NEW YEAR'S--AND PUBLICITY...

2008 GOALS (New Year’s Resolutions): I suppose I should add one more. A veejay in Canada asked if I could turn “Born Again Barbie” into a music video. I should. I had it scripted out at one time (before I upgraded “Alice” the ‘puter and lost a lot of files), but didn’t have the technology to pull it off. (My daughter has crates of naked Barbies in the garage, though. I think I have a cast.)

I gave away the $12 Webcam, too—never did use it—but acquired a real-live video camera. Trick is to make it interface with the computer; there’s no owner’s manual, and no computer-interface cables. (There are reasons why things are cheap.)

SONGSTUFF: Hooked up with SongStuff again (www.songstuff.com); they, too, have blogs, so I posted mine there. 17 readings in two days. I guess that’s good. Thank you, whoever you are (or were). SongStuff is where I’d started my stream-of-consciousness post about starting my own publishing company, back last year, and starting my own publishing company is something else I need to get busy and do. Publishing companies are not exactly lining up and banging on the door. The alternative—the ONLY alternative, near as I can see—is to build my own door and bang on it myself. (On the one hand, I will know who’s banging on the door—but on the other hand, I know the door is going to get answered.)

Other casualties of the computer upgrade: The “Joe is Great!” brochure is gone; I’ll have to re-create it. (However, I have better photos now.) The promotional photo my daughter designed, with the “Wanted in 6 States for Playing Bad Country Music” tag, is also disappeared—but there may be a decent copy floating around somewhere on the Web (I circulated it a lot). It was on my music-business stationery (gone), my business cards (gone), and the “Yes!” signup sheets for people wanting to be notified of the next CD (also gone). I have a lot of re-creating to do.

(Those, by the way, are all important items in the independent musician’s toolbox, as far as I’m concerned. Like the stack of CDs for sale, you don’t want to leave home without them.)

What goes on the “Joe is Great!” brochure, anyway? According to Getting Heard, a 1970s bible on self-promotion for working bands, it should include a brief (and not too gushing) description of what the music is like, some of the venues I’ve performed at, good photos of me playing for audiences large and small, and the all-important contact information—mail, phone, cell phone, e-mail, and Websites. Some juicy extracts from press clippings (I do have a few) and from people who sound like press clippings (I have some of those, too) on the back.

And that promotional photo goes on EVERYTHING. It serves as my logo; it’s what (intentionally) people will remember, because it’s eye-catching, and it IS on everything. (I even made a T-shirt with it.) A band (Getting Heard, again) needs a good logo for marketing purposes; it’s the “cultural shorthand” people will remember you by. (Hey, it works for cars. And the only difference between me and a car is the number of cylinders. And the speed.)

UPDATES: Screamin’ Gulch practices again Wed. (1/2), first time in 2 weeks; we’ll get to hear how Wayne’s recording of the last practice came out. Heard about a new jam session, at the Eagles Lodge on Sunday afternoons; country music, too. (Would be fun to wear a Southern Oregon Songwriters T-shirt to one of those, and get a little cross-pollination going. This area needs more country music. Or the country music needs to be more visible.)

Joe

ABOUT THE BLOG...

For the past year, I have been running “The Writer’s Blog.” Started on Google’s Blogspot (http://nakedspacehamsters.blogspot.com), but I started posting copies of the blog on MySpace after my daughter convinced me I needed a MySpace “presence.”

Every week, pretty much without fail, I have posted a new blog entry in both places. One of the things I was told was that a Website needs to change at least every week or potential fans will stop checking it. (About once a week is all I can handle. I have a job, after all. And a life, too, maybe.) I have the links to both in most of my “signatures” on all the writers’ Websites I subscribe to—again, like I was encouraged to do.

I have had very lately received some indication that the postings—on MySpace only, not blogspot—are actually being read. There have been some comments (thank you), and some offers to help with the Benefit Dance (and I will take you up on them), and I have heard some people mention some things they could only have learned from the blog. So, MySpace good, blogspot pretty much useless. Good to know.

