General Music Chat

I'll be performing on a live webcast tomorrow night for a "12for12K.org" sponsored event, "Musician's on call." They play at hospitals, and such, and 12for12K is a group of 12 charities, including UNICEF. The Webcast will also be taped.
This Webcast event is at "The Rock Cafe", in Rocky Hill, from 8-11pm.
$10 suggested donation.
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Although - last week - the organizer thought I'd be performing tomorrow, the info I got was confusing.
I talked to one of the organizers about 3 hours ago, and just gave them the go-ahead, . . .
So this is kinda a last-minute gig for me . . .
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They said I can play as long as I want. There's a 3 hour time slot, and 3 of us performing; guess I could play for an hour, if I had a mind to . . .
But I told them I'd perform solo instrumentals for probably about 1/2 hour or so . . .
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I will supply the web address, when I get it.

Hear some of my songs, and see photos at: www.myspace.com/alanbradleygroup

If for some reason we dont rehearse tomorrow I'd like to check it out.

Here's an address I have, so far . . .
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http://12for12k.org/events/musicians-on ... cut-event/
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Ha.
What are the odds that a place with 8 TVs doesn't have internet access?
Pretty good, evidentally.
They just ran 100 meters of ethernet cable for tonight.

For those who care, here's the address for "Musicians on Call."
They go to hospitals, and such . . .
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http://12for12k.org/2009/10/02/the-heal ... -12for12k/
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Good organization to volunteer for . . .
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For those in CT, it is being held here:
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The Rock Café
(860) 436-9548
944 Cromwell Avenue
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
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Alan

I find this very interesting RM.
Wishing you the best with this. I'll try login at that time.
What time zone are you please?

Cheers.

Chippy.

Cancel that just saw it was Eastern. No worries.

Break a leg... just don't break your computer connection.

I'm supposed to be taking my step-daughter through a haunted house tomorrow, but if something changes that, I'll try and tune in.

Good luck.

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I looked and it said tonight?

Anywho I'm on there. Waiting..... With tapping fingers............
Getting grouchy. Might be a heckler

The show wasn't unorganized. There was suposed to be a working PA, with everything we'd all need.
The PA didn't work - unless you wanted to use it for the juke box, I guess.
The guys who ran the show ( - none of them knew anything about sound equipment) - took the club-owner's word that they had a good-functioning PA, all ready for them.
I'm self-contained - I could have brought my Amp and mike, but they'd told me they had everything I needed . . .
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No PA, so the rock band went home & got theirs.
There was 3 'bands' scheduled.
#1 Vincent - a dynamite sax player
#2 me
#3 a rock cover band
Although the cover band was supposed to be 3rd, and Vincent 1st - the rock band played, and simply invited Vincent to join in.
They owned the equipment - what could we say?
Sounded good; the kid really knows his stuff.
He never got a chance to do his solo thing, but it sounded good, anyway.
I played for about 1/2 hour - then the guy who owned the equipment played a few more songs, and went home - with the equipment, natch.
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And - the camera was set up at the far end of the room, with no mikes on stage - it had to have a ton of crowd noise and echo . . .
Oh, well . . .
But, I met some real good folks, made some connections, and still had a pretty good time. I'd do it again . . .
. . .
Hey - also
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Here's a note for you folks:
As the rock guy was signing off, he said "I have Cd's for sale: $5.00."
Then he packed up, we all said goodbye, and he left.
No one bought the CD's.
So - ok, but when I finished playing, I said, "Thank You." That was it, basically.
And - I had 6 CDs with me . . .
Ok, I'm done - and in the audience, and people are commenting on my performance.
While I'm talking to them . . . .
. . . I gave the director one of my CDs, and the photographer, and another guy who was helping run the show, and I gave one to the woman at the donation table.
My CD has my name on it, my MySpace Address, hotmail address, and my phone number on it, and also a picture of my full band
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Think about that.
Now - who do you think they'll remember? The band who asked for $5 for the CD (and didn't sell any) - or the guy who GAVE CDs to everyone who mattered? And - with all kinds of contact info on it . . .
Cost me less than the price of a gallon of gas, too . . .
Did I mention the 15 business cards I gave out?

I was there for about an hour RM. Sounded to me like there was a bad cable somewhere? I could hear the bass in the distance but mostly crackle from everything else except............

That infernal music being piped through which was as clear as a bell. In fact it was so clear (since it was pre-recorded) that it was about the 2nd loudest thing to crowd chatter. I saw one bloke scratch hi butt as he got up LOL! (Hope you didn't shake his hand).

It was not so bad that the camera was set back and I understand the need for dimmed lights when playing but it was too dark to make anything out from it. If it was a night cam a couple of shielded lights near to the lens would have helped greatly for definition.

It sounded to me in fact that there was a bad line to the PC, loose widget or maybe one of those bloody adapters perhaps?

Concept was great and has given me a few ideas for an upcoming project however from the perspective of PC audience and web/podcasting someone over there ought have completed checks before posting an event. Sad really.

However I'm sure they will get it right next time. I'll certainly wander by again that's for sure.

Not sure about who will remember what and about who? We only have a 10% memory ratio in most cases. Certainly this one will not have helped anybody on line. Glad you got it covered anywho.

Yeah, had I organized it, I would have done it a LOT differently.
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>I would have shown up a week early, and said:"Show me this PA of yours." Then I would have arranged for a working PA, and had it set up and balanced, 2 hours before the show. And - I'd have a 2nd, 'back-up' PA on call.
> With the groups: I would have organized a day ahead of the show who would go on at what time, and had an MC.
>I would have made sure that there was no break in the music.
>I would have put duct tape over the switch that turns on the canned music, so no a**hole would ruin the broadcast.
>I would have lit up the band for the camera.
>I would set up the camera directly in front of the band,
>I would have 2 microphones in front of the band, plugged into the camera, so there's no room noise.
>I would have tested everything extensively at full volume, and checked the tape for picture and sound.
>I would have saturated the area - and the web - with advertising, for at least 2 months in advance.
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Anybody who's thinking about doing this: you'd better run-down the check list above . . .

I thought it was supposed to be tonight?

I'm getting senile or something.

We took my step-daughter to the haunted house last night, and I was happy we did that a day early, cause I figured then, I'd be able to catch your performance.

Oh well.

Sounds like you did well, and you are doing all the right things promotionally too! Congrats on a successful show!

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Ok...

You posted that on the 28th and not the 29th as I had assumed. So, the "tomorrow" was YESTERDAY!!!

Damn.

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I missed it, Alan.

I DID, however, get to the studio, yesterday, to record some samples onto CD for a new guitarist to work on. There wasn't much to work from in those rehearsal tapes with the b/g guy, though. Wish we had had more from the 1st guitarist & the drunken guy, really. That would show the energy & style we're looking for...

Sorry to hear about your troubles in this project, though. Sounds like it might have been great, if it were planned out better.

Still, you have guidelines to work from in future o/l things, so it wasn't really wasted in all aspects.