The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #92319 Message #1762943
Posted By: Dave the Gnome
18-Jun-06 - 02:16 PM
Thread Name: How far ahead are clubs booking?
Subject: RE: How far ahead are clubs booking?
Sorry, Greg. I accept what you are saying but still feel that your statement was both inflamatory and derogatory. To choose the phrase 'writing songs about trouble at't'mill' is obviously a dig at northern clubs and songwriters. Why else choose it? Also, the fact that you and your family are all schoolteachers does not allow you to poke fun at that profession. Any more than my being half Polish and part Welsh allows me to make jokes about the Polish being thick and the Welsh being sheepshaggers. Even if they are...
(Lets see who pulls me up about that then!)
Back to the main topic. I think we are a pretty typical folk club. We run every Monday except when it clashes with Christmas or New year. We run guest nights every other week and singers nights in between. So we have the opportunity to fit in, at very most, 26 guests a year. Give me 10 minutes and I will list off twice that many acts who regulary frequent our folk club, who are festival quality artists and who deserve to be given a booking at least once a year. Where on earth can we fit in these other acts?
Singers nights is one choice. Yes, fine. Come along to any singers night and you will get a chance to air your talents. If you arrange it with me in advance I will even try to make sure that you get an extended spot but I cannot guarantee that. What if someone else of equal quality turns up? What if there are 74 singers that night? (Chance would be a fine thing!) Will you get paid? Will you hell. Singers nights are not about paying people. They cannot be. So, will your new and exciting bands turn up for a singers night? Without pay? Without a guaranteed extended slot? I think not. Why? They are, according to your previous comments, at a loose end that night. Aren't they?
Let us know how on earth we can fit these acts in without interfering with the good relationships we already have with the many talented local schooteachers. Give us a clue on how to get an extra 4 Mondays in the year. Please, please, please send these acts to local singers nights for no pay and little credit. Eventualy, if they are good enough, they may start to get bookings. Don't, however, expect us to book them just because they have 'exciting new material'. Or because they belong to the trendy world music genre.
Please don't get me wrong btw - I love new talent and new ideas. I would book someone different every day of the week if I could both fit it in and afford it. But I can't. Let me know how to do it and I will try my best.
Cheers
DtG