Regarding Dogstock:
This is in response to the allegations of wrongdoing by myself and anyone on the staff of Dogstock 5. To give a background of the situation leading up to the event: I was asked by Randy Long back in August of last year to help him grow his event into something bigger and better. Because of my experience with the business of live music promotion, my initial role that I offered was to help secure design, street team, marketing, and bring bands to the event. I also agreed that I would attempt to garner sponsors and anything that I could bring to the table to cover expenses I would. He made similar deals with other people as well.
Originally, I was told that we would have a particular artist lineup that would be similar in style to that of Wakarusa or 10,000 Lakes type of event, so I happily and eagerly got to work. As time passed and Randy's lineup changed, and changed, and changed again it was obvious that there would be no major headliners and the festival would be surviving from the benefit aspect, a handful of national acts, and the 100 or so regional bands that I had already brought to the table. Over the next several months, it was business as usual with my role being to handle the many design requests, organize a street team, keep up the website. As the event grew closer I was placed in the position now of scheduling all of the stages and staffing various positions (stage managers, volunteers, etc). Randy was in charge of securing stages, tents, security, golf carts, catering, his top tier national bands, etc. In the weeks leading up to the event, the lineup was beginning to change again as a lot of the national acts that Randy had secured began to drop off of the lineup (i.e Particle, Bernie Worrell, Les Dudek, Melvin Seals & JGB, Rebirth Brass Band, Devon Allman�s Honeytribe, Leon Russell, Ivan Neville�s Dumpstaphunk). I will suggest that this last bit of lineup change, and words spread of other bands not being on the bill as advertised, is what really hurt the walk-up ticket sales in the end.
At the event itself there was staff at the front gate that was supplied by myself and by Randy's people. I was originally told that we would have hand scanners to scan all tickets and to track the numbers. Those were not there. There wasn't even enough wristbands to get us through the weekend (I think that the front ran out of wristbands sometime Saturday evening, which isn't that big of a deal since 95% of the people who were coming to the event had already been there). I can safely estimate the numbers to be around 2K, including the bands, staff, and patrons (promo and paid). By my accounts, and others who were working the door, there could only have been around 100-200 paying patrons that weekend. As cash was garnered at the front gate, it was given to either myself, Randy, Suzie, or a couple of Randy/Suzies associates. The cash was then carried up to Randy's house and either handed directly to him, or Suzie, or one of their associates who was posted up outside of their office. I have plenty of witnesses that can recall me making numerous cash drops throughout the weekend. Having not been the only one escorting the cash (and with there being absolutely no record of cash transactions), it's hard for anyone to make an exact quote on the amount of cash from the front gate � I would guestimate it to be in the range of $6K-$10K. �not near the $200K amount that Longs are asserting.
I do feel very bad that Dogstock 5 didn't work out as planned. Whether the fault is lack of organization or last-minute lineup changes the one thing that is not the fault is outright stealing from the front gate or scalping tickets. I personally feel that if Randy didn't have the money to back the event then it is his responsibility to pull the event and to try again when the time is right. I never once saw the entire budget for the event, and when I would make suggestions on the budget I was always reminded that this was his event. He can blame me for not finding sponsors, and accuse me of other wrong doing, but the facts of the matter are that it was his event and therefore it's his call to keep going or to cut his losses. Can you imagine what he would be doing to me now if I was the one to pull all of my bands out of the event and save them the trouble and expenses of driving? Most of the bands that I brought to the table were Midwestern regional name bands, with a few coming from the west coast. They had agreed to play for an average of $300, the deal being that the money would help to cover their gas and that they were donating the rest of their time. Randy's bands on the other hand cost this event thousands of dollars, but again, I never was informed of what their actual costs were--the budget was not available to be any of my business. After it's all said and done, many bands and people, myself included, donated their time to this event because we believed in the cause and we are good people.
