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GUEST POST: A Typical Memorable Gig by Stormin Norman

Stormin Norman and Suzy Band were booked at Andy's by the Sea, Horseneck Beach just down the road from Fall River, MA It was a glorious dump, the kind of place they were right at home in; moldy, beer-soaked wood, beer ads from 25 years back, a pitted dance floor; neon lights over the bar that zipped on and off. But this like every night was major combat; to win the audience over and make them love the band. There was always that chronic reshuffling of the set list to insure that the flow would work - Norm gets up to the piano, pipe clenched in teeth, and bangs and bangs, head shaking crazily while Tommy bangs and bangs on drums and Bobo slides wildly up and down his fretless bass and Dave shrieks and squeaks through his alto saxophone. And then - the grand diva takes the stage!! Before the gig Norman walked out along the jetty to a rough, churning sea. As he often did these days, he meditated on his simple goal; get to New York City, make a big stir, get a record deal. Something about the beauty and wonder of the scene made him compose a song in his head, “Queen of the Rosebuds.” There was an early moon rising and a bracing cool breeze over Buzzard's Bay. The club was already filling up with scruffy but lovable characters when he returned. As usual the dressing room was a littered storage space behind the bar, and Suzy was perched on a pile of six-pack cases, busy pinching her cheeks then smearing lipstick on them to insure that ripe apple northern California farm girl look, fluffing her scarlet boa, and fussing with the set list. A fight was sure to ensue, as Norman always sought to pack the set with blues covers and their own selection of home made rockers; Suzy always insisted, to the contrary, that Norman show his "artistic" side. Artistic? To this bunch of already sloshed bikers? It was always best to do exactly what Suzy ordered. But once on the bandstand Norman would respond to the shifting vibes of the crowd, and change stuff around - instead of “Green,"with its dreamy arpeggios, "Every Day I Have the Blues" in its place. The honest fact was that they were succeeding in holding their mangy barroom circuit by treading a well-worn path of blues covers; “Every Day I Have the Blues, “ “ Hey Bartender,” “Sissy Strut,” plus some kicked-up Bessie Smith covers - from the start Suzy had been channeling Bessy, and could do this like nobody's business, “ Tain't Nobody's Business. “ But back to the start; that moment of expectation when Norm mounts the stage --- playing an old beaten upright that sounded like it had fallen in the bay a few times.. One never knew exactly whether the reaction would be indifferent, amicable indifferent, though hopefully not hostile. The point was to grab them…. and this Suzy never failed to do, stomping, kicking, strutting, begging, caressing, bawling with that huge voice of hers The first tunes had a number of the onlookers hopping merrily . In mid-set they would do one or two of their routines - the one about the train, where Norm intoned the names of 20 Massachusetts towns concurrently imitating the sound of a train chugging slowly into rhythm, faster and faster, until the point where the Tommy would grab the beat and the band would kick into the changes of “WrongSide Boogie.” Suzy was having a good time, ordering a steady supply of southern comfort - her recent drink. Problems set in, as they always did. She began to slur words, forget verses; and what had been carefully rehearsed monologues slid into drunken monologues; for a time amusing to the crowd, but driving Norm crazy, as cues were missed. Predictably at one point the edge of the stage was missed, and Suzy spilled overboard into a bunch of happy drunks, who good-naturedly picked her up and handed her yet another drink. And this was just the start of the first set. Back in the dressing room Suzy was livid with rage. How come he had changed the setlist without confirming it with her? She began throwing punches at him - not dainty, but real solid

haymakers at his head and shoulders. “Why did you change the set list?” Norm tried to hold his ground -- no way “Green” would have worked there, hey we killed so what the big freakin deal? This merely elicited more rage, and she began to kick as well as punch. Beer cases began tog tumble and the bartender wandered in to check on the fuss behind his bar. “Nothing going onl" Norm said- as he always said; "we're just having a discussion.” “Sounds like boxing match to me; ” mumbled Butch the bartender and returned to his station.

This was pretty much how every night was working out at this time. One good way to deal with it Norm found was to start drinking himself. At this time - 29 or so, solid physical condition, he was a pretty good drinker himself, and could down a series of Jack doubles without too much discernible damage, toddling back into the back room to check the new list that Suzy had promulgated. Each list- lovingly handed to the band members, was personalized with a sketch of her trademark cuckoo bird and a lipstick kiss.

