Shakedown Festival Timeline (recalled
Feb. 2005 Hal makes
proposal for jamband festival in NW in late August.
Feb. Hal is negotiating with SW
Washington Fairgrounds,
Feb. 20 Hal contacts Baseline Ticketing
March 16 Stylus Incorporated in FL, Articles of
Organization filed
March 1 Agreement with Investors, Tony and
Hank Armand owners of Millennium Travel
In
a co. Hal founded with them in 2002. On paper Hal owned 35% of co. but am treated
as the
marketing manager and never receive financials or profit/ loss statement.
work outside the office. New managers never exceed 70% of Hal’s production,
average 50%. Investors breach contract by taking Hal out of control of
management.
Sep. 2003.
Sat. March 5 Hal calls Bob Horning to check availability for Aug. 25, 26.
Bob assures Hal that permits
“are not a problem, we don’t even have the police up here, we’ve got everything
taken
care of, been doing fests up here for years now”
Mon. Mar. 8 Hal signs Horning’s Hideout agreement.
Pulls out of negotiation with WA Fairgrounds,
they are dragging their feet for weeks.
March 7 Jason Szabo, Szango Productions to
buy talent and make print ads from Ft.
Collins, CO
March 9 Baseline Ticketing contracted
March 10 Web developers and marketers
contracted
March 15 LMG/ Eric Meyers contracted for
vending/ Production
Mar 18 (approx) LMG states Tim (their main vendor/ sponsor guy) won’t
return calls (In
actuality he
wanted to work with us directly- this was not
disclosed and not learned of until July.
April 9 Baseline Ticketing is contracted
April 15 Web site launched. Is embellished
weekly then daily over next 5 months until we ended
up with one of the best sites ever used in this music genre. Rec’d. many compliments
April 20-28 First print ads run
April 30 Tickets go on
May 6 TicketsWest is contracted 6 days
after tickets went on sale. Late due to Baseline’s poor
communication and incompetence.
Shakedown
Timeline pg
2 of 4
2005
May 11 Hal complains firmly to Eric Meyers
about poor vending effort, communication, reporting
and results.
May 12 Conversation with Lowell MacGregor
for first time to respond to my complaint about the
way the vending is working. He is total denial, refutes my complaints and states
that he
wants an extra 10% of vendor fees to continue. Pledges that communication and reports
will be full and regular. The person appointed to deal with me then ignores me for
the next
4 weeks. (See notes)
May 27 Shakedown Talent Lineup for
Horning’s 2 day fest is finalized.
June 10 Upon reading of an article surfacing
my email inquiring as to the seriousness of the problems. He states that everything
should work out and that he has attorneys working on it. (See email). Hal is also
reassured by Chamberlain security not to panic.
June 16 Hal visits Horning, sees venue in
North Plains, contracts security. Hal is told hearings are
coming up but are not expected to impede festival.
June 19-29 Problems with
June 30 Horning blasts email to his database asking for supporters
to contact a county
commissioner and to send money for anticipated legal fees.
July 5 Hal signs Attorney Client Fee Agreement with Peter Haver due
to problems with Horning’s
problems and LMG vending problem.
July 6 Hal calls Eric Meyers about
availability of Columbia Meadows. He says they are
ready.
I speak to
agreement.
about 7 days of events. 1 day Rockfest and Country Fest is held there in July and
Aug.,
no camping. He states he will prepare agreement and get it to me.
July 7 Oregonian prints story publicizing severe problems for
Horning’s. (See copy)
July 7 Horning calls Hal to suggest we
find a new venue
Hal discovers SCI is
pushing to obtain only mass gathering permit at Horning’s.
Hears that SCI is
spending $75,000 on attorneys to make Horning’s event
happen.
Reggae Fest and Pickathon announce move to
if we will join them at
Sounds shaky to Hal with
the scale of The Shakedown Fest and how much is riding on it,
we need a venue with a guaranteed permit.
Baseline Ticketing
contacts Hal and asks if he is canceling, Hal says no, we
have another venue.
July 14 Hal changes web site, marketing,
informs Baseline Ticketing of venue change
Shakedown
Timeline pg
3 of 4
2005
July Horning
refunds ½ the rent payment $3,500
July 22 Third day is officially added to
event, no extra charge to previous 2 day Horning’s ticket
Holder. The only 21 ticket refunds are due to change of venue. They do not like
Meadows
July 29 Under duress, Hal is forced to sign
new LMG agreement. (See doc.)
