How am I supposed to book gigs as an experimental act...

How am I supposed to book gigs as an experimental act? The bands in my area are pleb so all are hesitant to add us to their gigs. Promoters/venues never e-mail back. Have no friends to help put on a house show. Am I entirely fucked?

What city?

Try talking to art galleries, theaters, etc.
Especially ones known for hosting "avant-garde" stuff.

Emails about what specifically? You need to be asking them about specific touring shows you want to open for.

I thought that was all done through booking agents of bands and not the venues themselves.

Find a gay club and let the owner sodomize you. You'd be surprised how many people got their start this way.

For opening bands fuck no although sure it can be done that way. Feel free to contact them both.

most important q

Doesn't anyone have open mic night?

One word:

Bahmitzvahs

I'm in a small city in southern California

Well that doesn't really help other than to suggest you might have to travel for shows. Does your city have a frat college? They might enjoy throwing beers at you.

most important a

what city in so cal are you in? I'm from downey

One word:

Quinceaneras

coachella valley

Do you have your own pa? Just get a generator and set up where ever in the city you think your music belongs. A club wouldn't book you? Play in their parking lot.

Venues are always looking for bands, ignore agents like the plague and call up everywhere you can think of.

Get some polished demos copied too and send them to everyone. Even a tiny record label opens a whole world of promotion and networking so with luck you'll get picked up.

Traveling is no problem. just don't know what venues to approach. ideally I figured the venue has to be small and have similar type of music or be appropriate for my genre.

What do you mean experimental?

Just go play at the Joshua Tree

Rancho Cucamonga?

I'm pretty close yeah. i can shoot you an e-mail if you're an artist and want to do a gig.

No I just like that name. So you might as well just go to LA

Just coordinate at a Guitar Center

If you're serious then move to the city. Sucks, but that's the only way you're going to do more than just slip into normal venues and confuse the patrons.

Rancho Cucamonga is only 15 miles from LA

Oh shit, didn't catch that.
Honestly, if you can't find experimental gigs in LA you must be looking like a moron. There is so much experimental shit there.