I still think there’s a need for a “real” Joe Website, that would act as a sort of clearinghouse—go there, and it’d just have links to the songs on Soundclick, to the MySpace page (for the blog and gig announcements—when there are any), to CDBaby (no, doesn’t exist yet—I want to set that one up to market the next CD), and a place where people could sign up for the “tell me where Joe’s playing next” and “tell me when the next CD’s coming out” e-mail lists. Maybe this coming year.

I may be able to get a little space from my current ISP (don’t need much for just a clearinghouse), as long as I can name it something like joewrabek.com. (A piece of Ayn Rand advice, there. If you’re proud of what you do, you should be proud to put your own name on it.) Ran into a kid who designs Web pages for hip-hop musicians (really good work), and he’s potentially interested in designing mine—said he’d never done anything for a country musician before, but he’s willing to try. And of course, I’d have a link to his Website for his graphic design business. Links, as one old online pharmacist once told me, are the key to successful marketing on the Internet. (The pharmacist fellow’s in Germany, which kind of underscores his point.)

UPDATES: Got the invitation to New Year’s Eve at Johnny B.’s. We’re on. The weekend, and the rest of the week, look kinda dead, and the following weekend I’ll be home for my daughter’s birthday. In the meantime, though, I have (I think) somebody sending me some lyrics I might be able to set to music—one of the things I like to do during “dead” times to keep feeling creative.

Joe

CHRISTMAS (SORT OF) THOUGHTS...

AS THE OLD YEAR ENDS…

I am not a Party Person. My idea of a good time on New Year’s Eve is to be playing on stage somewhere with a band. This New Year’s Eve, I’ll be ensconced in a new town (well, six months old), being a bachelor, and while I know some musicians, I don’t know them well, or they me. There’s probably only a handful that know I can do something besides write. (Then again, they might be right. I may NOT be able to do anything besides write.)

Figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask, though, so I did. And yes, Johnny B. is thinking about having a private party New Year’s Eve at his tavern, and most of the people he knows are musicians, and yes, I’m invited. So yet another piece falls into making this place feel like home.

THE BENEFIT: I think this’ll happen, too. It’ll tentatively be around the end of January—Laura’s daughter gets out of the hospital (also tentatively) Jan. 4. One of the girls in the office will handle the food, another the fundraising; I’ll do the music and advertising. Time to tap the musicians.

UPCOMING: I’ll be one of the acts at the Southern Oregon Songwriters’ “quartet” showcase at Johnny B.’s in Medford, 3rd Friday in January. Not sure who else is on the agenda, but it’d be fun to set it up with a band. Next practice with Screamin’ Gulch is the Wednesday after New Year’s, Jan. 2.

THE BAND: The National Steel player brought his recording equipment last Wednesday, and recorded Screamin’ Gulch’s practice at the tavern. It is good equipment (love those vintage-looking modern mikes); we’ll see how well he uses it (he said he hadn’t had much practice). That’s another option for recording the album—record a live performance in the live venue instead of the studio. Had an audience again—and yes, one of the girls from last week was back, and brought her dad. Building a fan base one person at a time…

Merry Christmas, everyone within earshot (or eyeshot). Be safe and happy.

Joe

"LET'S PUT ON A SHOW!"

Here’s another idea.

I have a co-worker with a very sick daughter, who’s going to have to have major surgery very soon (not here, but 300 miles away in Portland) for her not-very-rare-but-very-nasty-condition. City’s insurance will cover things about as good as insurance does these days, which is far from completely—and the operations the girl is facing are expensive. (Heck, it’s been expensive already.)

Some of us have talked about putting on a fund-raising dinner—next month, say, after the kid gets out of the hospital. My idea: why not have it be a fund-raising dinner AND DANCE?

