Glenn Boothe might draw a blank if you ask him what he’s been listening to lately. It’s not because he hasn’t been listening, quite the opposite. As someone who books shows across the Triangle, he has to consume new releases at a relentless pace to keep up with the newest acts. The problem is often that he’s always doing something else while the music plays.
“It’s rare that the music is getting 100% of my attention,” Boothe says, “so it’s easy to listen to a record, know the band, but forget what they sound like.”
This might seem like an odd admission from someone whose job is to match artists with audiences. It’s a struggle that speaks to the ongoing shift in how we experience music. With near-infinite options at our disposal, even industry professionals struggle with the paradox of access. We may be able to hear everything, but truly listening has become more difficult than ever.
Boothe has witnessed this transformation from multiple angles. He’s gone from promotion and A&R work at major labels in the ’90s to owning Local 506 for a decade. Now, he’s running andmoreagain presents, booking countless shows at venues like Motorco, Kings, and Rubies on Five Points.
We sat down to discuss the evolution of music discovery from his perspective. Our conversation inevitably veered into the challenges of talent booking, post-COVID, and why he still believes in the power of a good gut feeling.
What have you been listening to lately?
Glenn: It’s funny because when I get asked that question, I draw a blank. I’ve enjoyed the zzzahara record [Spiral Your Way Out], they’re here [at Motorco] tonight. Alex by Daughter of Swords is one of my other favorite records of the year. Anika’s new record [Abyss] is very post-punk sounding, right in my wheelhouse, but I don’t even know if I listened to it until we booked them.
It doesn’t take much to send me down a rabbit hole. I’ve been on a big Beach Boys kick lately. I was recently on a Lynyrd Skynyrd kick, and I don’t think I’ve ever been on a Lynyrd Skynyrd kick in my life. But I saw their documentary [If I Leave Here Tomorrow] and decided to listen to all those records.
That’s a diverse blend of new and old stuff. How do you manage to keep up with the latest releases while also taking time to look back at legacy artists?
Glenn: I listen to music when I work during the day, and pretty much all I listen to is newly released stuff. And then at night is when I switch into older stuff. That can be like revisiting things I haven’t explored in the past, or simply enjoying old favorites.
A lot of the new music I’m listening to is preemptive, so that when those opportunities to book bands arise, I am already familiar with them. With zzzahara, they were originally booked to headline at Kings but had to cancel and reschedule. Because I was already familiar with them, we booked them here.
Obviously, there is so much music out there. It’s a good problem to have, but it’s still a problem. I listen to so much music now, it’s very easy to forget what something sounds like. There was a filter when you had to pay for CDs or buy records. If you paid for it, you were going to listen to it, if not multiple times. Several of my favorite records of all time didn’t impress me on the first listen; it wasn’t until the fourth or fifth listen that it clicked. This year I’ve listened to a lot of albums, but I don’t know how many I’ve listened to five times.
The accessibility of streaming opens the door for a lot of background listening.
Glenn: Exactly. I’m always doing something else when I’m listening to music. It’s rare that the music is getting 100% of my attention, so it’s easy to listen to a record, know the band, but forget what they sound like.
During the CD era, specifically, when you bought a CD, you didn’t have to listen to it to be reminded. You might have it sitting on your desk or in your car, constantly reminding you that Superchunk has a new record or whatever. But digitally, it’s like out of sight, out of mind. It’s easier to file something away and forget about it entirely.
To me, that’s the biggest problem: just trying to keep up and listen to stuff enough for it to leave a strong impression. That’s why live music is important, because that’s how you really make that impression. I saw Daughter of Swords last weekend, and hearing those songs live reminds me to talk about that record versus having it be another thing I listen to and move on.
Just thinking about the shows I’ve booked here [at Motorco] over the years, Alex G comes to mind. I really liked his records, then he came here, and it was even better live. That show makes me like those songs even more now.
That was my experience seeing Bon Iver at PNC Arena in 2019. The live renditions are what come to mind when I hear the studio recordings.
Glenn: I had no idea they played PNC, that’s wild. I used to own Local 506, and we booked Justin’s first show back in the Triangle as Bon Iver. It was the night before that first record [For Emma, Forever Ago] came out. I have a distinct memory of someone coming just to buy the CD, and not even staying for the show.
I remember when Sylvan Esso played their first two shows at 506, and the day after their second gig, I got an email asking who “that opening band was.” I’ve never had that experience before, which gave me a hint that something was going to happen with this band.
What’s your perspective when you’re booking these bands but haven’t seen those subtle signs of “oh, this band is gonna make it”?
Glenn: There’s no formula. It’s not like “if I write the email this way, I’ll get the show.” There are wrong ways to do it, but there’s no single “right way.”
With the band Mipso, their first club show was at 506 and it sold out. I remember someone asking me how I knew to book them, but I just believed them. I didn’t know it would sell out, but the way they wrote their email had me thinking they were genuinely telling the truth. That they had fans who would show up. The same thing just happened with a show for Supermutt at Rubies. I didn’t know them at all, but the show did well.
