I haven't seen one before, but thought it might be worthwhile to test the interest levels in a "Midwest Jam" like the others that have been so successful...

If you'd be interested in attending something like this, let me know what decent sized city your closest to.

Also, if you'd be interested in actually helping organize it, let me know that as well...

This is just a test...that's all, lol...

Thanks!

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Bill in Dayton

Bill.....this is a great idea.
remember the DATES are the most important thing to think about & juggle. I'm sure it will be the most enjoyable thing you ever do......... Good luck!

Common people get with Bill & make this MIDWEST JAM happen & the best it can be!
If I'm off and available I will fly out for sure & jam with you guys.

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 01-07-2009).]

I would be interested in a Summer Jam. I would be coming from the Buffalo/NiagaraFalls NY area.

Regards,

Jerry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Midwest6.jpg

[This message has been edited by Jerryghr (edited 01-08-2009).]

Jerry theres been talk here also about a Northeast jam too.....Talk to Tony Mads & Steve M about it.

YES....I would love a MIDWEST JAM!

I am in Ft Wayne IN. Close to Indy, Dayton, Columbus, not too far from Cinci either.

I am 10 minutes from Sweetwater Sound!...I wander if they would host it?

I'll help all I can...

Lee

I think the thing is that, despite being one of the few, this forum for arranger players must only represent a TINY, tiny fraction of arranger players out there (otherwise ALL the manufacturers would go belly up )...

For a function like this to be viable, somehow, either through the local stores, or perhaps an online retailer's database, a LOT more arranger players need to be contacted. Probably only a tiny percent of those contacted could actually make the gathering (due to other commitments), even if they WANTED to attend, so the more you get a hold of, the better!

The Shreveport Jam has got itself established a little bit, but even that is attended by just a handful (wish I could make it!), and they travel from all over for it. But maybe Sweetwater could contact their DB of past arranger customers, and swell the ranks to something amazing!

It always frustrates me that the UK has the Pakefield show, where the manufacturers turn up, show off the latest, greatest, some of the best performers in the UK and Europe put on shows, and clinics, and there is a hands on approach to it all. But here in the States, where arrangers are getting VERY hard to find in brick and mortar stores, the manufacturers couldn't give a rat's ass about doing something to promote the very products they are trying to sell!

And then they wonder why sales are dropping... Idiots!

I'm definitely interesred. I'm in Indianapolis.

Who cares about the stores being involved ...just get together, meet new friends have a few beers and Jam for a few days & have some fun!!! If you want to be bored with manufacturers go to NAMM.

Donny...Go to NAMM??
How can a average guy go?
Only for dealers etc.?? Right?
If I show up...will they let me in?

Anyone should be able to go.

Probably all those MFG's don't want us there to BEAT UP ON THEM.....along with see their stuff.

Lee

Lee: At least at Summer NAMM, there were minimal manufacturers and minimal products. Yamaha had a T-2, there was the new Roland GW-8, but not much else. Maby things will be better at the Winter show.


Russ

(P.S.-I'd problably make a Jam in the Indianapolis/Cincy/Dayton area).

Russ

Bill there you go, you have a great start for the next MIDWEST Jam!!

make it happen!

Russ,
So HOW do I get a ticket for a NAMM show...being I am just a owner, not dealer?
Lee

lee this isnt going to be discussed in public....use your head.

Bill, I'm coming from Detroit. I'm interested in helping if I can. Mon-Thu are optimal days for me.

Just throwing out ideas - Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton, Cincinatti, Pittsburgh, Lexington, Nashville, Indianapolis.

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Cass P Online
Lovin' my G70 and XK-1

Donny...I hear you.
I'll do some networking.
Lee

Lee now your talkin'

Cass...I agree...being most gigging musicians are working weekends it is certainly the best days for a Jam!.....aren't flights cheaper too weekdays?

Lee, I do work for a manufacturer who shows at NAMM (packaging design, literature, etc.). I get tickets from him for my son and I-sometimes for my drum playing grandson. On several occasions, the owner has arranged for tickets for acquaintences of mine as a personal favor. Guests show up as if they were working the show, complete with a badge from the manufacturer. Once inside, however, we're free to walk around and "windowshop" as much as we'd like. The only problem is, since all in attandance are trying to sell something, it's hard and not completely right to expect that factory reps will give you much time. In fact, they generally take one look at your badge, and if it says "manufacturer"-also designated with a different color, for ease of identification, they walk away.

