Absolutely unfuckingbelievable. I'm sorry but this continuing saga of stolen indierawk gear HAS to involve some who has inside information. This is bullshit!!!!

all those bands are just committing insurance fraud probably.

How much does it cost to put your trailer in a parking garage already? Probably a lot less than it does to replace stolen property, and less than you get from your gig and merch that's for sure. This is New York, use some street smarts. Hire a hipster to watch your stuff or use a garage!! And yes I feel bad for the bands but C'MON ALREADY!!

When are bands going to stop leaving their stuff in Greenpoint/Williamsburg? Thats where all their shit is stolen.

Here's a TIP - STOP leaving your stuff in your van unattended. Doesn't this seem like common sense?

doesn't Matt Pond live in Brooklyn?

anyone wanna take a stab at how much $ in gear that is?

I'm gonna guess $35k

I was at the show last night, took some pics-Matt had a rack of semi hollow body guitars, glistening in the stage lights. They looked delicious, and the sight may have set some miscreant's mind to work...

Sorry, wrong link in the last comment. And yeah BV, Matt lives in Brooklyn. The display of equipment honestly struck me, they seemed to be a far cry from "struggling, strapped band" with all of their gear. Feel bad for em.

man, that sucks. i've seen matt pond pa a few times, and i've always enjoyed them.

hi,
i play in the decemberists. i really doubt fraud is on the minds of most musicians in these situations, and i assume that comment was a joke. The "larger cities" in general these days (NYC especially) are really worth driving out of after the show for an hour or so. We had our gear stolen in our home town, in front of one of our homes! Or, the pain in the ass of loading out your gear into where you are staying. We tend to hit the road at night now and pull over at some weird Super 8 as much as that sucks. Also musicians; bite the bullet and get insurance (which we didn't have when our gear was stolen). it's like $100.00 a year for an individual to insure themselves. At one time I used a company called Musician Pro Insurance which i had after my gear was lifted so I can vouch for how well or fast they pay. But i heard they kick down.
Sorry to hear that Matt Pond! anyway..xx funk

A couple of things, speaking as a tour manager:
I agree. It is getting to harder to have any sympathy for people that have their gear stolen in Brooklyn, Manhattan or anywhere for that matter. Surely everyone involved in the music industry at this level has heard of the rash of robberies in NYC. I know for a fact that the Bowery Ballroom will allow you to leave your gear overnight and load out the following morning. There are always people cleaning. Or like the dude above said, drive out of town. That's the best and safest way to remedy the situation.

That said it's not as easy as saying "Put your van and trailer in a lot" Most lots won't even take a van, let alone a trailer. There used to be a lot at 60th and West End that would take one or both. But about 18 months ago I showed up there to put a van in and whereas it used to be a massive lot with tons of spots, it was all jammed up. Apparently they are tearing down lots to make luxury apartments. So the secure parking is even harder to come by.

I'd tell you the safest place in the city to park your shit but I don't trust you.

so what happens next? the record label replaces the stuff?

I can't believe how rapidly people respond to a post like this with some attempt to sound more street-smart-than-thou. This hard lack of sympathy for people who are robbed is coming from the same place as a con-artist's rationalizations: a real New York Shitty attitude.

i have seen matt pond pa a few times, really awesome guys. hopefully some stuff gets recovered. since they are basically on their own label sort of there is no record company to give them brand new stuff. it doesnt look like the cello was stolen, so that is at least good. blaming the bands is not cool, i agree. sometimes they dont really have many options.

wow. i interviewed matt on friday for our radio show, and attended the show at the bowery last night. really great guy, cool band.. this sucks so much. that's not something a smaller band can afford to replace and i hope whoever took their shit gets caught.

i saw matt pond pa play tonight in boston at paradise. he actually opened the show by telling everyone about their stuff getting stolen. after the show he was hanging out and meeting fans so i went up and talked to him. he's a really cool guy, he signed a poster that i tore off of the wall.

i asked him about the stuff that got stolen. he said that they do have insurance and that their policy will cover up to $20k. the stuff that was stolen was valued at $19k so they'll have it all replaced. he said that their insurance rates will probably skyrocket from this though.

they played the show tonight with loaner instruments from gibson. it was an awesome show, they opened up with snow day and followed it with so much trouble. my friend got a picture of the set list so i'll see that later

Its hard to drive out of NYC after playing a show, you want to hang out and catch up. Safety is more important but alot of guys get caught up in the night.