The mention of the one sponsor that I did bring and didn't give the money to Randy is real simple: That check, which was made out to me, was used to cover some of the festival expenses that I incurred on my end (including a bad check that Randy wrote me and the subsequent bank fees for some flyers that I paid to have printed). We're talking about a minimal amount compared to the over $100-$200K that it probably was going to take to pay for this event. Nobody stole from this event.
RE: Wakarusa
Other than assuring that I did not give anything away I have no need to comment on the reasons why I don't work for Wakarusa. If someone saw me give out a wristband then it was most-likely me giving out a wristband to a volunteer, which was my job. If it was a VIP then they were supposed to be at the festival, after all, I did have quite a few writers and radio folks who came to Wakarusa over the years. I had absolutely no access to wristbands or credentials that I wasn�t supposed to have. The simplest, most honest, answer as to why I no longer work at Wakarusa is that I gave Wakarusa up to do Dogstock. A decision that I now regret.
To the above poster... What poster did you do? We designed the poster, fliers, website, and current myspace graphics (go ahead and use it Randy, not worth the time of contacting you) Some local guy stole some of our art and used it to make the official T-shirts for the fest. I decided not to bother considering all the other negative energy surrounding this fest. Again, not worth the time and effort. How many people were 2005, 2006? anyone know the real answer, not one of Randy's people please. Any vendors out there want to step up and say how many people were at this year's Dogstock?
Shame on you Randy, this is how you treat people who worked countless hours for a year trying to help your cause. You made some bad decisions, now be a man and take responsibility for your choices. The silly accusations you are accusing Eric Noble of, still wouldn't solve half of your financial problems. And please quit bringing up the dogs for your own mercy, please leave them out of it. We all love them and want the best for them. SOME of us, want the best for everyone! Peace!
Well, my only loss is that my artwork for the DogStock Festival Poster, the Festival Parking Passes, and the Festival Badges I made up didn't get me any acknowledgement of my work. I'm not griping about purchasing new printing equipment in order to produce large proofs--hey I didn't even submit a bill. It's too bad the acts bumbed out for money reasons (funny how "artists" donate their time for "causes and benefits" but not for this one; and I'm speaking of some of the "name" acts) as well as other factors involved. I wasn't able to attend because of my "job" as well as my wife's upcomming surgery so I proably missed a great show as well as the "Peyton Place" events that abounded. Hopefully this mess will get fixed and I'll get to do another poster for next year's event.
I am a little confused... Why would you want to jump from what Dogstock 4 was to something of the nature of Banaroo without even considering using Waka as a model for Dogstock 5? That seems like a pretty big jump...especially if Randy Long and the Akita Adoption and Rescue Foundation and Sanctuary were broke! Seems a bit foolish to expect to hold an event that large without being able to pay for it and depend only on ticket sales. From reading these postings I think that Randy Long may have pulled the wool over everyone's eyes and now that his back is against the wall, he's trying paint Noble as a dog hating ticket scalper. It seems like these our the actions of a desperate man. By the way I did look at http://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/base/welcome as one of the posters suggested in an earlier comment. It doesn't seem that bills are something Randy Long likes to pay (vet, rent, yellow pages, supplies, etc.). Oh yeah how was Dogstock 6?
Ask the principals of Waka why noble isn't there! He is lying through his teeth. Whether I made the mistake, which was a big one, of having noble and loyal involved, he wasn't welcome at Wakarusa as any more than a paying guest. He won't admit to it, but its a fact. I NEVER wanted to be Waka lite. I wanted to axpand on what we'd done before and if a comparison of style were to be made I considered a Bonaroo style event with donated up and comers and only paying major nationals at a discount. This was not about anyone else until noble picked a fight with Waka. He was raving at times about how they'd screwed him and he was going to get 'em back. All I ever wanted was to raise awareness of the availability of loving dogs from shelters and rescues for loving homes. That and maybe pay for some vet bills and dog food. Shame on you noble!
