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We worked our first paying gig night before last. It was a karaoke show at a local bar called the 29th Street Bar and Grill. The manager, Ranell, is looking for new people to replace the one who was working there. Apparently, this woman had a bad attitude and faulty equipment and was actually driving customers away instead of pulling them in. Obviously, something had to change. I had given her our info a few months ago, so she contacted me and we made the arrangements. We had to wait until the end of the month because she had already booked other entertainment for the weeks prior to that. I was OK with that, though. I just wanted a chance to get out there and present myself and my talent to the public.
I would like to say that everything went off without a hitch, but in my world that never happens. There were several things that occurred that I can improve on, but that's all part of the process.
Lesson #1: Be Prepared
I have spent the last month or so trying to get everything ready so that on the day of the show we weren't running around like crazy trying to finish things. Of course, there's always one or two things that just don't seem to get done until the last minute. I had one person printing something out for me while the rest of us loaded the equipment. Somehow we managed to get everything in the car except for the TV (which, by the way, is an essential piece of equipment for a karaoke show). We have a Plymouth Neon, so I was actually amazed by this feat. Unfortunately, a second trip had to be made to retrieve the TV, and that slowed things down just a bit. But somehow we still managed to get the music started on time, even though the TV and my help arrived a few minutes late. They had an extra TV at the bar so we could still start on time.
Lesson #2: Be As Organized As Possible
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not the most organized person in the world. I am not sure how, but I manage to find the things I need. I usually keep everything related to my music in one place so that I know where it is when I need it. I always seem to forget one or two things....like writing the directions down but forgetting to bring them with me, or leaving my keys on the table inside the locked house. Well, if you have CD's of music that are unmarked, it might be a good idea to bring along the book that lists the songs that are on those CD's. When playing the CD that I had marked "Line Dances", no one knew which track was which. The first track was played and everyone heard "Happy Birthday". (I put just random songs on that disc that didn't really go anywhere else.) I had to take a minute while someone sang to listen to the disc tracks and write down what songs they were. I also forgot to show my helpers how my discs were organized, so they had a little trouble finding some of the songs. Things like that always slow down the pace of the show. For this reason, I am developing a checklist for future events. I also forgot to bring a notebook to keep track of the singers.
Lesson #3: When In Doubt, Bring It
We weren't sure if we would need our TV or if the bar had extras for us to use. That (and the space issue) is why we didn't bring it. Also, they did provide tables for us to use, but they were small and a little wobbly. We really didn't have enough room for everything, especially since we had to use one of the three tables for the TV. I have my own tables that I purchased that I feel more comfortable using, so we will be bringing those along next time, too. One more thing I will not forget in the future is a small footstool. The stage was at least two feet high. Since I am only 5'3", it made for a big step. They brought the stool back with the TV, but until it arrived I spent about an hour climbing up and down (and almost falling off of) the stage.
Lesson #4: Pay Attention
It's real easy to make stupid mistakes when you are nervous, so you should always pay attention to what's going on around you and in front of you. During one person's song, I didn't pay attention to which disc was playing. When I started to put in the next person's song, I hit the wrong button and turned off the one that was running. I could have prevented the interruption by just taking a moment to look at the displays....after all, that's why they are there.
Lesson #5: Set Up Early
Being there an hour before showtime is not necessarily early, especially if you have no idea where the electrical outlets are located in the building. Three hours gives you more time....four is even better. It also gives you the opportunity to park as close to the front entrance as possible for loading/unloading purposes.
Lesson #6: Neatness Counts
I'm not talking about keeping your area clean, although that does kind of play into it. I'm talking about making packing and unpacking equipment easier. With all of this equipment comes many types of cables and cords and several small pieces that connect all the bigger pieces together. I have a couple of large backpack/duffle type bags to tote all this stuff around in, but while in the bags the cables tend to get tangled around each other somewhat. When we take them out, we have to spend a few minutes unraveling them....a very annoying process if you're running late. I am going to seek out a reusable way of keeping them separated while in the bags.
Even with all the little stalls and hang-ups we experienced, the manager commented that she loved our show and booked two more dates with us for the coming months (Sept. 25th and Oct. 23rd). I hope to have all of these kinks worked out by then. We are also looking into renting a small U-Haul trailer for the next shows to move all the equipment with. It's a minimal expense that will allow us to bring what we need for the shows. It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
When I woke up Saturday, I was totally exhausted and my muscles ached from all the climbing and lifting. But I still felt good. Waiting tables makes me exhausted and achy, too, but I don't feel good about it the next day. I just feel exhausted and achy. I don't mind being tired and achy from doing what I love to do. I am really looking forward to what the future may bring me.
