... yesterday afternoon. "Hi, Gary? This is Justin from Cool 100. Are you guys available tomorrow night?"
Justin is one of the DJs at the oldies radio station. We had played Cans and Clams Night at Traditions at the Glen just two weeks ago, and he was asking us to appear again because the scheduled entertainment had canceled at the last minute. I'd been itching for another gig and we had nothing booked for this weekend.
I told Justin that we'd be there. Before hanging up, I thanked him for thinking of us.
"You were the first ones I thought of," he said.
I love it!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Beatles are Coming! The Beatles are Coming!
The following is from my Reprise 60s Journal, entry dated July 30, 2009:
The Beatles are playing Sunday at a small winery near Binghamton, New York. That is, if the ad that appeared this morning in the local newspaper is to be believed. Getting the world's greatest band to show up will be quite an accomplishment, since two of the members are dead and a third is filling stadiums with exhilarated fans on his current U.S. tour. Perhaps instead of a live performance, the Beatles will be represented via their recordings. But there is another possibility. A couple of weeks ago, I went to the winery on a Sunday to catch a group named the Beatles Band. My guess is that the Beatles Band is going to be there this week and the Beatles are not.
I also drove out to the winery that day for another reason. The owners hire entertainment for Sunday afternoon performances on the outdoor deck. I had previously phoned to inquire about opportunities for our band, Reprise 60s. When I told the woman on the phone that we play sixties music exclusively, she said that she did not usually hire oldies bands, but that she would “listen with an open mind” if I dropped off a demo CD. In fact, the Beatles Band plays sixties music exclusively, since, as their name implies, they cover only Beatles songs. The real Beatles released their first hit in 1963 and broke up forever in 1969 - the ultimate sixties band. So, I was encouraged when I handed over our CD, including covers of two Beatles songs and three others that are typical examples of the same era, and my optimism was not diminished as I listened to the Beatles Band. They were competent, but certainly not overwhelmingly superior to our band, Reprise 60s. Not, at least, in my completely unbiased opinion.
I sent a follow-up e-mail about a week later. Within an hour I received a reply: “We enjoyed your CD,” the woman from the winery wrote. “We feel you’re music is not the right match for our business.” Hmm, I wondered - you mean the music of the Beatles?
Geeze, talk about rejection. It’s like asking Stephen King’s Carrie to the prom and getting turned down.
Oh, by the way, it took three days and two loaves of bread with peanut butter to kill the aftertaste from whatever it was the proprietors were serving out of wine bottles.
The Beatles are playing Sunday at a small winery near Binghamton, New York. That is, if the ad that appeared this morning in the local newspaper is to be believed. Getting the world's greatest band to show up will be quite an accomplishment, since two of the members are dead and a third is filling stadiums with exhilarated fans on his current U.S. tour. Perhaps instead of a live performance, the Beatles will be represented via their recordings. But there is another possibility. A couple of weeks ago, I went to the winery on a Sunday to catch a group named the Beatles Band. My guess is that the Beatles Band is going to be there this week and the Beatles are not.
I also drove out to the winery that day for another reason. The owners hire entertainment for Sunday afternoon performances on the outdoor deck. I had previously phoned to inquire about opportunities for our band, Reprise 60s. When I told the woman on the phone that we play sixties music exclusively, she said that she did not usually hire oldies bands, but that she would “listen with an open mind” if I dropped off a demo CD. In fact, the Beatles Band plays sixties music exclusively, since, as their name implies, they cover only Beatles songs. The real Beatles released their first hit in 1963 and broke up forever in 1969 - the ultimate sixties band. So, I was encouraged when I handed over our CD, including covers of two Beatles songs and three others that are typical examples of the same era, and my optimism was not diminished as I listened to the Beatles Band. They were competent, but certainly not overwhelmingly superior to our band, Reprise 60s. Not, at least, in my completely unbiased opinion.
I sent a follow-up e-mail about a week later. Within an hour I received a reply: “We enjoyed your CD,” the woman from the winery wrote. “We feel you’re music is not the right match for our business.” Hmm, I wondered - you mean the music of the Beatles?
Geeze, talk about rejection. It’s like asking Stephen King’s Carrie to the prom and getting turned down.
Oh, by the way, it took three days and two loaves of bread with peanut butter to kill the aftertaste from whatever it was the proprietors were serving out of wine bottles.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Our Place in the (Very Hot) Sun
“Nobody does the Sixties better.” - Julie from Syracuse
“If you like the Beatles & the Stones, you’ll love Reprise 60s.”
“These guys are awesome … their harmonies are dead on!”
- Scott from Endwell
“Finally, music I know the words to.” - Terry from Endicott
“This was the most fun I’ve ever had listening to a live band.”
- a fan at McGirk’s
“Better every time I hear them … they’ve got swagger.”
- Dale from Endicott
“This band is welcome back here … anytime.” – Cosmo, owner Cosmo's Tiki Bar, Johnson City
After two straight weekends of back-to-back shows, reality is finally beginning to gnaw its way through my nearly impenetrable skull. This is a young man’s game. Lugging heavy equipment around, setting up and tearing down, standing on our feet and forcing ourselves to remain upbeat for up to four hours at a stretch, with one or two fifteen minute breaks to rest our weary backs and fingers and throats. These past two weeks were especially brutal, not just because of our busy schedule, but because all four of our gigs took place outdoors during one of the hottest late June/early Julys on record. Two of them - a two-hour performance at the annual Strawberry Festival in Owego and a Fourth of July show at Highland Park in Endwell – had us performing under a ferocious mid-day sun. I slept through most of July 5th and 6th.
Yet later that week I began to develop a longing that reminded me of the time I gave up cigarettes for good. How could we have no gigs scheduled for the coming weekend? Or the one after that? I am officially addicted, not to smoke or drink or drugs, but to the stage. Physical challenges and emotional disappointments aside, I cannot wait to get back it, to put myself in a position to succeed or fail in front of a roomful of strangers who couldn't care less about my fragile psyche.
The band is doing well right now. We have had our ups and lots of downs, and we’re still having trouble drawing and holding a crowd on a consistent basis. But we’re getting booked regularly now, and nearly everyone who hears us has something good to say about us.
I’ve collected some quotes over the past few weeks and put them on a poster (see above). A local DJ talked us up recently on his Sunday morning radio program. He says we're "going places." We’re starting to get calls from people who are interested in booking us. Things are looking up for Reprise 60s. But how much longer, I wonder, will we be able to keep up, or possibly increase, the pace?
The answer always comes back to me as the next gig draws near: As long as the rewards outweigh the demands. In other words, for a long time … I hope.
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