Post by Gene on Jul 17, 2012 15:28:37 GMT -5
I sure hope your summer is a blast! I’ve been extremely busy, some of which involves gigs. Here’s some upcoming ones:
WED, JUL 18: Dixie Saloon, Mackinac City, 9pm-1
WED, JUL 25: Dixie Saloon, Mackinac City, 9pm-1
WED, AUG 1: Dixie Saloon, Mackinac City, 9pm-1
WED, AUG 8: Dixie Saloon, Mackinac City, 9pm-1
SAT, AUG 11: Private Party, Mackinac Grille, St. Ignace, 7pm-10
WED, AUG 15: Dixie Saloon, Mackinac City, 9pm-1
FRI, AUG 17: Fab Friday, St Ignace, 7pm-9
The Dixie continues to be my main staple for this summer, and I fit in very well there. I’m playing for my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary party at Mackinac Grille, but I sure wish they had open gigs there like in years past, though. I’m doing a street busking gig again for the city of St. Ignace for their Fab Friday again, and I’m not sure exactly where, but it will be in the local paper. I did a Fab Friday in front of the City Hall a while ago, and the passers-by were few and far between, which was kinda lonely, but tips were generous.
I think I’m going to remember the summer of 2012 as an era of quality and not quantity. I am just having a blast at the Dixie, and I’m really in my element providing late-night, upbeat shows for the under-50 demographic. I’ve definitely done my share of “ambience” gigs playing for old, rich white people having dinner, and rural redneck places that need their constant fill of familiar country music with few surprises. They’re okay I suppose, and I’ll do a fair job with that and smile when I cash the check, but I’ve learned about myself that this isn’t quite what I do best, nor what I’m happiest doing. Money aside, I’m more outstanding as an exciting act than a relaxing one, so I’ll continue to search out places where music is employed more primarily to entertain, rather than soothe. This serves best not only me, but the venue I play at, too. I think only a guy that isn’t primarily interested in the money of it can do this, though, since, let’s face it: Northern Michigan audiences are pretty conservative. The rich demographic wants very safe, polite music, and the rural audiences seem to relate to primarily country music, and Northern Michigan is made up of a LOT of these two kinds of folks. What it all means is that, if what I say here is taken very strictly, I could classify myself as not being a very good fit for a good many places in this area!...
That thought has crossed my mind, but I have had others, too: Nearly all solo guys around here have some side project either being in a duo or band, or even both, and these acts seem to be doing pretty well in the area as of late. I’ve hesitated getting into something like that before, given the extra time involved with it, since I’ve always chosen to put more priority on my family, but my youngest daughter will be starting college in a few weeks, so that’s not keeping me back as it once did. I’m now in my 13th year playing solo professionally, and I’ve considered that maybe it’s time for a change. Also, October is a pretty good time to start a collaborative project, given the long period to the next busy season. I’m not quite sure which direction to go, but that might be because I could go in a few ways equally well. I’ve definitely formed opinions of what I DON’T want, though, given past band experiences. I’m not sure if the world needs another local dirtbag classic rock cover band (although there certainly always seems to be a market for that), but maybe if there was an interesting new twist or quirk with it, I could be open-minded to the prospect. It’s not lost on me, either, that a solo guy going into a collaboration is the opposite direction of what is typical, so this could be something of a step backward, if not something very hard to do. The right personnel is a big deal, too, and the prime folks I’d like to work with all seem connected up with projects right now. I dunno, it’s just some stuff I’ve been thinking about...
I only know of two Open Mics in the area: Tuesday nights at the Wig Wam in Indian River, and Sunday nights at Rascal Jakks in Vanderbilt. I once turned in to Vanderbilt just to see if I could find Rascal Jakks one day, and figured that the town is so small that I’d easily find it, but it’s nowhere in the town or along the highway to Gaylord. I later found out that it’s on the other side of the I-75 freeway that the town is on, so I hope to try and find it a second time.
I actually participated in the Wig Wam one a couple weeks ago. This place is similarly hard to find, down the Burger King road in Indian River out in the woods about 2 miles. The Open Mic was run by some guys of the Darwin Project, which are getting a pretty good name in the area as of late. Typical poor work ethic junk: The event was advertized for 9 pm, and this is when they showed up and started to SET UP for the gig, then actually played the first note at about 9:45. Attendance was terrible, starting out with about 10, but dwindling down to just me and two others by the time the show started. I thought they were just okay, but nothing like what I’d heard about them, but they did play familiar stuff for the most part. They may have been doing newer material that needed work given the low attendance, though, since that’s often what I do in that situation. They were cordial and let me do about a dozen songs, so they were really nice guys. The Wig Wam has come out really big with live music this summer, but probably TOO big, since the lady there said it hasn’t been pulling its weight. I was hoping to get something of a chance there for fall, but it sounds like they’re just going to be sticking with two or three staple bands one day a week and that’s it. The lady I was talking with said ,“The redneck kids that come here like lots of covers of Nickelback and Kid Rock, so it kinda sucks.” Heh! I like those bands, too, but I know what she means, since I’m also of the opinion that the world is a whole lot bigger than that...
