On July 25 I had the opportunity to attend my very first Rock Band Jam Session at The Ferret & Firkin, a pub located in downtown Toronto. The event, hosted by semisolidmedia founder Eric Brazier, is a monthly gathering of Rock Band video game fanatics that want a fresh, modern alternative to your traditional karaoke night.
Before the jam session began, my colleague at NextGen Player, Alice Stancu, and I were invited to interview the creative mind driving this exciting event. Alice conducted the interview while I, being the budding videographer, agreed to work the camera. We probed Eric to find out his motivation behind launching this daring initiative, and to gain a little insight into what exactly a Rock Band Jam Session was all about.
After the interview we were invited to stay for the evening and experience the event for ourselves. Needless to say, we happily obliged and were not disappointed. I've been a huge fan of karaoke ever since I dabbled in it during my university years, so this natural evolution of the pastime was more than welcome. Ever since the video game arcade scene died down I've been looking for an excuse to get out and play some games in a public setting. Fusing the wildly popular Rock Band game and the local pub scene truly seems like a win-win match.
To set the stage, picture your traditional karaoke night where you have a main centre platform for the adventurous type that want to show off their vocal skills (or lack thereof). Add a drum kit, lead guitar and bass guitar and you have a good idea of what the set-up looks like. As a backdrop, there was a large pull-down projector screen that displayed the on-screen Rock Band action for all the onlookers to gaze at during the music sets.
Submitting a song is easy, each seating area contains a binder listing all the Rock Band tracks semisolidmedia has or disc or has downloaded (and trust me, there are hundreds), then on a slip of paper you write down your band's name, and the three songs your group is interested in playing. The cool thing about the jam session is that in the event you don't have a full band (let's say you're in need of a drummer), then Eric the emcee will ask the audience if there are any volunteers. On the night that I went, every request for a volunteer was quickly filled. It was really great to see people who have probably never met before come together and support each other on stage.
The first Rock Band Jam Session took place in March of 2008 at the Rockie Raccoons pub near Yonge and Eglinton and the location has been been hosting monthly jam sessions ever since. The Ferret & Firkin (where I visited) is a new pub that recently invited semisolidmedia to come host monthly jam sessions this past June. So, with two events happening each and every month there are plenty of opportunities to come check out the fun.
And hey, if you're in Toronto and thinking of going, perhaps we'll bump into each other. I definitely will be checking out future jams (and maybe, just maybe I'll be in your band!)
For more information on event locations and dates, check out semisolidmedia's Rock Band Jam Session page.
Message Edited by PaulH on 08-06-2009 11:06 AM
Message Edited by Laura on 08-21-2009 02:43 PM
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