Regarding Dogstock: This is in response to the allegations of wrongdoing by myself and anyone on the staff of Dogstock 5. To give a background of the situation leading up to the event: I was asked by Randy Long back in August of last year to help him grow his event into something bigger and better. Because of my experience with the business of live music promotion, my initial role that I offered was to help secure design, street team, marketing, and bring bands to the event. I also agreed that I would attempt to garner sponsors and anything that I could bring to the table to cover expenses I would. He made similar deals with other people as well. Originally, I was told that we would have a particular artist lineup that would be similar in style to that of Wakarusa or 10,000 Lakes type of event, so I happily and eagerly got to work. As time passed and Randy's lineup changed, and changed, and changed again it was obvious that there would be no major headliners and the festival would be surviving from the benefit aspect, a handful of national acts, and the 100 or so regional bands that I had already brought to the table. Over the next several months, it was business as usual with my role being to handle the many design requests, organize a street team, keep up the website. As the event grew closer I was placed in the position now of scheduling all of the stages and staffing various positions (stage managers, volunteers, etc). Randy was in charge of securing stages, tents, security, golf carts, catering, his top tier national bands, etc. In the weeks leading up to the event, the lineup was beginning to change again as a lot of the national acts that Randy had secured began to drop off of the lineup (i.e Particle, Bernie Worrell, Les Dudek, Melvin Seals & JGB, Rebirth Brass Band, Devon Allman’s Honeytribe, Leon Russell, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk). I will suggest that this last bit of lineup change, and words spread of other bands not being on the bill as advertised, is what really hurt the walk-up ticket sales in the end. At the event itself there was staff at the front gate that was supplied by myself and by Randy's people. I was originally told that we would have hand scanners to scan all tickets and to track the numbers. Those were not there. There wasn't even enough wristbands to get us through the weekend (I think that the front ran out of wristbands sometime Saturday evening, which isn't that big of a deal since 95% of the people who were coming to the event had already been there). I can safely estimate the numbers to be around 2K, including the bands, staff, and patrons (promo and paid). By my accounts, and others who were working the door, there could only have been around 100-200 paying patrons that weekend. As cash was garnered at the front gate, it was given to either myself, Randy, Suzie, or a couple of Randy/Suzies associates. The cash was then carried up to Randy's house and either handed directly to him, or Suzie, or one of their associates who was posted up outside of their office. I have plenty of witnesses that can recall me making numerous cash drops throughout the weekend. Having not been the only one escorting the cash (and with there being absolutely no record of cash transactions), it's hard for anyone to make an exact quote on the amount of cash from the front gate – I would guestimate it to be in the range of $6K-$10K. –not near the $200K amount that Longs are asserting. I do feel very bad that Dogstock 5 didn't work out as planned. Whether the fault is lack of organization or last-minute lineup changes the one thing that is not the fault is outright stealing from the front gate or scalping tickets. I personally feel that if Randy didn't have the money to back the event then it is his responsibility to pull the event and to try again when the time is right. I never once saw the entire budget for the event, and when I would make suggestions on the budget I was always reminded that this was his event. He can blame me for not finding sponsors, and accuse me of other wrong doing, but the facts of the matter are that it was his event and therefore it's his call to keep going or to cut his losses. Can you imagine what he would be doing to me now if I was the one to pull all of my bands out of the event and save them the trouble and expenses of driving? Most of the bands that I brought to the table were Midwestern regional name bands, with a few coming from the west coast. They had agreed to play for an average of $300, the deal being that the money would help to cover their gas and that they were donating the rest of their time. Randy's bands on the other hand cost this event thousands of dollars, but again, I never was informed of what their actual costs were--the budget was not available to be any of my business. After it's all said and done, many bands and people, myself included, donated their time to this event because we believed in the cause and we are good people. The mention of the one sponsor that I did bring and didn't give the money to Randy is real simple: That check, which was made out to me, was used to cover some of the festival expenses that I incurred on my end (including a bad check that Randy wrote me and the subsequent bank fees for some flyers that I paid to have printed). We're talking about a minimal amount compared to the over $100-$200K that it probably was going to take to pay for this event. Nobody stole from this event. RE: Wakarusa Other than assuring that I did not give anything away I have no need to comment on the reasons why I don't work for Wakarusa. If someone saw me give out a wristband then it was most-likely me giving out a wristband to a volunteer, which was my job. If it was a VIP then they were supposed to be at the festival, after all, I did have quite a few writers and radio folks who came to Wakarusa over the years. I had absolutely no access to wristbands or credentials that I wasn’t supposed to have. The simplest, most honest, answer as to why I no longer work at Wakarusa is that I gave Wakarusa up to do Dogstock. A decision that I now regret.
