we played my first showcase last night at code blue here in nashville. for those of you unfamiliar with the term "showcase" i would explain it like this:
there are 3 key elements that you need for a successful showcase. label interest- idealy several labels interest! you invite them to come check out a show. the music-must be the very best it can possibly be. the best musicians, the best venue with the best sound, run by a pro. and lastly people. the label guys want to see that you have a fan base, and that people are diggin what you're doing.
a showcase can make your career take off like a rocket, or send you back home with your tail between your legs. these guys will not sugar coat anything, they don't have the time. if they don't really like you, they will say something like..... "i don't really like you" that may be the scariest part.
label interst- we had 3 different guys from 3 different labels say that they would come out. cool part is, they actually showed up!
music- i cannot say enough about how proud i was to share the stage with this group of guys. it was: kevin newberry-drums, tim teague-lead guitar/vocals, kelly schoenfeld-acoustic/vocals, tim mcdonald-keys/vocals, and cliff canterberry-bass. i have played with some incredible musicians over the years. this group was just amazing! it was an honor to have my music treated so well. we had two rehearsals, and a good long sound check. code blue has got a great sound system and we were lucky enough to have mike fechner with us to run it. he works with many greats, like dolly parton.
people- we definately had the people. starting with 2 cousins that drove from wisconsin, 4 cousins from iowa, and 1 mother that flew in from colorado. add in 3 good buddies down from kentucky, and 1 up from georgia and we're on our way. family is so very important, and having them make such a lenthly trip to be here to support me, means the world to me. it made a special night, all that much more so, having them there to share it with me. thank you bob, craig, val, norm, suzan, and amber. you guys are the best!
we promoted the show mostly by myspace. i want to say thank you to cynthia glenn, john dave, kelly and sarah and all of my other friends that took the time to help us get the word out. nashville is a tough town to get people to come hear your show because it is over saturated with live music. i asked all of my friends to come out and help us make this thing a success, and they didn't let me down. i would guess there was about 120 people or so. i kept saying to everyone, "thank you so much for being here" i didn't know what else to say. it felt so good to have so many people show up on my behalf.
it was a very special evening. don't know just yet what will come of it, but i do know it was a success. i don't really care what comes of it. i am completely satisfied already. we had a gathering of some wonderful people... we played music with passion.... we laughed..... we celebrated. we had fun, and that... is all that really matters.