Promoter Amrik Sandhu Jr. on being in the background, having a 'what's next?' mentality.
Plus, RIP Garth Brooks songwriter (and Porterville native) Larry Bastian.
Amrik Sandhu Jr. had zero intentions when he started booking bands almost a decade ago.
He was a musician by training; a percussionist drummer, in bands himself, doing live and studio work. “Booking sort of happened by accident,” says Sandhu, the founder and talent buyer for Arkphonic Productions.
He had started working for a promoter in town and found himself immediately drawn to the work. “It was a huge challenge and fascinating on so many levels,” he says.
“Their were so many intricate parts to make it all work.”
If you’re into metal (or its various subgenres), there’s a chance you’ve been at least one show Sandhu has had a hand in. A quick list includes: Hawthorne Heights/Emery/Oh Sleeper in 2019, Knocked Loose in 2021 and Loathe and Dying Wish in 2022.
I emailed Sandhu to check in on what Arkphonic is up to.
Talk some about the kinds of bands/tours you’re bringing through town and the venues you’ve worked with.
“Arkphonic operates in the areas of rock and metal. However we also do some punk, hardcore, alternative, indie, reggae, tribute bands and are starting to book country as well.
The venues we like to use in the Central Valley are Fulton 55 and Full Circle for Fresno; 1933 and the Nile Theatre in Bakersfield. We have also added Persuasion Brewing and Twin Rivers Saloon in Modesto. Arkphonic also operates in the Central Coast, Sacramento, Bay Area and Socal.”
So, how many events are you doing in a given month?
“Any where between four and 12 is our comfort zone. So, we do around 50 and 100 national and regional shows a year and try to add some all local shows into the mix as well.”
You’ve been pretty consistent in your bookings but seem to fly under the radar some in terms of name recognition. Is that like a conscious thing to let the shows stand on their own?
“I would say yes and no. I think we are just so focused on our current events, future bookings and how to expand in areas and markets, that we tend to just stay busy and forget to pause and enjoy. It’s a lot of work to have this much going, so the day-in and day-out forces a ‘what’s next?’ mentality.
We also love to be in the background on the day of the events, making sure that it’s strictly about the the city, venue, artists/bands/tour our locals and the patrons. Bringing entertainment to a city and a venue is always a fun time. We also know that it’s very important to deliver the goods with entertainment that runs professionally. This helps expand the patron’s trust with nightlife and venues in our communities.”
Are there any shows you’ve landed that have surprised you? Like ‘I can’t believe we made this work?’
“I would say the first time we did The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus in 2018 in Reedley and Bakersfield. This was an important one for sure as it was a turning point for Arkphonic. We began our business relationship with PinUp Productions and started to learn the regional platform.
Another one I would say was Chelsea Grin in 2021. That show was just a great experience for everyone involved and helped push the next tier of shows we had coming.
A few others have been The Emo Night Tour, the Alesana trilogy shows, Impending Doom and Bury Your Dead, Born of Osiris and Veil of Maya, Peeling Flesh and Paleface Swiss.
Every show is important to us. We treat every event with the same energy. It’s always about making sure that we go up and beyond to promote the event. The goal is always to have concert goers from a large radius around the venue hosting the event.”
Are there any bucket list band you’d like to work with?
“We have been on a legacy act binge the last few years; Black Flag, Powerman5000, Alien Ant Farm, The Meteors, The Queers, Richie Ramone, Venom Inc., Exhumed, High on Fire and Pallbearer.
Legacy acts are always so much fun as you get to witness the story in person and experience the bands up close.
The next chapter for us is here, as we will be working with some really heavy end acts in A markets. This will include some of the fan favorites that are all over Satellite Radio. Some really good stuff to come in 2025, 2026, and 2027.”
You can follow Arkphonic for a full list of upcoming shows.
Garth Brooks songwriter, Porterville native, Larry Bastian dies
Singer Omar Naré passed along news that his friend (and songwriting mentor) Larry Bastian died last week. He was 90.
Bastian was well-known in country music circles, having penned songs for Buck Owens, Conway Twitty, Sammy Kershaw and, most notably, Garth Brooks.
Brooks had a run of Bastian-penned hits in the 1990s — “Unanswered Prayers,” “Rodeo,” “The Old Man’s Back in Town.”
According to his official biography, Bastian grew up in Porterville doing farming and cowboy work. He played music in and around the area, including Bakersfield, but spent a dozen-plus years as a biologist with the Department of Agriculture in Kern and Tulare Counties.
It was in the 1970s that he moved into his second career as a songwriter.
And he continued that work from a ranch near Springville through his later years. Naré was sitting with Bastian on the porch at that ranch when the pair wrote “Mañana Es Para Siempre,” the “nuevo mariachi” song he released in 2022.
The pair became friends after Bastian hired Naré to translate “Unanswered Prayers” into Spanish for a film soundtrack.
Bastion could have moved to Nashville to be closer to the country music scene.
The fact he didn’t ended up being a good career choice, as he told the Porterville Recorder when he was being inducted into the Porterville High School Alumni Association Wall of Fame in 2017.
“There is a saying in Nashville that you have to be present to win and I blew that one all to hell,” Bastian says. “Familiarity breeds contempt and that is so true in the music business. All of those guys back there were trying to get in to see people that I knew from back in California.”
That’s it for this week. Remember you can now hear me on the Homegrown Show Sundays at 8 p.m. on New Rock 104.1 FM. I’m in the studio with organizers from Tower Porchfest. Follow my other writing at The Fresno Bee. If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com