19/03/2017
It's been a long time my old friends! To everyone that has sent messages, expressed their interest in this event, the musicians that want to play - I am so very grateful for your kind words and support.
I agree that it is unfortunate that we have not had this event this year in Madrid. This was something I started purely out of my love and support for local music. I've spent 15 years volunteering, promoting, helping, booking, and supporting the local music scene in any way I can in whatever city I was in. From filling gift bags at Midwest Music Summit in Indianapolis, to finding amazing shows for my friends on tour throughout the US, to organizing and promoting shows at South by Southwest in Austin that ranged from 10 people to 1000 people in attendance, this has become a passion of mine. I have NEVER done it for the money or privileges. I did it because I wanted to help people that I believed in. And when I started MASS in early 2015, it was because I saw that there was something that was needed; which I could provide.
I saw a group of talented musicians that were struggling to find shows where they could play more than a couple songs at a time. I saw people that wanted to see live music, but didn't know where to do so. I saw a hole in a multi-cultural market that needed to have its own space. My plan was always to start small and grow, as any event would. I was often surprised with the success of the shows. We had so many incredible musicians grace the stage, so many people that were excited and supportive of what I was trying to do. So many kind words and amazing people that cared! I loved it, and I put my heart into it. So where did it go wrong?
I felt the negativity and let it affect me, unfortunatley. I wanted to build something happy and positive, to build a community, to make people excited. I felt that way about MASS the whole time, even when there were problems. Sure - it wasn't a perfect venue at the end- but it was one that had the most to offer. It allowed us to use the space for free (giving all proceeds to artists), it allowed musicians to play longer, fans to pay less, it allowed us to stay all night with our own DJs and have a great time if we wanted. With more time and resources, we could have moved to a new venue, but I felt the impact of the negativity and sadly lost my passion I shouldn't have done that, but I needed to refocus. What is wrong with this, and how can we make it better?
MASS is not gone. It has been on hiatus. It will make a comeback soon, with new ideas and energy. I want to use this platform not to just support musicians and entertain fans, but to help the world as well. MASS will be providing shows in the near future specifically for special causes. The world is in a bad spot, and we can use our love for MUSIC to HELP those who need it. Stay tuned for more details!
If you are a musician and would like to take part in the upcoming benefit concerts, please let me know. I am looking mostly for bands at this time, although there are some spaces for singer/songwriters as well!
If you are a supporter of the event and what we do - Thank You. You are the reason I haven't given up.
