Caves.

And according to the guys, Davit is still involved in the music business today.

Curley's.

IKON 2.0.

The Hive.

Different names, different eras, and another piece of Oklahoma concert history worth remembering.

#HeresTheDealPodcast #DavitSouders #Curleys #IKON #IKON2 #TheHive #LarrySchaefer #TheCaves #TulsaMusicHistory #OklahomaMusicHistory #UndergroundMusic #IndustrialMusic #ConcertHistory #LiveMusicStories #MusicVenues #RockHistory #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

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Ever wonder where the money goes when you buy a VIP concert experience?

The guys break down the business behind meet and greets, VIP packages, and all that exclusive concert merchandise.

According to Max, VIP experiences are often handled by a completely separate company.

Not the venue.

Not the band's booking agent.

And not necessarily the same people handling regular concert merchandise.

But here is the catch.

You still need a concert ticket to participate.

So first, you buy your ticket.

Then you pay extra for the VIP experience.

And once you are in, you have to follow the rules.

Many VIP packages also come with special swag bags.

Tour shirts.

Posters.

Bandanas.

Exclusive merchandise.

Sometimes even coupons to use at the merch booth.

And that creates another interesting problem.

If you already received a free T-shirt with your VIP package, are you really going to buy another one at the show?

That is where VIP packages and regular merchandise sales start affecting each other.

Different companies.

Different revenue streams.

And a whole lot more business behind your concert experience than most fans realize.

#HeresTheDealPodcast #VIPExperience #ConcertVIP #MeetAndGreet #VIPPackages #ConcertMerch #BandMerch #MusicBusiness #ConcertProduction #TourLife #MusicIndustry #BackstageStories #ConcertStories #LiveMusicBusiness #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

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Some songs are so good they just keep winning.

And apparently, Guns N’ Roses had one of those songs.

The guys remember when “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was so popular that it kept winning a radio countdown or competition week after week.

Eventually, someone decided it had won enough times and needed to be retired.

But not everybody was happy about that.

Who retires a song like “Sweet Child O’ Mine”?

The memory goes all the way back to hearing Appetite for Destruction for the first time.

When “Sweet Child O’ Mine” started playing, the reaction was immediate.

The headphones came off.

And the words were simple.

“This is the best song ever, ever, ever.”

So when the song got retired from the competition, it felt completely wrong.

But looking back, having your song retired because it won too many times is actually a pretty incredible honor.

Guns N’ Roses.

Appetite for Destruction.

“Sweet Child O’ Mine.”

Some songs are just too good to compete with.

#HeresTheDealPodcast #GunsNRoses #GNR #SweetChildOMine #AppetiteForDestruction #AxlRose #Slash #texashippiecoalition #bigdaddyritch #thcofficial #DuffMcKagan #ClassicRock #HardRock #80sRock #RockHistory #MusicHistory #RockRadio #ConcertStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

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Some concert lineups look completely different when you look back years later.

The guys revisit a bill featuring Trapt, Shinedown, Halestorm, and MercyFall.

Back then, Shinedown and Halestorm were still working their way up.

Now Shinedown is playing arenas, and Halestorm has become a major name in rock.

Things have definitely changed.

Then the conversation jumps to May 10, 2006.

Ministry, Revolting Cocks, and Spiderbaby at Cain’s Ballroom.

And according to Jay, it may have been the loudest concert he ever attended.

Ministry was so loud that he ended up standing outside on the sidewalk at Cain’s.

That is some serious volume.

From watching future arena bands work their way up to Ministry practically shaking the walls at Cain’s, these are the shows that made Oklahoma's rock scene unforgettable.

#HeresTheDealPodcast #Shinedown #Halestorm #Ministry #Trapt #MercyFall #RevoltingCocks #Spiderbaby #CainsBallroom #IndustrialMetal #HardRock #ConcertStories #RockHistory #OKCMusicHistory #TulsaMusic #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

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August 3, 2003.

Trainwreck played VZD’s.

And for anyone who does not know, Trainwreck was basically Kyle Gass’ project outside of Tenacious D.

That alone makes this one a cool little Oklahoma concert story.

The guys talk about how Kyle probably would not have known where VZD’s even was if he had not already been connected through the Tenacious D world.

