Last night, I took my Venue Management class from Bay State College to O’Brien’s Pub to talk to the booker Ryan Agate.
Ryan has over a decade of experience booking various rooms in the Boston area. Mainly focused on smaller venues/bands, occasionally he will work in bigger rooms.
I’ve known Ryan for around 10 years and have never had a bad experience dealing with him.
I asked him to talk to my class about O’Brien’s, how booking works, and how the shows work there.
O’Brien’s is a 70 capacity small club located in the heart of Allston, MA. It’s mostly 18+ during the week and 21+ on weekends. It’s open every night of the week and usually features 3-4 bands.
As the booker for O’Brien’s, Ryan is the first line of contact for many of the newer bands in the city of Boston. It’s where a lot of bands play their first show or their first few shows. A lot of bands come to him with a full line-up in mind, but if not, he’ll do his best to pair your band with other like-minded bands.
The deal at O’Brien’s is so reasonable ($75 on weeknights / $100 on weekends) that any band that can bring 10-20 of their friends out to the show is going to walk with some money at the end of the night.
Ryan, what do you look for in new bands that you book?
When looking for new bands, we want people who are passionate about the music they make and are excited to play, but on top of it all, are easy to work with. As I always say, a smile goes a long way!
What’s the best way for a band to get a show at O’Brien’s?
Bands can reach me at obriensbooking[at]gmail.com
How far in advance do they need to contact you?
For weekends, 3-4 months out, as much as I hate that. For weekends, 2-3 months usually works, but there are always last minute changes.
Anything else new bands should know about playing shows at O’Brien’s?
A good attitude always helps!
Check out obrienspubboston.com for a schedule and more information.
Rock Shop 