PERFORMING (AND UPDATES)...

THE JOE LIST: First junkmail went out Thursday. Only 7 e-mails returned as bad edresses, and only 2 people have asked thus far to be taken off the list. Thanks to all (there were a bunch of you) who wished me luck.

THE JOE GIGS: Only one on the horizon is the unplugged gig with fellow writer Scott Garriott at the Ashland St. Beanery in Ashland, SATURDAY 5 APRIL, 7 to 9 p.m. Same night as a Southern Oregon Songwriters showcase, so I’ll have to make sure to be on early at the showcase. I do have a poster designed, and a setlist organized (have to be anal about these things), and some people are planning to come. I need to pay the Beanery a visit and check out the hall (another of those “leave nothing to chance” activities).

Did have the opportunity to talk to Roscoe (owner of Roscoe’s BBQ in Phoenix, Oregon) about a gig there, and hopefully conveyed the impression I know what I’m doing. I emphasized the importance of doing a show in my hometown of Phoenix (and I think if I did get that, I probably would not press hard for the other places). He’ll listen to the CD, I think.

WEBSITE: No, not my own Website, just yet. Took part of a day to set me up a Web “presence” on SongStuff, the British writers’ site I subscribe to (www.songstuff.com). Photos, bio, links—the usual stuff. All adaptable easily to a new “Joe is Great” brochure, which is my next task.

ST. LEIF’S EVE: Took fancy little gift bags of popcorn (the traditional St. Leif’s Day gift) and CDs of “The Six-Legged Polka,” my St. Leif’s Day song, to my former co-workers at City Hall, and explained to them the secret of St. Leif (that he’s a complete fabrication). And it snowed. In Phoenix—it doesn’t even do that much in the winter. How can you have the traditional Swarming of the Ants with snow on the ground?

ARTICLE: And I was asked to do an article for the jupcoming (April) Southern Oregon Songwriters newsletter—about (I think) the importance of playing together. I can do that. I’ve spent most of the past 8 months encouraging precisely that activity among the group’s members—and, of course, doing it myself.
So why is it important? First, it’s nice to not be alone on stage. It’s not that audiences scare me (they do—they always have, and probably always will, but I have ways of dealing with it)—but if I’m on stage with a band, I find myself worrying more about what they’re doing, and don’t have time to worry about the audience at all. Presumably, others have the same paranoia about audiences. Be not afraid--there is safety in numbers.

Second, the band—whatever form it takes—is visible evidence that somebody besides the author knows the song. (That isn’t always the case, of course. Some of SOSA’s musicians are very good, and can just jump into something they’ve never heard before and make it sound like they’ve been practicing it for years.) It validates the author—these “band” people have practiced this thing, and it is probably as good as it can be, and the audience (and venue owner) should take notice.

Third, most music simply sounds better with a band. Country music (and its relatives, folk and blues) can be performed equally well solo or with a band, but most genres can’t. And most of the membership of the Southern Oregon Songwriters Assn. are generating pop and rock music; I’m about the only country music writer (there are a couple of folkies). And my music definitely sounds better with a band, because I’m not that good on the guitar. With a band, my stuff is (shall we say) better dressed.

One presumes the goal of all these writers is to present what they’ve written in the best possible light; we are selling our ability as writers, after all. So dress it up as good as you can, to get it the best possible attention. Yes?

Joe