Donkey Show Dispatch #1
All according to plan
How was everyone’s 4/20?
If you’re like me, you might have spent yours at the last Donkey Show.
If you’re new to the Donkey Show, well, that’s only an informal name for it (for now). I use it to refer to the monthly all ages shows that I put on at Five Iron Golf in Capitol Hill.
That’s right. The video golf arcade that is co-owned by Macklemore.
(By the way, in case anyone happens to be in touch with him, tell him he’s welcome to reach out. I’d happily consider booking him for an opening slot if the right bill came together.)
I’m going to try to write one of these after each show.
These shows are a little different than most others in Seattle, and not just because of their unlikely location, and not just because they’re open to all ages.
For one thing, neither Macklemore nor his golf bar take a cut of the door. So everything each show makes goes straight to the performers - I don’t even take a cut unless I’m playing. Call me bad at business - you wouldn’t be the first - but Macklemore trusts me to operate these shows on my own principles, and is really just happy that we’re there.
(I have to come clean - I’m not in contact with Macklemore. I’m not aware of any direct involvement in the business on his part outside of I think being part owner of the building itself. But whether he knows it or not, he is a huge part of why all of this is even possible. Which is extremely horizontal and cool of him, and much appreciated by me. It’s also pretty funny to me to keep using his name like this, but if anyone has it on good authority that it bugs him, I’ll stop.)
But beyond the money situation, it feels to me like this whole thing is kind of an organizational experiment. 5 Iron Golf is a nationwide chain of locations, but they aren’t putting on shows like this in other cities (at least, not yet). As it turns out, the manager of the Capitol Hill location Mike, who’s the guy I actually interface with, is just that good at his job that the higher-ups are basically taking a chance on letting him try some new things. And the first thing he wanted to do with this new freedom?
Throw shows for punk freaks like us. Isn’t that beautiful?
Look, I don’t take it lightly that I’m kinda throwing in my lot with a business like this. As a look, it’d be fair to say it’s a little hit or miss.
You just gotta take my word for it - they’re for real. Like, they don’t ask me how much I make at the door, they don’t have security hovering over the kids on the dancefloor, they don’t even tell us to turn the music down. They even give the artists drink tickets for God’s sake - and it’s not like they charge me rent either. Other than the promise of a thicker Saturday night crowd, the only thing that’s really in this for them at this point is the chance to be active participants in the existing rhythms of the neighborhood.
And probably the most beautiful thing of all that I’m discovering thru this: that excitement to be a part of something is actually a powerful motivator to try new things.
“I just had to see what a show at the golf bar would be like” - that’s just the start. When I talk to the neighbors passing by the door out front while a show is going on, they are uniformly thrilled.
Yes! It’s so weird! I love it! It’s like I remember when…
And hell, just ask anyone who’s been to one of these, they’re a ton of fun. I throw good shows; if you’re subscribed to this newsletter then you probably already know that. I get to bring my horny open mic MC persona to the DIY music world. And I get to bring my weirdo DIY friends together from all over the musical map of this town, sharing the same, uh, turf.
Take last Saturday. We opened the show with rising local hardcore stars Hate Knife, followed that with a country-rock hootenanny from Carl Christensen & the Lake Flora Band, then there was some chamber pop or something from some bitch I guess, I don't really know, and finally a breakneck ska sprint from local legends Los Ocupados. Most people I suppose wouldn’t guess this about me, but nothing power-washes my soul like a razor sharp ska show. My heart was so full.
And I’m hoping that fullness in my heart means something to you, because the next Donkey Show is going to be a very special one:
So, do you recognize any of these bands? If you’re already subscribed to this newsletter by the time you read this post, there’s a chance you do, but if you don’t, do me a favor and gaze into the fullness of my heart for a second here.
Your dearly beloved host, your Mistress Mira Tsarina, lovingly curates each Donkey Show by hand. These three bands in particular are very important to me, because they represent how the Donkey Show dovetails with the weekly open mic I host at Darrell's Tavern in Shoreline. Which is to say, the grandiose-yet-still-modest political program that underlies everything I do: NEIGHBORCORE.
To put it in less high-flown terms, all the bands on this bill (so far) are ones that I met thru the open mic. As in, I saw them play, and they impressed me so much that I wanted to give them a show. The Passion Racket - whose leader Tyler provided the psychedelic flyer you see above - formed directly out of our pool of regulars. To me, this means two main things:
If you’re not sold on this show based on the flyer alone, you’ve got several opportunities to scope the bands out at open mic itself. Open Mic at Darrell’s is held every Wednesday night, rain or shine, with signups starting at 7:30pm and the music beginning around 8. The show is always free, and if you’re a musician yourself, we provide a full backline (including my own personal guitar), so if you like, you can come in emptyhanded and undecided and still have a great time. You can also check out the Instagram account I linked above to see some archived highlights - the most recent reel featuring Whisperite recently passed 500 views, a first for anything posted to our page.
