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http://www.djstevelawler.com/phpbb2...opic.php?t=1341
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To whom it may concern,
This is a formal letter which will help explain, and, act as a warning for any artists, agents, managers, and potential promoters regarding the events that occurred on November 19, 2004.
My client, Steve Lawler, was booked and played for Edgar Diaz - a proven promoter in the Guadalajara market - at Space Club on its opening night.
At 2.50am Saturday morning November 20, 2004 Steve Lawler, his girlfriend and I were put in an un-compromising situation.
A situation occurred between the club staff and the club promoter (Edgar Diaz) regarding another act the club had also booked for the opening night. The agency nor Steve were never told about any such performance by another act which included was a 15-minute gap where the club would play a “techno trance” CD. We found this out only after Steve had begun playing and, thus, were not prepared to interrupt Steve’s set. We also informed the club the other act could go on after Steve had finished and that we could cut his set short to three hours. The club then told us that Steve could either play the “techno trance” CD that supported the other artist’s performance or get off the decks; we decided that Steve would finish his set and leave the club.
My client and I were very clear to the club promoter and club staff that once Steve was off the decks, and, had played for almost 2.5 hours, that we were done and were calling it a night. As we walked out of the club and headed to the car, our party (Steve, his girlfriend and I) were surrounded by ten bouncers from the club and three of the acting club owners. Edgar started to talk with one of the owners which quickly turned into an argument and escalated to the point where we thought things could become violent. I immediately put Steve’s girlfriend and records into the car. I then turned around and noticed that the club was not letting Steve out of the circle of bouncers. As I rushed back into the circle, I asked Edgar what he could do to defuse the situation. He said we couldn’t do anything except for telling us go back into the club and start playing again. I then asked what would happen if we didn’t. He said we only had one choice or the club and its staff were going to “take matters in there own hands” that things “were going to get violent”. This was more than a basic threat, we reasonably believed that our safety was in jeopardy.
The bouncers started to get physical with myself instructing me to not move and told Steve that he had to go inside immediately. We were then forced to walk back into the club escorted by the bouncers and owners. Steve went back on - still surrounded by bouncers – and played for an additional hour then quietly exited. The hostility from the club followed us to the hotel as we knew that the club owners also had our lodging details.
This is a warning to anyone that works with these people in the future, as they are not professional.
TCA has been in the DJ bookings business for over a decade and has had to deal with many situations that commonly arise in this profession and a few that are not so common. This was far and away one of the most frightening and unprofessional displays by anybody we have ever had to work with. We strongly encourage you to think twice before doing business with Space Club in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Joel Zimmerman
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