melba culp

This article is a follow-up to the previous one. And about the band Gentle Savage, whose first encounter I remember vividly. If you’re reading this first, the two previous articles will help with understanding. After Annika, everything has progressed as a natural continuation.

Also, after the publication of those books, these artist contacts have been coming regularly. In early 2019, Jack McConnell reached out, and this was the first time I consciously began to consider modern strategies for artist promotion. The passive promotion, in particular, was our area of interest. I have extensively developed this concept in my writings. With Jack, we practiced this for several months and more – in fact, that collaboration continues to this day. I noticed that this mindset began to influence my regular daily routines. As lecture requests started to accompany them, the scope of operations expanded even further. Here, an entirely new way of understanding management had been developed – one in which the artist would become an active participant, strategically as well.

This encouraged me to present my idea more broadly. At this point, Gentle Savage, enters the scene. I needed something to reflect my methods upon. It is fair to say that Gentle Savage is a case zero, in many respects.

It was the summer of 2019 when I decided to inquire about artists’ interest in collaboration within one Facebook group. That post didn’t stay up for long before the then-bassist Vance Bead of Gentle Savage gave me a call. After inquiring further about it, he presented the idea to the band’s leader, Tornado Bearstone. Shortly after, the phone rang again, and this time it was Tornado on the line. For two hours, he interviewed me in return. It was fascinating to observe his reactions to my ideas and how quickly he embraced it.

He and his band came to my home, and over one weekend, we practiced the steps, exploring various promotional avenues and methods. They originally planned to drive back through the night, but our session extended. It’s over 300-miles journey from there where the band lives to here. In hindsight, I’m glad things turned out this way. We got more hours to get to know each other and, most importantly, generate valuable ideas. In return, these methods began to resonate in the music business management lectures I regularly conducted. A unique cycle had been established, generating and continues to generate something meaningful every day.

Even now, as I introduced the idea of our management patrol for the first time, I carefully considered when to present it to Tornado. He has a tendency to put me through the wringer. This is only a good thing, as being put through that wringer makes me think about possible flaws and find better solutions. But in the end, he always agrees!

I am particularly pleased about one thing. I introduced Gentle Savage and Rylos to each other back in the day. They clicked, and to this day, they have embarked numerous joint tours. As they both remain integral parts of our management patrol, all is well. They embody all this – naturalness, effortlessness and significance.