I generally go to the smaller summer show, since it's a 2 1/2 hour drive away in Nashville. It's a working show...I generally do some product demo and assess the effectiveness of the booth design, literature, etc.

Mostly, it's the one week-end Friday I take off, and the boys and I have made it an annual tradition. I leave early on Friday, spend Friday night, leave for home at noon on Sarturday, and get back in time for my 5:00 PM house job.

Show is in mid-summer. If you're close by and would like to attend, let me know. You might also be able to get "invited" by your retailer, if you're a major customer. I went with Carl's Music Center owner and friend Carl Louma for years, and even demoed for Guild guitars years ago.


R.

Russ,
Interesting...I live in NE Indiana so Nashville is not too far.

I'll think about it and let you know. Based on what Kingfrog said, it may be a better one to attend than winter NAMM.

It kind of depends on what is going to be there?

I sure do appreciate the offer...maybe I can help with your work there in some small way.

One other thing to note for you and everyone else...each year Sweetwater Sound (10 minutes from my house) has a 1 day Gearfest...lots of stuff to see and demo. FREE attendance and a super show the Friday night before the show on Saterday. Whoever comes...we could all get dinner before the show Friday night?

Lee

[This message has been edited by leeboy (edited 01-09-2009).]

[This message has been edited by leeboy (edited 01-09-2009).]

So far, honest to god, Troy, OH (where I call home) looks to be a great mid point. We're centrally located for everyone who has indicated an interest so far, we have over ten hotels in town, (from budget places to much nicer), plenty of shopping, eateries, etc.

Also, if it fit in, we have the USAF Museum nearby on Wright Patt Airforce base, which is super interesting to go through...(and free!)

Additional questions:

1) How long do these run?
2) Can anyone shed any light on the general itinerary of these events?
3) What do the wives do while we're doing our thing?
4) How are the costs of the meeting place covered?

If I get the requisite hand-holding, I'll take point on this project.

God help me....


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Bill in Dayton

[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 01-09-2009).]

Lee-I have clients in Seymour and Greensburg and go to each location several times a month.

R.

R.
Those locatios are about 2 hours from me.

Bill,
Troy sounds good.
I think so far they have been held at a dealers place (Frank)

I can also check with Sweetwater Sound here in Ft. Wayne. They have Korg, Yamaha, and Roland in stock usually and someone (AJ?) could bring a Ketron. It would be no charge I'm sure.

Lee

Bill......
congrats on taking the reins on the new MIDWEST jam....

I would say there are no rules & the itinerary is up to you....2-3 days is a nice length to enjoy yourselves......talk to Don Mason, BeBop, Frank Ventersca, as they already have put these Jams together & might be able to give you some ideas. Players can bring their instruments also.
You sound psyched on this & rightly so...I know your going to have a great time.

Good luck



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 01-09-2009).]

If you're talking about AJ Peterson, he's a good guy.

That said, are you wanting to have a Sweetwater rep come down and demo some products? I think attending the event they host in Ft. Wayne would be great fun, not sure if it fits how I see this working.

I'm certainly open to ideas, and hopefully others will share their experiences with us about what worked & what didn't from previous gatherings.



------------------
Bill in Dayton

How many will be joining you from the North East here in Troy, my friend?




------------------
Bill in Dayton

dates are essentioal Bill....
let us know approx when your thinking of having the Jam. Troy is a pretty straight drive from Trenton NJ.

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 01-09-2009).]

Bill,
No, I meant we could go there, they would provide Yamaha (S900, T3), Korg (PA2XPRO, M3) and Roland (GW8, G70). AJ or Ted could come and bring the Ketons. They could easily provid near field monitors for us. Headphones etc.

There certainly would not be any charge...and they have LOTS of room, lunch daily etc. Hotels within 5 minutes, low end and nice.

AND if anyone wanted to see other music equipment...they have a huge demo room and will get anything out of stock for us to try.