You’ve had a unique trajectory from college radio and major labels to venue ownership and independent promotion. How has each role informed your approach to maintaining relationships with artists?
Glenn: My label experience in the 90s is helpful to see that side of it. The recorded music industry, record labels, and all that, is night and day to the live music side. My last job in the 1990s was in A&R, which was my dream job until I had it. It was fine, but when it ended, I never wanted to do it again. It’s a job that took what I love about music —listening to music and going to see bands —and turned it into work.
The interesting thing about booking is that what I like is irrelevant. Just because I like something doesn’t mean people will come see it, just as much as if I don’t like something doesn’t mean people won’t see it. I enjoy doing it because I get to book artists like zzzahara tonight and get to see them, but me being a fan had nothing to do it.
At the end of the day, where it gets weird is that this is a business, so you do have to keep your eye on the bottom line. I need to think about what’s best for the artist, the venue, and the business. But you can’t do this job without being a music fan. It’s a privilege and a labor of love. There are so many moments that are, for lack of a better word, thankless, but the music is what keeps you going.
Didn’t you book the Touché Amoré show at the Fruit? I remember buying my ticket as soon as I saw that tour date because I needed to see how the hell that was going to work.
Glenn: I did. I think they wanted to play the Cradle but it was booked, so they came to us about Motorco, but it was booked too. We tried the Fruit and they loved it. Talking to them after the show, they were really, really happy with that. For me, one of the goals is trying to find other outlets for shows. Obviously, the Fruit’s kind of known more for the dance stuff that they do, but they do have a stage and it sounds good. Finding more outlets like that is enjoyable, but it also puts pressure on us to get the word out.
One of the things that gets lost in this business is that you have to book the acts and then do the work to get people to show up. It’s easier to get the word out at a show at Cat’s Cradle than it is a less conventional venue. That’s where you have to be aggressive in promoting the show, ensuring the word gets out.
How do you stay organized when you’re booking so many different artists across the Triangle?
Glenn: There’s no set system that everyone uses. All the tools I use now are different from the tools I used pre-pandemic, but the pandemic did give us time to take a breath, reassess, and redo things.
The one thing I use for organizing all the details is Airtable, and then we use Asana for project management to ensure everyone knows what they’re doing. We now have eight of us working, so organizing critical information instead of digging it up out of email saves time. We also just recently switched to Prism, a live music software company. If all goes well, it would replace Asana and Airtable. A lot of venues across the country use that, too.
Speaking of COVID, what do you think the biggest challenge is for artists/promoters that wasn’t a problem before 2020?
Glenn: Higher ticket prices and higher expenses for the shows. Post-COVID, everything has escalated, so the cost of doing a show is significantly higher. In turn, the ticket prices are higher to help offset that. Using laws of supply and demand, “the higher the ticket prices, the fewer people will come,” so finding that balance has been tricky. Both in trying to get the most people out and making sure you cover your costs, that’s been a real juggling act.
The biggest thing missing right now, post-COVID, the thing that worked before COVID, that, for whatever reason, does not work anymore, is Facebook events. They used to give at least an idea of interest versus actual attendees, which gave some sort of predictor when booking shows. But now, they’re inconsistent at best.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start booking shows but has no idea how?
Glenn: The answer I would give if someone comes to me talking about starting a venue is “Don’t.” It’s really hard, it seems sexy, but you don’t see the dirty, hard work of it. Owning a venue is a tough business; there are just so many costs associated with it. When people come to the show, all they see is the money being made — at the bar, the door, and the merch booth — but they don’t see the money being spent — on the buses, the hotels, the venue, and the staff.
Booking may be a little bit different, especially if you’re hired by a venue to book. Everyone needs someone to book shows, but there’s a learning curve to it. You literally pay for your mistakes. Pay someone a guarantee that it’s more than they’re worth? You have to eat that and learn from those mistakes, or else you will just go out of business.
One of the reasons I do it is because I know how it works. I know the finances of it, and I have built up the contacts. But when I owned Local 506, I came really close to closing down in the first year. Learning from my mistakes and other people’s mistakes has kept me doing this 20 years later. It’s hard to discuss with people because you really have to understand how the industry works, even though it doesn’t make a lot of sense on a lot of levels. But when it does work, you have a sold-out show or a fun night. You feel on top of the world.
Who are some of your favorite local/North Carolina bands?
Glenn: Superchunk have always been like one of my favorites, going back to when they first started. In the 90s, I lived in New York when Superchunk, Polvo, Archers of Loaf, and all that started happening. People were like, “Wow, North Carolina somehow has this amazing local scene,” and I was like, ”No, it’s always had amazing local bands.” Let’s Active were great, The Pressure Boys were great. The Connells and The Veldt are still around; these are bands I used to see in college, and they’re still playing.
One of the reasons we started booking Rubies is that I felt like my finger wasn’t on the local band pulse as well as it should be. But as far as current contemporary bands, I really like Daughter of Swords and Fancy Gap. So many, actually, it would be hard to name them all.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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