You guys've stood in my way long enough

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Genie
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 09:24 PM

M. Ted, thanks for sharing your "MADONNA LESSON" , i.e., that "ambition makes more difference than talent," when it comes to getting bookings.

That's been my credo for the last 10 years, and I can vouch for it.

Although I've never heard you, Mariodonna, it sure sounds like you have a lot of BOTH!

¤;-D

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Benjamin
Date: 11 Dec 02 - 02:06 AM

Ah yes! There are so many lines that can be taken from the Simpsons! Opportunities to quote one never seem scarce. I wish I would of caught on sooner! That actually is really funny (remembering that priceless moment and all that lead up to it)!
How have you done so far? Just curious!
Benjamin™

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Marion
Date: 13 Dec 02 - 08:22 PM

Well Mick, if I'm going to pick on either you or Rick, obviously it's going to be you. First, I've gotten used to never knowing what the hell Rick's talking about anyway; and second, I'm sucking up to him at the moment so I can keep borrowing all his stuff.

I've been thinking more about what Mark Clark said about his friend who quit the day job to study his instrument. In a sense, that's what I'm doing too. In my mind there's a clear distinction between a musician-as-entertainer and musician-as-artist. An entertainer's main "selling point" is the repertoire itself (as opposed to how the repertoire is performed), as well as being dependable and on time etc., whereas the artist is in demand for his or her unique ability to write songs and/or perform them at a certain level of skill.

What I want, long-term, is to be an artist, but I'm not ready to do so yet. So I've made being an entertainer my day job while I study to be an artist. I figure this will be more fun than other day jobs and will teach me some transferrable skills (business skills, PA use etc.), and I prefer the seniors' market route to the more common bar route since I hate smoke and I know more older pop music than current pop music anyway. But there are certainly some songs that I'm doing now that I could happily do without.

Marion

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Marion
Date: 19 Dec 02 - 12:47 PM

PS to Willie-O: I used your arrangement of Ste. Anne's Reel for a demo recently; the weird B part continues to perpetuate itself.

Cheers, Marion

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Willie-O
Date: 19 Dec 02 - 04:07 PM

Mariodonna:

Cool. Thank my old friend Roland Kushner for that B part. (The one that starts with open d-G-B on guitar?) He disowned it and said it was all wrong shortly after showing it to me, but it was much too late.

However, regarding your comments on Mr R Fielding. I kind of think of you as the ultimate folk music nerd, (yes I mean that in a good way!) with much more passion for it all than I can exert these days. But I generally think I DO understand what the hell he's talking about. Now you've got me worried about myself.   

W-O

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Marion
Date: 22 Dec 02 - 08:47 PM

Willie-O:

Have you come here for humiliation?

















I bet you're wondering what that was all about, eh? I don't know either. But Rick thinks it's a perfectly normal way to start a conversation.

Anyway, "a folk music nerd" I'll give you (and consider it a compliment as well), but "the ultimate folk nerd" - that's going a bit far, don't you think. I mean, I liked Riverdance, and Oh Brother Where Art Thou...

God rest ye merry,

Marion

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 23 Dec 02 - 12:37 AM

I come here for the Eccles cakes.

Merry Christmas (and jeri, who just got here, says hello)

Rickie Lake

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Fortunato
Date: 23 Dec 02 - 12:50 PM

Marion, sorry to arrive so late, the title of the thread didn't hook me at first. I want to wish you the best of luck. It'll be a grand experience I'm sure. Keep us posted. Chance

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Marion
Date: 14 Mar 03 - 03:14 AM

I come for the service, but I stay for the leg room.

Last year I didn't have any paying gigs for St. Patrick's, and this year I have nine - what a difference a year can make. And it was all just a matter of calling people up and asking for the gigs; I didn't even send any demo tapes or references for these bookings.

I can still hardly believe that people are paying me to do this (this month, for the first time, I'm earning enough from music to pay my living expenses), or how much people seem to appreciate it. Jeez, all I'm doing is singing and strumming my guitar.

Marion

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: mooman
Date: 14 Mar 03 - 03:26 AM

Power to your elbow Marion and good luck!

When you plan to tour mainland Europe, give me a PM and I'll try to suggest or help with some venues!

moo

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: alanabit
Date: 14 Mar 03 - 04:28 AM

Mooman lives about a two hour train ride from me Marion. It's west rather than north, but it's not a huge detour.
Hi Richard. It's time I came out to see you too, isn't it?

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: M.Ted
Date: 14 Mar 03 - 06:06 PM

Congratulations! you're on your way! Used to know a piper who could play everything he knew in 30 minutes--he made a bundle every St Patrick's Day by playing for 30 minutes in many different pubs in his corner of Brooklyn(and, if I recall correctly, most weren't even Irish)--

Now get ready for the other annual events--start lining up the June weddings, New Year's Eve, and brush up on your favorite Serbian tunes for St. Sava's Memorial(Jan 14 on the Old Calender, 27 on the new one)--if you were here in the States, you could head for the Jersey Shore and gig from May to September, as well--

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Marion
Date: 15 Mar 03 - 03:43 PM

M.Ted, what happens on the Jersey shore from May to September?