At these times the other musicians had learned to keep their distance; musically tight from playing 6 gigs a week in 3 different states; also human-relations tight from working 6 nights with Suzy and Norman. Norm toddled to the bandstand, drink in hand, to begin his customary boogie boogie intro. He could see Suzy at the bar, cozying up to a hunk who was obligingly plying her with more southern comfort - a sneaky and insidious drink. After the huge intro of” I was born to sing,” Suzy staggered up on the stage, smashed her tin “pursolator” (coffee pot she used as a purse for shows) onto the piano, and raged into a savage medley, leaping, time and again courting disaster at the edge of the stage (a cunning drunk, she was turning this into a stunt to the great delight of the crowd). Then as he began the intro to one of their songs Suzy abruptly ordered the band to stop playing (Norman, who valued smooth segues, was always bugged when she did this) and launched into an exceptionally long drunken monologue about something or other. The monologue seemed to go on forever. He tried several times to introduce the chords to the next song in the hope of shutting her up, but no luck. She abruptly turned to the band to yell "I don't want to sing this now, do you want to play it?" The musicians were smart to the flow, and energetically agreed with her, offering several alternatives, all of which she rejected. The crowd started growing a bit restless. Norm hopefully began the chords of another up-tempo rocker, but instead she insisted on one of their most artsy and (to a drunken biker crowd) seemingly incomprehensible ballads, about the sea, sky, wild birds, full of wild starts ,stops, lyrical arpeggios and interesting changes . . .Norm went along of course. And the strange thing is that the sodden, tattooed crowd took it in and loved it, and loved her ….. "See" she yelled at Norm afterwards,, "I was right." Fortunately she was willing to end the set with a customary crowd pleaser - BlackEye at the RedEye,” that boogie song he'd composed in Portland Maine years back, basically a dialogue between a couple that urgently want to have sex, with the chromatic refrain: "telling you how I feel .. ;laying it down for real." Everything ended up excellently, on a sublime, toasted, rocking vibe; there had been passion, drama, good time beat, even art! Good feelings all around, the cash register jingling constantly behind the bar, and more losers swarming in before last call. The two stars embraced at the bar, basking in a moment of musical triumph, and had a drink.

Three months later they were in Carnegie Hall, doing a double bill with Manhattan Transfer. Four months later they signed with Polydor.

Connect with Norman online:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cV7aWzcoeFUKKfEuAk62z?si=PPhBJ_kyRG6IiSC0fMOwzQ&nd=1

https://www.instagram.com/normanzamcheck/

https://www.facebook.com/zamcheck

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GUEST POST: The Origin Story "Christopher Hill and The Stardust Crush"

My favorite concert experience actually started out pretty rough. I was doing a one-man-band set-up at the time and piece by piece all my equipment failed before I could even do my first song. First, the digital foot drum set I had created from scratch with drum pads and an electronic drum brain wouldn’t work. It even started playing beats on its own because I bumped the wrong button! Then I went through two guitars that had various problems. Finally, a great local Seattle musician and friend named “The Drifter Luke” ran out to his car and grabbed a guitar for me to use. I played with no fancy effects on an electric guitar I wasn’t used to. But it was great!

Suddenly I felt free of all the stress of foot drumming, managing effects pedals, and playing guitar and singing at the same time. I just focused on the core of my songs. Luke mentioned after the show that he was able to hear my music and lyrics more clearly than usual and remarked that my songs were really good. The sound man also came up and said he liked my songs. Then Luke offered to help me get a band together of local musicians, even bringing in the drummer for his band. I agreed to give it a shot.

Moving on from the one-man band situation was a game-changer for me. I never went back. “One Man-ing it” was sucking all the joy out of music for me. I could manage it technically when the equipment worked and it was interesting to create new one-man band techniques… but the stress and loneliness caught up with me. Working with other musicians as part of the Stardust Crush Community has brought a whole new aspect to my music. Certain energy that you just can’t recreate by sectioning yourself off into different compartments. Having time to yourself is one thing but trying to duplicate and triplicate yourself so you can musically be in two or three places at once is another. I suppose there is some philosophy of human community importance in life that can be learned here as well.

No person is an island. When we try to do life all on our own we may have a measure of success but the fun of living gets taken away. As difficult as it can be to get along with band members or family and friends for that matter, there is no better replacement than relationships to have some fulfillment in this world. For me at least, life turned more and more from color into black and white when I tried to be a “One-Man-Band” musically and otherwise…but the color is returning more and more now.

Find Christopher Hill & the Stardust Crush online:

http://christopherhill.net/

https://www.facebook.com/thestardustcrush/

https://twitter.com/stardustcrush

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7cSGUmFuchYOyy1tc98U4y?si=nQMKo1RWQ1KfsTCxsPnVIw

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GUEST POST: Todd Omohundro Stumbles Upon A Sting Concert

Live music has always been this very visceral magical experience for me so the number of concerts, music theater shows, jams and performances that I have gone to is VERY HIGH.

My father and I traveled to London to go to Wimbledon and see some musical theater... the first night we were there we were both zonked out from jetlag and after dinner my father went straight to bed around 7pm London time... I decided to walk down the street from our hotel and just to see what there was to see...

About a mile south of our hotel, I see a concert hall and lots of cars and Mac Trucks all around the back that clearly brought the gear for whatever concert is going on... so since I love live music I was curious who was performing and what was going on....so I walk around the whole building and just poke around and try to see a logo or sign of who is performing...

Little did I know this was the Royal Albert Hall that I had stumbled across - England doesn't seem to have logos and the names of Bank Sponsors on all their stadiums like the US does... So I walk all around the back and then to the other side of the concert hall where I see an English Bobby Policeman standing by one of the side doors.... I calmly walk over and in classic "stiff upper lip" fashion he basically acts like I am not even there...

I very politely say "excuse me...who is performing tonight?" He looks straight ahead and still doesn't really acknowledge me and says in a thick British accent "right.... it's Sting on tonight." I light up... "Sting! What??? He is one of my favorite singers and songwriters of all time!!!" So then I don't say anything else and I am thinking "I wonder how much tickets are." So after a looooong awkward pause the British Bobby still looking straight ahead and not really at me says... "right... once you get in this door, if anyone asks, you didn't get in this way..."

