Backyard Hero: John Lindsay of Hard Rock Cafe

Tim Wenger | June 1, 2014 | 0 Comments

by Tim Wenger

John Lindsay is a man of many talents. When it comes to the music business, he has pretty much done it all, from working at Warner Brothers Records to being a session musician. His current gig as Senior Sales and Marketing Director at the Hard Rock Café in Denver has given him the opportunity to help the company bring their image back to live music and has given Denver bands another solid venue to play, right in the heart of the city. His words here not only demonstrate that hard work pays off, but that there is still some good and humble people running the show, eager for the next great up and coming band to cross their path. Colorado Music Buzz spoke with this music biz veteran about his time in the industry.

CMB: Let’s start at the beginning. How did you get into music?

JL: I’ve been really fortunate to know all my life what I’ve wanted to do. From a really young age I knew that all I wanted to do was play or be around music. Throughout my life, music has always been the center point, whether it was studying music, playing music, working for a label, teaching, promoting, booking bands and artists or what I do now at Hard Rock.

CMB: Give us the story of you as a musician.

JL: I started playing drums in grade school. My cousin was a big KISS fan and I remember hearing KISS Alive and Peter Criss’s drum solo on “100,000 Years.” Then I saw them on TV and said “I want to do that.” My parents supported me and got me drum lessons with a great teacher, starting with a little practice pad, working on my rudiments, etc. and then gradually got a drum kit piece by piece. In 8^th grade we moved to Texas where the high school music program was insane. All of a sudden I was thrown into this crazy scene with a 500+ marching band, multiple stage/jazz bands, concert bands and outside groups. I met up with an amazing teacher and I was off to the races. He turned me on to so much music and challenged me. That’s when I first heard “Moving Pictures” by Rush and my whole world changed. I became a huge fan of Rush and “progressive rock ” and would spend hours every day playing Rush, Asia, ELP, The Police, Yes, Genesis and others. I even had a Rush cover band I played with in high school! After high school I had every intention of moving to LA and “making it big.” I was accepted to the Musicians Institute, visited the school and was ready to pack my bags and go. My parents, seeing how naïve and young I was, asked me to give it a year closer to home at a junior college before heading west. I’m so glad they convinced me as I would have been eaten alive at such a young age in LA! Instead, after a year at a junior college, I got a music scholarship to East Texas State and was able to spend 4 years studying with Dr. Robert Houston. He kicked my ass and was no nonsense! He was head of the music department, then dean, then vice president of the university. I was his only student towards the end and either I came prepared to my lessons or he would just leave and tell me not to waste his time. I learned so much from him, not only how to play but how to be a professional. I got my degree and then was accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston. The great thing about Berklee is when you audition, they focus on what your strong points are…and then give you classes that are the complete opposite. I went in as a strong rock player, but had limited jazz/Latin chops. That first year was brutal as all I wanted to do was rock out, but instead was playing in jazz trios and studying composition! But, after I had that first year under my belt, I was able to study with some great teachers, hone my skills and play with some amazing musicians. After Berklee, I moved to Dallas and was a regular session guy playing everything from rock, to country, to smooth jazz to big bands. I moved to Colorado 17 years ago and continued to do session work, playing festivals, clubs…even the Broadmoor as well as teaching privately. My current project is the band Mythica, a great Celtic Fusion band, when we’re all in the same place at the same time!

CMB: I heard you were on tour with Rush? I bet that was crazy.

JL: It was such a thrill. Atlantic Records is under the Warner Music Group umbrella. In 2003, while I was an Artist Development Rep. for WMG, the Atlantic rep. was unable to support the band’s shows when they passed through the Rocky Mountain region. I offered to cover the shows for them and they said sure. I was SO nervous. Having been a fan for years, having the opportunity to work with the band from behind the scenes was something I never could have imagined. Their tour liason Shelley Knott (who sadly passed away in 2007) welcomed me with open arms. She knew I was a fan and yet never treated me like one. She included me in every aspect of what was going on backstage, introducing me to everyone from Ray Daniels, their manager, all way down to different stage hands (and of course, the band!). The biggest thrill for me was meeting Neil Peart at Red Rocks. Shelley introduced us and we ended up chatting for a while. He knew I was a drummer and a fan as Shelley had mentioned it to him in the past. He was so gracious, attentive and thoughtful with his time, and we never talked drums. Instead we talked about books, motorcycling, various trails in Colorado, etc. At that show, Shelley let me stand on stage left and watch the concert. To be a few feet away from your childhood heroes, while 9,450 fans watch them was the experience of a lifetime. I just wish I had had a camera! I was fortunate enough to be able to work with them on several of their tours after that and keep in touch. There are so many other great stories of working with them, but all I can say is that the band, crew and everyone at SRO are all class acts and nothing short of amazing.

CMB: Tell us about your experiences with Warner Bros. Records.

JL: It was the greatest job ever. Period. When you dream about what it would be like to be “in the business,” and then are actually lucky enough to be one of the few to get in the door, it’s not supposed to be everything you imagined! But it was. This is going back 13 years ago, before the digital revolution, when record stores were still vital, people bought cd’s and bands did a ton of promo to support their new releases. I was fortunate enough to meet and work with some of the biggest bands in the world, spend time with them, travel and hang out and help support their music anyway I could. At that time, we’re talking about bands and artists that had yet to “break” like Linkin Park, Michael Buble, Josh Groban, My Chemical Romance, Halestorm, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Porcupine Tree, James Blunt and others as well as established artists like Metallica, Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, Alanis…the list goes on and on. It was a truly magical time with co-workers that felt like family.

CMB: And finally, how did you get started with Hard Rock, and what exactly do you do there?

JL: As the music industry crumbled from the digital age, which they were completely un-prepared for, I saw all my friends and co-workers get laid off and WMG get smaller and smaller every year. Once all the big record stores closed, everything from Tower Records down, the writing was on the wall. I was laid off and completely devastated. I LOVED what I did and to lose it was almost too much to bare. But God works in strange ways. I spent a few months out of work and had a brief stint as a publicist in the motion picture industry (ironically one of my studios was Warner Bros.). During that time, a good friend of mine got a job with Hard Rock Denver and passed along that they were looking for a new sales and marketing manager. They really wanted to get back into the live music game, re-brand Hard Rock and get back to their roots. I applied and got the gig. Since 2008 I’ve been the Senior Sales & Marketing Manager for the Hard Rock downtown, but I also help coordinate live music for the west coast, routing bands, negotiating deals, working on agreements, etc. So, I still get to work with many of my old label friends, work with bands and artists that I worked with at WMG, radio partners, promoters and others. I book all our live music locally as well as our radio shows. It’s been great and I’m so grateful to still have my hands in the music world. We do local music shows every weekend and throughout the year national acts. We’ve hosted everyone from Duran Duran and Foreigner, to developing acts like Lacuna Coil, The Swon Borthers and The Pretty Reckless. One thing I’m really proud of is the majority of our national shows benefit charity. In my 6+ years, locally we have raised over a half million dollars for various charities.

CMB: What else should the music community know about you?

JL: Hard Rock just went through a massive remodel and the new building and stage is gorgeous! I’m always looking to bring in quality bands to play our new stage. So many great bands have played here at the beginning of their careers; Air Dubai, Birch Street, Tyler Ward, Bop Skizzum, Aspen Hourglass…the list goes on and on. Love supporting and helping local bands. Also, never give up. If you love music you’ll find a place in it somewhere. I’m living proof of that. And if you need a drummer, give me a call!