NY Post reviewed the Bowery show:
http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/63228.htm

"Its hard to drive out of NYC after playing a show, you want to hang out and catch up."

True. How do you expect a touring band from like Oregon or somewhere to just pack up and bounce after playing in nyc? It's an absurd notion. Where are they going to stay? A Holiday Inn off the NJ Turnpike? That sounds fun.

I live in Greenpoint. There have been a chain of break-ins since the holidays, primarily apartments.

holy x

Load out into the hotel room every night. It's not actually that hard. You get used to it by the midway point of tour. I have been doing it for ten years now. If you bring a lotta extra guitars, yup, that's less space for you in yr room. Beats getting robbed.

if it was me i wouldn't have let it get stolen...

Hey all,

I am in a band (pattern is movement) and we had our trailer stolen in Kansas City - at 10pm on a main drag right by the club. The lucky thing is - we were in the venue with all of our stuff. So they got a empty trailer! But I agree - staying at a Holiday Inn is hard for most bands b/c you make 100-200 a night and taking 60-100 out for lodging is rough. What we do is lock the trailer down with a piece of equipment called an alpha lock. It locks the wheel on the trailer. So - they will have to break into the trailer - which most theives dont wanna do on the spot. That is my only real advice.
check it out:
https://www.alphalock.com/

hey this is just my two cents but the thing you gotta do is install booby traps around the trailer, like pitfalls and bombs

Hey all musicians,
Protect your gear with insurance. Go to our web site at www.musicproinsurance.com. For $100 you can insure $10,000 of gear plus some computer equipment($5000). Coverage is worldwide, 24/7, and the deductible is only $100. You can also manage your list and pay on-line! Well worth it.

Sorry Matt Pond. There is no going back to that night,
so no useless advice from me. People expecting spotless
logistical thinking from rock musicians on the road are
pretty odd, I think. The point is, people love your music-- have a great tour and to hell with whoever's responsible.
The thieves will make a few bucks, but they'll probably never feel the high of turning people on by music.
Good luck.

Ok, I did feel sorry for the last few bands that got thier shit stolen in Brooklyn after playing at the Bowery, I even cross posted some lists to a Rickenbacker board I belong to.. but c'mon.. this is getting more than a little lemming-esque.
When the ex and I drive from NYC to and from FL to cave dive, we always unload our shit at whatever godforsaken hole in North Carolina we crash at for the night. And that's HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS of pounds of tanks, u/w scooters, etc. How hard can it be to *at least* lug in the crazy expensive stuff like guitars and basses? I know the answer to that one.. NOT FUCKING HARD. Drums and amps are heavier and take up more space, so I can understand if there's no room for them if where you're crashing is *really*REALLY* tiny .. but the "heavy" thing is beat.. I'm a little pussy, but at 14 I used to help my dad unload amps, pa's and drums late at night when he and my mom would come back from playing some wedding or something. So nothing would be STOLEN. And that was in sleepy lil' Kingston, PA. TWO blocks straight down from a Police Station.

Everyone knows that everyone sucks in some way or another.. and everyone knows that some people suck because they steal other people's stuff. I'm not trying to excuse people for being douchebags, but fuck.. take some personal responsibility.

Anyway.. sorry for Matt Pond, etc.. that blows. I hope I don't have to keep reading this shit, though... because it gives me a stomacheache and I didn't even leave anything overnight in a trailer in Brooklyn.

Best wishes that the perps be brought to brutal, bloody justice,

Tony T

Chalk another one up for LIMOZEENZ. In case you already missed the interview, there seems to be a network picking these bands off. You can be sure they'll strike again.

http://www.radcompany.net/Storys/NewsStorys/Limozeenz/Limozeenz.html

Someone need to put a stop to this PLEASE!

Shit, if you fuxx think the LIMOZEENZ are serious...well, what can I say other than "loosen up your cheeks a bit".

Fact is, rents in NYC are stupid high and when a motherfucker is trying to survive, said motherfucker is apt to do anything for a little cash, and unfortunately, a lot of people have a sort of moral flexibility these days. As long as rippin' some gear off the side of a street is easier than going to work 40 hours a week, motherfuckers are going to be doing it.

