Backyard Hero: Sarah Slaton
by Tim Wenger
The music business in Denver is, at its core, made up of people who are not afraid to wear many hats. Take Sarah Slaton, for example- when she isn’t busy with The Vinefield Agency (alongside fellow multi-taskers Dain Estes and Evan Mellichampe), she does freelance work with heavy hitters like AEG Live and ESPN and fills the rest of her schedule with her own music and touring. As exhausting as all that may be, we got her to take a few moments to shed the light on Vinefield’s situation and give some advice for independent musicians. She even gives props to some of the scene’s hardest working acts. Oh, what humanity!
CMB: How did Vinefield come to be?
SS: Vinefield was co-founded by James Irvine/Evan Mellichampe in 2010. Irvine came to the table with a wealth of booking experience, currently books Larimer Lounge, and has founded HUG Records, a CO-based record label. Mellichampe had been booking acts, as well as touring as a musician in the mid-2000’s. Both agreed that there was a lack of representation for Denver’s burgeoning music scene. I met Evan and James while they were coordinating The Vinefield launch party. At the time I was a recent graduate (B.S. Music Business) and had been working with AEG Live + managing my own music career/touring. We brought entertainment attorney and Music Business Professor, Dain Estes , on board in 2011. The roster/staff has seen some changes over the years, but the goal of the company stays the same.
CMB: Who were the first artists that you worked with, and why did you choose them?
SS: The first artist that I chose to work with was TAKE TO THE OARS. Lead vocalist, Ryan Gombeski, had been stopping by my work and checking in with me periodically for months. I was spread too thin at the time and hadn’t given their record a proper listen. His eagerness left a big impression on me and I finally sat down and heard “Monster Eats Pilot” feat. Kyle Simmons (Speakeasy Tiger/BOYS). I always say that there is a “lightbulb” moment when I know I just have to work with someone, and for TTTO, it was that song. The guys ended up being the most hard-working, respectful, and kind gentlemen I’ve met in music to date.
CMB: Do you take submissions from artists, or is it more of a “We saw you play and want to work with you” approach?
SS: Given that Vinefield is a boutique agency and a current passion project for most staff, it’s more so a matter of available time/energy. I currently freelance for a multitude of companies (ESPN/AEG Live/Coachella etc.) and have learned some hard lessons about overbooking myself. I’ve learned to only take on what I can handle, which means focusing on a smaller number of acts. I have mostly “known” I needed to work with an act after seeing them live, but a few folks I’ve hunted down after hearing their record. We take submissions from artists and are always open to hearing what’s out there.
CMB: Does a band from Denver need to spend a lot of time on the road to be successful?
SS: I believe the #1 thing any artist can do is focus on their craft and business equally. Nowadays you can’t expect someone to just swoop you off your indie feet and hand you a platinum album. Record sales have declined and the old formula for success just doesn’t work. You’ll hear of many in the industry telling artists to “get their numbers up”. It’s like musical shark tank, they want you to build a great product to pitch them before they get their wallets out and invest. With services like Tunecore, Indie On The Move, and various social platforms, the possibilities are endless. If you’re going to tour, work smarter not harder. Make sure you’re sending out a press release to local media in each city, finding strong local support, and always pay attention to your routing.
CMB: What are some of the key factors you look for in an artist?
SS: Song catalog/quality, marketability, business sense, overall preparedness and DIY knowledge. It helps if they have existing team members as well (Label / Management / PR).
CMB: What trends do you see dominating the Denver music community right now?
SS: There’s two sides to that talented coin. On the one hand, I see a lot of attention on our indie/folk scene (PaperBird / Ian Cooke / Nathaniel Rateliff), as well as the rock n’ roll backbone of the local scene (The Epilogues / In The Whale / Air Dubai). KTCL does a great job of highlighting local artists and has definitely brought a lot of attention to the local rock scene with ‘Hometown For The Holidays’. Open Air/CPR has done a fantastic job doing the same for folk + genres across the board.
CMB: Got any big goals for 2014 for Vinefield?
SS: We’re primarily focused on nurturing the careers of our current artists, connecting them with folks in the industry, and heading back down to Austin for South by Southwest.
CMB: What are the most effective methods of PR that a band can employ themselves?
SS: Look at bands that you emulate or find to be in a similar genre as your own. Take a look at how they run things. Get online and pretend you’re a stranger to your own music. Visit all of your online presence from a fan standpoint and evaluate what changes you might need. Here in Denver you can get your music out to a multitude of local radio stations, blogs, and “flyer” town the old school way. It never hurts to invest in targeted FB marketing either before a big show. Word of mouth is big in Denver and it’s easy to get a bad reputation if you book your band and consistently under-draw. Make sure you’re getting friends/fans to come out to shows and never over-promise ticket sales to a talent buyer.
CMB: Best live performance of 2013?
SS: Locally: Sarah & The Meanies @ Red Rocks this past summer. They had a flawless performance in front of 8k strong. I was one proud manager. I also recently caught Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats at The Gothic. I’ve got a feeling they have big things coming in 2014.
Nationally: Kishi Bashi @ The Bluebird, now that is a show I’ll never forget and one of the best nights of my life.
CMB: Where do you eat after a show?
SS: My favorite late night spot in town is William & Graham, OR Prohibition.
Online: vinefield.com, sarahslaton.com
Category: Buzzworthy
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