I’ve just been so busy with my own gigs and other summer fun and events that I haven’t had a chance to check out any other local acts (except seeing Cedar Straits at the Driftwood, which I’ve already seen). I even missed Blissfest again; Like, how lame is THAT?... What is a pleasant surprise is that many acts are coming to see ME at the Dixie, lately. Charlie Reager, Never The Silence, and Marko Strika have popped in, and I’ve gotten to chat with them on separate occasions on my breaks. I’ve known Charlie from Cheboygan a while, and he’s doing pretty good. He markets himself more and harder than anyone in the area, I think, and his hard work with this has been paying off very nice for him. Never The Silence is a duo who’s been playing at the Dixie on Mondays, being a younger woman singer and a male guitar player about my age. They’ve come to see me twice, and assure me they’ll come to see me more times. They aim for a younger 20-something demographic, and are getting a few unadvertized chances at Mackinaw Crossings, too. Their act sounds pretty interesting, so I’d like to check them out sometime. Marko is a solo acoustic player in his mid 50's, and he does a more lounge, oldies and classic country kind of thing. He’s been working out well at the casino in Hessel, which I gave a try last year, but the audiences there were really not a very good fit with me. It suited him well, though, so no hard feelings or anything, I told him. Marko was impressed with me, and he was amusing to talk to, since he was very opinionated about the local music business and had a lot of stories to share about his experiences with it. Mission Point on the Island really screwed him with gig promises then reneging what they arranged, and this joins a short list of other bad things I’ve heard about how that place sometimes treats their entertainers, for sure. He’s from Frankenmuth, and does street busking at Mackinaw Crossings (not in arrangement with the place, but just for tips) while he runs his new little business there. Nice guy, and I sure hope I can catch his act soon, as well.
On Marko, I feel a need to correct something I said in last month’s blog: The guy I THOUGHT was Denny Beach was actually Marko Strika! So, I still haven’t seen the illusive Denny Beach yet, just to set the record straight... There is probably something else to correct about last month’s blog, too, about a local entertainer that I thought was trying to dupe me out of my Dixie gigs: I had some more communication with him, and he assures me that it was the Dixie that promised conflicting things with schedule, and it wasn’t something that he himself had concocted. I chose to believe it, since, really, the other thing was pretty hard to believe anyway, and I’ve gotten caught in a double-book mistake once before with the Dixie, so we’re all cool, now. Yeah, I know drama is much more interesting to read about and all, so sorry to bore ya with a story about something working out all good!...
Well, that’s about long enough. Keep enjoying this fun time of year!
–Gene.
WED, JUL 18: Dixie Saloon, Mackinac City, 9pm-1
WED, JUL 25: Dixie Saloon, Mackinac City, 9pm-1
WED, AUG 1: Dixie Saloon, Mackinac City, 9pm-1
WED, AUG 8: Dixie Saloon, Mackinac City, 9pm-1
SAT, AUG 11: Private Party, Mackinac Grille, St. Ignace, 7pm-10
WED, AUG 15: Dixie Saloon, Mackinac City, 9pm-1
FRI, AUG 17: Fab Friday, St Ignace, 7pm-9
The Dixie continues to be my main staple for this summer, and I fit in very well there. I’m playing for my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary party at Mackinac Grille, but I sure wish they had open gigs there like in years past, though. I’m doing a street busking gig again for the city of St. Ignace for their Fab Friday again, and I’m not sure exactly where, but it will be in the local paper. I did a Fab Friday in front of the City Hall a while ago, and the passers-by were few and far between, which was kinda lonely, but tips were generous.
I think I’m going to remember the summer of 2012 as an era of quality and not quantity. I am just having a blast at the Dixie, and I’m really in my element providing late-night, upbeat shows for the under-50 demographic. I’ve definitely done my share of “ambience” gigs playing for old, rich white people having dinner, and rural redneck places that need their constant fill of familiar country music with few surprises. They’re okay I suppose, and I’ll do a fair job with that and smile when I cash the check, but I’ve learned about myself that this isn’t quite what I do best, nor what I’m happiest doing. Money aside, I’m more outstanding as an exciting act than a relaxing one, so I’ll continue to search out places where music is employed more primarily to entertain, rather than soothe. This serves best not only me, but the venue I play at, too. I think only a guy that isn’t primarily interested in the money of it can do this, though, since, let’s face it: Northern Michigan audiences are pretty conservative. The rich demographic wants very safe, polite music, and the rural audiences seem to relate to primarily country music, and Northern Michigan is made up of a LOT of these two kinds of folks. What it all means is that, if what I say here is taken very strictly, I could classify myself as not being a very good fit for a good many places in this area!...