I am like "THANK YOU" in a very quiet and intense voice and slip in the door after he opens it. I saunter around and act like I belong and stand basically right in the middle walkway just behind the bottom tier of seats.

So I go in and absolutely LOVE the Sting concert and Sting even does a cover of The Beatles “Penny Lane.” Talk about UK music magic. Now in the grand scheme of things this is really no big deal... but to me it was kismet... synchronicity... the universe lining up saying to me "England and British Culture are your home and where you feel very comfortable."

Todd’s love for the performing arts is what drives his music, it’s what makes his sound unique. He’s even performed with Pink, Chicago, The Philly Pops, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and multiple Broadway stars. Currently, he’s a music teacher in Pennsylvania where he shares his love for performing live and big orchestras with the next generation. His new album, The Future is Calling, focuses on a sustained future for our kids.

You can find Todd Omohundro via:

Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // Spotify // YouTube // Apple Music

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Mary Jennings & Ali Aslam LIVE at Rockwood Music Hall

Mary Jennings doesn’t shy away from her emotions. She is absolutely vulnerable in her music and equally so when she performs live. She performed in New York City (where she used to live and appear frequently) for the first time in 6 years at the Rockwood Music Hall on July 23rd, where she packed in a crowd of devoted fans who came to hear her share her most impassioned album yet, “Matriarch.” She shared the stage with the talented Ali Aslam, with whom she collaborated on “Hard” and befriended during quarantine through a Zoom open mic she has hosted every Monday since the spring of 2020.

The venue was packed in, people from wall to wall. The wait staff couldn’t even move around. Mary proved to be a popular artist, and no wonder. Her music is honest and her performance is collaborative. It felt like talking to an old friend. I knew her somehow. She was friendly and humorous which made her stage presence all the more inviting. What was most unique was that she made music right in front of us. Like Ed Sheeran does live, she employed a loop pedal that allowed her to be her own band. We watched her creative process; it was like we were all let in on a secret.

She sang six songs from her new album “Matriarch” and didn’t hold anything back. You could feel the passion and rawness in her music which was infectious to the audience. Everybody cried at least once during her performance. She was inspired a lot by COVID and its effects on society and herself. She writes the best music when she feels the most pain and anguish and COVID really brought that out.

It was a privilege to see her perform. When she returns to New York City, I would like to see her again. She has this presence that makes you feel safe and welcome even though you may not know her or her music. She is warm and kind and a beautiful woman all around. We hope she returns soon and will be listening to “Matriarch” on repeat until then.

How did it feel to perform live again? How was this time different, if at all?

To say it felt like magic would be an understatement. I feel so lucky that we’ve had access to livestreaming during this isolation but nothing compares to the energy of performing in person. There was a sea of both old and new faces but everyone felt like family that night. I don’t know that I have ever cried that much on and off stage. It was just awesome. In so many ways it was “just like old times�� because Rockwood has become a second home to me over the years, but this felt different because of the longing. I have missed all of these people so much. I have missed playing live shows. I think we all just missed so much over the last year and at least that night we got a lot of it back.

Which song of Ali's was your favorite in this show?

OH my gosh I can’t choose! All of them because they became my soundtrack for the entirety of 2020! To hear them live elevated everything. If I had to choose though, it would be “Hold Me Close.” Not only is it one of my favorites, but Rachel Epp and I got to sing backup vocals with him on this. We have sung backup from our homes (on mute of course) through the Zoom open mic for ages so to get to actually sing with him was pure joy. How I made it through without sobbing is still beyond me.

I understand you have "known" each other a long time and collaborated with an open mic via Zoom all through the pandemic but you had never met until this very special show. (if you BOTH want to collectively answer this that would be GREAT!)

Correct! We had never met in person but had become friends, support systems and advocates for not only each other’s music but for each other in general. Eliza (my 5-year-old-daughter) also feels like she knows Ali from listening to his music, seeing him on the open mic, and just hearing us talk about him around the house. I think without the distractions of life, crowded bars, work, etc, all of us on the Zoom open mics were all able to connect on such a very deep level of friendship that we wouldn’t trade for anything. We became a family without ever meeting in person. The bond that we all built during 2020 created friendships that will last the rest of our lives. Many of the Richmond, VA open mic crew, including one of my besties, Rachel Epp (she was also a bridesmaid in my wedding), drove up to NYC to be there that night. We had a huge showing from all over from that open mic there that night singing back to both me and Ali during our sets. It was incredibly special.

Do you have a song that you always do live? If so, what is it and why

I have been writing and playing music for 20+ years now so it has changed over time haha. I feel like there is always one song off of every album that is the song you always come back to because of it’s relatability, connectivity, and live translation. I think for this album it will be “Hard” or “This Ride.” Both sum up the past year and a half. However, I am still rocking “Home” off of my last album “Metamorphosis” because even with a theme of a zombie apocalypse it still feels SUPER relatable these days.

What goes into preparing this set list? Are there any factors that impacted this one as it was such a special show?