I would like to help, and this is about the only talent I’ve got I can throw into the mix. Do I know enough people to put together an impromptu dance band? Maybe. There is, for starters, the Southern Oregon Songwriters Association, whose members include people proficient on bass, congas, keyboard, flute, harmonica, and guitars in a variety of styles. Some of them have even been playing together, something I’ve tried hard to encourage.

What’s in it for them? EXPOSURE. Some of them have regular gigs, some not, but those that do probably aren’t making much money at it. They can show off their skills (collectively, please), and also their material.

Only thing I’d want is for all of it (or just about all of it) to be DANCEABLE. Lots of good country, rock, and blues, with some slow dances and listening music thrown in (‘cause you can’t keep people dancing all the time). Maybe three hours’ worth. Is that doable?

Any of my tunes worth dancing to? A few; the ones I’d throw into a dance with a band are:

Eatin’ Cornflakes from a Hubcap Blues (medium slow swing)
One: I Love You (fast two-step)
Dirty Deeds We Done to Sheep (rockabilly)
Armadillo on the Interstate (another slow swing)
Rotten Candy (very fast two-step)
The Six-Legged Polka (which is—what else?--a polka)
Test Tube Baby (classic rock ‘n’ roll)
Hey, Little Chicken (medium fast blues)
Duct Tape (fast two-step)

But I wouldn’t want it to be just me. I doubt I’m even a good drawing card—not enough people know me in town yet. I’d want to be religious about even exposure for everybody—with us (or some of us) collectively being the band for each of us, maybe doing the Circle Thing with each person doing a song in rotation (which would prevent most everybody from leaving the stage).

SOSA has the sound system, too (though I could throw in a little amp, mike, and some cords). Venue? The Phoenix Grange, which has a big kitchen, dance floor, and STAGE.

Date for the event is going to be determined by (1) when we think we can draw the biggest and best crowd and (2) when the hall is available. And that will close some of the musicians out, because nearly everybody’s got day jobs of one sort or another, and/or other commitments. (Pulling off a big success, though, will net a bigger crew of musicians the next time.) I’d want to get into the hall a week early—daytime or night time doesn’t matter—to practice, just once.

Prior to that, we’d have the setlist—who’s going to perform what songs, and in what order—and everybody would have recordings of the songs and lyric sheets to work from. (I refuse to leave anything to chance.) Armed with that information, I could emcee—but so could some others, who are every bit as good front men as I am. Maybe we could trade off?

And of course, I could do the advertising. It’d be fun.

Shades of the old Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland “Let’s put on a show!” movies. Mickey and Judy aren’t bad role models for this stuff—charging into adversity with big smiles, lots of energy and misplaced confidence, and plenty of singing and dancing.

Lot of fun in a good cause—and potentially some good side effects, too. Want to get some of these good musicians playing together? This does that. Want to get them and their material exposed to people who wouldn’t ordinarily hear them? This does that, too. And it has the sideline benefit of bringing the community together for SOMETHING—and that’s something that hasn’t happened yet, and needs to. Maybe it’s an idea whose time has come.

Joe

PRACTICE WITH THE BAND...

The band is getting tight; Wednesday night we were able to do a couple of songs we’d never played together before (but that one person knew the words to), and have them come out note-perfect the first time (lead included), right down to ending on the same note. Audience included a couple of girls who were on their way to another club, and never made it there; they stayed all the way through our practice instead. I’m sure they’ll tell their friends.

I think of Screaming Gulch as “crossover” music. It’s not really country, though a lot of the repertoire is old bluegrass and blues numbers; it’s more like punk rock with a hillbilly patina. Very high-energy stuff. It’s good the band has two lead players—I couldn’t keep up on my own.