Hal
emails Glazer and states that his new terms are in violation of our agreement.
Peter
Shaver takes over any conversation with Baseline Ticketing as of today.
In
July Glazer states that “the (Baseline) owners are already upset with me
advancing the monies we already have”.
Glazer had now rebuked his statements made to procure our account and the terms of the agreement guaranteeing advances funds.
Glazer wasn’t suggesting a new
addendum to insert a new venue location into the existing contract, now to
continue to receive advance funds, Baseline was requiring multiple new terms
including the demand that I now sign personally, demanding they hold $15,000
when the refunds which were slight, were made weeks ago and more income was coming
in daily to offset any refunds. Through this entire new contracting with
Baseline there was no new advantage offered to us. We were forced to sign new
agreements in order to see any of our money before show time.
Aug. 1 $5,000, Check Deposit tendered to
LMG after going back and forth for many days on the
wording of the first official contract
Baseline finally wires
$50,000 into our account after no additional cash flow for 2 months
Aug. 9 Baseline
requires new agreement. Hal signs under duress. Heavy negotiation between
Neil and Peter raising
our legal costs
Aug. 10 2nd payment to LMG for $25,000 made on time
Aug 19
Aug Horning
refunds other half of rent $3,500
Aug. 22 (Approx.) Hal is forced to sign new LMG agreement 3 days before the
festival
Aug. 23 Anthony Davis, LMG attorney states
what they need to move forward. (See email)
Aug. 25 Lowell MacGregor’s attorney states in
A.M. email that if $38K plus $25K is not in
their account by 10am, fest is cancelled. Shaver reiterates that we are willing to
pay the
$25,000 due but no more. Before
fest is cancelled.
at Hotel, erects lighted road sign stating for refunds contact Hal and posts my
phone numbers. Contractors start looking for Hal, want payment for services not
rendered.
By
staff in
hours.
Hal’s phone is unusable due to incoming calls
Shakedown
Timeline pg
4 of 4
2005
Aug. 26 Hal flies back to
Over 500 emails, phones
cannot be used due to inbound volume. No staff
Aug. 29 Investors come to my home first
thing, demand last $20,000 in account be turned
over,
they go to bank with Hal. State that they are going to back lawsuit against
parties.
They are informed that that money belongs to Baseline and that other
checks and debits will still come in against account. Stylus account is closed at
Wachovia Bank $5,300 of
checks and debits come against Stylus account. Hal is
held Responsible Wachovia attaches Hal’s personal account in an attempt to
retrieve bank’s funds
Sep. 5 Investors after requesting all
paperwork from Peter Shaver decide after speaking to
attorney H. Chas. Woerner in
decide what to do” apparently, they have informed Shaver investors are “fed up”
and it’s not worth it to sue
Sep. 11 Hal resigns from Vacation Tours
have lied in backing a law suit just to
obtain last $20,000 in account. They are not working
with Hal. Appear adversarial and uncaring of Hal’s dilemma. Are ignoring Hal in his
regular role as Mktg. Mgr. of VTUSA. Hal was forced to leave
Sept. 12 Hal packs up his apartment alone and
drives truck to MD, moves in with Mother,
Sep. 19 Articles of Dissolution for Stylus
Shows w/ processing fee mailed to State of
Sep. & Oct. Shaver informs investors they agreed to
return funds and need to do so.
They ignore him, no response
Oct. 12 Joe Reinartz,a reporter for Pollstar states to Hal in a
phone call interview, that
him that “Hal sent me an email that morning” (Aug 25) stating that the festival was
cancelled (this did not happen)/ My only contact with
from him when I immediately told him he needed to talk to Peter Shaver.
only communicating by attorney. He knew I could not speak to him and had not been
for
more than a week.
Oct. 20 Served with Baseline Ticketing
summons and demand for $560,000
Hal requests continuance
to respond. Hal types answer to Summons without
Attorney, responds by Nov. 10 deadline
Oct. Peter Shaver stops talking to me
due to possible conflict- also being named in
Baseline summons
Oct 28 Articles of Dissolution dissolving
Stylus Shows, Inc. filed by Hal per Shaver comments
Dec 2005 Hal
reverses Stylus Shows, Inc. Dissolution. Stylus is still a FL corporation
Hal Abramson