I want to keep the audience engaged from start to finish and have them feel the highs and lows of each song right along with me. Similar to the albums I put out, I want each set list to tell a story and keep a listener captivated from the first song to the last. I don’t want them to think “Oh this is the song where I should go to the bathroom.” I want you to hold it until the end! But in all seriousness, I don’t ever put together a set list with “filler.” I would rather play less time and have all of the songs be super important to the set than just play for the sake of playing. This set was super important to me because not only was it promoting a new album and sharing songs that most people in the room had never heard live before, but it was also welcoming so many (including myself) back into the live music scene after a dumpster fire of a year and half. I wanted everyone to feel in it with me so I put the songs that I felt everyone could connect with the most.

Live music is making a comeback to New York City. After a tumultuous year and a half, we can finally enjoy music in its truest form. On Friday July 23, Ali Aslam made his triumphant return at the Rockwood Music Hall. He shared the stage with Mary Jennings, whom he virtually met in quarantine and physically met that day, in a shared album release performance.

The place was packed, a you-wouldn’t-even-know-we-were-in-a-pandemic packed. But it was beautiful. People came to see the artists they love, and because the audience was so deprived, it was like a reunion. We may not have known everyone there, but it felt like we did. It was joyous, engaging, and empowering.

Ali followed Mary’s set as a 5 piece band. In contrast to Mary’s performance, Ali got you dancing. You could physically feel his music through the floors and his energy. He performed some of the songs to his album The Last American, which is a compilation of songs about his examination of being a Pakistani-American Mulsim and American culture. He sings about the idea that we are responsible for the world and society that we create. You could tell this album means a lot to him from his performance. He sang every lyric and played every note with a purpose. He felt the music with the audience and danced the night away. He was having fun, which, ultimately, is what live music is about.

If you ever get a chance to see him live, do it. His presence is that of an old friend. He’s open about his music and a free spirit on stage, like he was meant to be there. You can listen to The Last American anywhere you get music.

Questions for Ali:

How did it feel to perform live again? How was this time different, if at all?

Joy is the overwhelming emotion. This was a show that we had delayed for months but also one that I had been thinking about for years. The moment you start working on a record you start thinking about the release show, and we poured a lot of precious heart and energy into “The Last American.” It felt really special to perform these songs at long last and do them justice, and also to play the show I’ve been building in my head after so long. There’s this feeling that live music is this sacred thing that we had almost lost, I think everyone can feel it. So the excitement and joy of being able to do that again and have that communal experience with the band and with the audience is that much more special.

Which song of Mary's was your favorite in this show?

I have to say “Hard.” Mary’s songs are so essential for me. They are emotional touchstones. And like so many of her songs, the power of it is in it’s honesty. You can’t run from it. That’s one where I got sing on her record so to see it live and hear so many of those voices that were once isolated and distant across the internet now in the same place at once was really powerful

I understand you have "known" each other a long time and collaborated with an open mic via Zoom all through the pandemic but you had never met until this very special show. (if you BOTH want to collectively answer this that would be GREAT!)

How did you survive a global catastrophe? My answer when things get hard is always music. I write songs to try and make sense of the grief I feel in the world, but I couldn’t make sense of this one. I was spiraling, like so many of us, putting on a brave face to tell everyone “I am ok.” But on the other end of a zoom call I heard a voice that maybe COULD make sense of it. I got to hear so many of the songs on Mary’s ‘matriarch’ in their earliest forms. Those songs have carried me. This show, and meeting at last is like symbol for me, we’ve made it this far, and we can keep going. But more importantly I’m just so happy to finally meet my friend. “There’s not a word yet, for old friends who’ve just met.”

Do you have a song that you always do live? If so, what is it and why

I do try to have some variety in the set list depending on the occasion, but “Wise Man and the Fool” seems to always find its way on there. It’s kind of a template for what all of my songs are about; this disconnect between who we are and who our communities want us to be. Playing it withthe band it just has so much energy that it’s a reliable movement. It’s an integral part of my story, and I enjoy telling it.

What goes into preparing this set list? Are there any factors that impacted this one as it was such a special show?

I am always trying to build an experience, and have specific moments of tension and release. In this digital era, a live show might the only time someone listens to your music and only your music for and hour, so I want that experience to be more than the sum of its part. For this show, the biggest moment was probably “hold me close.” It was a song written during the darkest days of the pandemic, right when I met Mary online. And now to have her and Rachel Epp standing behind me singing through this moment with me… I can’t describe how magical and moving that was for me…but we built our setlist for that moment and that song so that when we finally played that song together, I think everyone could feel some of that magic.

Find Mary Jennings online:

https://www.maryjennings.com/

https://www.facebook.com/maryjenningsmusic?ref=notif&notif_t=fbpage_admin

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNJsbS779uIxhkXm4HldkWg

https://twitter.com/jenningsmusic

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mary-jennings/521359594

Find Ali Aslam online:

https://streetlightshaman.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AliAslamMusic/

https://www.instagram.com/streetlightshaman/

https://twitter.com/StLightShaman

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0nlWIHNriif5fSqDMpEOjo?si=5EnJUb-8SOCfCu9I-Yf1yQ

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GUEST POST: A Much Needed Post-Covid Live Music Showing at Rockwood with Nina Lee

Now that COVID-19 restrictions are lifting, vaccinations are being distributed, and the world is opening back up again, we are happy to see live music come back. Boy, did we miss it. To go out and see your favorite artists, whether in a small space or a big packed stadium, we have a new appreciation for what we had in live music and their venues.