Marion

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 15 Mar 03 - 03:55 PM

Ooga booga! I'm soooo proud!

So.....Can you play a Bar Mitzvah?

Rick

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: GUEST,Marion
Date: 15 Mar 03 - 04:07 PM

Are you converting, Rick?

Marion

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Willie-O
Date: 15 Mar 03 - 04:43 PM

Re: Jersey Shore

Umm,Marion, you need to listen to more old Springsteen.

The Boardwalk.

But I realize yer too busy out playing right now.

W-O
I have one St Pat's gig, anyway...

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Genie
Date: 15 Mar 03 - 08:57 PM

Good on ya, Marion -- nine St. Pat's gigs!

I do hope they aren't ALL ON the 17th, though--at least not if they're each an hour or more! (I have 5 on St. Patrick's itself, and even that will leave my fingers as bloody stumps by the end of the evening, a few a capella songs notwithstanding.)

Now, how's your repertoire for:
Mother's Day
Cinco De Mayo
July 4
Oktoberfest
Christmas Eve
Veteran's Day
New Year's Eve
Valentine's Day?

(These are pretty big days at retirement homes.)

Genie

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: M.Ted
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 02:52 AM

Tourist season, with many many, many places to play--Bruce's beloved Asbury Park is not really very well attended, but every other shore town has bars, bandshells, restaurants, and clubs of every sort that are jammed with people waiting to be entertained--a lot of opportunities for dance bands, of course, but there are a lot of gigs for singer guitarists, providing they've got a powerful enough amp to cut through the crowd noise--you'd need a car though--

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Jeri
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 08:16 AM

Rick, how do you play a Barre Mitsvah?

GO MARION! I wonder if there exists a list of places where busking is legal and no formal approval or license is required. I know in the US, it's up to local law, and those laws vary widely.

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 09:13 AM

Well since you're Canadian (but really an international citizen) perhaps you should learn songs for:

May day

Gay pride day

Burns day!!

Re: Bar(re) Mitzvahs.....that was something I never played as a front guy, but did quite a few as a band player. You got the same seven or eight requests over and overr!

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Marion
Date: 18 Mar 03 - 03:19 PM

Hi Genie. No, not all nine gigs were yesterday, and some are still in the future. On the 17th I had three hours of gigs, and busked for another three hours. Very tiring, but I feel rich.

What's July 4?

Marion

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Mark Clark
Date: 18 Mar 03 - 03:48 PM

Marion, I'm glad to hear of the St. Pat's gigs and delighted you're having a great time with them. Keep this up and we'll all be buying your CDs.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Genie
Date: 18 Mar 03 - 04:32 PM

Glad your Irish gigs are a bit spread out, Marian.

BTW, I found that the retirement and nursing home folks love "Mary Mack," "The Sick Note," "Gilgarra Mountain," "Star Of The County Down" and some other non-Tin-Pan-Alley songs, even though they may not have heard them before.

What's July 4?
Surely you jest? I forgot where you live (are you in Canada?), but even if you're not in the US... (I mean. I know the significance of July 1 and July 14, even though I live in the US.) If you are in Canada, of course, you wouldn't be getting a lot of requests for July 4th programs, but how about a Canada Day program?

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Genie
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 01:19 PM

Hi, Marion,
One hazard of picking up a thread where you left off is forgetting how it started. You did, of course, say at the outset that you were going to try to do the professional musician thing in Toronto!

(From the "Nursing Home", etc., threads where I was 'talking' to both you and Ferrara a lot, I just sort of got the connection of you to Washington DC stuck in my head, by association with Rita. (Yes, I DO know which one is which, and I know you have Rick F. as a sort of mentor, so I should remember where you live. I probably will now, after suggesting that you work up a July 4 program! *G*)

Anyway, I seem to recall being asked to do some spontaneous busking at a cafe in Montreal in the summer of 1973 for La Fête de St. Jean Baptiste (Batiste?).
There was a helluva party going on in the streets for the holiday. How about that for a special program? It's only about 3 hours to Montréal from Toronto, IIRC.

Genie

Subject: RE: You guys've stood in my way long enough
From: Marion
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 02:40 PM

Dude, I know what the Fourth of July is! (The day you celebrate the independence of your country by blowing up a small part of it.) I'm just teasing you for forgetting that I'm Canadian. And you're my mentor; Fielding's my cautionary example.

June 24 is St. Jean Baptiste, Quebec's national holiday, and is a much bigger deal to them than Canada Day is to the Rest of Canada. I lived five years in Montreal and remember the parades fondly.

Marion