01/25/2015
The man behind the curtain.
With the closing of arguably the best and most significant nightclub ever to exist in Canada finally being here today, the person who should be praised and thanked the most for it’s success and everyone’s memorable times, will likely go unnoticed.
Yes of course Charles Khabouth, his partner Danny Soberano, Mark Oliver, “The Bellos” Manzone & Strong ( Joe Manzone and Fab Strong, who also haven’t been given the credit they deserve for their hard work and dedication over the last decade), Joel Zimmerman aka deadmau5 , for obviously being the hometown hero and like an antagonist in the WWE no matter how mean, rude, obnoxious trolling, annoying or in my opinion flat out hilarious he might be, we all still claim him, love him, and are proud of him for being the most talented producer there is in electronic music. The passion and extra effort he has always put into his hometown shows is uncanny. From his contribution to Veld (even though year one didn’t turn out like he would have liked technically wise) Guvernment shows, all the way to him being so sick at a This is London show where he was vomiting into a bucket and still spinning until the wee hours of the morning. He is dedicated to us and deserves to headline this last ever show inside The Guvernment.
But how does one like Deadmau5 get discovered or be given his chance to play on the big stage? How does someone like Avicii play sunrise sets at Sky Bar before anyone knew how to pronounce his name? How does Steve Angello get to perform until 830 am at the Veld after party? How does Markus Schulz play an open to close marathon set? How does Hardwell play a show to an intimate crowd at Cube? I know I am missing many significant events that happened but I am not old enough to have experienced them.
The one name and only answer to the above questions is Talal Farisi (Talent Buyer, Music Director, Festival Director). He is the true legend at the Guvernment. He is the man with vision. He is the man with the eye for talent and most importantly he is the one to execute and make everything happen. We all know Toronto has always had a great music scene, but Talal’s and only Talal’s relationships with agents, managers and artists made The Guvernment into the powerhouse it has now become and forever will be.
I had the opportunity to partner with Ink on shows in the university markets across Ontario for a few years and then got hired and worked for Ink for 2 years shadowing Talal and learning everything about the business in the music department which surprisingly to my knowledge always only consisted of 3 people. The man is a true leader, businessman, entrepreneur, and light years ahead of all his competition in every facet of the music business on the concert producing side locally.
Booking talent is so much more difficult than any of you could even fathom. Despite Toronto being such a large city it still does not compare to other powerhouses across the world in terms of money generated at these events (especially in terms of bar sales, anyone who has been to Miami can sympathize). That being said, the Canadian dollar also sets us behind the eight ball. So how does one get the most desired talent in the world despite these hurdles he has to jump over? It’s simple it is all about personal relationships. Without these relationships Talal and only Talal has, we wouldn’t have seen one tenth of the unbelievable lineups and concerts we have been exposed to. He was the one with the vision for Veld. He is the one involved in every single aspect of the concerts and festivals, from hiring promoters, making deals with sponsors, monitoring ticket prices (believe me, without him the ticket prices would be much higher for all of Toronto’s events) entertaining talent, managers and agents, all forms of marketing, budgets, working with other departments within Ink. When I first began to work at Ink and would see people criticize concert lineups it would make me so angry and upset I can’t even begin to explain. Talal being as cool, calm and collected as he always was, taught me not to take it personally and truly led by example. I would hear what was feasible and available and the hoops Talal would jump through just to make these lineups happen, with what little was available at that time and believe me he overachieved every single time. If there were All-Star game for the music business he would have been named the captain of the team unanimously every single year. So the next time you criticize an Ink line up or show, just know that if it was someone else was in the driver seat at the talent buying position, that lineup would never have happened. He also needs to be credited with hitting three different genres of electronic music for the three closing shows at The Guvernment.
Other honourable mentions that will most likely fly under the radar include: Cyrus Songad, without his work ethic this well-oiled machine we know as The Guvernment does not function. Jamil Kamal and all of his staff for keeping everybody safe. Orin Bristol the Director of Venue Opertions. Peter Zurub and all of the ticketing staff. Sean David Kane for taking care VIP cliental at all of the concerts. All of the promoters (not on the nights where there is talent booked, but filling the venue on off nights to keep the club successful, Cody Blanchard of the Toronto Rave Community can attest to how difficult this actually is). Adnan who has been promoting longer than anyone in Toronto. Tim and all other light and sound techs. Everyone who has been and is in the music department including Jose, Farhad Gucci, Adrian Simon, Dan Wilder and anyone I have missed or forgotten.
Although, I have unfortunately left the music business to pursue a career in real estate. I needed to get all of this off my chest for not only myself but for all of you to truly understand where the credit for this nightclub should lay.
Despite all of his Talal’s hard work paying off, he does not like being in the public eye, nor taking credit. He is humble, and in this day and age that is hard to come by. He will probably be extremely upset with me for posting this Sunday morning blurb, but we all owe this man more than any of you could even begin to understand (myself beyond anyone on more of a mentoring and personal level in helping me become a stronger more well rounded individual in all aspects, and for being a friend at a very low point in my life) but for you, the next time you remember a good time at The Guvernment remember who made it happen. Thank you Talal, for making Toronto’s electronic music scene what it is today, and more specifically The Guvernment.
Sincerely,
Rob Citrullo
Owner and Founder of Citybang Media
