PARADISE ROCK CLUB | OCTOBER 8, 2017

PART 1: IS THIS REAL?

Brian Scully (singer): From 2012 to 2017, we must have opened 60+ shows for legit acts from Nashville. The basic premise was that we were doing it for exposure. And, it's super cool to tell people you are opening for people on the radio. But the reality is that most of those shows, the opening artist is kept very separate from the main acts. Other bands would always ask for photos to post with the headliners, but most of those were taking place at meet-and-greets with other fans. It just felt weird to me. There were a few notable exceptions. Eric Paslay was super cool to us and took the time to talk about songwriting with me. And the guys from Eli Young Band have always been gracious pros. But, by the end of it, we were opening for new Nashville acts and selling tickets without seeing any money. We started to believe that a lot of the industry was pretty fake.

Around the same time, we had built up this residency at The Bell in Hand that had just kind of gone wild. Every Thursday night, the line was literally all the way down the street to get in. The folks at Bell have been great to us from Day 1. But there were nights where we were starting to believe that what we were doing might work in bigger venues.

Kate Scully (songwriter, business): We had to know if this was real. We were of the mindset that we needed to push hard. If we failed, then at least we would know. So, we decided to try to kill the band.

Scully: (Laughs)  Yup. Looking back, I think we were a little delusional. For better or worse -- mostly worse -- we never wanted to be one of those groups that bragged about stuff that wasn't real just to justify telling people around you that you were in a successful band. But, yeah, deciding to kill the band, at that stage, kind of takes my breath away when I think of it now.

Kate: We believed in the music and in Scully’s voice, but it is really hard to know if what you have created is enough or will be enough to be successful. We had seen the fanbase grow and we were at the point where we would have major regrets if we did not give music a real try. This was a pivotal time because we still had the voices of doubters in our heads, but ultimately the fear of regret overpowered everything else and this realization became a bedrock for our decision-making going forward.

Scully: There were some signs that our community was driving something that was valuable. You literally never knew who would show up at the Bell. And then record labels began doing record release parties directly before our Thursday night shows. I remember getting a call that Kenny Chesney was doing his record release upstairs before our show and they wanted to borrow a mic. We ran out to Guitar Center to buy a wireless one with $600 we definitey didn't actually have. Then we showed up one week and Brothers Osborne had brought in an entire sound system to promote their first record before the show.

Kate: Over and over again famous people seemed to show up and we were like this is it and then nothing would come of it. Time and again we would open for an established band, sell a bunch of tickets, and get zero credit.

Scully: Our superpower is the community. I talk to a lot of people at shows and a constant theme is that people appreciate that we've stuck to our roots. I don't think anyone realizes that the only reason we can do this is because of the community. That's what separates us from other bands.

PART 2: RENTING THE 'DISE

Scully: We had done some work with Crossroads: Presents over the years, probably a half dozen shows at the House Blues around Fenway concerts and a six-month late night residency at Brighton Music Hall. No one would book us as headliners, because we didn't have that kind of pull since all our shows were sort of underground at mainstream bars, which was very non-standard. But, we convinced the team over there to let us rent the Paradise.

Kate: After finally making the decision to go for it, we had to face another fear. We were deeply afraid of hanging around longer than the market wanted us there. We wanted to be the first ones to know when it was over or when we hit the wall and stopped growing.

Scully: I went to BU and it was always a dream of mine to play the Paradise. We had gotten to do two or three opening slots there. Back in my old band, we had a residency at the Paradise Lounge. But, to me, success in Boston was being able to headline the Paradise. We agreed to something like $4,000, with half up front. At the time, we didn't have the half, nevermind the full $4,000.  [Note: the booking agent the band rented the Paradise from is now the booking agent for Leader Bank Pavilion]

Brendan Kelly (management): It was the first of many times that I learned about what Scully & Kate called "Kill the Band" moments. Essentially, the thinking was, and is, that we think we might have something here, but we have to test it. All along, there's been a feeling inside the team that this is real, but you never really know how real it is. Do lines down the block to hear Scully play at a bar in Southie equate to people actually paying money to see the full band on stage at a legitimate and legendary venue? Let's find out.

If it doesn't, then we know that the time, energy, and money that we're putting into this probably isn't worth it--it's just not sustainable. It was a kind of "put up or shut up" moment, one that we've since replicated many times. If that show hadn't worked, everybody's lives would be different.

Scully: Yeah, if it hadn't worked, we would have walked away.

Kate: Yup. It is funny how many people think Scully is bluffing when he says stuff like this. He is not.

Scully: Which brings us to the pizza.

PART 3: PIZZA AND A BEER

Scully: The fact that the pizza and beer stunt's effectiveness is still up for debate blows my mind.

Brendan: [Laughs] Scully would probably say it was worth it. I wouldn't. But it's a very Dalton thing to do: to have the confidence to rent out the Paradise but also the insecurity of not knowing if anyone was going to actually come. So, it was like, "If you come, I'll give you pizza!" Like a little kid trying to get his friends to come over. We don't have to do that anymore, but Scully still does stuff like that, anyway. It's not just a moment in Dalton lore but kind of emblematic of the whole Dalton ethos.

Scully: The premise was that the first 200 people to buy tickets would get an exclusive pre-party where the band would buy your first beer and provide T. Anthony's pizza. They also were the only ones allowed upstairs at the 'Dise.

Kate: I mean, I wasn't talking him out of the pizza. None of us were.

Scully: I learned a lesson early on about building momentum for a show that is somewhat paradoxical. You absolutely need a core group of people to buy right away to kind of seed the audience. But, the amount of people that you need is actually quite small. Beyond that, even getting a small group of people to take action is super difficult. So, having something to drive the first sales is crucial. We've come up with all sorts of ways to drive these early sales throughout the years, but my favorite is still pizza and beer.

