Celebrate America with Us!

We'll be playing this afternoon at Four Rivers Harley Davidson in Paducah, Kentucky at 2PM. It's part of their 2 day Celebrate America Event.  Should be lot's of fun!

In addition to our performance they're going to have an arm wrestling tournament, with the winner getting a Harley Davidson motocycle!  There'll be lots of other things to do and see and great food too!

Running A Band Is Running A Business

For those who don't know, I also work as a multimedia consultant in addition to working as a Blues Guitartist and fronting  a Blues Band for almost 20 years!  I started in the early 90s because....it was fun and I enjoyed playing.  It still is and I still do, but it also grew into more than that.  It became a lesson in how to run a small business.  You might be surprised, but running a "conventional business" is just like running a band!

• Be Prepared:  For the band, this means practice, practice, practice until you have your songs down pat. Before the Beatles ever played the Ed Sullivan Show, they had played their songs thousands of times throughout England and Europe, mostly in small clubs. For every other business? It means practice, practice, practice until you have all your employees have all your procedures own pat! 

• Make Your Product or Service Stand Above The Competition:  When I get ready to record our first CD, I was going to record cover songs which we played during club gigs, but  a president of a nearby Blues Society convinced me to ditch that idea and instead write as many original songs as possible for the CD.  That way, we'd stand apart from the thousands of other bands.  He was right.  I also found I had a knack for songwriting which I never knew I had!  In regular business, you have to do something to make you stand apart.  Whether it's a better product, or service, or an aspect of how you do business which stands apart and gives customers a reason to choose YOU over your competition!

• Make Pleasing Your Audience A Top Priority:  For the band, this means playing the material the audience wants, if you can, and if you can't, try to give them something close to what they request!  Treat them with respect and let them know you have a genuine interest in them!  One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was "There are 2 types of musicians: Those who play for the people, and those who play for other musicians!"  Nothing wrong with the latter, but since I'm not that great of a musician myself, I choose to play for the people.  I'll never forget playing at a Festival and seeing a B-list star treating his own fans with distain at times. That's the reason he never became an A-list star, and in fact is now a C-list star! The same goes for any business.  Without customers, you HAVE NO BUSINESS.

• Be A Pro: I once had a club owner tell me he noticed my band never drank a lot and partied when we played there, like so many of the other bands. I told him, "We're not here to get drunk. We're not here to get women.  We're here to do the best show we can for your customers, and then get paid and go home!"  He laughed, nodded his head, and he got it.  We were just like him.  It's important for employees to have a good time at work, but it's also important to keep it professional!

• If They Do The Work, PAY 'EM: Good, dependable musicians are so worth keeping. It's a load off a band leader's mind to know that he doesn't have to worry about his own guys, and can concentrate on other aspects of running the band.  It's the same with regular business. Once you find good workers you want to hang on to them! Good workers are an advantage you can have over your competition!

•  Market Your Service: This means having the best publicity release and marketing plan to get your band noticed and get better shows, along with advertisements.  You'll want to know how best to place ads in conventional media and work your social media to deepen your relationship with your fans.  The same goes for regular business.  You have to treat your marketing just like another employee:  One whose job it is to spread the word about how great your product or service is!

• Take Care Of Business:   Make sure you maximize your profit while charging a fair price, and then add new revenue streams.  In my case, that meant sometimes standing my ground over a fee to perform, and making sure we were registered with performance rights organizations to get as much revenue as possible.  After all, if we didn't claim the money, it would just sit there, or go back to the performance rights organizations.  There are so many bands which don't go after this money, which is just sitting there. Sadly, many times, the best artist, are not the best business persons.  I'm happy to say, I've been able to mentor several to show them how to get this money.  After all, it's money they've ALREADY EARNED!  The same goes for regular business.  You have to maximize your efficiency to maximize profits and constantly look for new ways to increase revenue.

The music business is a fun business, even when it's a small business, but above all, it's just like any other BUSINESS!   When you're doing things right and getting your fair return, it's even MORE FUN!

Shannon Street Music Festival 2013

We had a great time at the  Shannon Street Music Festival in Jackson, Tennessee. It's the first time I've ever played there although I worked at WBBJ-TV in Jackson from 1983-1989, after working in radio near Jackson from 19-82 to 1983.

The Festival was moved indoors to the Oman Arena because of the threat of storms, but in a way that was kinda cool!  I'd been to the arena many times over the years to see concerts and sporting events.  I was pleasantly surprised the arena, which used to be called the Jackson Coliseum, was in great shape!  Brought back a lot of memories!  Wes Henley and the sound crew did an unbelievable job moving everything from the court square to the arena and getting it set up in the time for the show, and the sound was really good!

with John Kilzer

It was great to see so many old friends and catch up, then watch the other acts including Carl Mann, a Sun Records alum, and later Jackson's own John Kilzer, who I'd met years earlier while working a Carl Perkins Center Telethon at WBBJ and seen perform several times years ago.

with old friend Rich Schodel

I think they guys enjoyed taking the little trip down to my neck of the woods, too...here's the video of the trip...

