I just learned that the local public broadcasting system will be on site for my gig tomorrow night to film a one hour program. There must be a dozen other venues I'd rather they film this at but its not my call. I also would've preferred a little more notice but...I'm not complaining, lol...

The structure of the hour is:

open
1st interview
20 minutes of me playing
2nd interview
commercial
20+ minutes of me playing
3rd interview
close with credits rolling over me playing

...The program will run six times per week (M, W, F, twice on SAT and once on SUN) through the month of December...The exposure certainly won't hurt...

...Man,I HOPE there's a lot of people there when I start. Its a nice Italian restaurant but I've just started to build up a following there. Most of their previous shows focus on bands playing rock, country or bluegrass in bars with big, rowdy crowds...The host has already said, "We've never had anyone like you on yet." This will be in a dimly lit lounge with an entirely different vibe...

Oh boy, lol....

...Sooooooooooooooooo...If you're not busy tomorrow, drop on in! Drinks are on me...(The more you drink, the better I sound, lol)

...I'll get a DVD of this, which I'll hopefully post to my website so everyone can check it out...

Should be interesting...

Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 11-29-2006).]

You'll do great, Bill! Have fun--it shows right through.
I look forward to seeing the DVD. Wish I could be there.
DonM

Bill ... what a GREAT opportunity ... knock 'em dead ...
For the publicity, the owner should be offering some real 'specials' to get a crowd in there ...
t.

Good Luck Bill......Give em hell!!!

Bill...
Congratulations. It's the first time I have ever known a OMB to be featured in such a way.
Eddie

Go for it Bill and best of luck...

Regards - Keith

By the way, the Shreveport Arranger Jam DVD has been running on PBS in Benton, Arkansas since spring. I KNOW yours will be better than that!
DonM

Bill:

Congratulations sounds like a great publicity and please do post some video at your web site. That would be great.

Bill, congrats... what a great opporunity! I'm looking forward to seeing the show, one way or another.

Glenn

Bill try to get us some clips of the show ....would love to see them somehow ...on your website etc etc ?

Bil....Congrats.....Brake a leg as they say,
and as DNJ says, try to put up a few clips of your performance on U-TUBE maybe....
TR

Congratulations, Bill.

It's just great that a TV station would choose to do a programme around an arranger performer. Every little bit helps to get the word out and dispel this lingering image of arrangers being little more than some sort of novelty for the most part.

Give 'em all you've got, Bill.

congrats Bill! Looking forward to watch that video once you get it on your website!

Doc-Z

Bill,

Congratulations. Just relax, be yourself and pay no attention to the cameras--you're gonna' do just fine.

Gary

------------------
Travlin' Easy

Well...

I'm not entirely pleased about tonight. The camera didn't really bother me, other than adding about 100 degrees to the area that I'm in. As soon as I walked in, I was handed several requests. Plus, the owner asked me to do a good amount of Xmas music tonight. Which I did. My sound was ok, my vocals felt fine but my hands felt like I was wearing mittens or something, lol...

Nothing catastophic mind you but my first set was the sloppiest I've played with regard to the keyboard in sometime. Screwing up glissandos, I muffed at least two different chord extenions in my higher RH region, just bullshit that I don't screw up in my sleep.

The crowd was enjoying it but they were freaked out by the camera so they didn't do anything...ANYTHING!!! In between songs early in the opening set I told the room to forget the camera is on...Its set in one position, on me...so I'll worry about that...you guys have fun...Lets ALL have some fun...

The vibe was not right in this room until the guy turned the camera off...then magically...everything returned to normal. The crowd began to applaud more, I took my mittens off and as my teenager daughter says "everything flowed" very nicely from that point on.

The :15 of interview I thought went better than my playing, lol...

He asked softball questions of me. he was very complimentary of my singing and piano playing. He enjoyed my explanation of how an arranger differs from a sequencer. We talked about early influences, what got me interested in piano...(I told him Billy Joel, Elton John, Kansas, ELP and Barry Manilow)

You should have seen the look on his face, lol...

He then commented on how, with no offense meant or taken, I struck him as the "lounge singer" he always wanted to be. He asked me "How does it feel to be that cool guy that so many of the rest of us wanted to be?" I said something about taking pride in my versatility and that I'm very fortunate to make my living for the last 11 years or so doing nothing but music while based out of little Troy, OH.

Afterwards, he thanked me for being able to speak...(Form words and sentences he meant, lol) I guess the rockers and bluegrass cats aren't as wordy as I am...

My honest feeling is that I'm glad its over...it was a distraction. I've never had video of me before...so, it was a new experience to me...one that if I repeated it I could likely get comfortable.

It'll begin showing early next week ...after December is over, I'll get a copy of it...and I'll post some sections of the music on my web site unless...it...just... SUCKS, lol...

********************

On a different note...The local access channel is always courting locals to become involved in their operation...there are various somewhat pleasant shows on every month that repeat several times per week. I'm tossing the idea around in my head that I approach Troy Broadcasting about me doing a peformance based program every month...perhaps aimed at the Seniors in this area. I could put together a different program every month...sometimes feature a particular composer...maybe Xmas music during December, etc...I've just started to think on it...it would cost me nothing but time and the payoff from such regular programming is both obvious and potentially lucrative...

Thoughts?

Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 11-30-2006).]

[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 11-30-2006).]