Post by Gene on Dec 1, 2011 9:31:43 GMT -5
Season’s greetings! Hope you’re having a great Christmastime, seeing family and getting all of your bustle done.
My schedule for the coming weeks during this slow time is surprisingly decent:
SAT, DEC 3: Downtown Shopping: The Gold Mine, St. Ignace, 1pm-5
SUN, DEC 4: St. Ignace Christmas Musicale: Methodist Church, St. Ignace, 7pm-9
SAT, DEC 10: Kewadin Casino, Hessel, 7:30pm-11:30
SUN, DEC 18: Christmas Program: Evangelical Free Church, St. Ignace, 7pm-9
TUE, DEC 27: Boyne Highlands, Harbor Springs, 9pm-12:30
SAT, JAN 14: Harley's, Ramada Inn, Marquette, 9:30pm-1
It’s the time of year for Christmas programs, and there’s three I’m involved with this year. These gigs pay little or nothing, but I see it as a chance to give back to the local community that is so good to me throughout the year, and it just feels right and in the spirit of the season to do so. The one at the Gold Mine on December 3 is the only one that is made up of only me, while the other two have me as just a part of many performers. If you go to the Methodist Church one, get there a bit early, since it always packs up (and enjoy some cookies afterward, too!). The Hessel casino one is my last scheduled one there for a while, and it’s a fun one and pays handsomely. I’m getting a first chance at Boyne Highlands, which I’ve been trying to get a foot in the door at for a few years now. My hopes are high, here, since they’re fairly nearby me and hire acts all year round. The marketing technique of a venue actually taking a first chance with seeing my live act once seems to be the sales method I have the most success with, so I’m at a good advantage with this working out for future dates there. Since I have to bring my daughter back to NMU after Christmas break in January anyway, I decided to take in a gig at the Ramada Inn in Marquette. It’s far and pays low, but it’s near where I grew up, so with a few old friends maybe showing up, I think it will be a lot of fun.
My November was slow, where I only had one gig at The Islander in Hessel, which was the weekend before deer season. This gig could barely sustain a two-digit number throughout the night, which wasn’t usual, but the owner explained to me that the weekend right before deer season is predictably down in this area, I guess. I had actually cancelled a gig and turned down another this month because of the sickness and death of my mother-in-law and sorting out all that’s involved with that. I’ve always put family as a priority over music, so I had to place this music stuff on haitis for some weeks.
On cancellations, I was offered a chance to play a whole slew of Thursdays at the Soaring Eagle casino in Mount Pleasant. They offered me a nice overnight room and some famously good casino pay, but considering all it would sacrifice of my job and family, given the distance and time, I decided to turn it down. This was really a better situation for a career musician, clearly. I’ve arrived at a point in my pro music side-business where my product can compete in quality with many career musicians, but I feel many times like I have one hand tied behind my back, since I won’t sacrifice a comfortable living for my family just to be a full-time musician. So, given these values, this is just another opportunity I had to let go, I guess. You can’t juggle too many balls, or else you’ll end up dropping some. Oh, well, I was able to recommend my friends Tricky Dicky And The Spoonmen for this venue, and I hear they’re doing well there, so I still got some good out of it.
On Tricky Dicky, I had heard that their one-time guitar player, Scott Agee, of Cheboygan, finally succumbed to cancer a couple weeks ago. I had talked with him a few times and seen him play many times. He was a great talent, and a great guy.
I was sorry that my mother-in-law’s funeral landed on the same weekend as the benefit concert for Michael Lee Seiler, in Boyne City. He’s a local musician friend that had a stroke in September, and is making strides to gain more control of one side of his body’s movement. I had originally volunteered to play at it, but there seemed to be too many acts to squeeze in anyway, so no loss. I sure wish I could have at least been there though; There were a lot of local musicians there to show support, and performances by some of the more decidedly “folkie” local musicians of the area. I sent some money, in lieu of not being able to go. I’m told the evening was a great success, and I sure hope it helps in Mike’s recovery.
Apart from all this glum news, while my wife was out in Colorado taking care of her mom’s estate matters, I was able to go out and check out some local acts. I went to what was advertised to be an open mic with one Dan Farrow at a place called the Sunset Grill in Boyne City on a Saturday. When I got there, there was nothing set up, and only two people at the bar. On asking the bartender about this, I got shown a piece of paper that said if I had questions to call a phone number. I guess the main question I had about the open mic was, like, where IS it?... I traveled quite a ways to make this thing, all to find out it was all a big stand-up. You can be sure that if I hear of another open mic put on by this guy, I’m sure not going to fall for THAT one again...
