The New Generation of Touring Musician
SongSharing is moving up - big things are happening!! Quick reflection on how we got here from such humble, unconscious beginnings in 1994:
That fall I was employed in an office - one of those offices full of highly talented, mis-utilized people always seeking to fulfill their inner callings thru special projects, not job description. As an offshoot of a "Make A Difference Day" project, someone put together a holiday party at an area nursing home, and I was recruited to round up singers, guitarists and a pianist to provide music. (He was a great big pianist - he fired me years later...)
We had a great time, and I continued visiting folks at that senior home the following year. At first I visited a room or two, and in time I was "playing a show" there twice a month for residents and staff. By 1998 my acoustic bandmates were joining me occasionally, and I expanded my personal volunteer effort to include many more area senior facilities - as many as ten at one point. I performed once or twice a month at these homes, a win/win "livelihood" that worked wonders for my performance skills and forced me to always add new material to the repertoire. (Read: Hey musicians - even you local club superstars and divas - this program happens to be better for your performance and interaction skills than playing to drunks who have their backs turned to you and think that yelling "Freebird" is still funny... It's also great for your head - nothing like starting a weekend with a Friday show at Kluge Children's Rehab Center!!)
Okay - a great livelihood, but how would it pay the bills? I "test drove" my roadracing inspired sponsorship idea in 1998 by self-producing a newsletter and successfully selling a bit of ad space in it! In 2002 I secured sponsorship from a local weekly publication, and in 2003 I began to produce public concerts to promote SongSharing, our musicians and our sponsors. By 2004 small scale success had encouraged me to incorporate as a 501c3 non-profit entity. That's about the time that local support peaked... Lots of supportive words and promises never materialized...
Experience has taught me that when I say I play for seniors at assisted living facilities, most folks get some sort of distorted image of what I do. The impression I have gotten from local musicians, media and potential financial supporters is that they think it is "cute" or something - a good idea they say, but no thanks when presented an opportunity to support the organization. I've had better response with phone calls to Athens Georgia for support than I have in 434 and 540. Musicians from Boston that play our local clubs and performance halls are more inclined to visit The Cedars than local musicians that play local clubs. Go figure. I saw a quote this weekend that a local TV news anchor turned manager is very put out by our society's lack of respect for elders. I am therefore certain she is not the one at her TV station that has ignored ten years of my requests for coverage of my Songs for Seniors and now SongSharing programs. I had a local editor tell me seniors are not considered "newsworthy". I guess Arts & Entertainment and local culture become "not newsworthy" when associated with seniors, retarded adults, and children at the Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center. Paul Rishell and Annie Raines playing in a bar is newsworthy, but playing at The Cedars is not. (I feel obligated to clarify that I am NOT referring to The Daily Progress - they have been wonderfully supportive and given SongSharing numerous spotlight articles to highlight our programs and fundraising efforts. Hats off to the DP!!)
I am glad we are moving beyond that now. I am highly optimistic that our land barter will result in positive publicity and awareness building for the organization, and I am confident that we will achieve our financial support goal as well!
SongSharing is poised to release it's first Studio Series cd, which will highlight the original music of the musicians that dedicate themselves to SongSharing Community programs. Tales of the Uneasy Writer features 6 of my original songs and a cover of a Fred Koller / John Gorka song. The cd has been professionally produced at Greenwood Studio (www.greenwoodstudio.com) under the able direction of Jeff Romano. Future Studio Series cd's are curently being planned to promote Thomas Gunn and Proutt & McCormick.
Proutt & McCormick are stepping up again to bring the organization further along in the mission. The duo has been involved with SongSharing for several years now, and spent the better part of a year playing three or more shows a month for audiences at Cedars, Comyn Hall, Heritage Hall, Our Lady of Peace, Region 10 and more. They have recently jumped back in with four volunteer shows since the Spring, and are now taking SongSharing on the road!!
In September the duo has gigs booked in Maryland and West Virginia, and I am busy lining up volunteer shows for them at senior or children's facilities nearby. Going forward SongSharing will assist the duo in booking "SongSharing mini-tours" that will consist of a paid gig or two, a volunteer gig or two, and an on-air appearance at a local radio station. Of course we'll send press releases to the area's media announcing the mini-tour, and hopefully they will respond to this new generation of touring musician that comes to town to Make Music More Accessible in non -traditional ways!
Both the Studio Series of CD's and the SongSharing mini-tours are major steps in the evolution of our win/win/win philosophy - our beneficiaries always win when SongSharing musicians come to perform, the musicians win from the experience and the related promotional benefits, and our sponsors win from their exposure as a supporter of a unique effective organization.
This is fun! Can't wait to see what the land barter brings...
By the way, I realize now that it is a special sort of musician that can even do these volunteer gigs, and I have let alot of musicians "off the hook" lately. If I try to persuade them anymore to come perform, it is mostly for their own sake... More on that later...