I'm thinking a 2 day event? Fiday/Saturday?
Or even during the week if more folks could come.

Lee

Lee-

Sweetwater (Ft. Wayne, IN) is a haul from my area...almost 3 hours. Probably a bit too much time to spend in the car if I'm hosting it here in Troy.

It's great for guys in that area and maybe Cass from Detroit-ville but for guys from Cincy, C-bus, KY, etc. it might not be so appealing.



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Bill in Dayton

[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 01-09-2009).]

Bill just rent some animal club near you, have it catered & have fun jammin'!

I would like to try and attend if possible. It would be a pleasure to meet some of you folks. I have only posted a couple of times, but am probably the most dedicated lurker on here, and have been for years. Bill, it would be a pleasure to meet you. I play a dozen or so gigs over your way each year. It would be nice to have someone to call on if I ever encounter an emergency and need someone to cover for me (assuming you are free). I know you stay quite busy.
Lee, we live near each other. I am in Huntington, and have played in Fort Wayne alot over the years. It would be nice to meet you as well....Gary

[This message has been edited by gcbin (edited 01-09-2009).]

Bill,
Yep, a small drive for you..(your in Dayton? 2 hours 15 minuts drive) but the facility is tops and no charge! AND they already have boards and lots of stuff available to show...INCLUDING WS's. etc. I think we could get them to give us a room and some demo equipment.

Think about it...you would not have to host it. alone and we could do it together? Since I'm close by Sweetwater. Having equipment already there is a big +.

Gary, Let's get together soon...I'm glad your close...could use someone to share with!

PM me your number and I will give ya a call.

Lee

Lee-

I talked with AJ for a while today about a meeting like this. If we hold it in Ft. Wayne, he "thinks" Sweetwater would make a space available to us for a day, provided they get to give us a sales pitch. Anything we wanted to demo we could...Possibly also get a mfg rep or two to possibly drop in.

If we take this route, it really seems to change the nature of the event.

If we have it here in Troy, Sweetwater's involvement would obviously be minimal. AJ asked for a little time to work out some details, he thought they could probably kick in some kind of gift certificate or something for us to give out as we please.

I'd like to hear some feedback and preferences on what kind of experience guys want to have.

If we go the Ft. Wayne/Sweetwater route, it'll be more testing new equipment and that kind of thing...We'd be on a timeline for sure...

If we go the Troy route, it'll be more social, more free-form with gaps built in for socializing, playing, etc.

Personally, I'm not real interested in trying out new equipment at this stage of the game. I love my rig and don't really want to invest any significant effort into checking out things I know I have zero intention of buying.

What do you guys want the time together to be like?


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Bill in Dayton

[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 01-09-2009).]

Bill,
Both...I would like to hear demos and try out new equipment...but in the context you described...relaxed no pressure, socializing etc...I think Sweetwater might allow us to do all that and not really have any sales presure at all. They may want Greg Baum ( my guy and the retail room guy) to just tell us about the Sweetwater difference (10 Min.) and I think that would be fine.

IF we do not make this a MFG show!

I have bought $$$ worth of stuff from them over 10 years and I think I could arrange this...If AJ does, being he is not just a customer...I don't know what Sweetwater would do/expect.

We could have a seperate room of our own for this...and anyone wanting to check out their demo room could just walk down there.

A factory REP available would be ok.

This is rally no different than when it was hosted by Frank V.

Lee

Bill go the FUN route in Troy

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 01-10-2009).]

Bill, my thinking agrees with Donny's. If you're going to be the point man, do it your way - and Troy is fine by me. Ft. Wayne and a Sweetwater site is OK by me, but now you're getting further west. How many members would you draw, say from there to St. Louis or KC?

One location is a must, no driving to get to venues. Weekdays are better for me, for sure. We don't need anything too fancy, just something big enough for displays, demos and a group jam.

Here's a question - would WPAFB have a facility for use? How about BGSU? or even OSU? I think you'll want to be near a full service retailer for support.

Lastly, and I mean no offense, but leeboy's ideas seem much different than Bill's. I feel that one of you needs to take the lead and the other lend support - hint, hint.