Cats need to protect gear with common sense and insurance. If you can't load the gear off the street, set-up a shift and have a motherfucker sit or even sleep inside of the van. If you've got a hard-on for justice and you're willing to take the chance of leaving your gear on the street, then find some way to at least videotape your van/trailer/etc. - that way if you do get ripped off, you have something to give the cops.

I've had gear taken from me that was irreplaceable and if I would've taken a few precautions beforehand, I would've at least had some evidence to hand over to the cops. Otherwise, if you don't have anything for them, they'll simply chalk you up as another dumb fuck and put your shit in a database somewhere.

Basically, don't let yourself be a victim and you won't be victimized. For cats who are travelling: don't trust anyone but yourself and the people you are travelling with. If you're scoring in the city, think about it...think about the sort of people you're dealing with and think about how easily word travels. Be aware of the networks you're rolling in.

Shit, if you fuxx think the LIMOZEENZ are serious...well, what can I say other than "loosen up your cheeks a bit".

Fact is, rents in NYC are stupid high and when a motherfucker is trying to survive, said motherfucker is apt to do anything for a little cash, and unfortunately, a lot of people have a sort of moral flexibility these days. As long as rippin' some gear off the side of a street is easier than going to work 40 hours a week, motherfuckers are going to be doing it.

Cats need to protect gear with common sense and insurance. If you can't load the gear off the street, set-up a shift and have a motherfucker sit or even sleep inside of the van. If you've got a hard-on for justice and you're willing to take the chance of leaving your gear on the street, then find some way to at least videotape your van/trailer/etc. - that way if you do get ripped off, you have something to give the cops.

I've had gear taken from me that was irreplaceable and if I would've taken a few precautions beforehand, I would've at least had some evidence to hand over to the cops. Otherwise, if you don't have anything for them, they'll simply chalk you up as another dumb fuck and put your shit in a database somewhere.

Basically, don't let yourself be a victim and you won't be victimized. For cats who are travelling: don't trust anyone but yourself and the people you are travelling with. If you're scoring in the city, think about it...think about the sort of people you're dealing with and think about how easily word travels. Be aware of the networks you're rolling in.

Shit, if you fuxx think the LIMOZEENZ are serious...well, what can I say other than "loosen up your cheeks a bit".

Fact is, rents in NYC are stupid high and when a motherfucker is trying to survive, said motherfucker is apt to do anything for a little cash, and unfortunately, a lot of people have a sort of moral flexibility these days. As long as rippin' some gear off the side of a street is easier than going to work 40 hours a week, motherfuckers are going to be doing it.

Cats need to protect gear with common sense and insurance. If you can't load the gear off the street, set-up a shift and have a motherfucker sit or even sleep inside of the van. If you've got a hard-on for justice and you're willing to take the chance of leaving your gear on the street, then find some way to at least videotape your van/trailer/etc. - that way if you do get ripped off, you have something to give the cops.

I've had gear taken from me that was irreplaceable and if I would've taken a few precautions beforehand, I would've at least had some evidence to hand over to the cops. Otherwise, if you don't have anything for them, they'll simply chalk you up as another dumb fuck and put your shit in a database somewhere.

Basically, don't let yourself be a victim and you won't be victimized. For cats who are travelling: don't trust anyone but yourself and the people you are travelling with. If you're scoring in the city, think about it...think about the sort of people you're dealing with and think about how easily word travels. Be aware of the networks you're rolling in.

I know this thread is pretty much dead, but just a suggestion.. I live in Brooklyn and would't think of leaving so much as a pack of smokes in my van overnight.

My van was broken into about a year ago and they stole the engine control computer from under the front seat. it was a pain in the ass to get another one on short notice so I wouldn't get ticketed (alternate side parking and all), but after that I realized that without that computer in there, that van isn't starting. i take it out everytime I drive it now. Just a thought, but if you can disable the vehicle somehow so it can't be driven off and take in your precious stuff (guitars mostly) for the night, you might be ok. Really though, you could't pay me to leave gear in a van in New York overnight.

fuck you band

not too bad

since they are basically on their own label sort of there is no record company to give them brand new stuff.