Noble got a one sponsor for the event, and Randy never got the money (1,000.00) from Redoctane Guitar Hero II. He was ask many times for that money, and contract, and it never was received. I tried many times to secure the money for Randy. Since at the top of all advertising was listed presented by Randog Productions, and Noble Empire, I do believe that means Eric was half of this event. Let's see that he pays half of the debt, plus comes up with that sponsor fee.
Noble got a one sponsor for the event, and Randy never got the money (1,000.00) from Redoctane Guitar Hero II. He was ask many times for that money, and contract, and it never was received. I tried many times to secure the money for Randy. Since at the top of all advertising was listed presented by Randog Productions, and Noble Empire, I do believe that means Eric was half of this event. Let's see that he pays half of the debt, plus comes up with that sponsor fee.
From what I witnessed at Dogstock I'm going to have to side with the Long's also. I personally witnessed Eric Noble handing out free VIP/drink tickets to his cronies, ran into countless acquaintances who didn't pay to get into the event, and on top of that, the people working the gate and handling the money were Loyal Family volunteers/employees. Thus, it's not a surprise that the money never ended up where it was supposed to, which is a damn shame. As far as attendance goes, I'm estimating somewhere between 2000-3000. I don't think passing off a bunch of bad checks was the way to go about things, but still, shadiness surrounds Eric Noble; Mr. Long shouldn't have contracted him to promote the event in the first place. If he had done his homework and researched Noble's history with the music festival scene, Long would have realized he made an egregious mistake in hiring Noble to promote this event in the first place. Unfortunately, after day one you could see things were not organized the way they should have been.
Best of luck to you Randy/Suzie
From what I witnessed at Dogstock I'm going to have to side with the Long's also. I personally witnessed Eric Noble handing out free VIP/drink tickets to his cronies, ran into countless acquaintances who didn't pay to get into the event, and on top of that, the people working the gate and handling the money were Loyal Family volunteers/employees. Thus, it's not a surprise that the money never ended up where it was supposed to, which is a damn shame. As far as attendance goes, I'm estimating somewhere between 2000-3000. I don't think passing off a bunch of bad checks was the way to go about things, but still, shadiness surrounds Eric Noble; Mr. Long shouldn't have contracted him to promote the event in the first place. If he had done his homework and researched Noble's history with the music festival scene, Long would have realized he made an egregious mistake in hiring Noble to promote this event in the first place. Unfortunately, after day one you could see things were not organized the way they should have been. Best of luck to you Randy/Suzie
Am I the only one who remembers the Jambase debacle that occurred back when Noble and Co. were leaking "headliners" for Dogstock and accusing Wakarusa of trying to block their supposedly secured acts? I do recall many shots taking at Brett and the Pipeline organization. I also recall a pretty severe apology the very next day...
The results of Dogstock should not be a surprise to anyone.
Am I the only one who remembers the Jambase debacle that occurred back when Noble and Co. were leaking "headliners" for Dogstock and accusing Wakarusa of trying to block their supposedly secured acts? I do recall many shots taking at Brett and the Pipeline organization. I also recall a pretty severe apology the very next day... The results of Dogstock should not be a surprise to anyone.
