| In the
Press
"Meet to the beat
Dating scene and music scene unite. Could love follow?
Rachel Johnson loves rock music and enjoys dating, but she finds it hard to mix the two. For one, concerts can be too loud for conversation. The other reason: familiar faces in the crowds.
``Boston is small, and the music scene is also small," Johnson, 27, said of dating guys who share her taste in music, which includes Radiohead and PJ Harvey . ``If you don't go outside of that circle, you get stuck."
So she checked out ``Rock 'n' Roll Dating" at Harpers Ferry nightclub in Allston on Thursday night. The event adds a musical twist to the popular ``speed dating" sessions. For a $12 fee, participants are set up on three or more 20-minute ``dates" with others who like rock music or share common music interests.
``The key to any musical connection is that you take being open- minded and listen to what they're into," said Rich Savoie , the rock Cupid behind the event. ``If you find some kind of thing in common, you can both just run from that mutual starting point and experience so much together."
The singles, who are assigned a number, get to know each other while local bands perform. After the band plays for about 20 minutes, the singles move on to their next date, almost like a game of musical chairs.
If the date is a success -- meaning the two participants mark ``yes" on their scorecards -- each receives an e-mail the next day from the coordinators, telling them a second date is a possibility. If the date hits a sour note, well, the participants can simply sit back and enjoy the music or hit the bar.
``You can't have that awkward silence, because you can listen to the music," says Sheila Espineli , 32, of Somerville. ``I figured it would be a fun thing, and I figured, gee, what if I met someone with the same taste in music?"
Savoie , who plays guitar in the Boston band Sad Marvin , got the idea for ``Rock 'n' Roll Dating" last year after playing the Emergenza Music Festival, which featured bands playing 15-minute sets. He noticed that people weren't socializing between sets. ``A lot of the people weren't talking to the people they wanted to talk to," he said. ``There was more looking and wishing than talking and mingling."
Savoie said he believes rock fans don't feel as comfortable attending the traditional eight-minute dating events that cater to a more upscale crowd. He said his event could help fill that void and bring music fans together.
``I know most people that sign up, they automatically know they have something in common," says Savoie, who met his current girlfriend and a former girlfriend at rock shows. ``They are big into music, and they appreciate the kind of music that will be played.
Striking the right chord
So far, an average of 50 single rock fans have come out to each of the previous two dating events at McGann's in Boston. At the third event on Thursday, there were 23 participants -- 14 men and nine women. (The next ``Rock 'n' Roll Dating" session takes place Sept. 19 at Harpers Ferry. More information is available at www.rnrdating.com. )
Before attending Thursday's event, each participant had to go online to list which bands they like: Kiss or Depeche Mode? Black Sabbath or Radiohead? Each person was assigned a number and, based on their tastes in music, matched with people of the opposite sex . Upon arrival at Harpers Ferry, each dater was given a card listing the numbers of the people he or she would meet.
Since no one had a number pinned to his or her shirt, finding their dates proved troublesome for some participants. Standing on the lip of the stage, Savoie announced which numbers were paired up, making the event sound like a game of Bingo. ``Number 18!" he announced. ``Number 5 is over here for you," he said , pointing to the scattered daters, during the second swap of dates.
No. 5 was Jason Macierowski . The 31-year-old recently came out of a three-year relationship and was looking for a new social outlet to meet women.
``This is my way of jumpstarting back into dating," he said before embarking on one of his three dates. ``It's hard to meet people outside your group of friends."
The following day, when asked whether he would follow up with any of the women he met, Macierowski wrote in an e-mail, ``Hopefully! It was definitely fun and something different to do."
A few sour notes
Because of three no-shows, some people weren't able to go on all their pre-arranged dates. That caused one of the daters -- No. 11, who said his first name is Kyle -- to leave after two dates. ``Out of the six dates I was supposed to have, only the first two took place," he wrote in an e-mail yesterday. ``I ended up leaving very early because there was nothing left to do and no one to talk to."
Although he indicated on his date card that he wants to see one of his dates again, he is not optimistic it will happen. At 36, he said, ``I was probably at least 10 years older than both of them, so the age-matching wasn't done very well."