On July 17, in my first live music outing in a year (perhaps even more), I saw Nina Lee at the Rockwood Music Hall in New York City. It’s a small venue on the West Side, but boasts of intimacy and connection. It encourages music goers to interact with each other and bond through the music they came to see. It seems only fitting that Nina Lee should perform there for her first live show since quarantine started.

Nina walks out to the stage and immediately warms the room. Her presence almost set the audience at ease. It was clear that much of the audience hadn’t been to a live show in perhaps as long as she had. She invited the audience to come closer, that she wouldn’t bite. It was what we all needed, an invitation to enjoy the music and allow ourselves to become one with her. She created a comfortable space where only the music kept us grounded and allowed us to use her as a blanket. There was definitely a collective exhale in the room.

Her stage presence is phenomenal. She was comforting, yes, but she was also playful and experimental. She says “I like to experiment my new music on you guys” just to see our reaction as a reception for a particular song. In this show, she did that twice. It was amazing to feel like we were helping her, like she trusted us enough to sing us a song she was trying out. She was open and honest, which added a sense of friendship, that we had known her for years.

Her setlist was mostly her new work with a few covers and songs she previously released. Her voice is so powerful and strong. She is talented live and you could tell by listening and watching that music is her solace. She was in her zone when she sang, she was in her happy place. As she felt the music, so did the audience. We moved and grooved along with her. Her music and presence were too enticing to ignore. When she was finished, it didn’t feel like enough. The audience chanted for more, begged and pleaded. She made us all forget our woes, the situation of the world that brought us here. She enthralled us all.

If you ever have a chance to see her live, I would. She has a voice that will knock you down and a stage presence that picks you back up. It felt like quarantine never happened, she took us back to the days of live music and there is no greater gift than that.

Find Nina Lee online:

https://www.ninaleemusic.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ninaleeofficial/

https://www.facebook.com/ninaleeofficial

https://twitter.com/ninaleeofficial

https://www.youtube.com/user/NinaLeeSings/featured

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3U12hH1pf72nEL57RNI4uY

https://soundcloud.com/nina-lee-music

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Guest Post: Flo Gallop Reminisces About Her First Performance

The first live performance…utterly terrifying… You can never prepare yourself for the feeling. You feel sick, you’re sweaty, your feet are like lumps of lead – and you have a sore throat like hell. You’ve felt fine all week but from the moment you woke up that day you’re sick sick sick. WHY??!! Today of all days – it’s the first live performance FFS!

But there is something else there – those butterflies – that euphoric feeling. Don’t tell me that there is some chemical that can make you feel like that – there just isn’t!

Somewhere in Soho, definitely too young - probably about 16 and had nicked my sister’s ID to get access, roped in Konrad, one of my mates, to come and play guitar, and invited my entire family (and I mean literally). I was only doing three numbers but this was the biggest thing I’d ever done. You know on X- Factor when people say ‘this is what I’ve been waiting for all my life’? Well that was the kind of seriousness I had for this little gig.

There I was looking around anxiously waiting to go on stage – but my body and especially my throat were letting me down. All my vital signs were saying a big fat ‘NO - you’re ill – you should be at home in bed under the duvet’. ‘Come on buck up!’ I wanted to sing and entertain like I had watched every idol of mine doing. This was my time! ‘You get on the stage, you sing and smile and then you get off, easy’ I sucked hard on the eighth throat sweet that hour. I’m whispering the lyrics to myself trying to calm down. I glanced a look at Konrad sitting next to me – he seemed fine – easy for him! Hang on…lights go down… ‘Please welcome to the stage Miss Flo Gallop!’ Oh my God… we are on.

I walked on stage and the family went bananas – bless their hearts. Suddenly I felt like a million bucks. Sore throat? It was just fine! Feet like lumps of lead? Nah mate, I was dancing!

I SUNG my little heart out. I was looking around the room at everyone’s expressions, trying to gauge what they were thinking, ‘Are they enjoying it?’ ‘Oh no that man looked down’ ‘Oh no Konrad got the chord wrong into the middle eight’ ‘Am I smiling enough?’ I was banging out a cover but all these thoughts were flying through my head. As I look back on it now, what was I caring about? I love this, I had waited forever to finally do it, in a real bar with a real audience who didn’t know me (well there must have been a few of them who I didn’t know)! Why did I care so much about what they thought? I was doing it for me.

Your first gig! It’s way better than your first kiss. I wish I could go back and relive it. I want to do it again without all the worries but just little me and Konrad banging out the songs we blooming love and doing what we believed we were put here to do. You can never recreate that first time - it’s done - but the memory of that little bar in Soho will stay with me forever.

If it’s your first ever gig, own it! You will want to look back and feel like the legend you are. Mate - you deserve that moment. There’s nothing like it.

Find Flo Gallop online:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mti6Ux8BtI0&ab_channel=FloGallop

https://www.facebook.com/flogallopmusic

https://www.instagram.com/flo_gallop/

https://twitter.com/flo_gallop

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Guest Post: Eric Selby's Purple 'Reign' Experience

In the mid 80’s I was working at a Top 40 station in Washington, D.C. I was told by the station management that they had some extra tickets to see Prince at the Capital Centre (a D.C. area institution at the time), when he was touring “Purple Rain” with The Revolution. At the time, I really didn’t know Prince that well other than “Little Red Corvette,” I hadn’t seen the movie yet and so I reluctantly and halfheartedly agreed to go.