This is a chance for you to see something completely new. Unlikely bands, unlikely location, unlikely amenities - and 100% of what you pay at the door goes straight to the artists. No other show series gives you the opportunity to support emerging local artists so directly while being drunk in the gayborhood at the same time.
Look at that, spell check didn’t flag the word “gayborhood.” Nature is healing.
This post is starting to look a little long, so I’ll wind it down here. Hopefully I’ve sold you on the concept on the Donkey Show, and maybe persuaded you to check out open mic at Darrell’s as well. I’ll attach a flyer to the bottom of this post just for good measure.
THAT SAID - one more thing. Indoor Donkey is, at present, entirely volunteer-run - that is, our volunteer staff so far consists of myself, everyone on the clock at the bar during the show, and whomever among the bands has a free hand at any given time. This works well enough, but I could use a lot more help.
Unfortunately, for now at least, any help I ask for would have to be offered on a strictly voluntary basis - hopefully this can change relatively soon. (Obviously if you work on the show, there will be no question that admission is free, and I’ll see if I can get you a drink ticket. I will also trade merch for work.) But if you’re still interested in participating, here are a couple things I could use some help with on these shows:
Street team. Five Iron Golf is kind enough to have some full size flyers professionally printed for each show, but it’s been up to me to retrieve and hang them up around town, which I am currently not available enough to do consistently. A few people to hang flyers around town could make a huge difference to growing these shows.
Door help. Our last show broke our attendance record less than half an hour in, but the door take overall was down around 25%. This is mainly because I was trying to work the door and run the show (including live sound mixing) at the same time, which many have pointed out to me is absurd. If one or two people can watch the door, collect the cover and check IDs for wristbands, it would provide exponential benefits to myself, and even moreso to the artists.
Sourcing gear. I’ve been backlining the shows with my own gear, with help from the artists where possible, but my setup is pretty barebones and could use some improvement. The main priority right now is stage monitors for the musicians. If you have or know of a cheap or donated set of stage monitors, it would make a big difference to our artists.
Live recording. I would love to start collecting highlights from these shows and compiling them for release, but I lack expertise in getting good live recordings and don’t usually have the bandwidth to administer recordings while running the show. If you’re into live recording and up for a bit of a challenge, get in touch.
Visual art. We have a whole projector screen upon which we can play literally whatever we want. If you do video art or anything like that we would love some help in giving the nights a visual identity. If you’re a visual artist in any medium looking to contribute to the show and earn yourself an opportunity for further exposure, reach out!
Anything else? The format of these shows is totally open-ended. There is much more to the local arts community than just music. Maybe you print a zine, maybe you sell handmade crafts, art prints, caricatures, maybe you juggle? I don’t know man. I’ll consider any offer to help these shows stand out. I’m trying to do something really different here.
Finally, spread the word. If you’ve seen a Donkey Show, if you’re thinking about seeing it, if your friend is playing or even if you were just at the bar and stumbled upon us - talk about it! Nothing gets the neighbors out to the gig like word of mouth.
FOR ALL INQUIRIES PERTAINING TO THE DONKEY SHOW, INCLUDING BOOKING, REACH OUT TO INDOORDONKEY@GMAIL.COM OR ON INSTAGRAM AT @INDOOR_DONKEY.
Thanks for reading. If you’ve made it this far, you might be interested in some of the non-animal husbandry-related Mira shows as well:
iffin is playing at The Crypt in Olympia, WA this Friday, April 26th as a part of the city’s annual Art Walk. The show will take place on the patio and start early. We are joined by local friends jonny's boy band and jack jay & friends. $10 NOTAFLOF, 21+, 6:30 doors (early show!)
iffin will also be releasing a new EP, titled HOMAGE TO CATATONIA (PICARO TWO), on May Day, 2024. The first single is available for streaming exclusively on Bandcamp, but you should yell at Audioasis on KEXP to play it on their show, because that would be funny to me. (Don’t actually yell at them, they’re all really nice over there and have been good to me. But I can only request myself so many times before it starts to feel kind of sad.)
Rat Paws will be playing at Darrell's Tavern in Shoreline, WA this Saturday, April 27th with Double or Muffin, Dunzo Lesco and Sun Tunnels. $10 at the door, 21+, 8pm doors.
I have more to say but I’ll cap it here - I think the abundance of material for this newsletter is a sign. I’ll see you at the next show.
Donkey Shine,
Miss Mira