Which does beg the question, “What happened to the country music in this area?” This is (or was) the country; it’s only within the last few years the Medford area became a Little L.A. with the influx of wealthy Angeleno retirees, the doctors and hospitals (&c.) that cater to them, and the sky-high housing prices. But isn’t that a patina, too? Barely 25 miles from here, little Rogue River’s country dance (where I’ve been playing lead guitar) draws a consistent crowd, every Tuesday night, just like it has for 20 years.

I suggested to one fellow today the plethora of rock, folk, &c., music might be the result of the college kids (there’s both a junior college and a full-scale university here), and he allowed as I might be right. That’s the music the kids listen too, all right; at the Wild Goose’s open mike on Sunday nights, I’m usually the only one who plays any country music. (The kids listen just as raptly to that, however—but it might be because of the words. I am getting a bit of a reputation as a writer.)

But wait a minute—the kids aren’t the ones with any money. The adults have the money. So who’s playing music for the adults? I get the impression very few people are. Could be a big untapped market out there—and I sure would like to tap it. But how?

UPDATES: The recording of “Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire” with Dan Doshier on fiddle and harmonica is a hit. Next step—tomorrow: “Hey, Little
Chicken,” again with blues harp (and whatever else Dan wants to pull out of his music store). Did music for a Bill Robinson song, “Writing Country Songs”—he wanted a Jerry Reed imitation, and I gave him my best. Did it as a very fast talking blues, playing lead way up on the neck of the Strat (where the notes are closer together and I can hit ‘em faster). No indication yet whether he likes it. And I got to play lead on another of those Soundclick blues collaborations, and even got complimented, of all things, by people who play way better’n I do. They want me to write words to the next one, which I probably can do—words, not guitarmanship, is my strength. Wonder if it’s time for “Dead Squirrel Necklace”?

Joe

THREE WEEKS IN TOWN...

Here in Phoenix for the three weeks just before Christmas. So what do we do?

Well, there’s the country dance in Rogue River on Tuesday nights; musician crowd’s been a little sparse (which means my lead playing gets noticed more). Sunday nights at the Wild Goose. And practice on Wednesday nights with Screaming Gulch.

I think they’ve finally accepted me as a member of the band. It’s not just me, though, that makes them sound good: there’s a National Steel/dobro player hight Wayne who can really play that’s been sitting in with us, and he’s accepted as a band member, too. The two of us take care of the absence of a lead player. All the band needs to concentrate on is sounding tight—and they mostly do. There’s even an audience starting to show up on Wednesday nights to hear us. (Shades of the Dodson Drifters.)

It does help to play lead guitar at the dance on Tuesday night before practicing with Screaming Gulch on Wednesday night. Keeps me in practice. There aren’t many opportunities to play country lead around here.

“Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire” is recorded now, with Dan Doshier on fiddle and harmonica, rhythm guitar by me. Next week, we’ll try “Hey, Little
Chicken.” I did meet a cello player at Dan’s music store, so there may yet be a recording of the “Welcome to Hebo Waltz” with the cello part in it.

And I got invited to play lead on another Soundclick blues collaboration. I am nowhere near as good as the other guys, but it’s nice to be included.
Joe

GOALS FOR 2008...

A fellow songwriter suggested December isn’t a bad time to work up one’s New Year’s Resolutions—means you can start work promptly in January. He’s right. Here—maybe—is the start of the 2008 List of Music Resolutions.

First, what did I accomplish in 2007? Well, not nearly all (or enough) of the goals I set. I did manage to write an average song a month (more than that, in fact), and got 5 of the collaborations professionally recorded in Nashville at the Pineyfest Demo Derby. Entered four song contests (I’d planned on two), and took first place in one and got honorable mention in another. Beyond that, I’m no closer to having a new CD recorded, or a CD of the collaborations produced, and I haven’t got anything published. Good starters for the 2008 List, I guess.

Not in any order, as usual:

(1) Record the New CD. Still want a band, but maybe the way to do it is the same as last time—assemble an impromptu band of competent musicians, practice a couple of times, and walk into the studio and do it live. I have most of the resources—they just don’t all know each other.