Max was the promoter rep for the show and went with him.

He says he refreshed Kyle’s memory about the place, and that connection is part of why the show happened there.

VZD’s was not some massive arena.

It was one of those rooms with character.

The kind of room where a show like Trainwreck made sense.

Kyle Gass came through.

Trainwreck played.

And apparently, he liked it enough to come back more than once.

Two or three times, according to the story.

That is the kind of small-room concert history people forget about until somebody brings up the flyer.

Kyle Gass.

Trainwreck.

VZD’s.

A Tenacious D connection.

And another Oklahoma show with a story behind it.

#HeresTheDealPodcast #KyleGass #Trainwreck #TenaciousD #VZDs #OklahomaConcerts #OKCMusicHistory #ConcertStories #SmallVenueStories #RockAndRollStories #LiveMusicStories #BackstageStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

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The Trustkill Takeover Tour came through with a packed bill.

Bullet For My Valentine.

Walls of Jericho.

Roses Are Red.

And Forté added to the show.

Tickets were $10 in advance and $12 day of show.

The room was packed.

But the best story happened when Bullet For My Valentine got hungry.

Max had given them a per diem instead of fulfilling a full rider, so they needed a ride to go eat.

The radio station vehicle was not a van.

It was an old 1970s bread truck.

No air conditioning.

No seats except the driver’s seat.

Everybody else had to stand.

Jay was driving slow because the thing rode rough as hell.

Then one of the guys said, “Can you at least make it interesting, mate?”

So Jay hit the gas and yanked the wheel.

They immediately changed their mind.

“We’re kidding, we’re kidding.”

Bullet For My Valentine.

A packed Trustkill show.

A per diem.

And one wild ride in an old bread truck.

#HeresTheDealPodcast #BulletForMyValentine #BFMV #TrustkillRecords #TrustkillTakeoverTour #WallsOfJericho #RosesAreRed #Forte #TourStories #RadioStationStories #BreadTruck #ConcertStories #BackstageStories #Metalcore #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

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Most concertgoers do not realize how merch really works.

A band does not just show up, carry in boxes, set up a table, and keep every dollar.

There is a whole business side behind it.

Merch sales still involve state and local sales tax.

It is not just cash changing hands.

Somebody is responsible for paying that tax, whether it is the artist or the venue.

Then there is the financial split.

That is where the hot topic comes in.

Venues or promoters taking a percentage of merch sales has become a big conversation with fans online.

But not everything is treated the same.

CDs, DVDs, vinyl, meet and greets, and VIP experiences can be separate from regular merch.

Those may go straight to the band or be handled as a different business piece.

So when fans buy a shirt at a show, there is more going on behind that table than most people think.

Taxes.

Splits.

Venue agreements.

Tour deals.

And a whole lot of business behind the madness.

#HeresTheDealPodcast #MerchSales #BandMerch #ConcertMerch #MusicBusiness #TourLife #ConcertProduction #VenueLife #PromoterLife #LiveMusicBusiness #BackstageStories #ConcertStories #MusicIndustry #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

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Lollapalooza 1992 at Starplex.

Ministry hits the stage, and Max tells Jeff they are going down front.

Right into the pit.

By the time they get close to Al Jourgensen, everything is already coming apart.

People are ripping rows of seat cushions and chairs loose from the cement and passing them over the crowd.

The pit is chaos.

Bodies moving everywhere.

Bones flying from the stage.

Ministry doing what Ministry did in 1992.

Then a kid comes up beside Jeff and asks him if he can knock them around some.

Jeff is 6'4.

This kid is maybe five-foot-nothing.

So Jeff gives him the old shiver with the elbow, and the kid drops.

Then he pops right back up, high-fives him, turns to his buddy and says, “This guy’ll knock you on your ass.”

That is a very specific kind of Lollapalooza memory.

Ministry at Starplex.

Seats getting ripped out.

A pit full of madness.

And one kid who just wanted the full experience.

#HeresTheDealPodcast #Lollapalooza #Lollapalooza92 #Ministry #AlJourgensen #Starplex #MoshPit #IndustrialMetal #ConcertStories #90sConcerts #RockHistory #LiveMusicStories #BackstageStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

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Here’s The Deal Podcast Website
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Buy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables
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