Johnson, an office manager and copywriter for a graphic design company, was able to go on all her six dates, but she too doubts she'll follow up with any of the men she met.
``They were all very nice and each interesting in their own way," she said, ``but only one really piqued my interest, and he was just a hair too young for me."
Would she do it again?
``I'm open to the possibility in a few months, however, if I'm still on the proverbial market. It's a very inexpensive way to spend an evening that is at the very least hugely entertaining.""
--Johnny Diaz, Boston Globe (Printed on front page
of section D Lifestyle/Arts on August 5th)
(click here for the full article)
Notes on Rock 'n Roll
Dating...
Do eight-minute dating round-robins make you cringe? Not just at the concept but at
the desperate corporate clientele? “I participated in one. I almost threw up,” says Nikki DiCredico,
who handles promotions at Harpers Ferry. (She’s in a relationship now.) Local promoter Rick Savoie came
up with a more musically friendly twist on the idea. He started his “ROCK ’N’ ROLL DATING” a year ago,
and he brings his third event to Harpers Ferry next Thursday, August 3, from 5:30 to 9 pm. For $12 you
get six 20-to-25-minute “dates” in a rock environment. “We set up people based on musical preference and
age range,” says Savoie, who requires participants to pre-register. Performing between dating sessions,
local bands ALCHEMILLA, STATIC OF THE GODS, and the SHILLS have all promised to play at a moderate volume
so chat can continue.
--Jim Sullivan, The Boston Phoenix
(view the entire article here)
Where
Sparks and Drum Sticks Fly
If you're like most of my favorite people, you appreciate a good
guitar solo and you're looking for love. So here's an idea: rock 'n roll speed dating. Three bands,
three hours, six 20-minute dates. Get more info and register for the Aug. 3 Harpers Ferry event here.
Flirting and rocking begin at 6pm sharp.
--Joan Anderman, Boston.com
(view the entire article here)
"The cure for bitterness? Get out more - go to a concert, join a soccer team, try some wine
tasting. Local groups are giving singles an excuse to mingle to add a little spring fever to the dating scene.
A concert can be the perfect blind date. Or the perfect six blind dates. With Rock 'n' Roll Speed Dating, singles
listen to five live bands play short sets, and in between they're paired with other singles to talk."
--Drake Lucas, The Patriot Ledger
(view the entire article here)
"Unlike other speed-dating events, you don't have to stare you're your dates' eyes for 20 minutes.
If you're not vibin' him or her, then you can simply proclaim, "This band is GREAT!" and watch the stage as if Robert
Plant had come back from the grave...All I know is, if you want to meet great people, and hear new local bands (Amalgam was my favorite), then check it out."
--Micah Bellieu, The Boston Phoenix
(view the entire review here)
"First dates can be difficult enough. Finding out later that your potential new girlfriend/boyfriend
doesn't share your love for Modest Mouse or Jay-Z, well, that can be a deal-breaker...Many couples have gone to a concert as a first date or have met at a show."
--Sean L. McCarthy, The Boston Herald
(view the entire article here)
"If you’re one of those guys who’s dumped a girl over her CD collection — maybe she liked country music or had a Bon Jovi obsession you just couldn’t get over — you’re in need of anew dating pool. Instead of matching you up using criteria like personality traits and future aspirations, Rock ’n’ Roll Dating uses the one that truly makes or breaks a relationship: musical taste."
--Heather Bouzan, Stuff@Night, (8/02/06, Click here for full article)
"Be forewarned: this isn’t the typical young-professional speed-dating event...Between sets, hot young hipsters are allotted five to 10 minutes to meet, greet, and possibly make sweet. Where else are you going to find four bands and six dates in less than three hours?"
--Stuff@Night, (2005)
"A fresh dating event for singles filled with rocking and rolling"
--Jessica Porter (8/02/06, Northeastern News, Click here for full article
"Although the majority of speed dating services focus on singles around 30 years old, younger adults now have an option: Rock 'n' Roll Speed Dating."
--Carleton Atwater (3/16/05, Northeastern News, Click here for full article
"Rock 'n' Roll Dating sounds even better than speed dating. The music would give you something to enjoy while you meet people,"
--Dave Montaquila, NU student (excerpted from article above)
|
