"Working with Peter is going to be a huge step as we continue to grow the company," says Soda Jerk honcho Mike Barsch in a statement just released. "He and I were fierce competitors for many years. Now we're on the same team, and we intend to take Soda Jerk to the next level.
"Peter and I both agree that we want to create a formidable independent concert promotion company," he continues, "and we know we have the tools and relationships to make this happen. This is a new chapter in the growth for the company and I am very excited for what the future will bring."
"I couldn't be more thrilled," adds Ore. "While I enjoyed the experience and knowledge I gained while working for Live Nation, I have always been an independent at heart and am excited to be able to do things the way Mike and I want them done. The freedom to do the shows we want and how we want will be a very welcome change. Mike has been doing great business on his own for years. I look forward to joining forces with him and see how far we can take this."
Yeah, like we said, this is pretty major news. Since founding Soda Jerk Presents in 2000, Barsch and company have emerged as the area's strongest independent promoter, putting on countless shows across the Front Range at its own venues -- the Black Sheep in Colorado Springs, the Marquis Theater on 20th and Larimer and the Summit Music Hall on 19th and Blake in LoDo -- and that's not including the shows Barsch promoted in the early days in Boulder Tulagi's and at the now-defunct Rock Island in LoDo.
Ore, as you probably remember, is a major player in his own right, having first made his name with Nobody In Particular Presents -- the area's biggest independent promoter at one time -- from the mid '90s to the middle part of this past decade, before moving on to Live Nation in 2006. A veritable giant in the promotions business, Ore later moved on to Las Vegas, where he was most recently held the position of VP of Booking for Live Nation.
This is a pretty big deal. Not to put too fine a point on it, but let's just say the addition of Ore to Soda Jerk as a talent buyer is a major coup for Barsch and company, on par with an NFL team acquiring a franchise quarterback or an NBA squad adding a marquee player to the team. Expect some serious competition from this crew.
