You could say that it all started with a crazy party following the commandments of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, but that wouldn’t be true. What is true is that the photo of a party of this magnitude gave its name to Houston Party, the Catalan promoter that for 25 years has forged a distinctive seal by organizing concerts by paradigmatic names such as Crystal Fighters, Ben Harper, Pet Shop Boys, Iggy Pop or Big Star. Precisely the band from Memphis is the one chosen for the concert with which this Wednesday in the Apolo room (8:40 p.m.) they will celebrate the anniversary with the formation The Music of Big Star, which includes the original drummer, Jody Stephens, accompanied by Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Pat Sansone (Wilco), Jon Auer (The Posies) and Chris Stamey (The dB’s). Luxury squad to remember the fetish group of the agency’s founder, Jaime Hernández, at the foot of the canyon from the first day, also to face what happened at the Sleaford Mods concert in Madrid that ended early by a small brawl
How was Houston Pary born?
In the ’90s he played in Parkinson D.C., a two-million-year-old group. When it was quite obvious that I had no further path, I wanted to continue being involved in music because I have always liked that. The most natural thing at that time was to make a record label, because apart from our project I had many colleagues that I could use to release records.
At what point did you go from record label to promoter?
To the artists we worked with, who were always international, we proposed to organize tours at the same time as we released the album, we had the issue quite well oiled. At the end of the 2000s, the issue of pirate listening was a real ruin for record companies, the numbers became very tough and we cut the recording issue for good to dedicate ourselves fully to the promoter issue.
What groups did you start working with?
Apart from the last blows of Parkinson DC, with The Posies we had a very intense relationship with them. We released a live show that we sold all over the world. We immediately made a good deal with the Sub pop label that allowed us to begin to differentiate ourselves with Peaches, Shields, Damien Jurado. Things happened quite quickly, between licensing singles and EPs, in 10 years we made 400 references with many people who a priori would have crossed our minds.
And where does the name come from?
From a photo book that a friend gave me when I was 16 called Sex, drugs and Rock and Roll. Among the multitude of incredible photos I had there was one that especially struck me: a Who party in Houston, who were pretty crazy. A photo that Danny Fields, the manager of the Ramones, took and that really impacted me. That’s why from a very young age I had the concept of Houston Party associated with music.
Was the music world like the one in the photo?
Not for us, as a musician there is a whole part of roads, seedy joints and infected hotels that is not exactly what you imagine when you start.
Is there a lot of personal involvement in a promoter like yours?
Yes, it’s a pretty wild 24×7. I only disconnect one week a year, at Christmas, which is when foreigners let us disconnect.
What volume of concerts do you currently handle?
Depending on the year, between 250 and 300 concerts. Last year we did more because with the pandemic there were many tours from 2020 and 2021 that went to 2022, which was quite crazy.
Do you also work with festivals?
In most cases we also book artists for festivals, although our tendency is to do more as promoters and sell less. Right now we are doing 60 us and 40 sales.
Do you stick to a certain genre when selecting bands?
We started with Americana, but over the years we have totally opened up to electronic and hip hop as well. We try to find the little gem within each genre, the group that you try to see before, when they start and you think they have a way to go. We are very aware of the new things that come out, also for a reason of size because we compete with very large promoters and if we don’t get the artist at the beginning, it is very difficult later, that is why we go to many festivals to see new talent, it is the formula that works for us.
Are there differences when working with different genres?
They are quite different, the hiphoppers are very into the dough, while with the electronics people they work very well, they are simple productions. Regarding the guitar, which is what comes from the factory, they are people like us, we handle everything quite well.
With those who come from rock and indie, is there perhaps more romanticism?
If you are a group with a backline, 5 or 6 musicians, it is much more difficult for the numbers to come out than if you go alone with a drum machine, for that reason alone they are people who are of a different type.
Is it a lot of work to choose a group?
Quite a few, there are more people playing this, maybe we select five and in the end you get something. We say no a lot before saying yes, we have to filter very well.
Which concerts do you remember most fondly?
There are 200 that I remember fondly, but taking advantage of the anniversary, taking Big Star to Benicassim in 2001. It is one of my flag groups since I was a kid, that was quite miraculous.
Any artists you would like to work with?
Some door that has been slammed on me recently, or for example I really like Sturgill Simpson and I have never been able to bring him. But just like I say this one, I could tell you 300 artists. The success rate is what it is, you try it with many and the ones that do come out.
What is the current promoter sector like compared to 25 years ago?
There is a lot more competition, with the emergence of festivals, new promoters have emerged who, in addition to festivals, start doing concerts. It’s also true that lately the concerts are going very well, I talk to my colleagues and we are all quite happy because there are more gigs than ever and almost all of them are sold out. There is a lot of competition, but at the same time there is a larger audience.
Is there a culture of live concerts?
A few years ago it seemed that people had completely switched to festivals, even convincing artists to play in venues was complicated because they preferred to go and have a festival and that’s it. But for a while now bands have wanted to do festivals, of course, but they also want to do their tours, and the public responds.
Have social networks changed the way you work?
To find out what’s happening out there, you used to have to travel a lot more, now everything comes super fast. When we are looking for new talent it makes our work a lot easier, although it also makes it easier for the competition because before only we traveled, so we were more relaxed, but now it is easier for everyone to reach the artists at the beginning.
Do the producers bring their own personality to the concerts?
Some do, and I hope that we are among them. There are people who call me about a concert because they say “this gig is yours, right?”, because of the type of artist, although many times it is not. We try to make it noticeable, we have to have a seal.
What is your seal?
What defines us most is that we develop talent from the very beginning, we look for emerging artists with a long history, and there we have hit the nail on the head quite a few times.
What happened in Madrid with Sleaford Mods and the Palestinian scarf?
The concert was complete, I want to make it very clear, in Barcelona they played 85 minutes and in Madrid 81. It is notorious that Jason cannot stand things being thrown on stage, like the Palestinian scarf, his fans know this. In this case they threw the handkerchief at him once and he warned them not to throw anything at him, but it happened again one or two more times and the singer said enough.
How do you see the future of the record company?
We are very comfortable with what we do, you always aspire to grow and we have achieved it slowly but surely for years, we will try to continue like this. There are thousands of tours to work on in the coming years and super cool projects.