That fall I was employed in an office - one of those offices full of highly talented, mis-utilized people always seeking to fulfill their inner callings thru special projects, not job description. As an offshoot of a "Make A Difference Day" project, someone put together a holiday party at an area nursing home, and I was recruited to round up singers, guitarists and a pianist to provide music. (He was a great big pianist - he fired me years later...)
We had a great time, and I continued visiting folks at that senior home the following year. At first I visited a room or two, and in time I was "playing a show" there twice a month for residents and staff. By 1998 my acoustic bandmates were joining me occasionally, and I expanded my personal volunteer effort to include many more area senior facilities - as many as ten at one point. I performed once or twice a month at these homes, a win/win "livelihood" that worked wonders for my performance skills and forced me to always add new material to the repertoire. (Read: Hey musicians - even you local club superstars and divas - this program happens to be better for your performance and interaction skills than playing to drunks who have their backs turned to you and think that yelling "Freebird" is still funny... It's also great for your head - nothing like starting a weekend with a Friday show at Kluge Children's Rehab Center!!)
Okay - a great livelihood, but how would it pay the bills? I "test drove" my roadracing inspired sponsorship idea in 1998 by self-producing a newsletter and successfully selling a bit of ad space in it! In 2002 I secured sponsorship from a local weekly publication, and in 2003 I began to produce public concerts to promote SongSharing, our musicians and our sponsors. By 2004 small scale success had encouraged me to incorporate as a 501c3 non-profit entity. That's about the time that local support peaked... Lots of supportive words and promises never materialized...
Experience has taught me that when I say I play for seniors at assisted living facilities, most folks get some sort of distorted image of what I do. The impression I have gotten from local musicians, media and potential financial supporters is that they think it is "cute" or something - a good idea they say, but no thanks when presented an opportunity to support the organization. I've had better response with phone calls to Athens Georgia for support than I have in 434 and 540. Musicians from Boston that play our local clubs and performance halls are more inclined to visit The Cedars than local musicians that play local clubs. Go figure. I saw a quote this weekend that a local TV news anchor turned manager is very put out by our society's lack of respect for elders. I am therefore certain she is not the one at her TV station that has ignored ten years of my requests for coverage of my Songs for Seniors and now SongSharing programs. I had a local editor tell me seniors are not considered "newsworthy". I guess Arts & Entertainment and local culture become "not newsworthy" when associated with seniors, retarded adults, and children at the Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center. Paul Rishell and Annie Raines playing in a bar is newsworthy, but playing at The Cedars is not. (I feel obligated to clarify that I am NOT referring to The Daily Progress - they have been wonderfully supportive and given SongSharing numerous spotlight articles to highlight our programs and fundraising efforts. Hats off to the DP!!)
I am glad we are moving beyond that now. I am highly optimistic that our land barter will result in positive publicity and awareness building for the organization, and I am confident that we will achieve our financial support goal as well!
SongSharing is poised to release it's first Studio Series cd, which will highlight the original music of the musicians that dedicate themselves to SongSharing Community programs. Tales of the Uneasy Writer features 6 of my original songs and a cover of a Fred Koller / John Gorka song. The cd has been professionally produced at Greenwood Studio (www.greenwoodstudio.com) under the able direction of Jeff Romano. Future Studio Series cd's are curently being planned to promote Thomas Gunn and Proutt & McCormick.
Proutt & McCormick are stepping up again to bring the organization further along in the mission. The duo has been involved with SongSharing for several years now, and spent the better part of a year playing three or more shows a month for audiences at Cedars, Comyn Hall, Heritage Hall, Our Lady of Peace, Region 10 and more. They have recently jumped back in with four volunteer shows since the Spring, and are now taking SongSharing on the road!!
In September the duo has gigs booked in Maryland and West Virginia, and I am busy lining up volunteer shows for them at senior or children's facilities nearby. Going forward SongSharing will assist the duo in booking "SongSharing mini-tours" that will consist of a paid gig or two, a volunteer gig or two, and an on-air appearance at a local radio station. Of course we'll send press releases to the area's media announcing the mini-tour, and hopefully they will respond to this new generation of touring musician that comes to town to Make Music More Accessible in non -traditional ways!
Both the Studio Series of CD's and the SongSharing mini-tours are major steps in the evolution of our win/win/win philosophy - our beneficiaries always win when SongSharing musicians come to perform, the musicians win from the experience and the related promotional benefits, and our sponsors win from their exposure as a supporter of a unique effective organization.
This is fun! Can't wait to see what the land barter brings...
By the way, I realize now that it is a special sort of musician that can even do these volunteer gigs, and I have let alot of musicians "off the hook" lately. If I try to persuade them anymore to come perform, it is mostly for their own sake... More on that later...
posted by Greg Allen at 6:22 AM
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