Closing Time Collective

Shannon & Max

How long have you been living in Lanc?

S: 17 years

M: my whole life (24 years)

Favorite thing about the city?

S: Lancaster is walkable and cyclist-friendly(ish), everything is close-by, and we have an awesome live music, food, bar, and art scene. 

M: It's quaint enough where you don't feel stressed out about the amount of people here, but also it still feels like a city. Lots of great food and tons of cool shops. Taught me how to be a punk. 

What are your favorite genre(s)?

S: Melodic hardcore, orgcore/pop-punk, alt-country, mathy-yelly stuff

M: screamo, emo, math rock, slowcore

How long have you been booking shows overall?

S: On and off for 20 years. 

M: 9ish years

What prompted starting CTC?

S: It’s something that’s been on my mind a lot for the last few years. Seeing how music scenes have come together in other communities made me want to really bring something like that together in Lancaster. Max and I were talking, when we were at Fest in Gainesville in the fall of 2022, about how after the COVID-lull, things were picking back up in Lancaster/Central PA as a whole. We figured it would be great if we could help coordinate things within the scene so shows don’t get overbooked/things don’t get oversaturated. We were really inspired by what Alyssa/Motorboat/DIT had been doing and when they moved away it really left a void where there was once something amazing. 

When/What/Where was the first official Closing Time Collective show?

M: Signals Midwest at the Kaleidoscope

S: Yeah, i guess that’s probably true, ha! I harassed the heck out of Ben and Jon over this, they so graciously allowed this show to happen at the Kaleidoscope and I suppose that really did kick off the first year of this thing. That was December 2022. 

Top 3 most memorable moments?

S:

   1. Signals Midwest at the Kaleidoscope. I hadn’t booked a show in years and this was my first one back, it ruled. 

   2. Phantom Bay at Little Amps. People DID show up on a weeknight in Harrisburg.  

   3. Reaching out to Life in Vacuum about an off date on their US tour, everyone on an existing show at the Upside (Other Girls, Blind Hope, Hot Dad Calender) was nice enough to let them hop on, that show being an absolute ripper, seeing people be into LIV without having heard them before.

Top 3 lessons learned?

S: 

   1. It can be difficult to get folks out to shows on weeknights. 

   2. I think everyone in the collective is learning how to effectively communicate and book in ways that continue to bring new people out. 

   3. Always knock on the bathroom door before entering. 

Dream booking/line-up or any shows lost to Covid you’ve been trying to rebook?

M: idk about a lineup but bands I'd like to book: City of Caterpillar, Braid, Into It over It, Pet Symmetry, their/they're/there, Johnny Foreigner. Yea, there's more, I just can't think of 'em.

S: This is like a secret family recipe for me, I’m not sharing. 

What/How many towns/cities have you thrown a show & are you looking to expand?

M: Mainly Lancaster and jeez I don't think I could answer but a lot. However being in bands that tour all over the US I guess you can say I've booked shows in over 15 states. If we're just sticking to CTC though, then just shows in Lancaster.

S: I booked in Lebanon when I was in high school. We’ve partnered up with Dustin who does stuff under Live From Love Canal at Little Amps in Harrisburg, they helped out with the Phantom Bay show. We’re mostly trying to stick to Lancaster County but I think it would be cool if we can continue to occasionally work with Little Amps!

What is your advice for new bands looking to start playing out?

M: Don't play covers. Start a screamo band.

S: I’m not in a band so I don’t know what to say here, but I fully back Max’s advice. But maybe do a cover here and there. 

What is your advice for people looking to kickstart a scene by booking bands in their area?

S: If you already have spaces to book at, just start reaching out to everyone - bands/tour managers/agents. It has really surprised me how many people we hear back from. Same advice kind of goes for venue spaces - just start reaching out to people, tell them what you’re looking to do and how you’re trying to build a community around a live music scene. Another instance where you’ll be surprised to find a lot of people are interested in helping you out. 

M: do it.

What does the Lanc scene mean to you?

M: The Lancaster scene is the true lifeblood of the community; without it this town wouldn't be special. The amount of memories and friendships created due to this scene is insurmountable. We do this shit for nothing and only expect a fun night and a place to feel yourself if only for a little while.

S: I’ve met some really wonderful people because of the scene in Lancaster over the last however many years. It’s a huge part of my life and I just want to continue being a part of something that hopefully makes other people feel as welcome as I feel. I get so stoked every time I am at a show and see a bunch of new faces and I love hearing how people find out about the shows that are going on. This is a weird, convoluted answer, I suppose, but yeah, it means a lot to me.