The seats were literally behind the stage and I had an obstructed view and, being that I really didn’t know much about Prince at the time, it just added to my reluctancy about being there. Once the lights went down, my vantage point was pretty much watching Prince and his bandmate’s backsides all night long. Because I was behind the stage, I watched Prince make costume changes in between or during songs and was able to see all of the behind-the-scenes mechanics of the Purple Rain production, with the purple bathtub rising from the ground for “When Doves Cry” and all.

Watching the mechanics of putting on such a production was intriguing but that is far from the point of writing this. The reason I am bringing this show up is that, even though I was behind the stage and the band never even once faced me, it was one of the most amazingly, jaw-dropping shows I had ever witnessed. It was greatness personified.

Prince’s musicianship, showmanship and just overall aura just shined throughout and he absolutely owned the stage, the concert hall, the audience and me. The musicians he had in his inner circle during that time included Sheila E., Apollonia 6 and his band, consisting of Prince on lead vocals, guitar, and piano; Wendy Melvoin on guitar and vocals; Brown Mark on bass guitar and vocals; Lisa Coleman on keyboards, piano, and vocals; Matt "Doctor" Fink on keyboards and vocals and Bobby Z. on drums, were the pinnacle of an amalgam of rhythm and blues, pop, funk and psychedelia. They all delivered perfection at what they each provided to The Revolution, that tour and that night.

As I was walking out of the concert, I had nothing to say…I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed….a bonafide superstar. I went out and purchased Purple Rain the next day and many of his records thereafter. Interestingly, I never went to see him live again but my respect and admiration for his laser-focused talent was steadfast and always will be. I’ve been to many concerts in my day and I had never been made speechless. I. Could. Not. Talk.

Find Eric Selby online:

https://ericselby.com/home

https://www.facebook.com/EricSelbyMusic/?ref=br_rs

https://twitter.com/ericselbymusic

https://www.instagram.com/ericselbymusic?igshid=qqvz19vttayh

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjAZdScvvEDUNYDBvgJ_5gQ

https://open.spotify.com/artist/61iFissRVQPBg63gvNg5TX?si=VQGa3TADRp6GEUD2bU_bUA&dl_branch=1

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DIRTY SNOWMAN SOCIETY LAUNCHES 2021 TOUR WITH HIGH ALTITUDE, HIGH ENERGY

Colorado rockers Dirty Snowman Society launched their 2021 tour with an avalanche of sound, high energy crowds, high end production and even celebrity sightings in attendance. The shows in honor of covid front line workers and responders drew over 350 to the band’s debut at the intimate 10 Mile Music Hall in Frisco, CO.

Fans were treated to an explosive show by DSS with production reminiscent of decades-seasoned rock groups, highlighted by several of the band’s new singles circulating on Colorado radio, and featuring some sizzling guest vocals by Jessica Wagner, former touring member with Lenny Kravitz and Kid Rock. Before DSS took the stage, crowds were primed and pumped by opening performances by Wildermiss and Shanna in a Dress.

The two shows kick off the summer and fall tour for the Society, which will see them bringing their high altitude shows to a series of venues and festivals in Colorado and Florida. Maybe actor and musician Kevin Bacon will be sighted at a show again, for sure the Society would be honored.

Find Dirty Snowman Society online:

https://www.dirtysnowmansociety.com/

https://www.facebook.com/dirtysnowmansocietyband/

https://twitter.com/snowmandirty

https://www.instagram.com/dirtysnowmansocietyband/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCClGJm_zAJSk3QAT3G3i25w

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2kTAW8DOieZEG2RSJSAIdl?si=vy59C9R2QtqZHuaxBblphg&dl_branch=1

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Guest Post: Shaun Johnson & The Big Band Experience Reminisce on Collegiate Touring

When we started our touring career, we performed - nearly exclusively - at universities across America. One never knew what you were walking into. A particular night might find you in a performing arts theater with a thousand in attendance and the next afternoon might include community college attendees asking you to kindly move from the front of a soft-serve ice cream dispenser in the middle of your third song (it might've been the second).

At one point, we found ourselves on an Eastern and Mid-Atlantic collegiate tour working our way through West Virginia. I fell in love with the fall beauty and small towns seemingly untouched in the past half century. And though I wondered about possum stew signs and dire looking private property warnings (we were told not to wander into the woods late at night - and, by the way, who decides to wander into any woods late at night?), every rarity added to the overall charm for me. I should add that in order to get more people to all of our shows, we began to arrive on each campus a few hours early.  We'd ask to be taken to the residence halls where we would sing, dance or simply invite whomever might be "home” to our show that day.  We figured a personal invite couldn't hurt and when we later received Entertainer of the Year nods from the National Association of Collegiate Activities (or NACA) - a high honor on the college circuit at the time - I knew it had nothing to do with my vocal abilities and everything to do with a bit of effort and time invested.

In any case, when we arrived at one particular West Virginia college, our usual plan of visitation was met with echoing halls and empty study nooks.  We asked our liaison about the seemingly vacant quad, and were told that the activities committee had made a calendaring mistake when booking us.  It was Thanksgiving break on this tiny campus and everyone had gone home.  Everyone.  I mean everyone but two foreign exchange students and a lunch lady.  I'll never forget standing on stage for an hour that evening with one hair-netted lady appearing from the kitchen every few songs to clap. Nor will I forget the two polite individuals who clapped and laughed along until their turkey ran out.

