Music fest offers exposure

Tim Driver’s tired, but you don’t really hear it in his voice, which sounds as if it was fired from a cannon.

“Dude, I went to bed at 5 a.m. last night and was up a few hours later,” says Driver, the organizer of the Amplify music conference, which kicks off today. “We are putting in about 15-18 hour days to coordinate this whole thing. It’s been crazy.”

Now in its second year, Amplify is a four-day music fest with more than 80 bands from various genres performing in five different venues downtown, from Jillian’s to the Beauty Bar.

A half-and-half mix of local bands and groups from as far away as New York and Florida, Amplify is both a band showcase and competition, with acts vying for a grand prize of $5,000 cash, plus equipment, recording time and other gear.

Last year’s winner, Lake Havasu, Ariz., rockers Black Market, went on to land a deal with the William Morris Agency and Green Day’s management company.

“The industry response has been overwhelming,” Driver says. “They’re taking note. There are several bands who are being scouted.”

But even if bands don’t place in the competition, they can still benefit from exposure in front of generally solid crowds. The best thing about Amplify is that it gives lots of young and up-and-coming bands a chance to get in front of people, sometimes for the first time.

And with several bands playing at various venues at all times during the fest, it’s easy to bounce around and catch new acts.

“From personal experience, we were approached by some people last year and we weren’t even in the placings,” says Michael Catalano, drummer for enveloping indie rock troupe the Tramlines. “Exposure and networking from many industry people as well as the clinics, discussions, etc. are all a plus.”

“We met so many people last year, made some new friends, and ultimately found ourselves a producer,” adds Travis Naegle, guitarist for high energy Vegas rockers Lydia Vance.

Amplify also boasts a hefty schedule of panel discussions, where more than 60 industry reps from various record labels, booking agencies and publishing companies offer their advice on making it in the music industry.

“We’re trying to push it more towards that conference end and make the competition more secondary to everything else,” Driver says, “because what this is all about is the development of acts and getting acts educated.”

And with the all-ages circuit still in flux here with the too-frequent shuttering of venues over the past year, Amplify is vying to emerge as a vehicle for young bands to capitalize on the momentum that locals such as Panic! at the Disco, Escape the Fate and The Higher have helped catalyze for Vegas.

In a town of 24-hour strip clubs and exploding livers, this is the rare, youth-oriented event where fresh talent can thrive.

“The industry is starting to look at this town as a hotbed — it really, really is,” Driver says. “I think Las Vegas will undoubtedly have to come around. We can’t ignore what’s coming out of here.”

Jason Bracelin’s “Sounding Off” column appears on Tuesdays. Contact him at 383-0476 or e-mail him at jbracelin@ reviewjournal.com.