Redbone, Harris to perform at Berkshires BluesFest

On Saturday, September 3rd, we will perform in Great Barrington, MA at the Mahaiwe Theater, sharing the bill with two amazing artists: Corey Harris and Leon Redbone.

We are especially excited to deliver this news as we had been put in charge of lining up the talent for this show and staying within an established budget. Neither of us had ever worked for "the other side" before, and it was much more challenging than we could have imagined.

Now, everyone who visits this kind of website knows that being a working musician is not easy. There is way too much hustling and scuffling and too little time spent actually playing music, yet there is always pressure to put on a life-altering performance in any given venue on any given night no matter what you've gone through to get there. There is also that little problem of a "living wage." However, I would never trade this uneasy lifestyle for that of a promoter. That is just a brain aneurysm waiting to happen.

Here are a few things I have learned from this erratic, sometimes agonizing two-month process:

1) Time kills every deal.
2) The concept of "goodwill" is almost unknown in the music business.
3) A 90-year old bluesman is not necessarily motivated by the terms "good exposure" or "career momentum".
4) Most agents will not even take an offer to an artist until it meets certain minimum requirements.
5) Don't pick at it, it'll never heal
6) At the end of the day, the best thing you can do is throw a small party for yourself, because noone else will.
7) Is there one righteous man in all of Sodom? What about Connecticut?
8) And, most importantly, no matter what your profession, work hard and be sincere and it will all come out alright.

I want to thank Woody Sumner for his confidence in us and for mentoring me every step of the way. We hope to see you at the show.