My first live show with LIVE GUESTS!

Tomorrow night, I'm playing a back lot concert at the restaurant that Covid has forced out of business. It's a bittersweet event - it'll be nice to see a few people, sitting in lawn chairs, 6' apart, with coolers, enjoying some camaraderie and tuneage. It'll stream of Facebook starting at 6pm EST (US) and it'll be a guitar/vocal, w/tracks performance. HAS to be, cuz there's no power available! I'll do the whole thing wirelessly, and using battery powered gear. should be interesting.

The main system will be the Roland Street Cube - line out to my digital recorder, and Zoom camera, line out of that into a pair of Bose S1pros. Streaming with be with the Shure MV88 mic into my iPhoneX.

Fingeres crossed for good weather, mindful, polite, safe assembly, and a great time with some friends that I dearly miss. (if the dog lady show - it'll be a very short show)

Good luck Dave

I will be virtually watching the live feed..

wish I was closer..

Thanks bud ... still in "prep mode"

Will you have SECURITY there too.....?

...still not sure what I'll do if she shows up. Everything inside me will cringe if she does, but if there are others there, I won't let them down. Catch 22 by definition.

Looked like fun, Dave, ...
your thoughts?

Just a few .... the audio was a bit distorted on the feed - not in person, but I couldn't monitor and perform at the same time. I'm fixing is as best I can in post. The Dog Walker did show (grrrr) and that was distracting, but the rest of the crowd was awesome. At the end of the day - it was like 2 nights pay for 1.5 hours. Not bad at all. Freakin' dog lady .... couldn't been a perfect night.

Unfortunately, I did not get to see it from the beginning, but the part I heard sounded ok except for the beginning of the last song ...

You had to figure she would show - as long as it wasn't distracting ...

And financially, it sounds like you made out ok ... good for you ...

Overall, I would call it a win !

Just one thing ... I know people can't have masks on when they are singing, but I think you should have a bottle of hand sanitizer for when they hand the mic back to you ... just sayin'

I gave out Carona Condoms for each singer to put on the mic, and they kept them. That's enough for me. Hands don't sneeze. Wish I could have cleaned up the audio better, but it was a live show, and the priority was on the audience. The video is just a perk. More like a souvenir. LOL The sound in the parking lot was NOT distorted, it was the mic on the phone that was set a little too hot.

Better next time - hey! AJ on FB and YouTube tomorrow at noon! Get yer Ketron on ... like donkey kong

Yes it was a great show ,...
no need for explanations just enjoy!

Well, to be honest, the streaming sound was not that great. As i mentioned before, the live sound in the parking lot was fine, but it overloaded the mic I used with my phone. I fiddled with it, and compressed the audio as best I could, but here it is .... (remember - this was a LIVE show, not a studio recording)

its good to see you playing.

... and actually WORKING !!!

I congratulate you for being able to pull something like this off. I know it's part and parcel of this type of gig but it sure made me remember why we never took requests or allowed 'guest' artists . I guess when you aren't playing the accompaniment 'live', it's difficult to manage the 'dead time' between songs (I'm talking 'requests' and 'guest artists'). Actually we did take requests AND allow 'guests', but ONLY if we knew the tune well (requests) and could play it in the 'guest artist's' key---otherwise, a FIRM NO. However, playing in a jazz club or jazz-oriented bar is a little different, in that the 'guest' was usually pretty accomplished and was probably there to steal your gig, not impress his/her girlfriend/boyfriend.

Anyhow, congrats on figuring out how to squeeze a gig out of a pretty dry market (hopefully, only a temporary situation). Don't lose sight of the (health) risks involved in doing this type of gig, as some of the your over-excited 'guests' may temporarily forget safety protocols. Good luck and stay safe.

chas

GUESS WHAT? I fixed the audio!
This sounds Sooooooooo much better. It's only 1/2 the show - npt sure why the camera shut down.

Dave much better quality sounds terriffic...
good job as always !!

Thanks - that's what the crowd heard!

Good job Dave. Audio sounds great!

Dave, when I tuned in on Thursday, the camera was facing from 'stage right' and in this vid it is at 'stage left' ... did you switch mid-stream,?

Tony - LOL - no, I had my phone set up Stage Right (MY right for you non theatre types), and my Zoom Q2n stage left as a backup - good thing I DID too, because the audio from the phone got way too hot! lol

ok, thanks ...

Thought you were going a little batty, huh?

I must say,Dave,that I am thoroughly impressed with the lengths you have gone to pull this off. Only a determined warrior,such as yourself,would do it. Of coarse,having a fair bit of talent doesn't hurt.

Plus one!

Thanks guys. This is just my work ethic. I want to be the one to say WHEN it's over, and not anything, or anyone else. This is more like a speed bump than a roadblock, so I'll just slow down a little and ease over this unsteady part of the journey. I've said before - my involvement in theatre has prepared me for this type of "quick change." I'm not quite as flighty as the gypsies that travel the world with no roots, but I AM very used to the unexpected ending of a gig, and having little, to no guarantee of future work in this profession. Many are not built to live with the "possibility of work" schedule, but if you can ... it's a rather exciting way to experience life, and its many sudden changes. This is all just another part of being self employed, and relying on ME to seize opportunities, as they are presented, or CREATE them, in their absence. I think it was Michelangelo that said "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it"
I'm just chipping away at the stone ... looking for my angel of music.

Way to go Dave - "When 1 door closes, another one opens". Go for it!

Love the Logo Randy...

Thanks Donny! Like you said... "Mix it up"!

Randy,

Great job with the logo!

Wow! sounded great Unc!

Thanks Jerry. I just might have to do one or two more. The boss has the lease paid up till 5/28, so .... maybe.

Have you thought about leasing the place and making it your own?
Some of my fondest memories are of having my own night club. And those ten years were when I made the most money as well. But it is HARD work, mostly dealing with the governments and their various regulations.

And even more regs now ...

OMG - Can you imagine opening a new restaurant in the age of Corona? You'd have to have oodles of capital behind such an endeavor. That's one luxury I shall NEVER have. There are a handful of young-ish (40 something) investors that have inquired about buying the place, but there are no real offers that I know of.
Plus - I'm not hanging around here much longer. Ready for a fresh start - and it's a solid guarantee that the dog lady will never find me. Whoo Hoo!

Go for it Dave good luck....
and go for it sooner then later....
you'll be fine for sure.

... the wheels are turning

and I'll have somewhere to come visit for lunch too

Always ... but it might have to be an overnight visit ...it’s about 300 miles!

Who cares lunch, dinner, and breakfast!
I need a good road trip...