Kate: One other consideration was that we had no standing in the industry. So, we needed to put some tickets down right away. We also came up with a policy of being the easiest band to work with. And also, buy the staff pizza. It goes a long way.

Scully: I stand by that we don't get there without the pizza. Also, it was one of the great stories that -- despite warnings -- we sold the club out of Bud Light before we took the stage, which has become our Wet Bandits-like calling card. Like, no, really, you do not have enough beer. By the end of the night people were holding the weirdest beer brands in their hands. I'm pretty sure I saw like Schlitz from the 70s. It was whatever was left in the cooler.

PART 4: HALF-SOLD

Scully: The night before the show, we had only sold half the tickets. The way these shows work is that we make most of our money off the last 25% of ticket sales after all the costs had been covered. We hadn't quite met the second half of the rental fee, so I showed up to the club with blank check to cover the rest of it.

Kate: It was stressful. We really believed that the risk was worth it or more importantly to our sanity was that we just had to know where we stood. We wanted numbers. But, the numbers the night before the show were not great. It was like Field of Dreams kind of believing.

Brendan: [Getting there and] seeing the name on the marquee was wild. I remember taking a picture of it because it felt so cool, and it was both, like, "I can't believe this is happening" and also, "I don't know if this is ever going to happen again." And then, during "You Ain't Her" when everybody shouted "2,3,4." Even more than the sell out, I think it was then that I was like, "we might really have something here."

Jay Tagg (guitarist and owner of Matt's Music): I had heard or seen the band name around a few times and I believe at some point I had seen a flyer or post online about Dalton at the Paradise and thought it was pretty wild. By this time it was probably 2016 or so and I had been playing in Boston in different bands for 20 years. Playing the Paradise in a local band was typically only if you were on an opening slot or something. Seeing a local Boston band headline it was pretty cool because for the most part, that just didn’t happen. That’s where I probably started being like… well hey what’s going on here?

Dennis Walsh (bassist): The first time I saw Scully play was after watching football with Jay at the Playwright when Jay mentioned, “That guy buys strings at my store!”. I weirdly vividly remember that day. The Panthers had just doinked a big game winning field goal off the uprights against the Raiders and I was pissed. Two songs in, I’d completely forgotten about the game and was impressed and enjoying these booming acoustic tunes….cheaper than therapy as they say. Before I knew it so many people had come through the door for the singalong that I couldn’t even see the stage anymore. I was like…what have I been missing? Fast forward a bit to getting word that Scully had asked our band to open for them at the Paradise. I was so confused. Jay and I had sure played our fair share of Boston shows and around the country but HEADLINE the Paradise?! Their name was on the marquee! That was completely new territory to us and probably the first time I can say I was introduced to the power of the songs and more importantly the size and personality of the fan base they had built. While the place was rocking and sang every word, it felt less like a “show” and more like a 3 hour party that I was lucky to get invited to because I knew someone. I know the words now, but still feel that way from stage.

Bryce Brashears (production and sound): It was kind of a WTF moment. Like, why is this band from the cover circuit, headlining the 'Dise. I didn't know I'd end up driving across the country with them. We did it in three days and on the fourth day, we slept.

PART 5: VICTORY

Scully: I was on stage getting ready for soundcheck when I got a text from Joe Dunne. It was something like, "Congrats on the ticket sales. Gonna be a great evening!" I had no idea. I was expecting a half full house and sort of preparing myself to move on. We had hit over 750 tickets by 3PM. They were all gone by showtime. When I stepped onto the stage, seeing the crowd, it was fucking electric. All my heroes had played here. And we built this thing that wasn't supposed to be possible. I felt like every person in the room knew that they were part of something really special. It felt like everyone was a part of the win.

Kate: Looking down from the top balcony and seeing fans cover the entire floor with their arms in the air was magical. These were people that had seen Scully in bars and it felt like they were proud to see him on that stage. This was a legit venue. People bought tickets and had to arrange transportation to get there. It just felt like a celebration. Everyone was so fired up. It was this shared experience and everyone knew what to expect and how to sing along. This was the first glimpse of the Dalton community that is still thriving today. They sing. They dance. They drink. They hug their friends. They feel alive and spread joy. And they root for Dalton.

Tim Davenport (management): I was still just a fan at that point. But those Paradise shows were three hours of non-stop rock music. The shows were always LOUD, in a good way. It was the first time I saw the band on a real stage with concert-grade sound system. It just hit differently. Whether it was an original or a cover, they played it like they wrote it and always had an authentic Scully spin on it. Generally, it felt like the band belonged on stages like that.

Kate: During the show, I was very present and I was very proud. I guess I felt relieved and validated. We had siblings, parents, and friends show up for us that night and it felt good that I did not have to explain one thing about the band. It was clear to see that we had built something special. Everyone could experience the joy and energy for themselves. It would have been too hard to explain anyways. There is a section up top that is closed off from the crowd and I got to watch my three kids dance around and sing along with their dad. We did it.

Scully: There's this scene in my favorite movie, Almost Famous, where William Miller is leaving the first concert he covers and he just has this shit-eating grin on his face and he's saying goodbye to all the rock stars and support staff at the end of the night. That was me. Giant smile, thanking everyone. I felt so happy and thankful for this opportunity.

Brendan: I distinctly remember thinking, "well, I guess we're not going to kill the band yet."

Scully: To be fair, we've tried again a couple of times. But, man, what a win. If people don't show, it was curtains. We may never fit into the music industry. But that's also probably why we still get to do this. Luckier by half, for sure.