Find Shaun Johnson & The Big Band Experience Online:

https://www.shaunjohnsonmusic.com/

https://www.instagram.com/shaunjohnsonmusic

https://www.facebook.com/shaunjohnsonmusic

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/shaun-johnson-big-band-experience/id555706398

https://open.spotify.com/artist/62YKJH4aLjmKpJ58ChZMNw?play=true&utm_medium=open&utm_source=open.spotify.com

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Guest Post: John Taglieri's Musical Dreams Come True

I grew up a BIG fan of the band Triumph and especially their guitarist/vocalist Rik Emmett. I learned every word and every note he played and never missed a concert when they came near to NJ when I was younger. 

Fast forward to 2002. Rik had left Triumph in 1988 and hadn't played the NY/NJ area since then. He was looking to come back and happened to be using the same agent I had to book the show. I asked to help out with putting the show together, and as a thank you, I was put on as the opener for the show. So there I am at the Bottom Line in NYC, opening for the biggest idol of my life. I picked him up from the airport and drove him to the show, along with his manager and keyboard player. I got to spend some cool time just chatting with him on the way. We get to the club and load in and I watch my hero sound check from 10 feet away. Just amazing. My dad also came to the show. He never missed a show close enough to come to. So after my sound check, I'm sitting in my dressing room with my dad and we hear a knock on the door. In comes Rik and sits down with us. We were all baseball coaches and just started talking about baseball and life. I'm now sitting there with my biggest musical influence and my dad....the biggest influence on my life...just chatting away. COMPLETELY surreal. lol.

I go out and do my set and afterwards, Rik's manager comes to me and said Rik wanted to see me. I go to his dressing room and he had some amazingly kind words about my show and asked if I knew the Triumph song 'Hold On'. Of course I did and said yes. He then asks me if I wanted to come out at the end of his show and play it with him to end the night. WHOA. SO 90-minutes or so later there I am, up on stage in front of a sold out crowd at The legendary Bottom Line in NYC, playing a song with my idol that I'd learned when I was 10-years old....with my dad watching. 

Right then, right there, every musical dream I ever had came true. I've had a lot of amazing moments on stage, but that one will live with me forever.

Find John online:

http://johntaglieri.com/

https://www.facebook.com/JohnTaglieriMusic

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/john-taglieri/id6375452?uo=4

https://twitter.com/JohnTaglieri

https://www.youtube.com/user/leapdog

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Guest Post: Lo Marie Finds Her Stage Presence

One night, I took a risk.  I grabbed the mic off the stand and let my body reflect what my voice had been doing all along.  It was the closest to freedom I’ve ever felt.

Energy works like osmosis.  If I give off a certain energy on stage, it’s most likely going to hit somebody, absorb through their skin, into their bones and then continue on to the next person.  Live concerts are one of the only things I’ve experienced where both the giver of energy and the receiver of energy benefit.  It is therapy at its finest.  I’ve always known this, and I take this power to heart as a performer.  Music is a form of energy, but so too is physical body movement.  To give off the most energy as a performer, you need both.

In fall of 2019, I toured with a Frank Zappa tribute group called The Furious Bongos.  I stood front and center playing rhythm guitar and singing alternating lead and backing vocals.  One of the things that I love about that band is how challenging the music is.  It pushes every single band member to be a better musician.  That said, it requires an immense amount of concentration to pull it off on stage.  The audience for that specific band is made of 50% musicians and 50% people who have memorized Zappa’s repertoire note for note.  If you screw something up, everyone knows.

Often, having to concentrate intensely on making music comes at the detriment of stage presence and presentation.  You need all of your energy reserved for yourself.  Your jaw locks up, your muscles are stiff, and you’re staring at your fretboard rather than looking someone else in the eye.  For the most part, that is what people expect at a Zappa show – excellent musicianship with stage presence taking a back seat.

As the tour went on, the band got tighter every night.  It meant that there was one less thing to try so hard to concentrate on.  About 6 shows into the tour, I decided to take a risk.  I decided that even if they didn’t know it, the audience deserved more than just great music.  They deserved an experience.  One of my lead vocal songs “Zomby Woof” kicked in.  I swung my guitar around my back so that I had both hands free and grabbed the mic off the stand.  I let my body reflect the freedom that my voice had been emitting for the past 5 nights and let go.  I surprised even my own bandmates and put on the show of my career.  That feeling of freedom that I felt…it did the energy osmosis thing.  Even in a crowd full of analytical musicians and tribute show skeptics, I achieved that magical mystical live show energy that every concert goer even begrudgingly desires.  It was a moment that I’ll never forget.

Find Lo Marie online:

https://www.lomariemusic.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/22CZx5oZBRtU7XFHpnlDeq?si=BN1z9dWNTs-acBdYiTKIkA

https://www.instagram.com/lomariemusic/

https://www.facebook.com/LoMarieMusic/

https://twitter.com/lomariemusic

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Guest Post: Rapheala Gilla Speaks To Our Souls

This live stream is a soul conversation.