Remember these Jams are a casual social fun event for SZ arranger players and such to get together, meet each other, eat/drink, play together, learn from each other, put a face with the name, take some pictures/videos, make new friends & just generally BS for a few days, simple as that!

Cass-I'm very familiar with the accomodations at WPAFB and its not a good fit. Virtually all of the facilities are booked over a year in advance and they aren't really open to the public. A few are, but not many. BGSU/OSU...Those locations take us away from what is currently ground zero (Troy/Dayton) and put me in unfamiliar surroundings.

I think, if we get a decent number of people, I'll be able to get one of the local animal clubs to work with us like Don Mason used.

To your second point, I appreciate anyone who wants to help. However, too many cooks can ruin the stew, you know, so if Lee or anyone else for that matter really wants to handle this, I'll step away. If I'm responsible...I'll listen to everyone and do my best to create the most enjoyable MWJam I can.

------------------
Bill in Dayton

Now your talking Bill.....
I hope we can attend for sure....depends on Dates & if my bodyguard Fran is in a good mood It would be great to meet you guys for sure!!

I have put together three of these jams, over the years and willing to be an adviser if you need a sounding board
I did our first one in Buda, Ill. as the mayor of that town was a friend and involved. He made all the cities accomodatons available to us, and it was centrally located in the US. Several of us went from there to Nashville and did some recording there as well as a lot of jam sessions.
The second one was here in Calif. where one of ours had a big old house on 5 acres and people came from all over the world and used RV's, motels, tents, and bedrolls. Musicans are a hardy lot.
The third and last one was done here in our clubhouse in San Jose and also brought people from around the world.
It is quite a lot of work but also quite a lot of fun.
Delegate, don't try to do it all by yourself. Computers and email make it easy for other people to help.
Best regards to all,
Bebop
Bill, check your email, I just responded to your email,
Best regards,
Bebop

[This message has been edited by BEBOP (edited 01-11-2009).]

No problem...Bill should take the lead...
My ideas were just to save a lot of work...And have availability of equipment without anyone having to bring it.

I guess since the first one was at a dealer (Frank V's place) it seamed like a good idea to me.

But if we can get all the equipment to some location of Bill's choics...cool.

Lee

Bill, check your email, I just responded to your email,
Best regards,
Bebop

Bill, I would also be interested. I'm in western Michigan.

Tom

Hi Bill,

If the dates are right I'm in. I'm attending my first jam next weekend and I'm looking forward to it very much. BTW are you familiar with Ginhamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City and it's pastor Mike Slaughter? We hosted him a few years ago here in Baltimore and I did all the music for his program. I also attended a workshop there as well so I'm familiar with your territory.

Joe

------------------
Songman55
Joe Ayala

Hey Joe...I drive by Ginghamsburg almost every day. It's no more than 15 minutes from my house.

Not sure on the dates yet...Stay tuned...

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Bill in Dayton

Tom,
Maybe you could come down through Ft. Wayne and we couls drive over together?

Would be fun.

Lee

Guys-

I'm going to let this thread mature a bit. I'll then compile a list of interested parties and then send out a questionnaire to try and determine how best to schedule this...

For those of you who are interested or even might be, please add your name to this thread so I can include you in the Midweast jam email group at some point...

Thanks all...

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Bill in Dayton

What about last minute johnny come latleys?

I'm going to cater to the guys who indicate an interest from the start...

The guys who jump on at a later date, will get less of a say-so than those in it from the start...



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Bill in Dayton

Bill,

The dates are the most important thing to me, and I'm sure lots of others that book our jobs nearly a year in advance. While it's a 14-hour drive for me, it's still a possibility if the dates are open, or if I can reschedule some jobs booked on those dates well in advance.

Good Luck,

Gary

I'll wait till I get more feedback from those who have indicated interest, but I think to find a string of 3 days or so in 2010 would be easiest for everyone. I know its probably a year and a half away, but I don't really have any big time off at all this year.

If we put it in 2010, I think it would be better...

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Bill in Dayton

2010 Thats it! I'm going to 'Gary's again for BBQ, Crabs & a Green Marguarita!!!!

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 01-14-2009).]

Bill,
I can come any 3 days you choose with a couple weeks notice.

Lee