Post by Gene on Jun 29, 2010 13:20:20 GMT -5
Hi, guys!
Hope everyone is having a blast this summer, I know I am! My free time is balanced pretty good with gigs and other fun so far, so I can’t complain. Times are pretty fat, actually, so much so that I’ve had to actually turn down quite a few gigs. It’s going to get very busy in August, though, so I’d better enjoy the goofing off while it lasts.
As for gigs for the upcoming month, I have a nice variety (minus the private parties) :
FRI, JUL 9: The Islander, Hessel, MI 8pm-12
SUN, JUL 11: Douglas Lake Bar, Pellston, MI 6pm-9
SAT, JUL 17: Falling Rock Cafe, Munising, MI 7pm-10
SUN, JUL 25: Rusty Anchor, Cheboygan, MI 4pm-7
It’s notable that I’m playing at the Islander in Hessel. I’ve tried to play there for years, and I’m finally getting a shot this year! Rural places like this don’t really operate on hiring based on your quality or experience, I’ve learned; That’s why this one coming through was puzzling to me at first. Having me there, from a profit standpoint, would actually make good sense, and places like this usually don’t hire based on this kind of sense. I learned later on that Jason St. Onge, the bass player of Mackinac Island’s Tricky Dicky and a friend of mine, was dating the manager there, and put in a good word for me. Ah, now THAT adds up! The local music business is quirky like this, but hey, a first chance is a first chance, and I’m very happy about it. I know a few of you are from near that area, so I hope you can make it out that evening!
The Falling Rock Café in Munising just may be the farthest I’ve ever stretched for a “local” gig, so this is probably a good sign. This one was also surprising, since I know that they prefer more eclectic, original (read: starving) singer-songwriters, or so I thought. This weekend was my only summer weekend I had with nothing in it, so I offered to play there on a lark, and to my surprise, they accepted. I was warned that it was the same weekend as the Hiawatha Music Festival in Marquette (which probably explains why that weekend was empty for them), but I said that I didn’t mind that if they didn’t, so I’m going for it. It ought to be fun!
The Rusty Anchor is the old Boathouse Bar in downtown Cheboygan, just re-vamped. VERY re-vamped; It looks gorgeous inside, and there’s a nice riverside deck on it, too. It was hard to accept this gig, time-wise, since I’m getting back from a camping trip that Sunday morning, and the gig is at 4pm. But, I wanted to play there bad enough, so I squeezed it in. Looking forward to this one!
I haven’t had much chance to go to performances of others, being so busy myself. I caught Charlie Reager and Cedar Straits again, but I won’t bore you with my redundant positive reviews of those guys here again. Locals On The Bay and Bayside Live are going to kick up in St. Ignace now, so I hope to see some talent there, soon.
I bagged myself a digital camcorder last month, and hope to get working on some video performances to put on my website this fall. Gotta keep up with all those latest marketing techniques with this, I suppose...
Not much else, I guess. Continue to have a great summer!
–Gene.
Hope everyone is having a blast this summer, I know I am! My free time is balanced pretty good with gigs and other fun so far, so I can’t complain. Times are pretty fat, actually, so much so that I’ve had to actually turn down quite a few gigs. It’s going to get very busy in August, though, so I’d better enjoy the goofing off while it lasts.
As for gigs for the upcoming month, I have a nice variety (minus the private parties) :
FRI, JUL 9: The Islander, Hessel, MI 8pm-12
SUN, JUL 11: Douglas Lake Bar, Pellston, MI 6pm-9
SAT, JUL 17: Falling Rock Cafe, Munising, MI 7pm-10
SUN, JUL 25: Rusty Anchor, Cheboygan, MI 4pm-7
It’s notable that I’m playing at the Islander in Hessel. I’ve tried to play there for years, and I’m finally getting a shot this year! Rural places like this don’t really operate on hiring based on your quality or experience, I’ve learned; That’s why this one coming through was puzzling to me at first. Having me there, from a profit standpoint, would actually make good sense, and places like this usually don’t hire based on this kind of sense. I learned later on that Jason St. Onge, the bass player of Mackinac Island’s Tricky Dicky and a friend of mine, was dating the manager there, and put in a good word for me. Ah, now THAT adds up! The local music business is quirky like this, but hey, a first chance is a first chance, and I’m very happy about it. I know a few of you are from near that area, so I hope you can make it out that evening!
The Falling Rock Café in Munising just may be the farthest I’ve ever stretched for a “local” gig, so this is probably a good sign. This one was also surprising, since I know that they prefer more eclectic, original (read: starving) singer-songwriters, or so I thought. This weekend was my only summer weekend I had with nothing in it, so I offered to play there on a lark, and to my surprise, they accepted. I was warned that it was the same weekend as the Hiawatha Music Festival in Marquette (which probably explains why that weekend was empty for them), but I said that I didn’t mind that if they didn’t, so I’m going for it. It ought to be fun!
The Rusty Anchor is the old Boathouse Bar in downtown Cheboygan, just re-vamped. VERY re-vamped; It looks gorgeous inside, and there’s a nice riverside deck on it, too. It was hard to accept this gig, time-wise, since I’m getting back from a camping trip that Sunday morning, and the gig is at 4pm. But, I wanted to play there bad enough, so I squeezed it in. Looking forward to this one!
I haven’t had much chance to go to performances of others, being so busy myself. I caught Charlie Reager and Cedar Straits again, but I won’t bore you with my redundant positive reviews of those guys here again. Locals On The Bay and Bayside Live are going to kick up in St. Ignace now, so I hope to see some talent there, soon.
I bagged myself a digital camcorder last month, and hope to get working on some video performances to put on my website this fall. Gotta keep up with all those latest marketing techniques with this, I suppose...
Not much else, I guess. Continue to have a great summer!
–Gene.
