Shred named booking agent of the Middle East downstairs

The Middle East restaurant and nightclub today confirmed Shred as its new downstairs talent buyer, capping off a turbulent week at the Cambridge venue after previous booking agent Kieran Fallon resigned after three months on the job.

Shred, a former ‘BCN DJ who currently books shows around the area under his Team Shred Productions banner, downplayed his new role.

“I want to ease in without talking much about it right now,” he said. “Hope that’s OK.”

Team Shred currently showcases local music at Oliver’s at the Cask N’ Flagon, O’Brien’s Pub in Allston, the Hard Rock Café, Cambridge’s All Asia Café and both the upstairs and downstairs rooms at the Middle East.

Middle East owner Nabil Sater said the decision to tap Shred to oversee complete booking at the 595-person capacity big room was an easy one.

“We’ve been working with him, he’s been bringing in shows and working with us for a while,” Sater said today by phone. “He’s been in the music scene for 20-plus years, he very familiar with local bands and musicians and we hope he brings good bands to the downstairs.

After Fallon’s resignation last Thursday, upstairs booking agent Dan Millen of Rock On Concerts appeared poised to take over the downstairs. In a conversation last week with the Phoenix about his potential new position, he stressed the Middle East booking was a collaborative effort and scoffed at the negative online reaction stirred up by rumors of his new post.

“People are focusing way too much on ‘who the guy is,’” Millen said in an email. “A lot of people are not really aware, and why should they be, that the bookings and promotion for the Middle East had really morphed into a collaborative team effort for well over a year now between all the awesome pros in the office... If you take a look at our calendar and the awesome slate of great shows we have coming up in both rooms, that should really be the thing that people focus on, and that is a product of our whole team and not just one guy.”

Fallon replaced Kevin Hoskins in July after Hoskins relocated to Texas to oversee Emo’s in Austin. Hoskins had booked the Middle East since 2004.