But, while there, it gave me the opportunity to see a hot duo receiving a lot of local buzz, Sean Beilby and Adam Engleman, playing next door at the Café Sante. This place has been really positioning itself as a big live music venue in the area, and year round, too. It was a classy place, with lots of preppy, well-dressed clientele, gourmet food and lakeside atmosphere. Sean and Adam were great lounge musicians for this venue. With one on acoustic and the other playing an electric guitar or a harmonica to ride on top, it sounded really full, complex, and good. They’re pretty good singers, too. I really wouldn’t call them crowd-pleasers, since their center seems to be more obscure stuff from alternative 90's acoustic acts (they look about 30, so they’re obviously playing what appeals to them, personally), with just an occasional standard thrown in for good measure. You clearly are expected to reach to THEM on their terms, for the most part, but if you’re open minded enough to make this reach, you won’t be disappointed. I don’t know which one is which, but one of them really laid on the banter pretty thick; He sounded like a morning radio DJ who thinks he’s funny, and it got kind of irksome after a while. I found myself wanting them to yap less and play music more, since the music is definitely their strong suit. I thought they were awesome overall, though, and would happily see them again sometime.
I swung in to the Noggin Room in Petoskey to check out Chris Koury again, since nothing else much new was going on downtown. Chris is definitely getting a little more daring with his song selections (probably because he’s now comfortably established himself as one of this venue’s four darlings they like to regularly hire), and this move is a benefit to the audience, as far as I can see. I love Chris’s playing, since he likes to sprinkle his sound with arpeggios and riffs, and not just dumb-strum everything like I see a lot of other players do. He’s of my ilk, being a guitar player first and a singer second, but he’s still a pretty darn good singer, too. He has no backing anything, natural or not, which is in the minority these days, but he’s such an interesting player, he gets by just fine. He was playing a Wechter guitar this time, which has an unusual double-cutaway shape, so he definitely favors conversation piece kinds of instruments. Wechters have a kind of thin, nasally tone, which favors his style some, and it sounded slightly better than the kidney-shaped instrument I saw him with last, for sure, but still not all the way to my personal taste. I love what he played, though, throwing a curveball every now and then to the standard lounge fare. Chris is one of the players at the Noggin that belongs playing there, for sure!
I went to Timmy Lee’s one night to check out the new band Chubby Chaser. To my surprise, it was a trio led by Brian Leslie, a guy I got to know from previous open mic hostings I’ve done in the past, back when he had his old rockabilly project called Bionic Fonzy. He’s from Bliss, a teeny town just south of the Bridge. Brian is a great player and singer, and his rhythm section is tight. Chubby Chaser is a self-professed dirtbag classic rock cover band, which is just the order of the day when playing at Timmy Lee’s. And, they do it WELL. They definitely appealed to my personal demographic, and I don’t think I heard one song from the 00's or beyond; Straight rock-and-roll all the way, and the crowd loved ‘em for it. Talking with them, and talking with the manager at Timmy Lee’s, they’ve earned their place on the short list of bands you’ll be seeing there for a while. It’d be to your benefit to check ‘em out!
I could almost say the very same things about Chris Barker’s and Jack Riegel’s new acoustic duo project The Elastic Waist Band: I caught them at Timmy Lee’s, they played songs to my way of thinking of what’s “cool”, and the crowd loved them, too. What’s different is that it’s more of an intimate act, with just an acoustic guitar and bass. This is two-thirds of the old Last Call project, without Travis Peterson, who moved away some time ago. Not that Travis was a slouch, but I’ve gotta say that this act is even better than the old one. It has to be attributed more to Chris laying off the alcohol, which was an affecting problem before, as Jack was telling me on a break. Chris is no doubt a tighter player, so whatever he’s doing, I sure hope he keeps doing it, and I told Jack that. Chris has taken it up a notch with his gear, too, since his instrument and system sounded fantastic, which is probably another result of “the NEW Chris”, too. I loved what songs they played so much that I stole a couple ideas from them for my own act, which is a compliment right there! If they keep on this path, these guys are going to be risers in the area in a very short time, no doubt.
