Coffee House Players

Comment

Comment by David Breckheimer on August 20, 2010 at 3:47pm

Thanks Edward. MUCH appreciated :)

Comment by Edward Sparks on August 20, 2010 at 2:11pm

Sounds good David...We have had a lot of great discussions here in this group...you should take a few minutes to "backtrack" a little and read some of the comments if you can. And of course, we will be anxious to hear what you have to say and about your experiences! Post pics when it's appropriate too! SO, welcome, Edward

Comment by David Breckheimer on August 20, 2010 at 7:54am

Just found this group. Love it :)
I'm working nights right now, but hoping to have some new hours soon that will get me out of there by 7 PM and allow me to get out early to do a bit more coffee house giggin' and Open Mics.
Will report back as soon as I'm able to get back out there playin'. Can't wait!!!
And lookin' forward to hearing and reading more about what everyone else has going on out there.

Comment by Edward Sparks on August 3, 2010 at 12:14pm

Rick, I hate when that happens!!! Edward

Comment by Rick Heenan on August 3, 2010 at 10:31am

I do a gig every October in the hills of NYS southern tier. Last year it was so cold and windy I actually had to look down to see if I had pants on.

Comment by Joseph Anthony Zarola on August 3, 2010 at 10:26am

Hmmmm. Maybe the coffee's free too!

Comment by Edward Sparks on August 3, 2010 at 9:08am

Hey Joseph,
Start with your local Community College...the one near me has a office called the Entrepreneurial Institute that will give you info exactly like you were asking...demographics, "mice" availability and their wants and needs, other similar small business you will compete with, as well as any state and local licensing requirements, etc., etc., etc....usually all for FREE! Edward

Comment by Joseph Anthony Zarola on August 3, 2010 at 7:01am

Hi Smitty...yeah, all they really seem to care about, is filling the seats and paying the light bill...I wonder how many "willing to play for pennies" performers suffered a loss similar to yours? It always seems to be the day after, we open our case to get "the big surprise". The only surprise I want, is a GM willing to pay what I ask! I believe a "cost breakdown sheet" is in order...to show the GM's out there OUR overhead....They always seem to downplay us musicians, and our intrinsic value to their local offerings, but in reality, they KNOW we are wanted, and appreciated. It's our responsibility to keep our instruments in the best-possible condition.

Comment by Smitty on August 3, 2010 at 6:51am

I once was asked to play for an outdoor Easter sunrise service here in southwestern PA. It was a chilly morning, and I nursed my Ovation Country Artist as much as possible through the brief service. The next day when I opened the case, I was horrified to find a sizable split in the top running from bridge to butt. I had thought of that guitar as practically indestructible. It had traveled thousands of miles in the back of an old school bus painted purple, and flown on an island-hopping mission trip to Grenada.

Every time I look at that old guitar, I'm reminded of the hard lesson learned: know when to say NO. People who arrange outdoor events often don't care about your instruments, or they're just ignorant of the physics of temperature, humidity, wood, glue and string tension.

Comment by Joseph Anthony Zarola on August 3, 2010 at 6:48am

Yes Ed, it does seem that coffee-houses are becoming far-between and fewer these days....I have heard that during the first depression, people flocked to small venues, to be entertained by musicians, and the cheaper coffee offered by entreprenurial vendors. I would love to open a coffee-house here, but the old saying: "Before you build a mousetrap, make sure you have mice" comes to mind. I wonder what it would cost nowadays, to start-up a little place? How would a guy do the demographics to ensure making a wise decision?

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