I'm gunna have to agree with Randy ... any encounter i have ever had with noble was less then desirable ... i personally watched him hand out VIP braclets at wakarusa ... free ... the rest of us paid over $500 for ours ... there is a very good reason he is not with wakarusa anymore ... but i wont get into that ... Randy is now not only trying to save all those animals, but his families home as well ... now i have never met nor talked to Randy ... i dont know if all the blame can be placed on Noble but a lot can ... immediatly upon entering the fest i was offered numerous drugs by staff members ... weed, xtc, mushrooms, cocaine ... I think if Noble and his crew would have hung around for another dogstock it would have turned into a schwagstock situation.
I'm gunna have to agree with Randy ... any encounter i have ever had with noble was less then desirable ... i personally watched him hand out VIP braclets at wakarusa ... free ... the rest of us paid over $500 for ours ... there is a very good reason he is not with wakarusa anymore ... but i wont get into that ... Randy is now not only trying to save all those animals, but his families home as well ... now i have never met nor talked to Randy ... i dont know if all the blame can be placed on Noble but a lot can ... immediatly upon entering the fest i was offered numerous drugs by staff members ... weed, xtc, mushrooms, cocaine ... I think if Noble and his crew would have hung around for another dogstock it would have turned into a schwagstock situation.
Sunday only we are offering a $25 dollar one day pass to support the doggies at the AARF Sanctuary. If we don't raise enough money the shelter and our home are starting foreclosure proceedings on Friday! Donations are desperately needed for this great cause and are tax deductible! Spread the word if you can. For directions to the Fun in Sun Campgrounds by Lake Perry and other info including the Sunday schedule go to our myspace site or the regular website:
www.myspace.com/dogstockmusicf... or our regular website: www.dogstock... To learn more about the Akitas and other dogs and animals we rescue please go to: www.akitarescue...
Please help if you can!
Peace,
Randy Long
Akita Adoption and Rescue Foundation and Sanctuary
31562 S. Stanley Rd.
Melvern, KS 66510
Sunday only we are offering a $25 dollar one day pass to support the doggies at the AARF Sanctuary. If we don't raise enough money the shelter and our home are starting foreclosure proceedings on Friday! Donations are desperately needed for this great cause and are tax deductible! Spread the word if you can. For directions to the Fun in Sun Campgrounds by Lake Perry and other info including the Sunday schedule go to our myspace site or the regular website: www.myspace.com/dogstockmusicfest or our regular website: www.dogstock... To learn more about the Akitas and other dogs and animals we rescue please go to: www.akitarescue... Please help if you can! Peace, Randy Long Akita Adoption and Rescue Foundation and Sanctuary 31562 S. Stanley Rd. Melvern, KS 66510
We are all doing this for the Akita Adoption and Rescue Foundation, a 501C-3 non profit and a Kansas licensed shelter, though we look at it a bit more as a sanctuary, not only for the dogs, but the wildlife on our 80 acres as well. Sadly, we are the only licensed SHELTER in Osage County. You don't want to know what they call animal control.
Our event is an eclectic four day music and camping festival that is scheduled for September 20-23 2007 benefiting the AARF Sanctuary which is located on the 81 acre farm that is home to all the rescued animals and their friends and caretakers, Randy Long, Suzie Long and Kendra Olson at the Akita Adoption and Rescue Foundation. This is a multi-faceted, pet-friendly all ages event designed to raise awareness of crucial animal welfare issues as well as, hopefully raising much needed funds for the dogs. Dogstock has become an exciting and much anticipated community event each festival.
Everyone comments on the peaceful, happy vibe. One of the main goals of AARF is to raise community awareness of this and other rescue groups' efforts and to highlight the availability of healthy animals looking for good homes that are in shelters and rescues. Saving a life is a pretty cool thing to do.
Far more animals can be saved through education than all the hands on work put together though and the universal language of music is what we put our faith in to uplift hearts and minds. Animal lovers are invited to bring their lucky dog to the festival, however all pets must be spayed/neutered and have a current vaccination record and all children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
As an aside I would note we feed 800 lbs of premium kibble per week along with 10 gallons of freshly cooked jambalaya each day. We are currently caring for 90 dogs, a rescued abused elderly horse, a pony and a rescued abused parrot along with the most unique "pride" of ferrel kitties you've ever seen.
