Going down in defeat?

Comment

Comment by Ed Rhoades on March 8, 2009 at 7:02pm

I'm part of an organization that meets once a month...always at at a different host's home.
It's called the local music collective. www.localmusiccollective.com
Perhaps something like that would work for you.

Comment by John J. Cebula on March 4, 2009 at 6:05pm

Craig's has been my most successful recruitment tool. Thanks for the encouragement!

Comment by Susan Palmer of Lead Cat Press on March 4, 2009 at 3:51pm

For a while, I taught out of a cafe that closed at 4pm. It worked out great because the cafe got some extra sales and their regular customers were not exposed to my relentless, "Again!" commands. :-)

There's an opportunity out there, you just have to find it. Have you tried Craig's List?

Susan Palmer
www.leadcatpress.com

Comment by John J. Cebula on March 4, 2009 at 3:42pm

Sue,
Another thought. If it were a bar, I personally could guarantee their bar traffic would increase. I'd do my bit!

Comment by John J. Cebula on March 4, 2009 at 3:40pm

One would think, wouldn't one? I don't what the scene is like in Seattle; I'm in suburban Chicago. Most of the towns and villages have prohibitive ordinances governing live music. There is an "Irish pub" a couple of suburbs over that has an open-mike night for Celtic musicians (I can single-note pick "Danny Boy" in some key or other), and there is a restaurant in the next suburb that brings in performers on Fridays and Saturdays, but that's about it. We had a really nice business in town that had live jazz, but it went south. I personally am not good enough to play that publically, and while I have a great radio voice (my opinion), one of the first things all three of my kids learned to say was "Daddy no sing" when I'd start up with "Hush Little Baby." (I actually brought tears to my wife's cousin's eyes singing that--and they weren't of joy, let me tell ya).

No, I'm not giving up, but I am regrouping. Thanks for the response, and I'll be sure to follow up by looking at your book.

Comment by Susan Palmer of Lead Cat Press on March 4, 2009 at 3:13pm

Don't give up! What about asking a local business, coffee house or restaurant if they could use some traffic? Ask the members to buy a coffee or snack and say that you will provide free live music to the owners and other patrons.

Susan Palmer
Guitar Instructor at Seattle Unviersity
Author of "The Guitar Lesson Companion"
Free Lessons & More