I doubt I will have enough goodies to offer for another blog in the next one month, but I should have enough to justify one in two months, I bet. Be good until then!
–Gene.
My schedule for the coming weeks during this slow time is surprisingly decent:
SAT, DEC 3: Downtown Shopping: The Gold Mine, St. Ignace, 1pm-5
SUN, DEC 4: St. Ignace Christmas Musicale: Methodist Church, St. Ignace, 7pm-9
SAT, DEC 10: Kewadin Casino, Hessel, 7:30pm-11:30
SUN, DEC 18: Christmas Program: Evangelical Free Church, St. Ignace, 7pm-9
TUE, DEC 27: Boyne Highlands, Harbor Springs, 9pm-12:30
SAT, JAN 14: Harley's, Ramada Inn, Marquette, 9:30pm-1
It’s the time of year for Christmas programs, and there’s three I’m involved with this year. These gigs pay little or nothing, but I see it as a chance to give back to the local community that is so good to me throughout the year, and it just feels right and in the spirit of the season to do so. The one at the Gold Mine on December 3 is the only one that is made up of only me, while the other two have me as just a part of many performers. If you go to the Methodist Church one, get there a bit early, since it always packs up (and enjoy some cookies afterward, too!). The Hessel casino one is my last scheduled one there for a while, and it’s a fun one and pays handsomely. I’m getting a first chance at Boyne Highlands, which I’ve been trying to get a foot in the door at for a few years now. My hopes are high, here, since they’re fairly nearby me and hire acts all year round. The marketing technique of a venue actually taking a first chance with seeing my live act once seems to be the sales method I have the most success with, so I’m at a good advantage with this working out for future dates there. Since I have to bring my daughter back to NMU after Christmas break in January anyway, I decided to take in a gig at the Ramada Inn in Marquette. It’s far and pays low, but it’s near where I grew up, so with a few old friends maybe showing up, I think it will be a lot of fun.
My November was slow, where I only had one gig at The Islander in Hessel, which was the weekend before deer season. This gig could barely sustain a two-digit number throughout the night, which wasn’t usual, but the owner explained to me that the weekend right before deer season is predictably down in this area, I guess. I had actually cancelled a gig and turned down another this month because of the sickness and death of my mother-in-law and sorting out all that’s involved with that. I’ve always put family as a priority over music, so I had to place this music stuff on haitis for some weeks.
On cancellations, I was offered a chance to play a whole slew of Thursdays at the Soaring Eagle casino in Mount Pleasant. They offered me a nice overnight room and some famously good casino pay, but considering all it would sacrifice of my job and family, given the distance and time, I decided to turn it down. This was really a better situation for a career musician, clearly. I’ve arrived at a point in my pro music side-business where my product can compete in quality with many career musicians, but I feel many times like I have one hand tied behind my back, since I won’t sacrifice a comfortable living for my family just to be a full-time musician. So, given these values, this is just another opportunity I had to let go, I guess. You can’t juggle too many balls, or else you’ll end up dropping some. Oh, well, I was able to recommend my friends Tricky Dicky And The Spoonmen for this venue, and I hear they’re doing well there, so I still got some good out of it.
On Tricky Dicky, I had heard that their one-time guitar player, Scott Agee, of Cheboygan, finally succumbed to cancer a couple weeks ago. I had talked with him a few times and seen him play many times. He was a great talent, and a great guy.
I was sorry that my mother-in-law’s funeral landed on the same weekend as the benefit concert for Michael Lee Seiler, in Boyne City. He’s a local musician friend that had a stroke in September, and is making strides to gain more control of one side of his body’s movement. I had originally volunteered to play at it, but there seemed to be too many acts to squeeze in anyway, so no loss. I sure wish I could have at least been there though; There were a lot of local musicians there to show support, and performances by some of the more decidedly “folkie” local musicians of the area. I sent some money, in lieu of not being able to go. I’m told the evening was a great success, and I sure hope it helps in Mike’s recovery.
Apart from all this glum news, while my wife was out in Colorado taking care of her mom’s estate matters, I was able to go out and check out some local acts. I went to what was advertised to be an open mic with one Dan Farrow at a place called the Sunset Grill in Boyne City on a Saturday. When I got there, there was nothing set up, and only two people at the bar. On asking the bartender about this, I got shown a piece of paper that said if I had questions to call a phone number. I guess the main question I had about the open mic was, like, where IS it?... I traveled quite a ways to make this thing, all to find out it was all a big stand-up. You can be sure that if I hear of another open mic put on by this guy, I’m sure not going to fall for THAT one again...
