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CHRIS COBB OF GREAT BIG SHOWS

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Submitted By: host | Added On: 5/6/2006 | Total Views (340) | Total Downloads: (0)

INTERVIEW WITH….

CHRIS COBB OF GREAT BIG SHOWS

This week in the Smoke Shack, we feature a brief chat with talent buyer for Great Big Shows, Chris Cobb. Chris is one of the great people helping build Nashville’s rock scene. By bringing in key national acts, Chris is helping to shine the national spotlight on Nashville. So, grab a beer, a shot, or a doobie and get to know Chris Cobb.

Please give us a brief description of the job that Great Big Shows does & what you do within the company.

Briefly, GBS is a concert promoter, producer, and venue owner. We promote shows at The End, Exit/In, Mercy Lounge, City Hall, Rocketown, War Memorial Auditorium, Municipal Auditorium, & The Ryman. We produce events as well including Dancing in the District, Rites Of Spring, all other Vanderbilt concerts, shows at Gaylord, Ryman Auditorium, and multiple other venues & sites in Nashville & the South, various events across the country for Chrysler, Virgin, and other corporate clients. Personally, I book the Exit/In, handle marketing for all of our events, and produce events, such as Dancing in the District.

It’s quite obvious that The Exit/In is back to its former glory since GBS took over ownership. You are the talent-buyer for the club now. Has it been a challenge getting so many bigger-name acts and do you have any interesting Exit/In stories?

Haha…yes, I do have stories. How bout the time some girl (who I think might have been a little heavy) stood on one of the toilets and ripped it off the wall…that was messy. Or the multiple times I’ve had bands threaten to kick my ass. Or last year when Bass Wolf, of Guitar Wolf, lost in and destroyed everything in his path and died 3 days later. Or how bout we go back to the multiple times I was kicked out of Exit/In many years ago….Exit/In is looking good again. Hell, on the books right now are Nada Surf, Fiery Furnaces, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, MAE, Buckethead, Ted Leo, Powerman 5000, etc. I’m real excited about 06 at Exit. While I do book the club, I must give credit for its current success to my boss, the owner of Exit/In and Great Big Shows, Rick Whetsel. Rick bought the club after it’s closing several years ago and worked his ass off to get it back on the map as Nashville’s best club. I’m just keeping the train on the tracks.

City Hall seems to be taking off like a rocket ship since its initial opening. What is your opinion of the venue and where do you see it going in the future?

Well, it’s about time Nashville has a venue of this size again. Since we lost 328, there has been a huge hole in the market that City Hall now fills. And if you thought it took of last year, just wait….on the books right now…Dinosaur Jr., Ray Davies, Supergrass, Alkaline Trio & Against Me!, and more to come soon. The room serves its purpose well. He had the luxury of starting from scratch.

Describe a day in the life of Chris Cobb.

Kickin’ ass in the morning and takin’ names in the evening of course…hhaha. My days really vary, which is one reason I enjoy my job. Some days I’m in the office from 9am-9pm; some days I’m on site at Dancing in the District from 6am-2am. Some days I work form the office in the morning, load a show in the afternoon, come back to the office until doors open and then head back to the show to settle; and some days I work till 5pm, get drunk till 2am, and roll in around 11 with a hangover…although that doesn’t happen as much as I’d like. I do deal with many of the same things day after day like placing holds and sending offers, negotiating with agents, dealing with local radio and print, but my days are all different….

Being someone that has worked in a variety of roles in the local music scene, what is your opinion of the Nashville rock scene?

I like it….You know, I’ve been here for 8 years now, so I don’t remember the Spongebath (former Alternative record label) days when the Murfreesboro scene was kicking ass, but I’m confident that the local scene is as strong as it’s been since I’ve lived here. There are a lot of good bands right now and they are working together, which is key. Nashville bands have had this horrible attitude towards each other, but that is starting to change and it’s what has to happen if we want multiple bands to get signed out of here. We’re onto a great start with Kings Of Leon and Pink Spiders…we need to keep it going.

What local Nashville acts are you fond of?

Bang Bang Bang, AutoVaughn, Jeremy Lister, Gabe Dixon, Return To Self, Ligion, B Young, Gostfinger, Luna Halo, The Clutters…please don’t get pissed if I forgot to mention you….if I like you, you know it.

Your picture continues to pop up in All the Rage at various events around town. When do you find time to sleep?

Do you really think I sleep?

What’s the most “rock and roll” thing that you’ve seen while working for Great Big Shows?

Ha! Great question. I’m gonna have to go with the time at G Love that this beautiful girl asked the merch guy for a G Love thong….he replied, “if you put it on right here, you can have one.” Sure enough she hiked up the skirt, slid on the thong, and proceeded to bend over and show off the G Love logo now on her ass to everyone in the balcony….that’s rock n roll.

Your past history seems to be attributed to lots of hustling and working very much via “word of mouth”. Does all of the hard work in earlier years make working for GBS that much more satisfying and has your current position allowed you the opportunity to give back?

Hm…yes, it’s a good feeling when hard work pays off. When people ask me how I where I am, the answer is simple…I worked harder than everyone else. I still do that and it works. Not sure what the 2^nd half of this question means…I feel like I’m giving back every time that I book a good show.