Singer, vocal medium and spiritual creator Raphaela Gilla is a high sensitive person and she feels the souls of everyone in the audience. She is able to receives their messages.

With her music, her performance, and with her messages she engages with the audience in a conversation from heart to heart.

In this interactive online live streaming, Raphaela creates a space where the souls of the audience can react to her music and spiritual creation so that a sense of community emerges.

Review & photos by Ingo Hampe.

Find Rapheala here:

https://raphaelagilla.com/

https://www.facebook.com/RaphaelaGilla/

https://www.instagram.com/raphaelagilla/

https://twitter.com/GillaRaphaela

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4FMGFveRI2JtWZU62OLVU0

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Andrew

Baltimore, 2019

(📸 by me)

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Guest Post: Munk Duane’s Experience Opening for Corey Glover

One of the most exciting aspects of rising through the ranks as a regional performer is getting the opportunity to appear on live bills with artists of national status. I’ve been fortunate enough to open for folks that have directly influenced my musical identity. As I was coming up, I got to share the stage with a variety of acts from across the spectrum of the industry. Legends like the late, great “Wizard of Woo” himself Bernie Worrell, who was one of the founding members of Parliament-Funkadelic and also worked with Talking Heads, to pioneers of the fusion of jazz, hip hop and house music the Jungle Brothers, to Chris Barron of Spin Doctors, all of which I can guarantee do not remember me from Adam. Regardless, I remember them. Those experiences are indelible parts of my evolution as a performer. There was one artist in particular that I opened for that meant something extra special. When I was younger and my musical being was still forming, I was a rabid and devoted fan of Living Colour. Fearless social awareness with the audacity to speak transparently about serious societal issues, that band showed me a world where my adolescent concerns seemed appropriately small by comparison. They shone a light on issues bigger than themselves, bigger than me, and led me to a broader awareness. The voice passionately preaching that gospel was singer Corey Glover. He captured the breadth of the human condition in his singing style and made me want very badly to do the same with my own. I was offered an opportunity to open two of the first shows on Corey’s first ever solo tour. I never imagined I’d have an opportunity to share a stage with a musical hero of mine. That said, the first night did not go as I fantasized it would. At show number one in Portland, Maine, after Corey had finished soundcheck and we were about to begin ours, I walked up to introduce myself and thank him. As I approached and said “hi”, he literally held his hand up to stop me. A literal “talk to the hand”. I froze for a moment. In hindsight, if I had some mileage under my belt, I would have thought there was every reason to believe something else might have been going on that I was unaware of, but being young and relatively inexperienced on this level, that gesture took the wind completely out of my sails. I retreated to the stage with my tail between my legs and proceeded through the “check 1, 2” motions of soundcheck. I had an “OK” performance. For his show, Corey was a force of nature, as he always is. Cut to night two in Boston. The venue is much bigger and nearly empty for our soundcheck. As I start to sing, Corey comes into the room and sits on the floor, dead center of the room, and watches intently. Now, I’m nervous… during a flipping soundcheck, I’m nervous! Anyone that knows me well can attest to the fact that when it comes to performance, I’m fairly unflappable. Getting “nervous” simply isn’t part of my DNA, but here is one of the singers in my vocal pantheon of influences, now sitting alone in the venue… watching me. Time displaced, slowing down in dramatic Hollywood fashion as I felt every nuance of musical imperfection escaping from my body at once. Soundcheck felt like it took a year. When it was over, I stepped off stage to head to our extremely modest “opening act” Green Room and Corey came toward me. I thought I might be in trouble, possibly having done something that was inappropriate. This man stepped up to me, put his hand out to shake mine and said, “Man, you have some great pipes”. Here stood the human whose “pipes” were the ones I had been emulating and interpreting, telling ME this about my voice. He then proceeded to say “sorry about last night” and explain there were some things going on that had nothing to do with us. Of course, I acted all cool because I didn’t want him to feel like he made ME uncomfortable. He sat with me for about 5 minutes and we just yapped about his new album, what was next on the tour and the art of singing, in general. It was one of the most memorable and career affirming 5 minutes of my life. Later that night, we hit the stage to a full house and I had one of the best performances of my career, up to that point. The crowd was “with us” and it was one of those "perfect storms" of connection with an audience that you fantasize about when you first get the notion in your head to perform for a living. Corey Glover and his band hit immediately after, and it was like a wave of raw power and magic energized the crowd. I and my band watched, this time from the side of the stage, in awe and complete joy. Several months ago, a good friend of mine, John Taglieri, who hosts a show called The Sunday Storytellers Series on Roku, had Corey as his guest. I was John’s first guest on Episode 1 of the series. Toward the end of his interview, John dropped my name to Corey, knowing what a big fan I am, and to my great surprise, Corey actually remembered. The same feeling of “affirmation” I had as a kid came rushing back. They say “Be careful meeting your heroes because you might be dissapointed”. I say “Move the Earth to meet them. It could possibly change your life”. In 2018, I won the New England Music Award for Male Performer of the Year. I can draw a straight line back to the experience above as one of the reasons it happened. Thank you Corey.

Listen to Munk Duane’s single “Sweet Tooth” here:

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MDC @ lughole Sheffield  07/08/17

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Catfish and the Bottlemen, Splendour in the Grass

📸  Annika Lily Mai Cameron

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Knuckle Puck | The Ritz Ybor