Hey!
There's been some interesting articles that have come out lately about getting folks out to shows and how to make the experience the best for the listeners and it's really intriguing. We've toured around quite a bit and we try to incorporate what we've learned whenever we can. Things like starting shows earlier, making the venues easy to get to with plenty of parking, booking bands with us that we think work together*, playing house concerts, improving our own PA system for a better listening experience for the audience. This is all on top of trying to continue writing and entertaining folks. This is not bitter complaining, we are very thankful for all of you that we have met and continue to come to our shows - we're just always trying to improve the situation.
The first article I saw was in the OC Weekly this past week and it highlighted the Orange County Music League, a local promotion (and more) company that is doing their best to improve local shows for venues, fans and bands. They've started a "Spotlight" series on local bands as well as released some compilation cds I also found this piece by the CBC in Canada on how to save your local music scenes. We get it, no one wants to be out late on a school night and we know that a lot of our fans aren't in the young-going-out-drinking-crowd anymore and starting shows at 10 or 11 pm doesn't make sense to anyone. I just wanted to let you know that we're always trying to make your experience as easy and fun as we can.
All that said - this week, two shows.
Wednesday, April 12
Americana Night at
Beatnik Bandito Music Emporium
417 N Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 92701
We're on at 9, show starts at 7.
Limited seating, $5 suggested donation at the door.
Metered parking out back
Saturday, April 15
Beach Hut Deli
Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach, CA
(corner of Beach & Garfield)
Without the Blonde & Phil Cody joining us.
Show from 7-10 pm. Tips welcome.
Lots of free parking
Next week we have a pretty big show - we're playing the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano with Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. RCPM are a fantastic band that we have played with a bunch of times now. They grew out of the band The Refreshments that you may remember from a couple of hits they had in the 90's like "Banditos" and they also did the King of the Hill theme song and that's just 2 of their songs - they have 13 albums out. They are really inspiring to watch as they always put on a great show and have such a close relationship with their fans - their fans who drive from Arizona to Southern California to see them play. And their fans who become our fans and then come see us when we play in Arizona! The shows we play with them are always like college courses in professionalism in the music biz.
Saturday, April 22
The Coach House
Camino Capistrano Blvd, San Juan Capistrano, CA
Tickets available here
The Coach House is a show that we have tickets to sell for. If you buy them at the door they are $18 but it's better for us if you buy them from us at $15 a ticket. That way the club will know that we have fans and are worth booking again. We've been rehearsing a special set for this night, really hope you can make it.
Thanks as always for hanging out with us and I've included the free download of the song "When We Ride" that came out on our *other* band Riddle & The Stars' last album. Hope you dig it.
Bobbo, Tracy, Brandon (and sometimes Matt, Matt & Geo & Ben)
*We used to get booked to play these shows with like 4 or 5 other bands and you'd show up and the first act would be a solo piano singer, the next band would be us and then the next band would be a death metal band and it was too schizophrenic for anyone to enjoy.