3 Festivals, 3 States Up Next

The next few weeks should be a lot of fun with festivals in 3 states!  We'll start Friday afternoon at the Lowertown Art and Music Festival in Paducah, KY. We've played this one several times before and it's really unique festival. Local artists display their works in Paducah's Historic Lowertown Art District and the streets are blocked off so everyone can walk around and check out the artwork, food and music.  There are 2 stages with continuous live music.  I'll be playing Friday afternoon at 4PM on the main stage. Later that evening, my friends Blue Mother Tupelo will play, and after them, my old friend, Col JD Wilkes and his band, The Dirt Daubers!  I'm making plans to stick around after my set to catch theirs!

The following weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, we'll travel to Murphysboro, Illinois for the Riverside Art and Wine Festival held at Riverside Park. We played this one last year and it's a wonderful setting and a wonderful festival.  Several of Southern Illinois' award winning wineries will be there with wine tastings and of course for sale. For those who prefer beer, they'll have a beer tent this year, too, along with many vendors displaying and selling a wide variety of food and other items.  We had a great time there last year! (click on the picture for a larger view of the poster)

After a stop at the McCracken County Relay for Life Friday night, May 31, we'll travel to Jackson, Tennessee Saturday, June 1st for the Shannon Street MusicFest (formerly known as the Shannon Street Blues Festival). We'll play at 7PM that night.  The headliner will be John Kilzer, a Jackson native who scored with several big hits in the 80s, including "Memory in the Making" and "Red Blue Jeans."  I actually met John years ago while working at the Carl Perkins Child Abuse Prevention Center Telethon on WBBJ-TV in Jackson.  For those who really want to travel in the way back machine, I did weather and sports for WBBJ-TV in Jackson from 1983 to 1989, so it'll be a special homecoming of sorts. I've already heard from several friends there, so I can't wait to get back to see them and play for them!

June 11th at the Carson Center in Paducah, I'll be "opening" for Huey Lewis and the News. Actually I'm playing a private party at the Carson Center  to benefit the Paducah Symphony and also to get them revved up for Huey Lewis.  I'm not sure if there are tickets available for this or not, but I do know, last I heard, there were very few tickets left for Huey Lewis.  Weather permitting, I think the party will be on the 2nd floor outdoor patio for the party, so if you arrive early for the concert and are waiting outside, at least I can serenade ya!

We'll finish out June at Metropolis, Illinois at the Blues and Ques Festival.  Love the BBQ Festivals, and love Metropolis. In case you don't know, it's the home of Superman along with being a very cool town. If you've never done it, you should go through the Superman Museum and the Hollywood Museum there.  Some very cool stuff.  This is my favorite time of the year! I love getting out to play the festivals, make new friends, and also see other bands play!  We'll see you down the road!

Show Friday Night Cancelled!

Sad to report that due to weather and high water, our show Friday night at Buzzard Rock Resort on Lake Barkley has been cancelled!  It may or may not be made up later, but we still have several appearances scheduled for Buzzard Rock later this summer!  Hope to see you there!

Return To Jackson, TN

Always look forward to playing in my home state of Tennessee, but this one's gonna be special!  We'll be playing at the Shannon Street Music Fest in Jackson, TN, Saturday June 1st.  Before moving to Kentucky in 1989, I worked in the Jackson area from 1982 to 1989, first at WZDQ from 1982-83 and then at WBBJ-TV from 1983-1989.

1986

1988

I had a great time there.  I got to meet and hang out with one of my musical heros, Carl Perkins on several occasions.  I'll always remember working a telethon for the Carl Perkins Child Abuse Prevention Center one year, and getting to hang out with both Carl, and another of my favorite singer/songwriters, John Kilzer, who had made a name for himself, first in Memphis and then on the national scene with his great songs.

Funny thing is, I'll actually be opening for John Kilzer this trip.  Kilzer has been through a lot, too so I know he won't remember me, but I so look forward to his show.

I also look forward to seeing so many old friends, who I haven't seen in years.  As for my show, I will do what I do, and I will do my best.  I've changed a lot since then, but my love for West Tennessee and it's people remains steadfast.

Oh yeah.....it looks like our old pal, Col JD Wilkes will be joining us in Jackson.  Oh my..... get ready. Jackson.

New Dates Added: Murphysboro, Metropolis, IL, more...

We've added some new dates! We're booked at the Blues and Ques Festival in Metropolis, IL at Ft Massac State Park, Saturday June 29th at 7PM, and also at the Celebrate America Event at Four Rivers Harley Davidson in Paducah, KY Saturday July 6th.   Here's our latest schedule.  We could also have a major announcement soon about another Blues Festival so stay tuned!