July was a very lucrative month at work, so about two weeks ago I went to the local music store that I have been dealing with and purchased the headset mic that I have had my eyes on for the last year or so. Then, a couple days ago I went back and paid off my lights. I must say, it’s the coolest thing. My living room looks and sounds like a night club. That may sound strange to most folks, but to me it’s extremely exciting. Every time I get a new piece of equipment, it’s like a child with a new toy. It’s like Christmas morning, seriously. I probably could have waited, but I really wanted to have the chance to try them out and find out how they work. We are doing a karaoke show at a local bar on August 28th and I want to be ready. I don’t want to do this half-ass, I want to be as professional as I can be. People can tell if you don’t know what you are doing. I had a college professor who said “You can teach a monkey to turn knobs and push buttons. The difference between you and the monkey is that you know WHY you are turning the knobs and pushing the buttons.“ I have been to many shows where it was obvious that the performers didn’t put a lot of thought behind what they were doing. They were unsure of how to talk to the audience, they had no idea of what to say in between songs, they didn’t make eye contact with the people in the audience, there was too much time or “dead air” between songs, they didn’t give any thought at all to their wardrobe (I hate paying a lot of money to see a show where the performer is wearing ripped jeans and a t-shirt), and, one of my personal pet peeves, they introduce each song with “My next song is….”. Performing live isn’t the same as a chef in a restaurant making dinner for someone. If they don’t like what you cooked for them, you can always make them something else. But being on a stage live is a one-time deal. You either get it right or you don’t, and either way, you will leave a lasting impression on all in attendance. I want the impression I leave to be the best that it can be. Even if it’s just a karaoke show. Anyone can spin a disc and announce the name of the next singer. But what if it’s a slow night? What if there are only five singers? It’s hard to fill four hours with the same five people singing over and over, especially when most folks only have two or three songs in their repertoire. You have to know how to keep the crowd interested and make it a fun night. I remember a few years ago when I hosted a show for a friend. It was September and the show was at a marina at an outdoor bar on the banks of a river. It was a bit cold and it was drizzling now and then, and I think there might have been one person who wanted to sing. We spent the entire night singing songs ourselves. We had an audience of three or four people, maybe five. But, as they say, the show must go on. This show is no different, except that this time my name is on the product and how I present myself determines the reputation I leave behind. If you give the client a sub-standard product, then your reputation will be sub-standard. I’m a professional and I want my “product” to say that I'm a professional. A friend told me once, “Do what you can do”. So I have put everything I have into making it the best it can be….money, time, energy….whatever I can do. I may never get another chance to this, so I’m gonna do whatever I can to get it right the first time.
I hate working in a restaurant. I absolutely hate it. The hours are long, the work is back-breaking and the customers are demanding and rude. Most nights I come home wearing and/or smelling like the entire menu. It’s really a surprise to me that stray cats don’t follow me home every night. So why do it? A means to an end….that’s what I call it. Right now it pays the bills and gives me the money to buy the things I need. I’m not talking about food and clothes, I’m talking about lights and music and speakers and microphones. I’m talking about business cards and advertising and a website. I’ve invested a lot of time, money and effort into getting started in music, and I know it’s going to take a lot more….a hell of a lot more, which means waiting on a hell of a lot more tables. Right now, that’s where the money is, but I still hate it. I’m grateful that I have it, but I still hate it. I’m not one of those people who lead a charmed life, but I know of people who do. It seems from the moment they were born the pieces of their lives just fell perfectly in place in the puzzle and a beautiful picture emerged, leaving them sitting pretty on top of the world. That has definitely not been the case for me. I realized early that nothing is going to come easy. I can get what I want, but I’m going to have to work my ass off for it. I have to work twice as hard as the next guy to convince people that I have the talent to do the job. I have to work twice as hard to convince them to at least give me a chance to prove myself, and it seems that I have to work at least three times as hard to convince others to look past what’s on the outside and see the real me on the inside. I used to be afraid of what they would think when they finally saw the real me, but I’m not anymore. It used to bother me when they doubted my abilities. Now it annoys me more than anything else. I know I have something that they don’t have. Something deep inside of my soul that I was born with. You can call it talent, you can call it ability, you can call it passion….you can call it whatever you want, but it’s there. I know it’s there because I can feel it stirring inside me, like a geyser trying to rise to the surface. It drives me and pushes me to do things that aren’t “normal” or “practical”….like giving away my coffee table so there would be enough clear floor space in my living room to dance. Anyway, I have to keep doing what I’m doing to get where I’m going. I’ll keep waiting tables and collecting tips. I may have to do everything piece by piece, but you have to start with baby steps….like they say, you have to learn to crawl before you learn to walk. Just do me (and all those other hard-working servers out there) a BIG favor….the next time you eat out at a restaurant where someone is trying to cater to your every little whim, make sure you recognize them for it. Leave a tip that shows them you appreciate the time and effort they’ve put into making your experience a pleasant and enjoyable one. Remember, there may be someone like me on the receiving end of that tip….someone who is working even harder to make their dreams come true.
