datamusicata

I just finished ten days in the midwest. My schedule was to fly into Chicago on Friday, May 8th; pick up a rental car and be out of the airport by 2:30 pm for a ninety mile drive to Three Oaks, Michigan, where I was doing a concert at the Acorn Theater (www.acorntheater.com). They had arranged a live radio appearance on the local radio station to promote the concert on Saturday, May 9th.

The radio show appearance was scheduled from five to six that Friday. Chicago traffic and the fact that I was losing an hour by driving to Michigan caused me to not arrive in Three Oaks til quarter of six. I raced right to the station with David, one of the theater owners, and somehow did the last fifteen minutes of the DJ, Jim Harvey’s show and the fellows who were on next with a blues show liked what I was doing so much they let us go over into their show, and while we didn’t have a sell out, we did pick up more people and made our guarantee.

I had performance dates on May 9th, 10th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 17th. I also did one TV show in Milwaukee and three radio stations in Chicago. It’s important to take advantage of being in a new city. Don’t just sit in your hotel room and watch TV.

When you are doing shows in places you have never been, be sure to ask the booker or whomever you are working with for their media list. Even if they contact the media list themselves, you should still contact it, or if you are on a label, have them contact the list...and then still contact them yourself.

Personal contact in our business is really important and always impactful. And one thing I always do is to get the names of the people I am working with. Look them in the eye and say their name back to them. Make certain you have it in your head. And if you realize you have forgotten it, then tell them right away and make them repeat it again. I find that remembering people’s names makes them feel wonderful and it is such a simple thing to do.

I remember working at the Shadows in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1963 with a fake I.D. A group called the Gateway Trio came to town for their two week gig (all the club gigs were like that then...one to two weeks in a club. A great way to go, as opposed to the one night stands we do now. It’s grueling and not nearly as much fun as it is to spend a little time in a new town with new people)

The bass player, one Milt Chapman, (formerly of the Axidentals—a Four Freshman type of vocal group) took a liking to me and taught me to finger pick...actually gave me my first set of finger picks and showed me songs and guitar technique.

When they returned the next year, I was there (still with a fake I.D.) and when I saw Milton, I was thrilled. An actual recording artist that I already knew, though I was convinced he wouldn’t remember me. I walked up to him and the club owner who were talking, and pretended I had something to say to the owner. Milton turned to me and said, “Young Jim! It’s me, Milt Chapman” . I’m telling you, I was so very thrilled that someone who traveled all around the country knew my name, I vowed that I would do that when I became a professional musician. It’s easy to make people feel good. It makes you feel good too, and it goes a long way.

So contact everyone on the media list and try to arrange to meet them person to person. Ask them questions about themselves and write it down if you can’t remember it. Keep a notebook or at least notes in your address book about those folks. I don’t do that, but I seem to be blessed with a remarkable memory. If you don’t have it, then use notes.

If people feel like they are an actual person to you, then they seem to be more supportive than if you are just a name coming through. And not only that, but you are enriched by the people you interact with. You learn things, you are exposed to things, foods, books, etc...and all of this makes you a more interesting person, a more interesting interview, and a more interesting performer and, if you are so inclined, a more interesting composer.

Just make the effort. If you are shy and don’t to say to strangers, ask them a simple question about themselves and then get out of the way. People love to talk about themselves and for some reason, most people are better talkers than they are listeners. So listen and sincerely care about the person talking to you.

If you do that, you will learn stuff you’d have never learned otherwise, and you will benefit from making the effort to know these people, both professionally and spiritually. Now I’m not advocating faking sincerity. I’m saying make it a point to learn about people besides yourself. It goes a long way in every direction.