That thought has crossed my mind, but I have had others, too: Nearly all solo guys around here have some side project either being in a duo or band, or even both, and these acts seem to be doing pretty well in the area as of late. I’ve hesitated getting into something like that before, given the extra time involved with it, since I’ve always chosen to put more priority on my family, but my youngest daughter will be starting college in a few weeks, so that’s not keeping me back as it once did. I’m now in my 13th year playing solo professionally, and I’ve considered that maybe it’s time for a change. Also, October is a pretty good time to start a collaborative project, given the long period to the next busy season. I’m not quite sure which direction to go, but that might be because I could go in a few ways equally well. I’ve definitely formed opinions of what I DON’T want, though, given past band experiences. I’m not sure if the world needs another local dirtbag classic rock cover band (although there certainly always seems to be a market for that), but maybe if there was an interesting new twist or quirk with it, I could be open-minded to the prospect. It’s not lost on me, either, that a solo guy going into a collaboration is the opposite direction of what is typical, so this could be something of a step backward, if not something very hard to do. The right personnel is a big deal, too, and the prime folks I’d like to work with all seem connected up with projects right now. I dunno, it’s just some stuff I’ve been thinking about...
I only know of two Open Mics in the area: Tuesday nights at the Wig Wam in Indian River, and Sunday nights at Rascal Jakks in Vanderbilt. I once turned in to Vanderbilt just to see if I could find Rascal Jakks one day, and figured that the town is so small that I’d easily find it, but it’s nowhere in the town or along the highway to Gaylord. I later found out that it’s on the other side of the I-75 freeway that the town is on, so I hope to try and find it a second time.
I actually participated in the Wig Wam one a couple weeks ago. This place is similarly hard to find, down the Burger King road in Indian River out in the woods about 2 miles. The Open Mic was run by some guys of the Darwin Project, which are getting a pretty good name in the area as of late. Typical poor work ethic junk: The event was advertized for 9 pm, and this is when they showed up and started to SET UP for the gig, then actually played the first note at about 9:45. Attendance was terrible, starting out with about 10, but dwindling down to just me and two others by the time the show started. I thought they were just okay, but nothing like what I’d heard about them, but they did play familiar stuff for the most part. They may have been doing newer material that needed work given the low attendance, though, since that’s often what I do in that situation. They were cordial and let me do about a dozen songs, so they were really nice guys. The Wig Wam has come out really big with live music this summer, but probably TOO big, since the lady there said it hasn’t been pulling its weight. I was hoping to get something of a chance there for fall, but it sounds like they’re just going to be sticking with two or three staple bands one day a week and that’s it. The lady I was talking with said ,“The redneck kids that come here like lots of covers of Nickelback and Kid Rock, so it kinda sucks.” Heh! I like those bands, too, but I know what she means, since I’m also of the opinion that the world is a whole lot bigger than that...
I’ve just been so busy with my own gigs and other summer fun and events that I haven’t had a chance to check out any other local acts (except seeing Cedar Straits at the Driftwood, which I’ve already seen). I even missed Blissfest again; Like, how lame is THAT?... What is a pleasant surprise is that many acts are coming to see ME at the Dixie, lately. Charlie Reager, Never The Silence, and Marko Strika have popped in, and I’ve gotten to chat with them on separate occasions on my breaks. I’ve known Charlie from Cheboygan a while, and he’s doing pretty good. He markets himself more and harder than anyone in the area, I think, and his hard work with this has been paying off very nice for him. Never The Silence is a duo who’s been playing at the Dixie on Mondays, being a younger woman singer and a male guitar player about my age. They’ve come to see me twice, and assure me they’ll come to see me more times. They aim for a younger 20-something demographic, and are getting a few unadvertized chances at Mackinaw Crossings, too. Their act sounds pretty interesting, so I’d like to check them out sometime. Marko is a solo acoustic player in his mid 50's, and he does a more lounge, oldies and classic country kind of thing. He’s been working out well at the casino in Hessel, which I gave a try last year, but the audiences there were really not a very good fit with me. It suited him well, though, so no hard feelings or anything, I told him. Marko was impressed with me, and he was amusing to talk to, since he was very opinionated about the local music business and had a lot of stories to share about his experiences with it. Mission Point on the Island really screwed him with gig promises then reneging what they arranged, and this joins a short list of other bad things I’ve heard about how that place sometimes treats their entertainers, for sure. He’s from Frankenmuth, and does street busking at Mackinaw Crossings (not in arrangement with the place, but just for tips) while he runs his new little business there. Nice guy, and I sure hope I can catch his act soon, as well.
On Marko, I feel a need to correct something I said in last month’s blog: The guy I THOUGHT was Denny Beach was actually Marko Strika! So, I still haven’t seen the illusive Denny Beach yet, just to set the record straight... There is probably something else to correct about last month’s blog, too, about a local entertainer that I thought was trying to dupe me out of my Dixie gigs: I had some more communication with him, and he assures me that it was the Dixie that promised conflicting things with schedule, and it wasn’t something that he himself had concocted. I chose to believe it, since, really, the other thing was pretty hard to believe anyway, and I’ve gotten caught in a double-book mistake once before with the Dixie, so we’re all cool, now. Yeah, I know drama is much more interesting to read about and all, so sorry to bore ya with a story about something working out all good!...
Well, that’s about long enough. Keep enjoying this fun time of year!
–Gene.
