I am considering attending a regional Folk Allience weekend. They offer a variety of showcase opportunities from main stage "official" showcases to independant "gorilla" showcases and a few more whose names escape me. I am a great believer in showcasing. I have performed at library showcases and school showcases and I have gotten quite a bit of work from them. But, at NERFA (Northeast Regional Folk Allience), places on the main stage are not assured and many acts scramble for exposure in lesser attended venues. I have no qualms about my ability to perform, given the opportunity. I have been a full time working folk singer for many years and I know how to win an audience (It is, after all, my profession). My question is, how much exposure will I get at anything other than a main stage workshop?
These weekends are expensive and I would like to know the lay of the land before I commit. Have any of you, Mudcatters, attended and showcased at an event in which you were not on the primary showcase.
How did it work out for you?