Though we rescue more Akitas than not, we have many mixes as well as some horribly neglected and abused dogs dropped off in the middle of the night. It warms our hearts to see how these dogs blossom under our care as we work on their rehabilitation and resocialization.
We also specialize in special needs dogs and older dogs. These are some of the most rewarding relationships we develop. We have stories that are so wonderful including an elderly Akita we adopted to a family with a seriously epileptic child. The dog started predicting his seizures and getting help! Before he succumbed to old age Jake had "cured" the boy of his seizures.
Other stories include folks who adopted a dog one day and the next were protected from intruders. Dogs give us unconditional love and when we allow 8 to ten million to be killed yearly because they were inconvenient that is unforgivable. Endless puppymill breeding in the midwest along with some real lunatic backyard breeders are perpetuating this situation along with owners who don't take their responsibilities seriously. Because we are rural, we have few volunteers and fewer donors, so Dogstock will hopefully become a major source of fundraising. It sure has helped provide a voice for the voiceless as music is the universal language; even with dogs! ASK ABOUT SINGLE DAY ADMISSIONS!
We are all doing this for the Akita Adoption and Rescue Foundation, a 501C-3 non profit and a Kansas licensed shelter, though we look at it a bit more as a sanctuary, not only for the dogs, but the wildlife on our 80 acres as well. Sadly, we are the only licensed SHELTER in Osage County. You don't want to know what they call animal control. Our event is an eclectic four day music and camping festival that is scheduled for September 20-23 2007 benefiting the AARF Sanctuary which is located on the 81 acre farm that is home to all the rescued animals and their friends and caretakers, Randy Long, Suzie Long and Kendra Olson at the Akita Adoption and Rescue Foundation. This is a multi-faceted, pet-friendly all ages event designed to raise awareness of crucial animal welfare issues as well as, hopefully raising much needed funds for the dogs. Dogstock has become an exciting and much anticipated community event each festival. Everyone comments on the peaceful, happy vibe. One of the main goals of AARF is to raise community awareness of this and other rescue groups' efforts and to highlight the availability of healthy animals looking for good homes that are in shelters and rescues. Saving a life is a pretty cool thing to do. Far more animals can be saved through education than all the hands on work put together though and the universal language of music is what we put our faith in to uplift hearts and minds. Animal lovers are invited to bring their lucky dog to the festival, however all pets must be spayed/neutered and have a current vaccination record and all children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. As an aside I would note we feed 800 lbs of premium kibble per week along with 10 gallons of freshly cooked jambalaya each day. We are currently caring for 90 dogs, a rescued abused elderly horse, a pony and a rescued abused parrot along with the most unique "pride" of ferrel kitties you've ever seen. Though we rescue more Akitas than not, we have many mixes as well as some horribly neglected and abused dogs dropped off in the middle of the night. It warms our hearts to see how these dogs blossom under our care as we work on their rehabilitation and resocialization. We also specialize in special needs dogs and older dogs. These are some of the most rewarding relationships we develop. We have stories that are so wonderful including an elderly Akita we adopted to a family with a seriously epileptic child. The dog started predicting his seizures and getting help! Before he succumbed to old age Jake had "cured" the boy of his seizures. Other stories include folks who adopted a dog one day and the next were protected from intruders. Dogs give us unconditional love and when we allow 8 to ten million to be killed yearly because they were inconvenient that is unforgivable. Endless puppymill breeding in the midwest along with some real lunatic backyard breeders are perpetuating this situation along with owners who don't take their responsibilities seriously. Because we are rural, we have few volunteers and fewer donors, so Dogstock will hopefully become a major source of fundraising. It sure has helped provide a voice for the voiceless as music is the universal language; even with dogs! ASK ABOUT SINGLE DAY ADMISSIONS!
Re: “A Doggone Drag”
Noble don't like no schwag! He is kind and those who know him know this. C.O., you are not nice and your post is a bigger waste than this one. Go play fantasy football or something... You are ruining it for the dorks.