But, while there, it gave me the opportunity to see a hot duo receiving a lot of local buzz, Sean Beilby and Adam Engleman, playing next door at the Café Sante. This place has been really positioning itself as a big live music venue in the area, and year round, too. It was a classy place, with lots of preppy, well-dressed clientele, gourmet food and lakeside atmosphere. Sean and Adam were great lounge musicians for this venue. With one on acoustic and the other playing an electric guitar or a harmonica to ride on top, it sounded really full, complex, and good. They’re pretty good singers, too. I really wouldn’t call them crowd-pleasers, since their center seems to be more obscure stuff from alternative 90's acoustic acts (they look about 30, so they’re obviously playing what appeals to them, personally), with just an occasional standard thrown in for good measure. You clearly are expected to reach to THEM on their terms, for the most part, but if you’re open minded enough to make this reach, you won’t be disappointed. I don’t know which one is which, but one of them really laid on the banter pretty thick; He sounded like a morning radio DJ who thinks he’s funny, and it got kind of irksome after a while. I found myself wanting them to yap less and play music more, since the music is definitely their strong suit. I thought they were awesome overall, though, and would happily see them again sometime.
I swung in to the Noggin Room in Petoskey to check out Chris Koury again, since nothing else much new was going on downtown. Chris is definitely getting a little more daring with his song selections (probably because he’s now comfortably established himself as one of this venue’s four darlings they like to regularly hire), and this move is a benefit to the audience, as far as I can see. I love Chris’s playing, since he likes to sprinkle his sound with arpeggios and riffs, and not just dumb-strum everything like I see a lot of other players do. He’s of my ilk, being a guitar player first and a singer second, but he’s still a pretty darn good singer, too. He has no backing anything, natural or not, which is in the minority these days, but he’s such an interesting player, he gets by just fine. He was playing a Wechter guitar this time, which has an unusual double-cutaway shape, so he definitely favors conversation piece kinds of instruments. Wechters have a kind of thin, nasally tone, which favors his style some, and it sounded slightly better than the kidney-shaped instrument I saw him with last, for sure, but still not all the way to my personal taste. I love what he played, though, throwing a curveball every now and then to the standard lounge fare. Chris is one of the players at the Noggin that belongs playing there, for sure!
I went to Timmy Lee’s one night to check out the new band Chubby Chaser. To my surprise, it was a trio led by Brian Leslie, a guy I got to know from previous open mic hostings I’ve done in the past, back when he had his old rockabilly project called Bionic Fonzy. He’s from Bliss, a teeny town just south of the Bridge. Brian is a great player and singer, and his rhythm section is tight. Chubby Chaser is a self-professed dirtbag classic rock cover band, which is just the order of the day when playing at Timmy Lee’s. And, they do it WELL. They definitely appealed to my personal demographic, and I don’t think I heard one song from the 00's or beyond; Straight rock-and-roll all the way, and the crowd loved ‘em for it. Talking with them, and talking with the manager at Timmy Lee’s, they’ve earned their place on the short list of bands you’ll be seeing there for a while. It’d be to your benefit to check ‘em out!
I could almost say the very same things about Chris Barker’s and Jack Riegel’s new acoustic duo project The Elastic Waist Band: I caught them at Timmy Lee’s, they played songs to my way of thinking of what’s “cool”, and the crowd loved them, too. What’s different is that it’s more of an intimate act, with just an acoustic guitar and bass. This is two-thirds of the old Last Call project, without Travis Peterson, who moved away some time ago. Not that Travis was a slouch, but I’ve gotta say that this act is even better than the old one. It has to be attributed more to Chris laying off the alcohol, which was an affecting problem before, as Jack was telling me on a break. Chris is no doubt a tighter player, so whatever he’s doing, I sure hope he keeps doing it, and I told Jack that. Chris has taken it up a notch with his gear, too, since his instrument and system sounded fantastic, which is probably another result of “the NEW Chris”, too. I loved what songs they played so much that I stole a couple ideas from them for my own act, which is a compliment right there! If they keep on this path, these guys are going to be risers in the area in a very short time, no doubt.
I doubt I will have enough goodies to offer for another blog in the next one month, but I should have enough to justify one in two months, I bet. Be good until then!
–Gene.