I can’t turn it off….I don’t know how. I’ve never known how. I look out the window and I can think of a hundred reasons to go out into the warm sunshine. I can think of so many things I could accomplish….all the things I could get done in one twenty-four hour period. I see cars as they pass through the intersection in front of my house. All kinds of people going in all different directions for all different reasons….most of them oblivious to the others. I should be out there doing things….going places….doing all those things that normal people do. I should, but I won’t. I won’t because something here is calling to me….calling with a voice that only my heart can hear….a voice that I have never been able to ignore. As I turn from the window, I know what is waiting for me. I know it’s only a matter of time before we are together again.
I walk silently to the other side of the room. Reaching over, I flip a switch on the back of the console. As the small windows light up, I feel a tingle pass through me. I push the power button on the board to my right. More lights glow. Opening the drawer, I insert a disc….as the drawer closes, I feel the console vibrate lightly and hear a whirring sound as the disc spins. In seconds, I see the numbers on the LED display. I choose a track and then look to the right as I adjust the controls on the board. Reaching up, I wrap my hand around the microphone and pull it from the stand. I push the button and the power light shines green. I tap lightly on the top and hear a low thump, thump. I feel a stirring in my soul as a smile spreads across my face in anticipation. As the music begins to pulsate through the speakers standing to each side of me, I inhale deeply and turn as my heart and soul are transported to a place deep in the recesses of my mind. A place I have always longed to be….a place where I feel I belong. The words of the song flow effortlessly from my lips. I have sung these words before and will no doubt sing them again. They are words that speak to me and inspire me. I stop singing and listen as the measures of an instrumental take over the middle of the song, then I start again just as effortlessly as before. As the song draws to an end, the music becomes quiet and subdued. I sing the last lines slowly with passion and longing. The heartbreak is inevitable. The music fades to silence as I close my eyes. Soon reality overtakes me and reminds me where I am….here, alone, in my living room. The voice calls to me again….more, it pleads, more….I give in to it as I choose another track and raise the microphone to my lips. Before I realize it, hours have passed and another day is gone.
Some may say I should have done something more constructive….others might say I wasted my time away dreaming….still others may call me foolish….and I guess to some extent, they may be right. But that one voice I hear calling to me tells me “it doesn’t matter what they think….it doesn’t matter what they say….it doesn’t even matter if they like you. It only matters what you think, what you say, and if YOU like you.” As I stand staring at the console, my one voice asks again, “more, please?” I change the disc, choose a new track and listen as the music begins again. Just like the voice that speaks to my heart, I can’t turn the music off. I hear it everywhere, begging me to sing along….it never leaves me….it never turns me away….it never lets me down. The thrills, the emotions, the excitement….they are always there waiting to be experienced, and I can never say no. This is my drug of choice. This is my passion….
I've never felt more at home as I do when I am on a stage. It's like coming home from a long trip. You walk in the door of your house and think "It's good to be home". That's the feeling. I look out at the audience and just feel like I'm home. In my heart I feel that this is where I'm supposed to be. I have had many jobs in restaurants, offices, bakeries, department stores, gas stations, factories....none of them have ever meant as much to me as the times that I was on stage. It doesn't matter what stage or what city or what event or even if there was an audience. I just feel the most comfortable there.
When I walk into a theater or arena or any kind of show venue, I immediately get a picture in my mind of what it would look like from the stage with the house lights down and the spotlights shining. I can hear the crowd cheering and singing along. I can hear the music playing. I smile to myself as all of this passes through my mind. I know that I could just live in that room for the rest of my life and never leave. If I could, there would be a room just like a showroom in my house. Who knows, maybe I will have one someday.
We were asked to provide the music for my stepson's wedding this past weekend, so over the last month or so we have been piecing together a sound system. We purchased a sound board and a set of Yamaha speakers, speakers stands and cables, and new microphones and cables for them. All together we spent close to $1200, which isn't too bad. We got a couple of discounts here and there because we knew people who knew people, and we got a discount on the sound board because it was the last one they had and was the display model. But it's in mint condition, and works perfectly.