(2) Publish. Bobbie Gallup is willing to use her Nashville publishing company for “Dead Things in the Shower,” which we wrote together, but hasn’t said about the other songs for the album. Start my own if she can’t (or won’t). Need at least a “shell” to make songs eligible for radio airplay; that’s how the game appears to be played.

(3) Work with a performing band. That’s “Screaming Gulch,” I think; their main limitation is they only want to do the fast ones, but I can live with that. I want to be able to deliver my material to the public both solo and with a band, and this’ll do it.

(4) Perform at the “Moograss” Bluegrass Festival. For that, we need a band that can travel—and that’s not “Screaming Gulch,” because they’re kinda tied to a local tavern. Maybe the folks from (1), above, or some of them.

(5) In the same vein, perform at the Wheeler County Bluegrass Festival and the Neskowin Harvest Festival. Follow-ups, in other words, on everywhere I’ve played before. Grassroots, too? Or should I try instead for a ”featured performer” gig at the NE Oregon Folklore Society—maybe with the Old Band?

(6) Attend Pineyfest 2008. More demos. Arrange (if possible) for a performance at the Bluebird Café.

(7) Enter at least two more song contests—concentrating, again, on ones I can win. Did good in 2007: won one, got honorable mention in another. Maybe in 2008, we should do the Jackson County Fair Talent Show and (if money permits) enter “Hank’s Song” in the Hank Williams Festival (I’d have to travel to that one on my own nickel).

(8) This ties into (1) above. A CD release party. At Johnny B’s, probably—and it’d be fun to do enough publicity to pack the joint.

UPDATES: I finally did connect with the Old Time Fiddlers Assn. (show in Medford), after six months of phone tag, and did join; they do run their shows like the Blue Mtn. Old Time Fiddlers, but BMOTFA did a better job. Still, did get to play with ‘em, and maybe next time I’ll try to sing something.

And I have one young guy (only one, thus far) who’s been coming to my performances and requesting “no One Writes Good Songs About the War.” One is good, I guess. A fan base has to start somewhere.

Joe

DIRTY DEEDS WE DONE TO SHEEP...

It’s done—great lead, bass and drum work by the Gemster. Good model for how it can be made to sound with a band. I have performed it in public a couple of times, but the rhythm guitar part is really sparse (despite being difficult for me to play)—it really does sound better with a band.

Second sit-down with Screaming Gulch Wednesday night. I think they’re ready to accept me as a lead guitarist. They’ll play some of my songs, but they’re really interested in the fast ones: “Bluebird on My Windshield,” “Naked Space Hamsters in Love,” and of course “Dirty Deeds We Done to Sheep.” They’ve a very high-energy band. Haven’t tried “Test Tube Baby” out on ‘em yet. Of course, I think they do a really good job on the slow songs, too, and a good third of the songs for the New CD are slowies.

Worked out the music (finally) for “Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire.” I finally just gave up on trying to do Mel Torme-style jazz guitar, and decided I might as well face the fact it was going to turn out country. At that point, the music got a lot simpler—and the song became performable. Did it for the crowd at the Wild Goose, and they liked it. I’d like to record it—but it really needs a clarinet or similar woodwind doing the lead. (I do know a flute player. I’ll ask her.)

I’ve got a job for another of the Southern Oregon Songwriters, too. Now that the cold is over, and I’ve got my voice back, I’d like to re-record “Hey, Little Chicken” with a blues harp doing the lead (and again, I know a blues harp player). With the new pickup in the guitar (which has better volume), I can probably keep the rhythm guitar to one track and have a track available for a lead guitar, too. If I can produce a good product with these folks’ help, it might stimulate ‘em to do more working together.

UPDATES: No trip to Nashville in January; they won’t do another Demo Derby session until next summer’s Pineyfest. A chance, maybe, to save my pennies.

Joe