We set it up and it just blew me away. It was like a mini-concert. The place even had a mirror ball. The volume only has to be on the first or second notch, and it was loud enough to fill the room with music. I could have stayed and played for hours. I was having so much fun. It's really hard to describe that to people. It's not work, it's more like playing. I mean, just imagine if you were doing the thing that you love to do the most--fishing, flying, dancing, painting, singing, cooking, shopping--whatever it is that you really love to do. Now, imagine that not only do you get to do it, but that you were getting paid to do it. What an awesome job it would be. Well, I would do this for free.
And just to put icing on the cake, two of the couple's friends are interested in having me do their wedding receptions as well.
Sweet.
It's amazing....
I had a friend who opened a recording studio and to get people interested he held an open house. He let folks come in and try out the studio free of charge. Of course, I took advantage of the chance to record something in a real studio. I didn't have the money to pay for that type of thing then, and it was something that I had been dying to do. I recorded a few different songs. They all came out pretty good, but one of them is great.
Several months later I showed it to a woman at a talent agency (they really handled models more than anything else). She stuck it in the tape player and turned it on. She listened for a minute or so and then looked at me and said "That's you?". I said it was. She listened a bit more and then looked at me again. Then she said while pointing at the tape player and then at me, "That is you.". Again, I said it was. She turned the volume down some, crossed her arms, and said "Sing.". So I did, and she finally believed me. I was a little surprised by the whole thing. I didn't expect that when I played the tape for someone they wouldn't believe that it was me.
Just last night we played the recording for some new friends and they said the same thing...."That's You?!" Unbelievable. I guess I just don't look the part. I don't look like the people on the red carpet. I'm a real person. I guess everyone expects you to look a certain way if you have certain kinds of talent. Singers should look like this and artists should look like this and actors should look like that and athletes should look like that. There is so much stereotyping in this world that we just can't seem to accept people for who they are. This is one of the major snags I have hit over the years. But once they get to know me, they get over it quick.
From as far back as I can remember, there has been music in my life, and I can remember that I have always wanted to be a part of it in some way. I can remember listening to the radio and playing records and tapes for hours on end. I remember my friends trying to get me to come outside when all I wanted to do was listen to music and sing. I remember sitting with my brother and his friends while they played their guitars. I remember watching every awards show on TV and listening to the weekly top 40 hit list to see who had the number 1 song that week. I remember watching American Bandstand, not to see what the dancers were wearing or to see who was dating who, but to see and hear the musical acts that were performing. I loved shows like Solid Gold, The Donny & Marie (Osmond) Show, Midnight Special, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, Tony Orlando & Dawn, Sonny & Cher, The Captain & Tenille, Dean Martin....anything that was a variety show or was musical.
Everyone in my family was musical in some way or just loved music. My dad used to listen to the local country stations and took us to a couple of shows. I remember going to see people like Glen Campbell and Johnny Cash. My mom loved performers like The Platters, Nat King Cole, Patsy Cline, Patti Page, Brenda Lee, Johnny Mathis, Connie Francis, and Doris Day. My brother, on the other hand, was and still is a metalhead. He loves groups like Kiss, Dokken, Ratt, Poison, Led Zeppelin, Rush, and AC/DC. So I grew up around all kinds of music and I like some of all of it. My husband is into Motown and R&B, like the Spinners and the Temptations, and also into the comedy songs and parody songs of people like Weird Al, Rodney Carrington and Ray Stevens, and now that my son is a young adult (he's 25), I am hearing a lot of the new stuff that is on the radio. As with all the other types of music, some of it I like and some I don't. I have a cousin that sings, another one that sings in a band and plays guitar, and one of my uncles used to sing and was able to play harmonica and piano by ear. It's almost as if being musical was born in my blood.
There are things about some of the music I've heard over the years that really bothers me. I don't like it when songs seem to promote things like drug use or brutality. I never cared for the heavy metal songs where someone is just literally screaming and the band is playing the same four chords over and over for six solid minutes. (Don't throw tomatoes, there are some heavy metal songs I really like. Jaime's Crying by Van Halen is one of my favorites, and I love Beth and a few others by Kiss.) As a singer, I like to hear the lyrics of the song so I can join in. I also don't think the "n" word has any place in any kind of conversation. It was used originally to belittle and degrade people and even though it is used in casual conversation these days, it still has that connotation to it. I just don't like the word--never have, never will. But I don't believe in censorship. I would never say that someone else can't say what they want in their songs. I always have the option of not buying that artist's recordings if I don't like what I hear.
I think there are some really fantastic artists, groups and musicians out there, and tons of great music. They are writing new stuff and renewing the old stuff and most of it is fantastic. You just have to keep your ears and your mind open.
